Two suns in the Asian sky

[Guest guest]

Two suns in the Asian sky

 

India scores over China in its respect for the deeper and more

important aspects of human values, says Claude Arpi

 

Compared to China, India is shining in the domain of human values.

Beijing may loudly proclaim that its objective is "peaceful rise of

China", but it is doubtful that it will manage to gain the respect

it hopes for. Mao too had a dream: To see China overtake the West.

His dream may come true during the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games if

China wins more gold medals than the United States. But this time,

contrary to Mao's earlier attempts, it will be a peaceful

overtaking!

 

 

 

 

However, even if this succeeds, another Chinese objective would have

not been attained: To gain the international community's respect.

And for the Chinese leaders, this loss of face is as important as

their meteoric rise to the top. The Chinese have historically been

extremely sensitive about the image they project outside. It reminds

me of the incident when President Jiang Zemin visited Switzerland a

few years ago. As he arrived for a function, a group of young Swiss

citizens shouted slogans: "Chinese out of Tibet!"

 

 

 

It was a rather mild demonstration and any other visiting dignitary

would have gone his way without even noticing it. However, Jiang

Zemin was so annoyed by the protest that during a banquet in his

honour by the Swiss President, he refused to eat or to speak.

Finally, at the end of the dinner, he stood up and

said: "Switzerland has lost a friend."

 

 

 

The Swiss Government had nothing to do with the demonstration,

except for the fact that like in any democratic nation, its citizens

were allowed to voice their concern, as long as they did not break

any law. This was not appreciated by the then strong man of the

Chinese Communist Party, who felt he had lost face in a foreign

country. Probably, the Chinese President still saw himself as the

Son of Heaven (as ancient Emperors called themselves) and China as

the Middle Kingdom, the centre of the world.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, successive generations of Chinese leaders have

forgotten that one has to be respectable to be respected. One of the

many factors that will prevent China to become a great power (even

if they win more medals than the US in 2008), is their disrespect

for democracy, human rights and other accepted human values. The

latest example is their arm-twisting of Google to accept the

censorship of their Chinese site, google.cn.

 

 

 

Chinese Google users will be unable to access websites

containing "politically sensitive material". Amongst the banned

topics are: Tibet and its exiled leader, the Dalai Lama; Taiwan, the

rebel Island and Tiananmen Square which saw the student protest

movement crushed by tanks in 1989.

 

 

 

Even though and Microsoft had done it earlier, the censorship

by Google has created more ripples; after all, the company's

corporate motto is 'Don't be evil'. Google used to be proud to be "a

different kind of company, (it) means more than the products we make

and the business we're building; it means making sure that our core

values inform our conduct in all aspects of our lives." Whatever the

morality of these companies, this incident will not refurbish

China's image.

 

 

 

Another incident, which shows Beijing is becoming a more and more

oppressive, occurred after the Dalai Lama recently declared that he

felt ashamed of Tibetans wearing skins of endangered animal species

as an ornament on their traditional dress. This strong reaction of

the Tibetan leader is explained by the well-known secret that some

Tibetans were behind the trading of the skins of wild animals. As a

result of his appeal, a few people assembled on January 29 in Rekong

county of Eastern Tibet and burned some skins of endangered species,

mainly otters and foxes.

 

 

 

"The furs used to trim clothes are collected and partially burned in

front of the owner and onlookers," the London-based Tibet

Information Network reported. The Chinese authorities should have

been pleased that the Tibetans were finally complying with

environmental laws, but as the movement amplified they banned the

burning of a stockpile of wildlife skins in the main courtyard of

Rongwo monastery in the same county. Though at the beginning "the

authorities' response has been restrained", they later reacted

violently.

 

 

 

Police and paramilitary troops were deployed in Rekong city and

cadres were verbally warned that "their participation in public

events linked to the campaign would lead to their expulsion from

service". Strange that a nation which wants to lead Asia has to

punish its citizens when they decide to abide by the law! It is true

that Tibet is a sensitive subject for the Beijing leadership, but

why can't they understand that their image is badly effected when

they behave in such an irresponsible manner?

 

 

 

This brings to mind another anecdote involving again Jiang Zemin. An

acquaintance told me that a few years back he was called for an

unscheduled meeting with the Chinese President who told him: "I am

not a tyrant; why do people say that I am a tyrant?" He did not

understand that as long he did not show any respect for values which

are cherished by the rest of humanity, he ran the risk of being

called a tyrant.

 

 

 

This is where India, despite its lacunae and certain non-shining

features of its democracy, really shines compared to China. China's

image of a totalitarian nation will remain unless Beijing introduces

a minimum amount of religious and civic freedom for its citizens.

And its leaders will continue to loose face.

 

 

 

One could multiply the examples, whether it is Gedhun Choekyi Nyima,

the Dalai Lama-recognised 11th Panchen Lama missing since May 1995,

whether it is Tenzin Delek, a reincarnate Lama from Lithang in Kham

Province of Western Tibet who was arrested and charged with alleged

involvement in a series of bomb blast incidents and condemned to

death without proper trial, just because his popularity had risen

very high after his commendable social work; or whether it is five

monks of Drepung Monastery who were arrested in November 2005 and

are since missing because they protested against "patriotic

education" sessions in their monastery - the list is long.

 

 

 

How can Beijing complain about being called 'tyrants' when they are

not ready to respect basic human values? The latest news is even

more worrisome. When the Dalai Lama's envoy and his team reached

Beijing a few days back, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang

declared that "no special envoy" was in China. He said that he had

only heard that "people with tight connections to the Dalai Lama (a

Tibetan spiritual leader)" were visiting China "to learn about

Chinese policies, see friends and personally observe changes in

Tibet under Chinese rule".

 

 

 

Knowing the tremendous sacrifice made by the Dalai Lama when he

accepted a compromise - Tibet would not be an independent entity,

but would be offered genuine autonomy within the PRC - the

spokesman's statement is one more example of Beijing's irresponsible

stance.

 

 

 

It shows how the Dalai Lama, who has been hailed the world over for

his peace overtures, and has had the courage to take a decision

contrary to the aspirations of his people, is being treated.

Although Beijing has often promised visiting Western leaders to

sincerely start a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the existence of

such a dialogue is today denied. Can a great power be so

untrustworthy?

 

 

 

China might become a great economic power, but its leaders will have

to continue to hide their face in shame on questions of ethics.

India's moral standing in the world is much higher, though it can't

be a consolation for returning without medals from the next

Olympics.

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