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Question 9: ProsperityShould Canada focus on cultivating new economic partnerships with emerging
powers such as China, India, Mexico and Brazil? |
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| Contributor: | 1910 |
| Date: |
2003-05-01 18:17:15 |
| Answer: |
As Canadians, we should be weary of new economic partnerships with dictatorships such as China, until they can demonstrate that
1. They will provide a greatly increased level of freedom of information within their countries, and
2. They start acting to make basic human rights a key priority in their policies.
As the initial Chinese government cover up of their SARS epidemic has accurately demonstrated, information promulgated by the Chinese government, both with its borders and to the international community, often lacks credibility and sometimes reflects the exact opposite of what is actually happening in the country. Another example of such activity is the Chinese state propaganda attempting to justify the persecution of the Falun Gong movement, which many sources confirm to be entirely fabricated as a tool of the government. How many of the economic indicators that China is supplying the world with are also fabricated to promote trade that would otherwise be considered unviable? Though there is more and more doubt about the efficacy of China’s economy, I have no problem fostering trade that could be beneficial for both countries, but I take huge exception to the sustained and brutal state-organized human rights violations which continue to be perpetrated there.
In terms of our economic agreements with dictatorships (China again being the best example), it is truly terrible that a significant portion of the financial aid that we provide is used to “ensure stability,” often taking the form of human rights violations against citizens considered to be problematic. There is documented evidence that almost 700 Falun Dafa practitioners have been murdered, with hundreds of thousands being abused and otherwise tortured in forced labour camps, psychiatric hospitals, jails, and even in their own homes. Millions have been forced to abandon their homes in fear of being arrested, incarcerated and tortured. Similar types of persecution are inflicted on various Christian churches in the country, as well as (often pro-democratic) political prisoners. Does it make sense for us to pursue trade with a government that does all of this, allowing them to act with seeming impunity? Perhaps we can use trade incentives as a means of getting China to respect basic human rights, though it would be more effective to promote such change in China through resolutions at the UNHRC.
Although I have used China as an example of what we should consider when forging new trade initiatives, I believe that the same applies to other countries. Although India, Mexico and Brazil also have their share of human rights violations, the scale (the persecution of tens of millions of people in China) is unparalleled. Also, it appears that for such countries it is infinitely easier to obtain accurate, impartial information about both human rights issues and economic indicators, making them better and safer choices in both moral and economic contexts.
Yours Most Sincerely, Jan Jekielek |
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