Clinton's diplomacy on human rights spot on

Hillary Clinton's maiden trip to China as US Secretary of State has been hailed as a success. But that has not stopped some human rights groups and a section of the international media from saying she was "too lenient" with China on human rights. Was it really the case? Would China have lost something if she "played hard" on human rights?

Let's first see what comprises human rights. It's true the concept of human rights originated in the West, but it would be unfair to say that China has not contributed to their development - both at home and abroad. The human rights referred to in the (US) Declaration of Independence and the (French) Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen were actually meant for rich, white men. Women, black people and the poor were not part of the declarations. It was only after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 that the rights of man came to mean the rights for all.

The rights to self-determination, development, harmony and many other aspects were gradually added to the concept of human rights over the following six decades, with the growing strength of developing countries' voice playing a major role in that achievement. And China as the largest developing country has contributed its fair share to the cause.