United States Should Apply Greater

¶ … United States should apply greater economic and diplomatic pressure on China to improve its human rights practices

China is one of the few existing communist countries in the world and it has known a rapid growth in the past decades, economically specking. Considering the growing economy and the large population, China is one of the important actors on the international scene. It is important for U.S. To develop close relationships with China, especially in economic terms. However, the continuous disrespect and constant proves of human rights breaking in China make it impossible for the United States, as one of the strongest advocates of human rights, to ignore the issue and develop normal economic relations with China.

China is well-known throughout the world for its human rights practices and for having a totalitarian regime, but perhaps the most obvious proof of China's views regarding human rights is the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. At that time President Bush was forced by the public opinion to impose economic sanctions on China despite the good economic collaboration the two countries were having. The economic sanctions imposed on China in 1989 made it clear that our country is not willing to ignore how one of its partners breaks one of the fundamental rights of the American society and the democratic world in general. However, despite the fact that U.S. imposed several sanctions regarding weapons export and ceased all developing programs it was supporting in China, the sanctions were not harsh enough to clearly make a point about U.S.' intolerance regarding the breaking of human rights. More strict trade sanctions would have obliged the Chinese government to try to change its attitude regarding human rights practices, but the economical aspect was obviously a lot more important.

During the Clinton administration the issue of sanctions against China for its human rights practices came up again, but the policy remained that only a constant contact with U.S. companies would improve China's views on human rights. The logic behind this argument was that by imposing further sanctions, China would become more isolated and it will not change, while the exposure to democratic practices through trade with American companies would gradually change mentalities.

Of course, the American government is not directly supportive towards human rights practices in China and it couldn't be as the U.S. is the most fervent supporter of human rights. But the fact that our country refuses to impose strict economic sanctions on China proves once again that economic interest prevails over democratic principles. China's rapid economic growth makes it be the largest emerging market and U.S. investors are unwilling to give up their profit for creating a better human rights environment.

In fact, U.S. investors are part of the supporters of poor human rights conditions in China, as they chose the Chinese market particularly for using low-paid labor for their production. In China, workers are not allowed to form unions. Naturally, U.S. companies that employ Chinese labor contribute to the oppressive human rights practices in China. Instead of providing a democratic model that Chinese companies could follow, American companies and not only go to China for the advantage of paying a lot less for the same work. The fact that our government tolerates and encourages such practices must change.

After the 1989 massacre in Tiananmen Square, one of the sanctions imposed on China was to be denied any World Bank loans. A year later, the sanction was reduced as China was supposed to improve its human rights practices in order to get World Bank loans. This measure, as many others, was never applied, as China is now one of the main beneficiaries of World Bank loans and has done little in changing its human rights practices. Despite the fact that U.S. could have used its influence in the World Bank and impose strict sanctions on China, it preferred not to do so, most probably based on economic interests in the country. "In the case of neighbouring Myanmar (Burma), where U.S. economic interests are comparatively insignificant, the United States endorses a ban on all World Bank lending." (Kourous, Barry, p. 2, 1996).

Since 1989, the policy applied in China by the U.S. government regarding human rights has proved to be vaguely efficient, particularly because of the lack of strict economic sanctions. Despite the fact that the U.S. government has created several policies aimed at improving human rights in China, few of these programs work and they anyway do not have the necessary impact that can result in a change.