Last week we reported that Amnesty International said it was “shocked” by remarks from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that appeared to de-emphasize human rights in relations between Washington and Beijing.

Clinton, who was traveling in Asia, had said global economic crisis and climate change would top the agenda with China. As for issues like Taiwan and Tibet, Clinton said they would be on the agenda, “But we pretty much know what they are going to say.”

Now, the Associated Press reports that the State Department, in its annual report on human rights, finds that Beijing’s rights record “remained poor and worsened in some areas.”

The report, being released on Wednesday, accuses China of stepping up severe repression of minorities in Tibet, as well as increasing its detention and harassment of dissidents, the AP says.

Here is the full report covering a number of countries. Here is the section on China.