Ministry 'appalled' by US, EU rights abuses

China said on Monday it is "appalled" and "deeply concerned" by human rights violations by the United States and some European Union countries.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remark in a daily news conference, citing "relevant reports issued by the United Nations".

A UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty report issued in November said the United States, among others, has "made extensive use" of "detention of children for immigration purposes over the past decade".

It also said that "immigration detention of children is employed extensively" in Europe, and that such detention "may constitute a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of children".

Human rights conditions in the United States and some European Union countries have worsened, and their wealth gaps are widening, Hua said, adding that issues of racial discrimination and xenophobia are becoming more evident. Many child immigrants have been forced into detention and separated from their parents, she said.

"Human rights protection should not be mere talk, let alone an excuse to interfere in other countries' domestic affairs," Hua said.

Tuesday marks International Human Rights Day.

"We hope the US will take the opportunity to implement its human rights commitments," Hua said. She urged the US to take effective measures to protect the basic rights of underprivileged people and "do some real work for its own and international human rights causes."

Hua also urged Western media to produce objective reports about China's efforts to tackle terrorism in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

When asked about scant coverage by Western media of two documentaries of such efforts that aired on the China Global Television Network last week, Hua said Western media "scramble for lies" but "shun truths" on Xinjiang.