China’s most visible problem

…is only the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath is massive repression and unrest.

The Olympic torch’s “harmonious journey” has turned into a ridiculous farce. Anti-China demonstrations are happening along the relay’s path in a parody worthy of a movie by the Keystone Cops. Still this is having positive repercussions; at long last, the fate of the Tibetan people, subjected for 50 years to a cultural and religious genocide, has become a central concern for world public opinion.

Much of the world is calling for an Olympic boycott all of a sudden.

The fact is that the boycott and Tibet are not only things on the line. AsiaNews is not in favour of a boycott of the Beijing Games. Not going might satisfy one’s conscience or even anger, but it will not change the human rights situation in China or Tibet by one iota. Before, during and after the Games, Beijing will not start respecting the population, those who want to talk about democracy, those who want to speak out against the wide-spread corruption in which Communist Party members indulge, or those who want to live their faith, freely and without controls.

Look at the facts and reality there.

China ratified the United Nations covenant covering human rights in March 1992, but has not adapted its legislation to protect human rights. For this it is important to force China to respect human rights through constant dialogue, criticism and commitment, by imposing ethical considerations to economic agreements that Western governments might readily defend otherwise.

And Tibet is not the only issue, not because we do not care about the Tibetan people or the Dalai Lama, but rather because China must be taken to task for problems in China proper and show that what happens in Tibet is a consequence of the repression that also takes place in Beijing.

I spoke with Joseph Kung, President of the Cardinal Kung Foundation today on radio. He gave me and listeners a compelling account of the longstanding religious persecution in China against the true Catholic Church there, the underground one not sanctioned by the Communist party but the one faithful to Rome. That violation of human rights and religious freedom has continued for decades under the radar of the western world. Now that the spotlight is on China, let it show all the violence against human dignity.

What to do? There are plenty of resources on that website. One caller asked if targeted donations could help children rejected by the Party as undesirable. Yes, they can. Another one asked if the west should boycott Chinese products. Yes, they should. But Joseph also noted how hard that will be, given the onslaught (my word) of merchandise permeating our stores. So if you have to buy something made in China, he says, say a prayer first.