‘Tis The Season For Pragmatism -Yang Jianli, Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, President, Initiatives for China
The world watches as Cambodia deports 20 Uyghur asylum seekers to China. These individuals face almost certain imprisonment and even execution. This is almost certain because, despite its wealth and power, China is a state without the rule of law. Sentences are predetermined by a judicial system that is directed by the ruling communist party. A few weeks ago, nine Uyghurs were executed by China, without a hint of a fair trial. According to Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director of Amnesty International, “Since September 2001, Amnesty International has documented cases in which Uyghur asylum-seekers who were forcibly returned to China were detained, reportedly tortured, and in some cases sentenced to death and executed.”
The era of hope promised by the Administration, now seems downsized to a season of pragmatism. According to Secretary Clinton, in a recent speech at Georgetown University, the Administration’s “pragmatic” approach calls for quiet, behind the scenes, negotiations with countries such as China and Russia who are “able but unwilling” to improve the individual and political rights of their citizens.
If recent actions are any indication, The Chinese government apparently translates “pragmatism” to mean “acquiescence.” The deplorable plight of the Uyghur people is just one example of the Chinese government’s increasing boldness in its repression of its citizens. In the coming days the Chinese government will sentence Mr. Liu Xiaobo, one of the most respected intellectuals in China, for “subversion of the state” merely for his leadership in the publication of Charter 08, a treatise calling for political reform in China. Even though this document has been signed by more than 10,000 Chinese citizens, the government’s response is repression rather than reconciliation. How will pragmatic diplomacy handle this insult to the rights of Chinese citizens?
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and Nobel Prize Laureate, is labeled a terrorist by the Chinese government and continues his 50 year exile in India. Before we point the finger at Cambodia for bowing to Chinese pressure to deport the 20 Uyghurs, it is worth reflecting on President Obama’s pragmatic decision not to meet His Holiness during his visit to Washington, DC in October, just prior to Obama’s trip to China. Obama is the first sitting president not to meet with His Holiness during a visit to DC.
As we sit down with our loved ones to celebrate this season of hope, let’s take a moment to remember the hundreds, if not thousands, of “blacklisted” Chinese citizens who are barred fromentering their country for no reason other than they have earned the displeasure of their government through their exercise of free speech and assembly. One such gentleman, a human rights lawyer, Mr. Fang Zenghu, has been denied entry into his homeland eight times since June. He now sits in Terminal One of Japan’s Narita airport, refusing to move until the Chinese government allows him to return home. Of course, in the spirit of pragmatism, the Administration chooses to downplay this gross and systematic violation of Article 13 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights that states, ”Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.”
The Administration may choose to believe that behind the scenes diplomacy will somehow seduce this autocratic regime to behave in a civilized manner. Unfortunately history and present evidence does not support this rationale. In announcing the Congressional Executive Commission on China’s annual report, ranking Chairman, Senator Dorgan clearly stated that Chinese citizens are enduring a “period of declining human rights.”
However, there are glimmers of hope. In her speech at Georgetown, Secretary Clinton called for patience and clearly articulated that the Administration will be held accountable for its humans rights strategy on the basis of one standard, “Are more people in more places better able to exercise their universal rights and live up to their potential because of our actions.”
This is a very promising statement. However Secretary Clinton did not say how this standard would be measured. Ambassador Huntsman’s recent decision to meet with Chinese human rights lawyers is a positive action for which the Administration should be commended. I for one, will be eagerly anticipating the CEEC’s next annual report as one credible measure of the Administration’s human rights efforts. Certainly this year’s report and the daily headlines of abuses by the Chinese government provide a baseline that this not encouraging. In this season of pragmatism, we can only hope.