March 10, 2006
For as long as I can remember, I've been trying to figure out our schizophrenic trade policy. With the exception of limited agricultural products, trade between the U.S. and Cuba is a no-no. However, we have absolutely no problem trading with China. The rationale, I hear, is it will make China more open, more tolerant, more humane.
Then I picked up the latest report from our State Department on human rights worldwide. Guess who's at the top of the list of repressive governments? That's right. China. Not only do they still top the list but the report also says repression in China actually increased last year, with a trend toward “increased harassment, detention, and imprisonment.”
So much for converting them with kindness.
I hear it all the time. People tell me they visit China and are in awe of the reforms they've made. They say many parts of China look very Western and the people are welcome to speak freely. What they don't realize is Westerners are treated to a grand performance by the Red Chinese repertory company. Or, maybe a better name for these propagandists is the Not-Ready-For-First-World Players.
Minxin Pei is a senior associate and director of the China Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, far from a right-wing organization. He spelled out the ugly truth about China recently in a column entitled, “The Dark Side of China's Rise.” He says “ if current trends continue, China's political system is more likely to experience decay than democracy.” This is all due to the fact that the communist in China are posing as reformists all the while their grip on the country and its people is tightening. Those banking on economic gains bringing civil and political freedom better think again. Pei notes “an authoritarian regime imperils its capacity for political control if it embraces full economic liberalization.” Most totalitarian regimes know this, he says, adding, “none better than Beijing.”
As I've long suspected, and Pei confirms, the relatively recent economic boon in China's economy has enriched primarily the communist party hierarchy while leaving the rest of China behind. China's unprecedented wealth continues to be concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. “Income inequality has increased at least 50 percent since the late 1970s,” says Pei, “making China one of the most unequal societies in Asia.” A recent study revealed that less than 1 percent of Chinese households control over 60 percent of the wealth. Where are the same liberals who complain about too many rich people in America? I guess if your system of government is communism it's okay.
While liberals here in America cry that we must spend more money “for the children,” the communist Chinese are virtually ignoring theirs. In rural areas of China, where the poorest citizens reside, 78 percent of the education budget is raised by taxing the local peasants. Only 1 percent of education funding comes from cash-flush Beijing.
On the healthcare front, the World Health Organization has rated the fairness of the Chinese healthcare system below every country in the world except Brazil and Burma.
Despite the fact that the political elite continues to get richer and stronger, we continue to see in China the future we want to see. No better example than a school some Westerners toured a few years back. Soon after the foreigners were gone, the “school” burned down and scores of children were killed. Instead of being an institution of learning, it was a dungeon of slavery where children manufactured fireworks. Think about that the next time you celebrate your liberty and freedom on the Fourth of July.