WASHINGTON (AFP) – Amnesty International and a pro-Tibet group voiced shock Friday after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed not to let human rights concerns hinder cooperation with China.
Paying her first visit to Asia as the top US diplomat, Clinton said the United States would continue to press China on long-standing US concerns over human rights such as its rule over Tibet.
"But our pressing on those issues can't interfere on the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis," Clinton told reporters in Seoul just before leaving for Beijing.
T. Kumar of Amnesty International USA said the global rights lobby was "shocked and extremely disappointed" by Clinton's remarks.
"The United States is one of the only countries that can meaningfully stand up to China on human rights issues," he said.
"But by commenting that human rights will not interfere with other priorities, Secretary Clinton damages future US initiatives to protect those rights in China," he said.
Students for a Free Tibet said Clinton's remarks sent the wrong signal to China at a sensitive time.
"The US government cannot afford to let Beijing set the agenda," said Tenzin Dorjee, deputy director of the New York-based advocacy group.
China has been pouring troops into the Himalayan territory ahead of next month's 50th anniversary of the uprising that sent Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama into exile in India.
"Leaders really need to step up and pressure China. It's often easy to wonder whether pressure makes a difference. It may not make a difference in one day or one month, but it would be visible after some years," Dorjee said.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had sent a letter to Clinton before her maiden Asia visit urging her to raise human rights concerns with Chinese leaders.
Before she left, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said human rights would be "an important issue" for Clinton and that she would "raise the issue when appropriate."
China has greeted President Barack Obama's administration nervously, believing he would press Beijing harder on human rights and trade issues than former president George W. Bush.
Seriously, what were these people expecting to happen? That Clinton will abandon all practise of diplomacy and scream at the Chinese minister about what an evil bastard he is for suppressing an uprising? Or that he'll ask pretty please with sugar on top and the Chinese government will stop oppressing people?
I'm not saying that the Chinese are saints here, but what the hell do these people want?
T. Kumar of Amnesty International USA said the global rights lobby was "shocked and extremely disappointed" by Clinton's remarks.
Translation: "He's just a politician! Why isn't he the saviour those wonderful Tibetian people need?"
"Leaders really need to step up and pressure China. It's often easy to wonder whether pressure makes a difference. It may not make a difference in one day or one month, but it would be visible after some years," Dorjee said.
And what will that do? Free Tibet?
Don't make me laugh. Tibet does not need saving. It needs a reform combined with many infrastructure programs to vitalise its economy. The days of the Dalai Lama are over and they deserve to be over.
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Wow, they are shocked that they don't matter at all when it comes to dealing with a large power like China - and never did. Next, the sky is blue.
But then, it's not like the US hasn't lost a lot of it's moral clout right now. It's harder for even a general US institution to cry out about human rights in other nations and be taken seriously by the people of that nation.
Think about that development. That means US "criticism" of human rights isn't taken seriously any longer. And I really doubt US politicians take their own words seriously either.
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Don't make me laugh. Tibet does not need saving. It needs a reform combined with many infrastructure programs to vitalise its economy. The days of the Dalai Lama are over and they deserve to be over.
What exactly are the demands of the Dalai Lama? I lost track. I know he favours a ridiculously high amount of autonomy, ie enough to restrict migration into Tibet from other parts of the country, which he intends to use it for people of Tibetan ancestry. Not sure what else though.
I am sure that sounds soooo good for Amnesty, until you realise that type of thinking has no place in a multi ethnic society. At least the CCP recognises the country is multi ethnic.
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Yeah, it does. Of course, it's also doing something about it by encouraging emigration of the majority Han to minority provinces so that the other ethnic groups will eventually become minorities even in their own traditional homelands.
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Allow me to correct myself before anybody throws a shit at me:
Don't make me laugh. Tibet does not need saving. It needs a reform combined with many infrastructure programs to vitalise its economy. The days of the Dalai Lama are over and they deserve to be over.
What Tibet really needs is to get its head out of its ass and realise that its the 21th century. The religious tyranny that was Tibet in the past no longer works and was not a truly good place to live in either. The monks need to realise that they either have to adopt to the changing world or die. The lifestyle where the monks ruled and the peasants broke themselves over to feed the monks for their "spiritual journey" has no place in the modern world.
Tibet needs what many of us need: good education and good infrastructure to allow Tibet to become a place that's in the present, not in the past.
