U.S. Delisting of China Upsets Rights Activists

Zhang Zuhua, a dissident political researcher in Beijing, said the human rights situation in China has not improved. But he is not currently pressing for change. "The police persuaded and even threatened me not to take any action until the Olympics finishes," he said in a telephone interview. "They hinted that if I go my own way, it is possible for them to arrest me."

Chen Yongmiao, a former lawyer who is now a dissident writer, said he was not surprised by the U.S. decision. "I guess if the U.S. still put China into the worst countries list, how could the U.S. attend the Olympics without receiving criticism from human rights organizations?"

Despite the U.S. gesture, China still faces challenges to its rule that could mar its public image. Protests that monks began in Tibet on Monday to mark the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against the Chinese turned violent Tuesday, according to U.S. government-funded Radio Free Asia. The radio service reported that police shot tear gas into a crowd of 500 monks marching near a police station in Lhasa.

Fu Jun, a spokesman for the Tibetan government in Lhasa, said the number of monks was smaller than reported. He said monks shouted slogans and held banners that read "Independent Tibet," but denied that police used tear gas. "The monks are young and don't understand history," Fu said in a telephone interview. "The police did not use force. They just dissuaded them."

Travel to Tibet is restricted and the reports could not be independently confirmed.

Back in Beijing, tight security is on display as the city hosts delegates to its Communist-controlled parliament, meeting this week.

Correspondent Maureen Fan and researchers Zhang Jie and Liu Liu contributed to this report.