The world will have its eye on China this year as it plays host to the Olympics. Some of us hope that it also highlights complaints about their unfair economic policies, its secretive military buildup and its human rights abuses. At least some of our lawmakers and candidates are paying attention, and scrutinizing their actions in hearings and legislation.
“The Chinese want this ‘Show’ – with a capital ‘S’ – to showcase their government to the world,” Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said in an interview. Congress, he said, should use that as leverage to “bring maximum scrutiny and light to their egregious human rights abuses.”
Myself I still have the picture of the one lone man standing up for democracy in front of a tank. We claim to support and promote democracy yet totally ignored the massacre at Tiananmen Square. Some of the survivors have recently been released from prison. We should not have a “most favored” trading partner that treats citizens so brutally.
Smith backs legislation that would stop U.S. technology companies from aiding countries that restrict Internet access. American Internet companies have been denounced for turning a blind eye to abuse in China so they can crack that lucrative market. Google and Yahoo both have made concessions to the Chinese government to censor the web and web searches for Chinese. Yahoo even went so far as to give Chinese intelligence that resulted in the conviction of a journalist for “divulging state secrets abroad”,
U.S. manufacturers complain that Beijing‘s low valuation of the yuan, its currency, makes Chinese goods cheaper in the United States and American products more expensive in China. Lawmakers are considering bills that would punish China for what they contend are predatory trade practices. Lawmakers also worry about China’s rapid military spending and the country’s apparent secretiveness about its military aims.
All in all I think we need to watch China carefully. They are not as friendly to us as they appear to be. Not as long as we have issues between us over human rights violations and trade deficits. They want our money and our technology but I think we should be wary of giving them too much. Our politicians have already have given away most of our textile jobs to them, as seen by so many empty mills here in the south. What else are they going to give away next?