Dueling human rights reports

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department released its 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The next day, in keeping with tradition, China released its own report on human rights in the United States. I look forward to this all year.

It's not that the U.S. shouldn't be subject to the same scrutiny, but a report like this would be so much stronger if it came from practically anywhere else. My favorite parts:

1. The report repeatedly cites Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, organizations whose websites are inaccessible in China except by proxy server. The government regularly dismisses their reports on China, criticizing AI in the run-up to the Olympics for its "tinted glasses."

2. The report calls out the U.S. for restricting the voting rights of convicted felons - a problem, to be sure, but coming from China? Really?

3. The section on women and children mentions the hundreds of women killed in Juarez, a border town which is actually in Mexico.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton downplayed human rights during her visit here last weekend, saying economic issues, climate change and international security should take priority in the U.S.-China relationship. Human Rights Watch and American editorial pages were not pleased.

Both countries can do much better than this.

China Fun Fact: China overtook the U.S. in monthly auto sales for the first time in January.