China's Relationship with the West
There are various ways in which a country can put pressure on
another country, and many such ways were used by the West regarding
the poor standards of human rights in China.
The main tactic used by the West was to send an authoritative figure
such as the Head of State to raise the issue in hand within the
country. Both Britain and America sent representatives, however each
country had a different method of addressing the situation. The
President of America, who visited China in June 1998, chose a very
direct, blunt approach. President Clinton used 'some of the harshest
American language against China for years' to tell the Chinese leaders
that their state of human rights was 'thoroughly unacceptable'.
Britain on the other hand approached the situation delicately,
desperate not to offend the Chinese and provoke conflict. Blair, who
visited Chine in October 1998, said 'persuasion and dialogue achieve
more than confrontation and empty rhetoric'. Britain's main motive for
such delicacy was it's fear of China's discontinuing their trading
rights. However despite this fear Britain still felt it necessary to
take action, as they too agreed that China's standard of human rights
was inadequate. Also, Blair was likely to face criticism if he was
seen to 'soft pedal on attacking human rights' in China. Rather than
confronting China aggressively, Tony Blair at first complimented the
country, before carefully addressing the 'differences'between the West
and China regarding human rights. By using this conciliatory method of
criticism, Blair hoped to gain China's trust to prevent offending them
when he came ...
... middle of paper ...
...ntries. Such countries are so interested in the economical
profit of trading with China that they are unwilling to risk the
relationship due to political disagreements. China therefore sees that
it has the 'support' of some Western countries and is satisfied.
The West has some influence over human rights in China, using various
tactics to pressurise the country into action, but not to the extent
and effect that it wishes. Although China is willing to acknowledge
the West's claims, it is adamant in its belief that its human rights
are acceptable. This is largely due to the poor relationship (and
therefore distrust) between China and the West, brought about by past
events involving both countries such as the Opium Wars and the Korean
War. However it is also due, to some extent, to the Asian values and
beliefs of China.
China's record of human rights violations is long and mind-boggling. Atrocities such as purging tens of millions of people during the Cultural Revolution, its infamous one-child-per-couple Population Policy, persistent oppression of Tibet and the bloody June 4 massacre at Tienanmen Square in 1989 have given the Chinese government a reputation of having little respect for human life. And yet, despite its tarnished record, China maintains its Most Favoured Nation trade status with the US and is one of Canada's top ten recipients of bilateral trade. As supposed supporters of human rights, Canadian and US governments have developed hypocritical attitudes toward China, compromising ethical values for material gain. Instead, North American nations should restrict aid and trade with China to programs that can be used to encourage social reforms.
...ities as a responsible state holder. One of the consequences of the international community questioning China’s military capabilities is that the international community could potentially induce an unproductive arms race with China. If China is to participate in the race, China will have a weakened competitive position in the races of economic and intellectual strength. Secondly, China will lose the ability to use its army as a form of soft power therefore making it harder to believe that China can be a responsible state holder since it will seem like propaganda. In terms of China, the world is in a very exciting position with the promotion of the China’s model an alternative governing system is being offered. However, we need to remain vigilant and aware for just as quickly as China rose, it has the potential to fall as well if it doesn’t play it’s cards right.
In return, America was given a free rein to discipline China, who started to rival Russia over the leadership of the Communist camp. Hence, the two camps have disappeared and there are no international camps in the world at the moment. The international situation has radically changed since the First World War and up until now i.e. it became isolated states, each one aiming to gain the spoils and weakening other states. Two superpowers, America and Russia, now control the international situation. A politician must have information about this international situation and pursue it constantly so that matters become clear to him and so that through the political analysis he is able to give his opinion on every political event, thus his judgement becomes closer to soundness and realism.
The Cross-Strait relations refer to the bitter and unstable relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. The term comes from the relationship that both China and Taiwan has had, physically across the Taiwanese Strait. The relationship between the countries has been filled with war, tension, and little contact. In the earliest of Taiwanese history, both nations fought to seek diplomatic control as the legitimate form of Chinese government (Lee). In recent years, Taiwan has sought out to seek independence and separate from all ties with the Chinese mainland. China has continued its claim on Taiwan and its people, threatening military action against any act of independence. While the tensions are high between the two nations, each country has seen the benefits to maintaining an economic relationships with each other (Mack). From 2008 and on, the "three links" of transportation, commerce, and communication have been at the forefront of the diplomatic relationship. Taiwan has gone through multiple phases of conflict throughout its history.
