Time magazine Beijing correspondent Austin Ramzy writes on Times-China blog:
To follow on Simon’s post below about Zeng Jinyan, it’s worth noting what Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had to say yesterday regarding human rights. During a joint press conference with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Yang said, “The Chinese people enjoy extensive freedom of speech,” according to the Financial Times.
“You could ask 10 people on the street to stand in front of public security officers and freely say ‘human rights are far more important than the Olympics’ 10 times or even 100 times and I’ll see which officer arrests them,” the newspaper quoted Yang as saying. “If they get tired, the public security officer would probably offer them a cup of tea.”
I’m guessing Yang wasn’t intentionally referring to the practice of state security agents asking activists out for “a cup of tea.”
Photos: Hu Jia, Zengjinyan and their daughter Hu Qianci.
