The colour of money

[smokingboot]

So, President Hu Jintao comes to Britain, and the capital is bathed in red light to honour China. One of the most oppressive regimes in the world and we are smiling and talking trade and making nice with the speeches and the dinners; Because Tianamen Square was just a moment's photo and Tibet's a lost cause and anyway it was all years ago.

Now, I am a believer in the use of money as a lure towards humanitarian ideals. The land of Turkey has a past redolent with culture and beauty, ancient and sophisticated, but with a dreadful record of human rights, something they are redressing now because they want to join the EU. Apparently, the UK and China will be working on more environmentally sound policies and the pragmatist in me says, well OK, you can't change the past but you can change the future. The Tony Blair in my head can see the sense of it.

But even if this was the reasoning, I would have to reject it for many reasons; the graves are too many and nameless; far far more than the excesses of Saddam Hussein. Then there's the politically cultivated xenophobia, the clamping down on free expression and the rights of individual citizens within their state,the deliberate policy of cultural genocide applied to another country, and perhaps most basic of all, the fucking torture. Now, it's just one point but in the tradition of Kryten, it's such a pertinent one I feel the need to mention it again: The Fucking Torture. All this is forgotten over canapes, and pretty lights on the capital city of Great Britain, supposed champion of humanitarian if not always libertarian ideals.

What then is to be done? China could go and get her business elsewhere, and then we have no way of influencing her policies; Or she could just stay rogue and be a problem to her neighbours. We bring her in, because, the argument goes, China is too big to be influenced in any other way.

Well, here's the thing; we can encourage China to trade and exchange ideas, we can encourage her into situations where more of ours and more of hers must meet and understand each other, but we don't have to fawn, and we don't have to pretend the past didn't happen, and we don't need to present a light show to convince the Chinese government of how great China is; they believe it already and consider it a justification for the most disgusting and horrible human rights abuses, in order to preserve and advance its greatness.

So no light shows. Trade and change and courtesy but no flattery; if the West banded together behind those ideals we take so seriously we will bomb less powerful nations to express them, if we held out the hand of genuine friendship but made the price clear in terms of humane behaviour, we would not be easy to ignore or despise.

But we don't. We smile. We put on lightshows and get the contracts ready.

Gangsters west, bullies east, landscapes bathed in red. That's the colour of money.

Comments

[ed-fortune.livejournal.com]

China will never forgive the west for what the British Empire did to it.

Yes, it's an excuse to behave like bastards, but we, from their perspective, are hardly in a position to throw stones.

Tibet will never be freed through force.

Yes it's all extremly two-faced, but that's politics.

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

Don't lump all the blame on the British Empire. The West generally, including the US, treated it as a toy to be played with in the nineteenth century.

just my opinion

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Yes it's all extremly two-faced, but that's politics.

For me, that's something of a cop out. Politics is not some arcane science beyond the ken of ordinary nice folk, it is simply about human interaction, often writ large. People can be cunning and dishonest, but it's not a necessity of the human condition. Humanity shows, time and time again, that it can reach its aspirations of heroism and compassion. Politics is a function, not a disease; Our society's mores are the soil from which our leaders find their identity; the ideals we give them are the ones they will sell back to us.

We need leaders with integrity and for that, we have to develop integrity as a society; for that we need to develop integrity as individuals...and this is of course, where the discomfort steps in. Sooner decide that all politicians are evil practitioners of an evil art, than accept the responsibility to give up personal hypocrisy. Politics aren't aliens, they're us.

Re: just my opinion

[ed-fortune.livejournal.com]

Politics is a function, not a disease; I agree, but approach the human nature side of politics with sadness, scepticism and realism

China is a power, and a bully. To get any concession from them, be it a change in it's attitude to human rights or better trade agreements, will take a lot of work, and a long lever. Brittania's tried being austere. Doesn't work, they're bigger than we are.

We're good at politics, we need to get through the door first though.

The end does not always justify the means. However, if the means is canapes and a light show, then by all means, go right ahead. Just don't forget the aim of the game whilst you're brown nosing.

