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Summary The US and China annual human rights dialogue began in Washington.
The US and China are holding their annual human rights dialogue that allows Washington to broach thorny issues but demonstrates its limited leverage with Beijing.The two days of closed-door talks between senior officials began in Washington Monday.Human rights groups want the US to press China over a crackdown on rights lawyers and activists and repression in Tibet.The Obama administration says human rights is central to its foreign policy. In May, a prominent Chinese dissident was allowed to move to New York after he sought refuge in the US Embassy in Beijing.But Washingtons scope for pressuring China has diminished as the Asian nations stature has grown.China objects to finger-pointing but likely sees the dialogue as useful in fending off critics and preserving ties.
