Human rights should not sidetrack summit between Xi and Obama

China and the United States held their 19th Human Rights Dialogue in Washington last week during which officials from the two sides discussed the human rights situations in both countries and exchanged views in a candid and professional manner.

However, an Associated Press story released on Friday, one day after the dialogue was concluded, said China plays down US human rights concerns, citing a US State Department's top official who pointed to growing US alarm over the human rights situation in China. The official said that the topic would feature at the summit meeting in September between US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Li Junhua, director of the international division of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, who headed the Chinese delegation in last week's dialogue, said China is open to human rights discussions but the issue should not dominate the upcoming Xi-Obama summit.