Becerra downplayed China's abuses as a 'different perspective' on human rights

President Biden’s pick to lead his Health and Human Services Department once downplayed China’s human rights abuses amid a push to expand trade with the communist country.

As a California congressman in 1997, Xavier Becerra helped lead a delegation of more than 20 House members on an economic mission to China. The trip came on the heels of a 1996 tour of Cuba where Becerra met with strongman Fidel Castro, a decision that provoked controversy among Cuban-American lawmakers.

Becerra, California attorney general since 2017, faces considerable Republican opposition in his bid to be confirmed as HHS secretary.

The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday voted 14-14, along party lines, on whether to advance Becerra's nomination to the full Senate. Becerra is still likely to be confirmed in the Democratic majority chamber. But Republicans continue to criticize his nomination, over past congressional votes on abortion and other issues.

So far, foreign policy hasn't particularly been part of the opposition to Becerra. But virtually anything in his congressional past could become fodder for attacks.

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For instance, upon returning from his 1997 trip to China, Becerra defended the communist regime against allegations of widespread human rights abuses. While acknowledging that the country needed to improve its record, Becerra said that China has a “different perspective” on the issue.

“We have two very different cultures, and we have two very different perspectives on the world,” Becerra told NPR. “That’s not to say one perspective is better than the other.”

Becerra, first elected to the House in 1992, explained that because China was a developing country with different cultural mores, it was understandable that its leaders take “a dim view of what they consider meddling by the U. S. in its affairs internally — especially with regard to human rights.”

Becerra offered an example from the Chinese perspective. Because the country is struggling to feed its more than 1 billion people, he pointed out, its leaders don’t believe “providing freedom of the press” can be a top priority just yet.

Becerra added that when negotiating with Chinese officials, it was important never to... (Read more)

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