American experts on Asian affairs have praised President Bill Clinton for separating the issues of human rights in China and its Most Favoured Nation (MFN) trade status.
However, James Przystup, director of the Asian Studies Centre at the conservative Heritage Foundation, denied the US was no longer concerned about human rights in China.
He told a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong: 'MFN works this year because it does not go beyond issues such as abortion and human rights.
'MFN is not an excuse for China's policy to neglect human rights.' Mr Przystup said if China wanted to participate in the World Trade Organisation, human rights records would be brought into consideration as it was a global issue. Bilateral trade also had to be discussed.
Robert Manning, senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, listed human rights and Hong Kong as one of the 'seven burdens' in US-China relations.
Speaking at the same event, Mr Manning said the handover had gone extremely well, but people had to wait to see how it would evolve.