The transformation of China in recent years has been remarkable. I hope China will one day be a great society for its people and for the world.
At a time when China is in the news with the Tibetan protests and the Olympic Torch Relay being run in Canberra, there was a letter from a Rhonda Byrne to the News and Opinion page of the Sydney Morning Herald today (26 April, 2008).
Here’s an extract:
“It’s not just about Tibet. It’s China’s human rights abuses, the contaminated pet food sent to America, contaminated toothpaste sent to South America, blankets contaminated with formaldehyde, children’s toys contaminated with lead, and contaminated batches of the drug Clexane.”
I concede that many countries have worse human rights records than China. But that does not mean that China cannot put the lives of its people or we foreign consumers on a higher priority.
The Chinese government does not tolerate dissent. It selectively listens to the cries of its people. It is easy enough to throw people into lock-ups than to put up with their demands or arguments. It is still a long way from being the people’s republic.
If it is so dangerous and troublesome for the Chinese people to express their needs to their government, then perhaps we foreigners, as consumers of Chinese products, can do it for them.
It is time for China to be less defensive, to stop thinking that the rest of the world has a secret agenda, and to listen to what the world has to say
The Embassies around the world scrutinize the foreign press and report back to their governments. I believe if you say something often enough, the other party will finally have to listen and respond. If we are genuine enough, you and I can play a part in hastening the process of change in China by expressing your feelings to the government of China. Write to the local newspaper and the Chinese Ambassador, wherever you are.
We should do likewise to the Governments of every country, on any issue that can improve the lives of their people. It will be good for the world.
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1 comment:
Every activist,genuine or not, seems to worry more how people in other countries especially in the third world, live and what their country does right or wrong. It's no surprise
the rising China come in as a fashionable target. These activists do not bother even to research the facts and look at any issue from all angles.The products imported from some manufacturers' in China if defective, should be checked by the importers and the governments and banned. The importers and the manufacturers are equally responsible. The toy importer, Mattel, has admitted responsibility
for defective toys made by some of its Chinese manufacturers, as it exercises QC on products made to its specifications. The makers,not the the ones who place the orders, are blamed.
The activists also ignore how the poor and the minorities live in their own countries e.g. Australian Aboriginals,Red Indians,
Japanese aboriginals, disadvantaged Americans,etc. They also ignore what their governments do wrong.
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