This Month's Topic: How should the United States relate to China?
China has the fastest growing economy in the world. Its producer and consumer demands are driving prices of fuel upward, and its trade role in the world is significant and growing. It is a world leader as a polluter; it has almost no quality checks on produce leaving the country; its treatment of its people both as citizens and workers is disgraceful. Its foreign policy seems to us amoral. Provide machetes to murderers in Rwanda? Sure! Support the genocide in the Sudan because of oil agreements? No problem! So, how do we deal with these guys? Would the United States be hypocritical to take action against China — can we really claim the moral high ground? And what happens to the world economy if we take action? Would the rest of the world stand with us or against us?
Liberal Response:
What our relationship with China should be is a tough question for liberals.
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On the one hand, China’s human rights record is cause for concern throughout the world. Its new belligerence is justification for increased vigilance. That it has used US companies to help spy on Chinese dissidents is shameful (for China AND the US companies). The hopeful side is that China seems desperate to join the community of nations and is willing to consider altering its policies in support of the Sudan for instance, or against piracy.
For liberals the most pressing issue is economic. In an international economic system where labor costs are THE determining factor in the competitive arena, China is not playing fair. The use of prisoners (virtual slaves) and children and the outlawing of unions keep prices artificially low. And the Chinese outdo Wal-mart when it comes to bullying suppliers to keep prices down (presumably Wal-mart doesn’t have a police state to keep industries in line). The effect of this behavior is to keep pay unfairly low world-wide, and to make it ridiculously difficult for American companies (with better pay AND benefits) to compete.
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What do we do? We automatically keep relations with China sound by renewing their Most Favored Nation (MFN) status. But shouldn’t we somehow protect our workers (and in doing so help other nations’ workers)? There is an answer: to vigorously use the World Trade Organization to enforce fair trade practices. Use the international forum to make nations accountable. Not only China, but Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, and Brazil. For the UN and the WTO to be meaningful, they must establish minimum standards for workers, and enforce them.
— Editor
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