Human Rights are Subjective

In recognizing Hu, the European parliament has demonstrated a lack of understanding of the basics of human rights, especially on the eve of a summit to address a much more pressing problem facing the world -- the economic crisis.  By trying to shame or embarrass China, they clearly are not acting towards China in a spirit of brotherhood.

Contrary to the hyperbole of the Western media, the Chinese government is not the monster that it is portrayed to be.  Like all governments, it is not perfect, but it has worked remarkable virtual miracles in the last 30 years.  With 1.3 billion people relying on the government, progress must move slowly, dealing with one issue at a time.

Attempts to interfere in China’s internal affairs and justice system on behalf of someone that no one really knows, is not conducive to building strong relationships with China.  As Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said, “It [also] violates universally recognized rules in the world, which is countries should treat each other as equals and respect each other.”

The Old Codger