Chinese Businessman Jailed For Honesty!

[Evil Knevil]

But China is a beautiful country, with many human rights, a strong income and a happy populace.


Tee-hee. Reminds me of a picture in Private Eye of Blair visiting China, after a certain speech he made to Congress:

Blair: "What about Human Rights?"
Chen: "History will forgive us!"

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by David Floyd
It's pretty hard to stand up for Communist China, unless your name is Urban Ranger

Actually, many Chinese do stand up for their country. At least, many Chinese who can talk about politics with foreigners. There's a strong Chinese national pride, and many would rather be praising their regime rather than criticizing it, and indirectly 'insulting' their country.

[Kuciwalker]

And people think Americans are uber-nationalists...

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by skywalker
And people think Americans are uber-nationalists...

The Chinese will be worse the day they'll have as much mediatic strength as today's America. From my experience, they are more obnoxious than the Yanks on this regard. However, one has to get them started first.

[Kuciwalker]

Yeah, look at it this way: who would you rather see as the world hyperpower, the US or China?

[Evil Knevil]

China

[Dinner]

In speeches and on his Web site, Sun began to question the viability of the Communist Party, a taboo sentiment in what remains a totalitarian police state, and to suggest that multiparty democracy was the only solution for China's rural population.

That paragraph just about sums it up. China remains a totalitarian police state.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by skywalker
Yeah, look at it this way: who would you rather see as the world hyperpower, the US or China?

As I've stated some months ago, the US is the least terrible superpower the world has ever known, and is probably better than the superpowers of the future as well.

However, this doesn't mean there isn't a huge room for improvement in how the US treats the world.

[Evil Knevil]

That paragraph just about sums it up. China remains a totalitarian police state.

Yes, but a Peoples totalitarian police state.

[Spiffor]

@ evil

[Dinner]

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Spiffor
As I've stated some months ago, the US is the least terrible superpower the world has ever known, and is probably better than the superpowers of the future as well.

However, this doesn't mean there isn't a huge room for improvement in how the US treats the world.

I agree entirely.

I nominate you for "most agreeable liberal"

[mindseye]

Fascinating story, thanks for the post!

I had not heard of this guy before, but his story tells a lot about changing political realities in contemporary China .

Just five or ten years ago in China it would be absolutely inconceivable that anyone could publicly speak out so strongly against the Party itself. Yet, this guy was actually allowed to very publicly persist making these kind of statements, apparently for some time. That's the part that boggles me. After making statements like these to students at Beijing University, he was permitted to make them at QingHua! These are considered to be China's #1 and #2 universities, the Harvard and Yale of the PRC!

This guy wasn't arrested because he advocated political reform. This guy was arrested because he interrupted local official's gravy train.

The Party's idealogy has morphed so far from its origins (e.g. capitalists allowed to hold high positiions in a ruling Communist Party) that idealogy is no longer the dominating force. Rather, it is simply lust for power and wealth.

As I've posted before, China's government poses little threat to the typical citizen (most generally approve of it, as well as the Party). BUT: threaten some official's power or income, and you are going to be interacting with officialdom very soon. And they don't play games when their gravy is threatened.

edit: removed spurious "the"

[Kuciwalker]

An interesting take on the story.

[mindseye]

That paragraph just about sums it up. China remains a totalitarian police state.

Few Chinese would agree, not even perceptive, informed (western-educated) ones. And you know ... it sure doesn't feel like one, either.

You should be careful whenever anyone says China is "remaining" anything, as China is changing astonishingly rapidly in almost every sphere.

One thing that has not changed: officials will not tolerate any perceived threat to their status.