He made only a dubious promise to impose human rights conditions next year.

Foreign countries have refused to provide aid for the project, arguing that human rights conditions in the region are unacceptable.

Washington has no business tying human rights conditions to its trade with China.

"American business has been a positive force in improving human rights conditions in China," he said.

"My first goal is to improve human rights conditions here in Taiwan," he said.

It says he wrote many letters to world leaders, "appealing to the international community to pay greater attention to human rights conditions in China."

Human rights conditions, while improving, have at times been bad.

Under the rules, the Government would "maintain a documentation center with information on human rights conditions" in various countries.

Washington must also back up its advice with human rights conditions on American aid.

Human rights conditions started to decline by 2007 when torture began to be employed again.