Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Zhang Qiyue, said Thursday that any foreign attempt to prejudice or thwart China's bid for the 2008 Olympic Games "runs counter to the spirit of the Olympic Games and will be futile."
Zhang made the remarks in response to a report recently made by Britain's Lower House, which advised the British government not to support China in hosting the Olympics on the grounds that China has human rights problems.
Refuting the claims, Zhang said human rights enjoyed by Chinese people in history have never been so good as now.
"The charges are totally unacceptable," Zhang said at a regular press conference.
She said the Chinese government has made unremitting efforts to protect and improve human rights and has made great achievements acknowledged by countries worldwide.
The Chinese government has also been dedicated to carrying out international cooperation with other countries in human rights, she noted.
Since 1997, she said, China and Britain have conducted several rounds of dialogs on human rights, which have enhanced mutual understanding and yielded positive results.
"Beijing's bid for the Olympic Games in 2008 is to carry forward the Olympic spirit, develop Olympic sports and make contributions to the peace and friendship of human beings," she said.
The spokeswoman pointed out that the Chinese government and the Chinese people are staunch supporters of the bid.
(Xinhua 12/01/2000)
