BEIJING, June 26 -- The United States, which likes to boast that it is a defender of human rights, rolled out its annual report rating countries on human rights practices early on Friday morning.

But the report, which judged some 190 countries' human rights situations in 2014, exposed again the double standards that Washington has been exploiting over the years.

At the report's release, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States cares "because respect for human rights provides the truest mirror that we have of ourselves."

But how can Kerry ask other governments to examine themselves when the report falls short of detailing the human rights situation in America? Doesn't the United States have room to improve itself? Apparently not.

Aside from longstanding racial discrimination against minorities, as seen in the massive protests against the shooting dead of an African-American teenager in Ferguson, various new problems have been reported in the United States, said a report published by China's State Council Information Office on Friday.

The Obama administration did not blush when faced with the stomach-turning torture scandal of the Central Intelligence Agency. And the spectacle of Confederate flags, a symbol of white supremacy, flying in public in the wake of a church shooting speaks volumes of how far the U.S.government's reputation on human rights has plummeted over the past decade.

Think of how the U.S. government chased and persecuted Edward Snowden after he blew the whistle on the massive surveillance project carried out by the National Security Agency.

In contrast, by deliberately ignoring human rights improvements in China and other countries, the report distorted the whole picture and has jeopardized its authors' credibility.

What's more, the content of the report itself is not that convincing. At one point, it lists the failure of inclusive governance in Iraq and Afghanistan since the peaceful transfer of power.

But simply emphasizing the importance of political rights while leaving out America's failure to help ensure effective governance, secure stability and provide economic opportunities in the Middle East seems to be an act of escaping from its responsibility.

Besides, the timing of the release date has made it tempting to doubt whether the report is intended to advance civilization, as Kerry had claimed, or to serve U.S. interests -- the delay from April 20, its original release date, to Friday has raised suspicions about whether the United States is trying to avoid angering Iran amid ongoing nuclear negotiations with the country.

It is all too easy for the United States to level human rights criticisms against other countries. It is harder for the country to prove itself a qualified role model. Rather than forcing others to change, it would be better for the United States to stop fingerprinting others and to reflect on itself.

Many American leaders have described the United States as an"empire of liberty" and the "leader of the free world," but to presume "American exceptionalism" in human rights may be too good to be true.