[bad-moon-rising.livejournal.com]

I think stating that anything will never happen by force is a silly attitude. Sufficent violence and willingness to accept casulties will get anything done. I make no comment as to wether it is a worthwhile trade, ethical or should be done. As for this nonsense about the days of Empire... so what? I'm sure China has never displayed imperialistic ambitions in the past. Ohh wait they are still pulling the same stunt on Tibet. Nothing but hypocracy. Frankly I'm rather bored with this concept I should excuse anyones current actions based on what ancestors of mine might have done 100-150 years ago. By that idiot logic I'll be off to Murder a few English people in my office.

[bytepilot.livejournal.com]

1) All authority, everywhere, is based on physical violence or hardship.

2) Human nature, the two words we use to excuse the inhumane and the unnatural.

the ideals we give them are the ones they will sell back to us.
I feel it's more
"The ideals they attempt to ram down our throats by force are the ones we have little alternative but to appear to live by"

Lord (and Lady) protect me from a man who honestly believes that he is doing good.

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

What would you rather have?

[keith-london.livejournal.com]

I agree that we shouldn't have to be seen to be pulling out all the stops, and lavish the Chinese president with so much pomp. However, what really does go on behind the scenes? I can only hope that our government keeps their word and really push home the issue of human rights. I can't understand how the Chinese get away with it. Whenever they are confronted by allegations of torture e.g. of Tibetans, they seem able to just ignore these. I believe the US are serious about human rights improvements in China, but I'm not sure what leverage they might have. One other "carrot" seems to be the current arms embargo against China, but I doubt we can get much for this, even if we do trade this in.

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

I'm not convinced about the leverage either. I think a lot of this is about dealing with those naughty North Koreans whose every sneeze scares the bejasus out of Japan and the States - quite understandably, as the only thing that stops NK from being the most dangerous neighbours on the planet is the fact that they have the most dangerous neighbours on the planet, i.e China!

[load-of-flannel.livejournal.com]

Tricksy one that...

Im not sure we can really condemn people because they stop freedoms that do not exist under a Communist Government. Thats just saying our government is better than yours and we shouldnt deal with you. Yet we only barely have a democracy and continue to deal with the USA who have one of the most provably undemocratically elected presidents in years.

Nor do I see that their Torture is any worse than the USA's though it is better publicised.

Tibet is a strange issue but we are responsible for the Falkland Islands and the current Mess in Iraq which we are still effectively occupying. Its certainly not as bad as most of the USA's actions in the past 100 years or so. I still cant work out why they would want it though... and bizzarrely its been more damaging to them than anything else...

I keep meeting chinese people at work and have become very unsure of the publicity. We hear all about orphanages of Death and the Torture. They get a lot of news saying Britain is a nation that regularly allows paedophiles to run care homes and become priests. We are a nation that doesnt punish people for rape and violence anywhere near severely enough and lets the Mad and Insanely dangerous onto the street because we cant be arsed to look after them or deal with the problem. We appear to repeatedly let known offenders back on the streets to offend again.

Made me wonder how much of my attitude to China was Media based.

On the other hand most of the chinese I met were also opposed to torture. It appears to be the subject of debate. However they did point out that no one seems to get on the USA about it.

China or USA...

Hmm well I think weve given the USA enough chances... we can see how it goes with China and condemn America for a bit.

Hmmm... I just don't think the fact we disagree with some aspects of their government is a reason to not work with them. Hell if we work with them we might actually change their attitudes.

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

When I was pootling around Nepal, I considered going into Tibet and decided not to, for several reasons. The major one was crap with the visa. Try one word out of place or even just a bad day, and the border guards would rip up your visa or just take it away and leave you there. Bad if you wanted to get in, bloody calamitous if you wanted to get out - and the promise of an 'interesting' holiday, especially for lone travellers. No argument, no redress, no rights, just shut your mouth. That would be very mild treatment.

Admittedly we are talking early 90s, so my info's old hat. But there were plenty of Tibetans coming down into Nepal from the province of Mustang, cos of some Chinese security stuff going on there at the time, and neither Tibetans nor travellers had much good to say about it.

Yet more out of date stuff I'm afraid. Below is a link to an open letter from Amnesty International to the President of China in 1999. To me, it's got the tone right, not saying, 'We're better than you,' not condescending or kowtowing, but politely saying what must not be ignored.

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA170501999