Revealing China's 'higher humanity'

BY ROSALIE E. DUNBAR, NEWS EDITOR

Since It adopted market-based reforms in the late 1970s, China has become one of the largest economies in the world. It has used this global clout to extend its influence into many developing countries in Latin American such as Uruguay, Brazil, and Costa Rica, among others. It has also been active in Africa, primarily working to line up natural resources to feed its huge appetite for energy. The Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline, which opened in December 2009 and broke Russia's hold over central Asian gas supplies, is another example of this energy quest.

Despite its economic prowess, China has been criticized for its lack of support for human rights. Some say its policy of noninterference in African governments is sustaining dictatorial regimes, instead of using its clout to improve conditions. In some ways this isn't a surprise. Even at home, China's leadership has been more interested in maintaining control of an increasingly restive populace than in furthering human rights.

Late in 2009, China further limited its citizen's Internet access. Ostensibly designed to protect children from pornography and reduce scams and piracy of various forms of entertainment, an official statement described another agenda, referring to the Internet as an avenue where "anti-China forces infiltrate, sabotage, and magnify their capabilities for destruction" ("China Imposes New Internet Controls," The New York Times, December 18, 2009).

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