premise: China's human rights record received a grilling Tuesday by a top US official here who told the Human Rights Commission that abuses in the country were still widespread.
  US permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador William Richardson acknowledged that two decades of economic growth had dramatically improved the lives of millions of Chinese.
  "However, China's government continues to commit widespread and well- documented human rights absues and to severely restrict fundamental freedoms of speech, the press, assembly, association and religion," he told the 53rd commission session.
  "We do not seek confrontation over this issue, but we firmly believe that (China) should be held accountable...to the international standards that China itself has endorsed."
  A Chinese delegate interrupted Richardson's address in protest, but was told he would be given a chance to respond later in the day.
   According to Richardson, what dramatically improved the lives of millions of Chinese people?
hypothesis: told he would be given a chance to respond