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I hate all those people demanding "pressure" to reach diplomatic goals.
Sure, thats possible with small second and third-world nations.
But with a country like China?
Seriously, if the USA or the EU would try to force (thats what this whole "pressure" thing means) their diplomatic wishes on other nations, we would have way more wars (not necessarily hot ones, but still).
You can only press that far before a situation escalates.
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Oberst Tharnow wrote:I hate all those people demanding "pressure" to reach diplomatic goals.
Sure, thats possible with small second and third-world nations.
But with a country like China?
Seriously, if the USA or the EU would try to force (thats what this whole "pressure" thing means) their diplomatic wishes on other nations, we would have way more wars (not necessarily hot ones, but still).
You can only press that far before a situation escalates.
Just to play Devil's advocate, now is actually the best time to put some diplomatic pressure on China with regards to human rights. At the very least, it would send them a message that the new administration is not going to let them slide with their abuses.
Steve wrote:Yeah, it does. Of course, it's also doing something about it by encouraging emigration of the majority Han to minority provinces so that the other ethnic groups will eventually become minorities even in their own traditional homelands.
Is having a traditional homeland that important to begin with? Allowing a minority to be 'segregated' does not benefit the nation as well.
Humans are such funny creatures. We are selfish about selflessness, yet we can love something so much that we can hate something.
Oberst Tharnow wrote:I hate all those people demanding "pressure" to reach diplomatic goals.
Sure, thats possible with small second and third-world nations.
But with a country like China?
Seriously, if the USA or the EU would try to force (thats what this whole "pressure" thing means) their diplomatic wishes on other nations, we would have way more wars (not necessarily hot ones, but still).
You can only press that far before a situation escalates.
Just to play Devil's advocate, now is actually the best time to put some diplomatic pressure on China with regards to human rights. At the very least, it would send them a message that the new administration is not going to let them slide with their abuses.
Except that we HAVE let them slide. Despite years and years and years of knowing there were and are abuses we have let them slide. Most SecState's and the rest of the US political apparatus have talked a hollow game about "working to correct" or "using diplomatic pressure" but in the end the accomplishments have been nil and they were never a priority. Personally I'm much happier to get the crappy language out of the way and listen to somebody actually talk about what is going on. We've spent the last 40 years caring about China only as an economic ally and having a politician actually admit that is on the order of having them admit that the only reason we like Saudi Arabia is the oil. All of us know it but its nice that we can finally dispense with the bullshit.
For my part I'd be happy with just using diplomatic techniques to shore up what is going to be a rocky couple of years in terms of economics before moving on to truly difficult things like domestic policy pressure where we have no cards to play right now.
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Don't make me laugh. Tibet does not need saving. It needs a reform combined with many infrastructure programs to vitalise its economy. The days of the Dalai Lama are over and they deserve to be over.
What exactly are the demands of the Dalai Lama? I lost track. I know he favours a ridiculously high amount of autonomy, ie enough to restrict migration into Tibet from other parts of the country, which he intends to use it for people of Tibetan ancestry. Not sure what else though.
I am sure that sounds soooo good for Amnesty, until you realise that type of thinking has no place in a multi ethnic society. At least the CCP recognises the country is multi ethnic.
He's daft enough to want to include not only the areas that he controlled pre 1949, but also areas with Tibetans in them that haven't been under Lhasa's control for centuries (all in total a quarter of China's total area). Additionally, "Greater Tibet" will have Tibetans as a minority (the Tibetan Autonomous Region right now has a Tibetan majority though). Though to be fair to the Dalai Lama, most of the participants in the insurgency where Khampas from outside of the TAR so he seems to be having a bit of trouble ditching them for everyone else. It does make it impossible for Beijing to take him seriously during negotiations though.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
So should China continue to fund American debt (albeit these are rescue packages) or should they diversify like some Chinese officials have suggested, and invest in things like the Euro.
I am sure the Admiral would suggest that China should ditch some of its reserves and acquire physical assets before things turn even more shit, but I am interested in what others think. Of course time will tell what the Chinese leadership thinks, but so far they are publicly non commital.
Never apologise for being a geek, because they won't apologise to you for being an arsehole. John Barrowman - 22 June 2014 Perth Supernova.
Countries I have been to - 14.
Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, USA.
Always on the lookout for more nice places to visit.
