archive: British cat is silent before Chinese dragon
British cat is silent before Chinese dragon
Jonathan Mirsky
The Asian Age
July 14, 1999
Title: British cat is silent before Chinese dragon
Author: Jonathan Mirsky
Publication: The Asian Age
Date: July 14, 1999
Once again we learn that the silence of the lambs is nothing compared
to the tabby cat-like behaviour of the British lion when the Chinese
dragon roars. Recently, there have been four examples. Of these, the
most shaming is Britain's decision not to condemn China's
"reinterpretation" of a controversial ruling by the Court of Final
Appeal in Hong Kong. China's move undermines Hong Kong's rule of law.
The court's decision to uphold the right of mainland children with a
Hong Kong parent to live in Hong Kong was a contentious one in an
overcrowded city. But that is not the issue. Indeed, almost 46 per
cent of Hong Kong's citizens, even though they disagreed with the
court's ruling, said that Beijing's interference was wrong. The
United States has made plain its alarm.
Yet Britain, Hong Kong's former colonial ruler, which signed a treaty
with Beijing stipulating "one country, two systems," has kept quiet.
It merely said that it was Hong Kong's decision to ask for Beijing's
interpretation, and that the Chinese decision "enjoys broad support."
An official in Beijing boasted that the over-turning of the Hong Kong
court ruling proves the superiority of "one country" over "two
systems."
Then there are the remarks of the British trade and industry
secretary, Stephen Byers, in Shanghai last week, disassociating
Britain from the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, in which
three Chinese were killed. More than a thousand civilians, according
to Serbian reports, were killed by Nato bombs, yet on no other
occasion did a Nato country distance itself from the event. Mr Byers
said, too, that Britain had no knowledge of US target selection over
Yugoslavia.
Nor did Britain join the US and Germany in criticising the World
Bank's plan to fund the movement of thousands of Chinese farmers into
Tibet. The US warned that the inflow would further dilute the
Tibetans in a flood of Chinese.
Finally, there is the reported Chinese complaint to Brussels at the
prospect of Chris Patten being appointed the European Union's next
trade commissioner. China has hated Mr Patten front his time as Hong
Kong's governor, when he introduced a measure of democracy to the
territory, in the teeth of opposition from Beijing.
One must ask what is going on here and, more fundamentally, what is
Beijing's power? It cannot be the fabled Chinese market. Most
foreign businesses in China lose money there. European trade with
China is less than that with Brazil; as for Britain, only 0.5 per cent
of its exports go to China.
China is a poor country, so poor that it demands special conditions
for entering the World Trade Organisation. Within its borders, China
oppresses its own population. It is decades away from either the rule
of law or democracy. China has a right to normal international
courtesies and a measure of respect. But does it really have Great
Power status?
No, it is the China Magic at work. This has cast' its spell on the
British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who led a moral crusade against
Belgrade and speaks robustly about Burmese tyranny.
A former British foreign secretary, Douglas Hurd, used to speak
proudly about Britain "punching above its weight" in foreign affairs.
Surely this is actually true of China. In the ultimately more
important area of international moral integrity, when it comes to
China, Britain merely floats, stingless, like a butterfly.
(By arrangement with the International Herald Tribune)
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