China's wariness of the internet has led to abuses, the US says

The United States, which sponsored the resolution, wanted the UN to condemn China for restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression.

But 28 member states sided with China against the motion, with 16 voting with the US and nine abstentions.

The action angered Beijing, which had accused the US of interference.

China's envoy accused the US of using the resolution to bolster President George W Bush ahead of November's presidential elections.

"Wake up and stop dreaming. You cannot turn China into the United States," Sha Zukang told Reuters.

'Backsliding'

The US government had expressed concern that despite a promise of improvements made at the end of 2002, China's human rights record last year actually got worse.

"We are concerned about backsliding on key human rights issues that has occurred in a variety of areas since that time," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in March.

Areas of concern included extrajudicial killings, torture, repression of religious and political groups, and arrests of internet dissidents and HIV/Aids activists.

However, Mr Boucher insisted that in other areas relations with China were the best they have been for decades.

Spotlight

China's Assistant Foreign Minister, Shen Guofang, accused the US of "double standards".

"The United States' insistence on provoking confrontation has seriously damaged the foundation of our two countries' human rights dialogue and exchange," he was quoted as saying.

Washington decided not to seek a resolution criticising China at last year's UN meeting, because of what it called limited but significant progress.

However, such a resolution has been introduced almost every year since the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators at Tiananmen Square.