Concerned US presses China on Tibet

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed alarm over the increasing instances of self-immolation by Tibetans and asked China to respect the human rights of its people.

"We are alarmed by recent incidents in Tibet of young people lighting themselves on fire in desperate acts of protest, as well as the continued house arrest of the Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng," Clinton said in her remarks at the East-West Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"We continue to call on China to embrace a different path," Clinton said.

So far about a dozen people have self-immolated in Tibet in recent weeks.

"We have made very clear our serious concerns about China's record on human rights. When we see reports of lawyers, artists, and others who are detained or disappeared, the United States speaks up both publicly and privately," she said.

Clinton said the US remains committed to the One-China policy and the preservation of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

"We have a strong relationship with Taiwan, an important security and economic partner, and we applaud the progress that we have seen in cross-Strait relations between China and Taiwan during the past three years and we look forward to continued improvement so there can be peaceful resolution of their differences," she said.