China's Human Rights, In the Red
A few weeks ago while visiting China, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on one of her first overseas trips as President Obama's foreign policy spokesperson, said the United States will continue to press China's rulers on Tibet, Taiwan, and human rights. So why are evangelicals and other human rights activists feeling a distinct chill?
Perhaps it's because of this statement from Clinton to reporters: "Successive administrations and Chinese governments have been poised back and forth on these issues, and we have to continue to press them. But our pressing on those issues can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis, and the security crisis." She later added, "It is essential that the United States and China have a positive, cooperative relationship."
Clinton's timing could not have been more impeccably embarrassing for the Obama administration — or more discomfiting for house-church Christians and human rights activists inside China. That same week, Clinton's State Department issued its 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, in which it lambasted — who else? — China, for deteriorating human rights.
"The government's human rights record remained poor and worsened in some areas," the report said. "During the year the government increased its severe cultural and religious repression of ethnic minorities in Tibetan areas — Other serious human rights abuses included extrajudicial killings, torture and coerced confessions of prisoners, and the use of forced labor, including prison labor." The China report goes on like this for 40 pages.
Noting that the persecution of house-church Christians has also worsened, advocacy group China Aid called Clinton's remarks "a retreat on the priority of human rights issues in U.S.-China relations." And in an interview with Christianity Today, Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), a leading human rights advocate, called Clinton's comments "unbelievable." He said her words will have a chilling effect on human rights monitoring within the State Department. It does not bode well, he told CT, that the Obama administration also shows no signs of using influence on China to improve human rights in Sudan, one of China's major trade partners.
On March 4, a bipartisan group of 16 congressmen, including Rep. Wolf, sent Clinton a letter urging her to refrain from divorcing human rights from other legitimate government concerns: "[T]hese complicated, multi-lateral issues will only be solved when the government and its people work together, with justice and mutual respect," read the letter. "These issues cannot and should not be separated from concerns about human rights and the rule of law. As long as practices of forced abortions, imprisonment of human rights lawyers, and persecution of unregistered churches continue, the people of China will be neither free nor safe."
The annual Index of Economic Freedom, sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, ranks nations by their citizens' level of control over their own labor and property. Not surprisingly, nations that offer robust economic freedom often also offer robust religious freedom. While the relationship between economics and religion is complex, the point is that religious freedom should not be eclipsed by trade or economic issues. A vigorous concern for comprehensive freedom need not crowd out other important issues. Indeed, economic freedom and religious freedom often support — or undermine — one another.
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Myron
Contributor "Another perspective" is right on track on the situation on the ground in China. I like a statement made by Rob Gifford, in his book, China Road, about watching China: "if you're not confused, then you simply haven't been paying attention." The issue is how to better advance, in the environment that is China, the reforms that would most benefit the church for God's glory.
Another perspective
Any more I feel that reading American viewpoints on Christianity in China is like viewing an object in a warped mirror. First, is there persecution of HC Christians in China? Yes, in some provinces and some cities. In other provinces HCes worship openly. In some cases, they've even built their own buildings. Second, are the HC Christians the only "good" Christians in China? No, there are many orthodox, Bible-believing leaders in the official church, as well. And in some places believers feel equally at home in HCes and official churches. There are also some widespread heterodox HC networks, true cults. Third, are some believers in prison because of their faith? Yes, in some places, particularly in political hot sports. This tends to be more common of leaders than pew Christians. In sum, there is religious openness some places in China. And persecution is still the norm in other places.
Myron
Suggesting that Sec. Clinton's statements "could not (be) more..discomfiting for house-church Christians", and the editorial overall do not reflect realities in China. Rather than forming views based on China Aid and Bob Fu who has not been in China for years; the editorialist and readers of CT would be more well served to form views from the first hand reporting done by Rob Moll in Christianity Today's, May, 2008, issue. In discussions last week with house-church (HC) leaders from a church that in 2008 was the subject of an unwanted China Aid report about a “raided” church, the HC leaders' view was that: 1) the religious freedom dialogue should be separate from other issues, 2) those outside China should learn from the HC inside China how to cultivate advances for religious freedom through positive engagement with govt rather than China bashing, and 3) foreign entities should intervene only when by a narrow definition a persons health or life is at risk. END