Despite its limits, human rights diplomacy should be pursued

Three experts argue democracies face difficulties in their often contradictory approaches

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U.S. President Joe Biden seeks to put human rights back at the core of US foreign policy. © Reuters

ITARU OISHI, TSUYOSHI NAGASAWA, and KOYA JIBIKI, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO/WASHINGTON/JAKARTA -- As U.S. President Joe Biden tries to focus on restoring America's foreign prestige, human rights diplomacy is attracting attention. But there conflict exists between what much of humanity stands up for and what some governments call interference in their internal affairs.

In March during high-level U.S.-China talks in Alaska, Yang Jiechi, a Politburo member and China's most senior foreign policy official, responded to a U.S. accusation of human rights abuses by saying, "China has the Chinese-style democracy."

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