In the American view priority is given to basic freedoms, such as that of the vote, assembly, information, and freedom from arbitrary punishment. This is especially the case at this stage of China's political evolution where political democracy is extremely limited. In any case, it needs to be noted that progress on human rights is aided by improvement of the economic-social situation. Therefore, it is well argued that we not link MFN to human rights though, at the same time, we should speak out assertively on human rights issues. Further, in our approach to human rights issues in China we need to be realistic in terms of time-frame.
China is in an historic process of economic and social change and time is an important factor.
The implications of China's evolution and policies for United States policy was a major focus of the conference's deliberations. Assistant Secretary of State Winston Lord stated that dealing with China today is perhaps more difficult than ever before. As China rapidly emerges as a global power, we are faced with the issues of nationalism, a deep sense of sovereignty, and the perceived threat of containment. Kurt Campbell, the United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, underscored the importance of engaging the Chinese military in the bilateral dialogue as China emerges into great power status. We need to avoid miscalculations and to obtain more transparency in military matters.