The US State Department dropped China from its list of the world’s 10 worst human rights violators, AFP reported. China had been named as one of the world’s worst violators of human rights in the past two yearly reports issued by the State Department. China was classified as an authoritarian country undergoing economic reform and rapid social change which has not "undertaken democratic political reform." However, the country’s overall record on human rights remains "poor," the report said. Human rights groups such as Reporters Without Borders criticized the move by the US, saying that the upcoming Olympics provides an opportunity to pressure China on its record of human rights protection.