China Blocks Rights Measure, Punishes Denmark for Effort

On the same day it blocked U.N. consideration of a resolution condemning its human rights record, the Chinese government took diplomatic retaliation Tuesday against Denmark for sponsoring the measure.

Accusing the Danish government of “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people,” China announced that it will suspend bilateral state visits with Copenhagen.

The announcement came only hours before China marshaled enough votes at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva to kill the Danish resolution, which was strongly backed by the United States.

The motion urged China to relax controls on freedom of expression and religion, release political prisoners and improve its judicial system. But China prevented the measure from even coming to a vote by the commission when its motion for “no action” on the Danish proposal passed 27 to 17, with nine countries abstaining. It was the seventh consecutive year that China has defeated efforts to condemn its human rights record.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang told reporters here that China “will delay important exchanges of officials” with Denmark and curtail talks with Copenhagen on human rights. “Denmark . . . is interfering in China’s internal affairs and hurting the feelings of the Chinese people.”

It was not immediately clear which visits would be affected or for how long. Denmark’s Prince Joachim and his Hong Kong-born wife, Princess Alexandra, have been planning to attend ceremonies marking China’s resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1.

Shen said the Danish resolution at a meeting of the U.N. commission forced China’s hand, throwing up “obstacles to the smooth development of relations between the two countries.”

In addition, China has canceled a visit by a Dutch official in June, apparently striking back at the Netherlands’ support of the U.N. motion, the Dutch government said.

The struggle over the human rights measure has become a contentious rite of spring in Geneva ever since Beijing’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. China has consistently blocked the measure by rallying the support of developing nations, mainly in Asia and Africa.

That pattern was repeated Tuesday, although this year several Western countries that traditionally have co-sponsored the censure resolution, including Canada, France, Germany and Italy, declined to put their names on it.

Last week, Chinese President Jiang Zemin attempted to circumvent Denmark’s move by committing his country to one of two key international treaties on human rights. But Danish officials pressed on with their proposal.

Chu reported from Beijing and Turner from the United Nations in New York.