Opinion: US should not preach, but lead by example

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By CGTN’s "The Point"

On April 20, the US State Council released its 2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, detailing human rights in virtually every country and territory around the world except the US itself. The report emphasized human rights violations in certain countries such as China and Russia, but used apparently softer language for US allies.

“Unfortunately, it’s a hypocritical joke. It has become an enemies list. Basically, anybody who is on that list is somebody who is not friendly to the United States,” Einar Tangen, current affairs commentator, said on CGTN’s "The Point" (@thepointwithlx).

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In the report, China, Russia, Iran and the DPRK are labeled as “morally reprehensible” governments that violate human rights within their borders on a daily basis, making them “forces of instability.”

“The US does not review its actions. If you start looking at the human rights groups across the world, they all have criticisms (toward the US) – everything from how they are treating people in wartime atrocities to unilateral actions to bombs and missiles,” Tangen added.

Xu Qinduo, a senior fellow at the Pangoal Institution, said the Chinese government sees the report as a politically motivated document. “Basically, using the human rights records as a political tool to attack your enemies.”

China on Tuesday published a report on the United States' human rights situation in response.

The report accused the United States of serious infringement on citizens' civil rights, systematic racial discrimination, severe flaws in American-style democracy, the widening rich-poor divide, and discrimination and assault against some specific groups such as women, children, and people with disabilities, as well as its continued violations of human rights in other countries.

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Different countries have different priorities, and the definitions of human rights are not universal, Xu said. For Western countries, they address more about political rights, but for people living in developing countries, poverty reduction is of more importance.

“This report has in effect ended any credibility that it has had in the past... Don’t preach what you should do. If you really want a better world, lead by example and do what you want others to do,” Tangen suggested.

"The Point" with Liu Xin is a 30-minute current affairs program on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 9:30 p.m. BJT (1330GMT), with rebroadcasts at 5:30 a.m. (2130GMT) and 10:30 a.m. (0230GMT).