Human rights, enviroment on back burner with Hu visit.

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=1331575


ENVIRONMENTAL OFFENDERS: China and the United States need to be global leaders on environmental reform. The United States ranks first in global carbon emissions; China ranks second, but "is widely projected to overtake the United States as the world's top source of greenhouse gases by 2025." Yet the United States's carbon dioxide emissions per capita remain 10 times higher than emissions per capita by China. While Bush has expressed a commitment to environmental progress, in reality, his administration has rejected scientific facts on climate change and has shown itself more interested in keeping special interests happy. For China's part, 70 percent of China's lakes and waterways are polluted and an estimated 360 million rural residents lack safe drinking water. Even the People's Daily, China's leading Community Party newspaper, has criticized China's environmental condition: "Problems built up over a long time have not been resolved, new ones are emerging, and environmental pollution is dramatically increasing." While China and the United States need to work together on climate change, each country needs to work on putting its own environmental house in order.

HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE BACKBURNER: China has recently released at least four political prisoners, talked of warmer relations with the Vatican and the Dalai Lama, and aimed to "soften China's record on human rights and religious controls." But these symbolic gestures don't hide the truth of China's brutal oppression. New York Times researcher Zhao Yan remains in prison on charges of revealing state secrets to foreigners, even though the charges were dropped last month and the Bush administration, U.S. academics, and U.N. officials have called for his release. The Chinese government "is investigating domestic and international nongovernmental organizations for politically subversive leanings" and has "dusted off reeducation campaigns" to reinvigorate the teachings of Marxism-Leninism. "Chinese authorities have grown increasingly adept at using the tools of technology to repress free expression and dissent, and to harass, intimidate and imprison those who would stand up for the rights of their fellow citizens," said Sens. Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), who urged Bush to bring up human rights in his meeting with Hu. But there is some good news: "resistance keeps popping up." Journalists, bloggers, and grassroots activists refuse to be silenced. "Polls of party members reveal their belief that the most pressing problem they face is the need for more political reform." But Bush demonstrated his lack of intention to seriously confront China on human rights by agreeing to bar journalists from asking unscripted questions at a press conference with Hu, despite standard protocol. The Washington Post: "Never mind that according to Mr. Bush's doctrine, respect for human rights is directly connected to the ability of states to be strategic partners of the United States. ... News conference question for Mr. Bush: Does that logic not apply to China?"

It's an authoritian system that promotes a free market economy and dismisses or supresses dissent, no matter how reasonable or fact based.

The Chinese leaders proved themselves brutal criminals years ago by stamping out human rights at Tiananmen Square. Are we patriotic Americans brave enough to dare our own criminal leaders to use tanks if Tiananmen Square came to the Washington Monument?



Photo from http://www.lilithgallery.com/articles/tiananmen_15years_after.html