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The US must stop China’s oppression of Hong Kong|Yao-Yuan Yeh, Charles K.S. Wu, Fang-Yu Chen, Austin Wang

蘋果日報 2020/12/18 09:27


This week, as the US wraps up the presidential election by having the electoral college casting their votes, regaining confidence among the public on its democratic system, things on the other side of the Pacific, Hong Kong, continue to denigrate Hong Kong’s existing democratic system and values.
Jimmy Lai, the owner of this fine media, the Apple Daily, was recently charged under the Chinese territory’s new national security law, citing that he colludes with foreign influence elements to endanger national security, apparently for tweets made and interviews or commentaries he did with foreign media. In addition to Jimmy Lai, the Demosisto Trio and eight more activists involved in the pro-democracy protests are now arrested by Hong Kong police.
To condemn Chinese actions, US Vice President Pence initiated a #FreeJimmyLai campaign on Twitter; Secretory of State Mike Pompeo and Senator Marco Rubio also censured the Chinese government and demanded those under custody to be released immediately. To show its support for human rights, the US issued sanctions on 14 members of China’s standing committee, freezing their assets and restricting their access to the United States.
Unfortunately, China’s abuse of human rights seems to fall on deaf ears among those in the new administration. Jake Sullivan, the incoming National Security Adviser, voiced his support for the democracy in Hong Kong and promised to facilitate refuge for the oppressed. The rest of the Democratic party is muted. The unresponsiveness is problematic and will continue to haunt the Biden administration. The administration is facing difficulties to meet both goals simultaneously: re-engaging with China and responding to the CCP’s human rights abuses effectively.
Several reasons give rise to this dilemma. To begin with, multilateral sanctions via international organizations on China do not work. In the past, international human rights could pressure human rights violators into changing their behaviors with strategies such as naming and shaming. Such hopes are diminished as China was elected to the Human Rights Council in October. As a council member, China would block and veto any proposals that direct at human rights abuses inside China. At the very least, China could use the council to downplay those issues as domestic issues that other countries should not interfere with. China’s economic prowess also helps it stifles other countries’ criticisms of its human rights violations. Thus, the Biden administration is likely to find itself trying to improve China’s human rights conditions with international organizations or other multilateral frameworks all in vain.
Comparatively, the Trump administration’s current confrontational style might be more effective in curbing China’s human rights abuses. Biden is unlikely to favor such an approach, as he prioritizes diplomatic and peaceful means to resolve issues. It begs the question, what strategies are available for the new administration?
Give multilateralism another chance. Although the US might make little headways in the UN, it is worth reminding that most US allies in the European continent are active human rights advocates. Criticisms for European powers on China have become softer in recent years as they are in dire need of China’s investment and economic cooperation. If the Biden administration could reconnect with those that value democratic values, the new-formed human rights bloc might force China to change its behavior or respond appropriately at least.
The first step to building the human rights bloc relies on the US making it clear that democracy and human rights are its foreign policy priorities. Human rights issues could work in tandem with other challenges such as global warming, economic recovery, and fighting pandemics. If the US takes no action and concedes to China in human rights issues, it would send a signal that realpolitik and economic interests outweigh the importance of human rights issues, prompting other countries to further side with China.
The new administration also needs to be keenly aware of the trap of hostage diplomacy. Since the Tiananmen Square Incident, China has often released political prisoners to become political refugees in the US to exchange economic benefits. China will try to do the same with Hong Kong activists. To China’s surprise, hostage diplomacy will not work as before. As news about the quid pro quo surfaces in the rapid information environment nowadays, China is likely to be criticized in international society. The US should seize these opportunities to eliminate China’s malpractices once and for all and expose China’s plots. For example, Canada is trying to counterbalance China’s hostage diplomacy, and the US should follow suit.
Taken together, the US can play a major role in restoring human rights in Hong Kong. It remains to be seen if the new administration will commit to building the human rights bloc. As China tries to unseat the US in many issues around the world, the US needs to regain its leadership in these important issues, such as human rights and freedom of speech. The world is watching, and it is time that the Biden administration takes a stance.
(Yao-Yuan Yeh ([email protected]) is Associate Professor of International Studies and Chair of the Department of International Studies and Modern Languages at the University of St. Thomas, Houston. Twitter: @yeh2sctw
Charles K.S. Wu ([email protected]) is PhD candidate in Political Science at Purdue University. Twitter: @kuanshengtwn
Fang-Yu Chen ([email protected]) is PhD in Political Science at Michigan State University. Twitter: @FangYu_80168
Austin Wang ([email protected]) is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Twitter: @wearytolove)
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