NPR's Rob Gifford reports that the Chinese government today struck back at the United States, calling it hypocritical on human rights. China went on the offensive after the U.S. released a State Department report yesterday, saying that China's human rights record has greatly deteriorated over the past year. Chinese officials discussed the issue during a news conference as U.N. human rights chief Mary Robinson was in Beijing. The Chinese government didn't like her remarks either, saying she was ignorant of China's situation. She is pressing China to abolish its "re-education through labor" policy, under which minor offenders can be locked up for several years, without any judicial process.
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