China and Japan both had very relatable experiences from the 1800s to present times, as they both have had to completely or partially abandon prior political polies that were deemed no longer applicable. For example, in 1978 Chinese Chairman Deng Xiaoping abandoned a vast majority of the policies that Chairman Mao Zedong had implemented during his reign. Though Mao considered them all fundamental to communist China, they often did not work or caused more harm than good. For the Japanese, they initially attempted to resist the outside influence of the Americans in the early 1800s, however they were no match against them and implemented Westernization to become a better nation.
The Chinese have repeatedly tortured, imprisoned, and murdered Tibetans all for what they claim is national unity. While the oppression of the Tibetan people began in the 1950’s with the invasion of China, it continues just as strongly today. From religious oppression and unfair trials to the torture of nuns and monks, the Chinese abuse even the most reverent aspects of Tibetan culture. Political prisoners, whether they are monks, nuns or lay people, are tortured with utter disregard for human rights. Chinese laws have also been established to eradicate the Tibetan people entirely. Women often must endure forced abortions and sterilization due to Chinese birth policies. Through all of these crimes against humanity, China repeatedly commits acts of genocide as established by the United Nations.
by a world power can be felt by practically every nation of the globe involved
...ghur rights, as human beings, being violated, and who's responsibility is it to make sure that rights aren’t violated, as well as if China is living up to its responsibilities as a world power, to take care of its people.
...ns such as these: pay $6 million for all the lost opium to Britain, pay $3 million to merchants, free all British prisoners, make island of Hong Kong as a Britain colony, British would remove all soldiers and troops from ports, open five new trading ports, and opium still had to be traded. That was one really bitter downfall for China. They basically had to pay for their own war for a total of $21 million and opium was still traded not even stopped. I think by Britain making those conditions was an act of karma for China’s part. Once the five new trading ports opened, China was confined to learn how to trade with the rest of the world. That was how China became what it was today, rich, powerful, and large. Basically, it was a slap in the face for the British.
China is a communist country, whose citizens face many difficult situations while trying to fight for their human rights. According to the “Freedom Rankings” from the database CountryWatch, China is not a free country. Specifically, the Political Rights and Civil Liberties are in their maximum numbers; this means that these rights are confiscated from the people. Therefore, freedoms of press, expression, speech, religion, and movement are all severely limited in China. The government has also kept a close watch on art in China.
The Instability of China–US Relations", The Chinese Journal of International Politics 3, no. 3 (2010): 263-292, http://cjip.oxfordjournals.org/content/3/3/263.
China's development is praised by the whole world. Its developments are not only in the economic aspect, but as well in its foreign affairs. Compared with other developed countries, China is a relatively young country. It began constructing itself in 1949. After 30 years of growth, company ownership had experienced unprecedented changes. Entirely, non-state-owned companies can now be more involved in sectors that used to be monopolized by state-owned companies.
The alliance between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Soviet Union was formed as a result of mutual interests and the desire of both states to pursue their respective national and geopolitical imperatives. Although Chinese historical experience and Marxist ideology played a role in constructing these interests, the actions of the Chinese Community Party (CCP) reflect an overarching proclivity toward solidifying their power and securing the nascent republic. This essay will examine the multifarious factors that influenced the Soviet alliance, including relations between the PRC, United States (US) and Soviet Union in addition to PRC foreign policy and its strategic objectives.
With the end of the Cold War emerged two superpowers: The United States and the Soviet Union. The international system then was considered bipolar, a system where power is distributed in which two states have the majority of military, economic, and cultural influence both internationally and regionally. In this case, spheres of influence developed, meaning Western and democratic states fell under the influence of U.S. while most communist states were under the influence of the Soviet Union. Today, the international system is no longer bipolar, since only one superpower can exist, and indisputably that nation is the United States. However China is encroaching on this title with their rapid growth educationally, economically, and militaristically.
Interests: China’s leaders desire to improve their nation’s economy while preserving political stability. They want to censor political discussions to prevent “westernization” of China,