A two-faced China
ALLAN CRUICKSHANKS
Cavalier Daily (U. Virginia)
Cavalier Daily (U. Virginia)
(U-WIRE) CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. --China's position in the modern world is an incredible paradox. On one hand, China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, an organization devoted to maintaining peaceful relations between coun-tries,promoting justice and progress and ensuring human rights. On the other hand, China is a dictatorship that represses its people,threatens its neighbor states and goes so far as to censor its Internet users. Such a paradox cannot be allowed to continue if true global peace and progress are to be achieved.
Search the Internet for topics such as freedom, democracy or human rights from within China, and you will get the return "prohibited language in text, please delete." This applies even to foreign-owned companies as "Internet-related companies are obliged to accept such limitations as a condition of doing business in China." John J. Tkacik, Jr., of the Heritage Foundation, calls this "China's Orwellian Internet." Such censorship of its people is commonplace in China and other countries, but what makes China unique is its relation to the United Nations and the rest of the world.
Not only is China a member of the United Nations, but it is a permanent member with veto power on the Security Council. This is despite China's direct contradiction of the UN's mandate and its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which declares among other things that "everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind,such as... political or other opinion" and that "no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile." In addition to its contradictory stance on human rights and political freedoms, China represents a continual threat to the security in the region. In addition to China's continual antagonism toward Japan that can be seen recently in China's anti-Japan demonstrations, China is actively working to block "a resolution by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan to expand the U.N.Security Council" to prevent these countries getting permanent seats.
Finally, according to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, "China has hidden its defense spending and is expanding its missile forces despite facing no threats." To sum things up, China is a belligerent, repressive dictatorship with a permanent seat on the U.N.Security Council,but which wants to deny such membership and its privileges to democracies that recognize their citizens' civil rights and promote global peace and security. Clearly,this situation does not fit the U.N.'s purported role in global affairs, and given China's stance and political situation, it is unlikely to change in the near future.
In order to rectify this situation, there are a number of important steps that can be taken. As Tkacik says,"Democratic reform in China is highly unlikely to come from the top down." Thus,"if the Internet is to be a medium of that reform, ways will need to be found to counter China's official censorship and manipulation." This cannot be done, however, without the cooperation of United States and business leaders, because it is they who accept China's terms in order to do business there.
As the National Security Strategy of the United States says, "the democratic development of China is crucial to [the] future," and "only by allowing the Chinese people to think, assemble, and worship freely can China reach its full potential." China has not done these things and likely will not do them without strong international pressure and a clear message pushing reform. One strong message would be to suspend China's permanent seat and voting power on the U.N.Security Council.
The U.N. follows and supports democratic ideals,and China has clearly violated those principles and tenets. Unless democratic reforms are enacted, China has no right to occupy its seat as the supposed voice of an oppressed people.
Search the Internet for topics such as freedom, democracy or human rights from within China, and you will get the return "prohibited language in text, please delete." This applies even to foreign-owned companies as "Internet-related companies are obliged to accept such limitations as a condition of doing business in China." John J. Tkacik, Jr., of the Heritage Foundation, calls this "China's Orwellian Internet." Such censorship of its people is commonplace in China and other countries, but what makes China unique is its relation to the United Nations and the rest of the world.
Not only is China a member of the United Nations, but it is a permanent member with veto power on the Security Council. This is despite China's direct contradiction of the UN's mandate and its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which declares among other things that "everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind,such as... political or other opinion" and that "no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile." In addition to its contradictory stance on human rights and political freedoms, China represents a continual threat to the security in the region. In addition to China's continual antagonism toward Japan that can be seen recently in China's anti-Japan demonstrations, China is actively working to block "a resolution by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan to expand the U.N.Security Council" to prevent these countries getting permanent seats.
Finally, according to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, "China has hidden its defense spending and is expanding its missile forces despite facing no threats." To sum things up, China is a belligerent, repressive dictatorship with a permanent seat on the U.N.Security Council,but which wants to deny such membership and its privileges to democracies that recognize their citizens' civil rights and promote global peace and security. Clearly,this situation does not fit the U.N.'s purported role in global affairs, and given China's stance and political situation, it is unlikely to change in the near future.
In order to rectify this situation, there are a number of important steps that can be taken. As Tkacik says,"Democratic reform in China is highly unlikely to come from the top down." Thus,"if the Internet is to be a medium of that reform, ways will need to be found to counter China's official censorship and manipulation." This cannot be done, however, without the cooperation of United States and business leaders, because it is they who accept China's terms in order to do business there.
As the National Security Strategy of the United States says, "the democratic development of China is crucial to [the] future," and "only by allowing the Chinese people to think, assemble, and worship freely can China reach its full potential." China has not done these things and likely will not do them without strong international pressure and a clear message pushing reform. One strong message would be to suspend China's permanent seat and voting power on the U.N.Security Council.
The U.N. follows and supports democratic ideals,and China has clearly violated those principles and tenets. Unless democratic reforms are enacted, China has no right to occupy its seat as the supposed voice of an oppressed people.
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