Hindu Vivek Kendra
A RESOURCE CENTER FOR THE PROMOTION OF HINDUTVA
   
 
 
«« Back
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)
    



Back                          Top

«« Back
 
 
 
  Search Articles
 
  Special Annoucements