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Trump-Xi Jinping summit
Hong Kong

Call for Trump to press Xi on human rights issues at summit

US Congressional-Executive Commission says Trump has ‘historic opportunity’ to urge release of Chinese dissidents

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Human rights advocates in the US are hoping that Donald Trump (right) will raise difficult issues with Chinese President Xi Jinping (left). Photo: AP
Phila Siu
US President Donald Trump is under pressure to push President Xi Jinping for the release of dissidents in China when they meet this week, following a statement by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China that cites human rights protection as integral to economic relations and security.

The bipartisan commission said Xi should not “get a pass” on addressing human rights issues when the leaders from the two countries meet for a two-day summit in Florida.

“As President Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi to Florida, we cannot forget the men and women who languish unjustly in prison, the family members who do not know the fate of their loved ones, and the professionals who have disappeared for simply doing their job,” commission chairman Marco Rubio said in a statement.

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“These people are not statistics, they are booksellers and pastors, writers and Nobel laureates, lawyers and rights defenders. While recognising the broad scope of US-China bilateral relations, it is unacceptable for President Xi to get a pass on human rights. Not only is there a moral imperative to press for dissidents’ immediate and unconditional release, it also aligns with our national interests.”
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But doubts remain if President Trump will indeed press the Chinese leader on his country’s human rights records, with one analyst saying the US is more keen on trade matters.

And when President Trump met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Washington earlier, he made no public airing of US concerns about human rights in Egypt despite saying both sides had “a few things” they do not agree on.

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