The US President, George Bush has just concluded his third visit to China since coming to office nearly six years ago. That is as good an indication as how important it is for the US to maintain close friendly relations with China, by all account the next superpower. And, of course, the world can breathe easy if the two most powerful nations on earth, countries with the world’s two largest economies, remain friends.

But there is something deceptive and dishonest behind that façade of friendliness that the US maintains with Red China. Days before Bush was to land in Beijing on his three-day visit, there was much hype about the US President taking up the matter of poor human rights record of China and its contempt for democracy. He was supposed to have sent an advance ‘message’ to the Chinese leaders that they should allow more openness in their society and allow democracy to flower early in their (last) outpost of Communism in the world.

There are also some other issues with China that are said to exercise the US greatly. The chief among them is perhaps America’s staggering $200 billion trade deficit with China and the continued reluctance of Beijing to end the practice of keeping its currency rates exceptionally low. The US is also unhappy over the huge losses that its companies suffer on account of cheap imitation of US goods by the Chinese. The list of matters of ‘American concerns’ does not end here.

It was about 30 years ago that the US suddenly realised that it was not the friendly tiny island of Taiwan that was the sole representatives of the Chinese people but the mainland ruled by die-hard Communists. So Washington extended diplomatic recognition to China and in the last three decades the two countries have come as close as any two equal and sovereign but powerful nations can. The periodic dips in their relations did not disturb the overall balance of their good relationship.

Since the time the White House had reached out to the Chinese Communists, Washington has been telling the world that any nation that does not respect human rights will not deserve its friendship. Such nations are or can be dumped into the category of ‘axis of evil.’

How skilfully do the Americans play hoax in the name of human rights. There are many ‘axis of evils’ in the world if poor human rights record and lack of freedom and democracy are to be the main criterions of friendship for the Americans.

One is not sure if India will qualify to be a friend of the US if the frequent damaging reports of the American and British human rights groups are to be taken seriously.

Pakistan certainly cannot be a friend of the US, much less a close ally, by the same token as it respects neither democracy nor the rights of the underprivileged with all the powers perpetually vested in the powerful military. Much of the African continent as also the Latin American nations, all have poorer human rights record than India’s.

Yet, the pessimistic human rights scenario does not prevent Washington from making friends among this very crowd of abusers of human rights. Pakistan is its closest ally by virtue of which its human rights record is pushed aside as also its nuclear proliferation.

There are countries in Africa where rulers kill their people but the US makes no more than routine noises because these countries are pro-America. In Latin America Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is wicked because he thumbs his nose at Bush but some other Left-leaning leaders in the same continent are o.k. as long as they do not pose a serious challenge to the American authority or its trade interests in the region.

Similarly, the US also adopts double standards when it shouts in defence of ‘democracy’ in the third world. Dictatorship is graded into ‘benign’ and ‘malevolent’ categories. Dictators and despots, who kow-tow to the US interests, are ‘benign’ and their refusal to allow democracy flourish in their countries is overlooked. Others face the threat of US invasion which, as has been seen in Iraq, only further ruins the country that is sought to be put on the path of ‘democracy’.

There was a marked difference in the tone that President Bush used before and after he landed in Beijing. His ‘arrogance’ made way for ‘supplication’ and he was careful not to say anything on the Chinese soil that will push the two countries apart.

The Chinese are not known to be polite when they hear anything unflattering.

The reaction of the Chinese foreign minister to reports that President Bush had exhorted China to become more open and improve its human rights and democracy record was typical: ‘….we (do not) pay attention to those who talk of this and that and (are) trying to shake our conviction, especially when it comes to our love for the motherland.’

The Chinese have shown no hurry about re-evaluating their currency or correct the trade imbalance which sees Americans buying goods worth $6 for every $1 that the Chinese spend on buying goods from the US.

Admittedly, now and then, the Chinese throw a sop at the Americans to keep the pitch of their protest low. One such thing happened around the time of US President’s visit to Beijing: the Chinese signed an agreement to buy 70 Boeing 737 aircraft and help the American company, which at one time was getting ready to face the worst. The Boeing bosses must have been pleased to hear that China is also likely to buy another 80 aircraft.

Of late, a strong reason for the Americans to retain Chinese friendship is the worry over the North Korean nuclear programme. Pyongyang has been sending confusing signals about its intentions. One day it says it will abandon its nuclear programme in exchange for economic help; then it seems to go back on its words.

Whatever the truth, one thing that is clear is that China is in a better position than South Korea or any other nation in the region to persuade the maverick leadership in North Korea to give up their nuclear brinkmanship. Still, it appears that China has not been put under any pressure to make North Korea change its mind.

The policy of appeasement that the Americans follow in respect of China rules out any strong pressure coming from Washington on Beijing to make Pyongyang give up its nuclear programme.

The way the US has cultivated China makes it apparent that once a country has reached a certain economic and military threshold the US ardour for improving its human rights and freedom records dies down considerably. And yet, the US goes on preaching virtues and values to the world and claims to be the torchbearer of freedom and democracy in the world.


Courtesy : Syndicate Features

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