Having covered the intense Christian persecution in that communist country the tragic irony of this moment hit me hard. You see, there is no freedom of religion in China. Anyone not part of the official government-run church is considered part of a “foreign religion” and thereby marked for harassment, imprisonment and in some cases, death. Once rounded up they are often forced to work against their will. These faithful members of the underground church, particularly Catholics and Evangelicals, are seen as a threat to the government.
As I placed my porcelain figurine back in its box for another year, wrapping the tiny smiling Jesus with its rosy red cheeks in a bit of tissue, I considered the cruel irony: how sad it is that this remembrance of Christ’s birth was made by Chinese Christians in a prison camp. How sad that an image of Christ should become the instrument of Calvary for a Christian believer. How sad that when the humiliating task is done, these poor, abused people go to sleep with the knowledge that their Communist tormentors will turn a profit.
Now the situation will only get worse.
In spite of the relentless reports of human rights abuses, forced labor, and religious persecution, the U.S. Senate this week opened our market to Beijing once and for all. China now enjoys permanent normal trading status with the United States.
This is a fatal American error. In a vote of 83 to 15 the Senate handed over its last tool of moral suasion to the Beijing Communists, and sealed the fate of millions of faithful Catholics and Evangelicals.
Amendment after amendment dealing with everything from arms trafficking to human rights toppled under pressure from the Clinton administration and the business lobby. There were to be no modifications of the bill or it might have to go back to the House of Representatives. Big business wanted into the Chinese market regardless of the human toll. Their drive was relentless.
The Washington Post reports that Thomas Donohue, president of the US Chamber of Commerce, vowed that any Senator who voted for an amendment to the bill would suffer “very serious political … action.” In other words, vote for this and you're toast in the next election. The bullying worked.
Upon passage the President said, “There is much more at stake here than our economic self-interest. It’s about building a world in which more human beings have more freedom, more control over their lives, more contact with others than ever before.”
Try that from inside a prison camp. Yes, free trade might eventually have an impact on China, but not in the near future. Remember, the Chinese have been listening to American music, watching American movies, and wearing American clothes for years; all the while they are stealing our nuclear secrets, slaughtering their own children by the thousands (to control population), and squashing the faith of their people. Coca-Cola cans do not carry values — just cola. Consumption of goods will not necessarily alter human behavior. This is like saying the consumption of General Tso’s Chicken will improve math scores. After several decades of passing the soy sauce, America still can’t count. What makes you think a communist regime will reform itself after a few Big Macs?
The very notion that free trade with a communist regime will ease the burden of the Chinese people is absurd. The people are not absorbing the gains. The regime is.
Recognizing this fact, the United States has used the annual renewal of trade status as an instrument to encourage China to clean up its human rights record. Though progress was slow, the communists responded to the financial threat. At times they even released political prisoners or curbed their religious abuses.
Without this economic incentive, new reports confirm that they are once again rounding up the faithful. Nuns, bishops, priests, and laity were part of this month’s haul. Even Bill Clinton’s own State Department said just a few weeks ago that due to its hideous human rights record China should not be granted permanent trade status. No one listened.
The day permanent normal trading status was granted the State Department urged China to release Bishop Zeng Jingmu, a Catholic underground bishop (loyal to the Pope) who was arrested last week. Naturally, no one listened.
Now that Beijing has secured its long-sought permanent trade status, expect to see more “Made in China” labels at your local store. And if you happen to see a tiny hand-painted porcelain nativity or some other such article, think of the human price paid for the thing — and the innocent Christians who suffer to create these goods. Or don’t think of them at all, and maybe then the Chinese Communist disregard for human life will finally take hold in America. I guess values can be imported after all. Ain’t unfettered trade grand?
