China Watch

China really can't help being in the news. It's a huge country and has more people than any other country in the world. The Middle Kingdom has looked inward much of its existence, but is now a major trader. Marco Polo and the Silk Road was the starting point for me in learning about it, beyond the made in China label of the last half century or so.

The world looked on in awe at the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It was a hopeful beginning, though clouded by the arrest of human rights advocates, religious figures and bloggers. China is still a communist country, and its dictators make dictatorial decisions. Who could not be outraged by those old men telling a little girl in front of the world that she had a beautiful voice but was not pretty enough to show her face for the honor of China?

Before the Olympics the world witnessed the unbearable horror of parent after parent losing their only child in the collapse of school after school during the earthquake in Sichuan. Why did this happen so systematically? Why do you think? Because the schools were approved and built by corrupt officials.

This is a country with no recourse for a wrong.

When the government controls everything no one is responsible.

Last week we received news of the collapse of a polluted holding area, poised over a village:

The accident occurred around 8 am on Monday in a warehouse holding waste ore
dregs of the Tashan Mine in Xiangfen County, Linfen City, which was soaked by torrential rain.

But rough terrain, poor telecommunications and continuous rainfall hampered the rescue effort.

The mud-rock flow also destroyed a three-story office building, a market and
some villagers' houses in the valley.

Witness said the flow roared down the valley and washed away the market and the houses in a few minutes.

The specific number of the people trapped underneath the rubble is still under investigation.

We have since learned people died:

The
governor of Shanxi resigned as the death toll from a mudslide triggered by the collapse of an illegal mining dump in the northern Chinese province rose to 254, official media have reported.

Meng Xuenong became governor only eight months ago - a rehabilitation that came five years after he was sacked as mayor of Beijing over the handling of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak.

Gee, where will they rehabilitate him next?

Could this have happened here? Not anything this blatant, no. And why not? Because we are an open society, a democracy, and people would have noticed and raised holy hell about it. But the likelihood of it happening in the first place is much less. I think it has to do with morality and individual responsibility and worth being given more respect in this country. And human life.

Now this week starts with the story that 2 babies have died, so far, of contaminated infant formula.

I suppose we should be thankful things have improved since the exposure of China's dying rooms, but exposure was delayed by an official cover-up during the Olympics. It cost at least 2 babies their lives.

Americans study and work in China, and many Chinese have emigrated here. China is an issue this election season. We will doubtless keep trading, but we need to keep watch as well.

Contributing Editor Anne Leary also blogs at BackyardConservative and UNCoRRELATED

Submitted by BackyardConservative (view blog

) on Wed, 09/17/2008 - 06:10

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Watching China

I agree, they are one to watch. After being there to adopt our daughter, we were saddened by the people so firmly entreched in their belief -almost worship- of their government. But in secret they wanted to know about America...they had heard how we walk on streets of gold.
Interesting.

Precious people under an evil government.

Sue

www.praiseandcoffee.com

Submitted by Praise and Coffee on Wed, 09/17/2008 - 05:03

Sadly, the US is not immune from such things

although I agree the cover ups are certainly much worse in China.

Just this morning, I was reading Julie Pippert's concerns about the toxic wake of Ike, about which you hear next to nothing in our main stream media.

My own children's school terrifies me, a large section that is used for the arts program is constructed of unreinforced masonry. We do live in an earthquake zone and it's frustrating to see nothing done for want of a bond levy. Fortunately, we do still have a fairly open society and I can complain to the school board and get something done. (hopefully)

Our food inspection system has definite cracks, and we need to be vigilant and supportive of food regulation to prevent tragedies like the one playing out in China.

In this country, we might not have fear of a repressive government, but we definitely seem to have fear of offending large corporations, or asking the tax payer for more money. Either way, people suffer.

Tacoma Mama

Submitted by Tacomamama on Wed, 09/17/2008 - 08:06

Plenty of contamination to go around

Spinach? Tomatoes? Salsa? I think there's plenty of contamination blame to go around here as well as China.

As for the "dying rooms," as a mother of a daughter adopted from China, can we let that one go already?? Most of the orphanages in China aren't like that and pretty much everyone has acknowledged that. China isn't evil. Most people in China aren't bad. They've got a bad government. So do we.

PunditMom

Submitted by PunditMom on Wed, 09/17/2008 - 11:15

Thanks for your comments, and

for sharing your stories.

I agree every country has its issues.

I do think natural disasters, and food contamination are a problem, but deliberate government negligence is much worse, as is much more often the case in China. It's more the rule than the exception. And deliberately adding poisonous chemicals to food--apparently widespread (pet food, toothpaste) as was done in China I think has no comparison here.

And I don't think we do the good people of China any favors by drawing an equivalence between our democracy and their country, where they don't get to choose their leaders (as we do, like them or not:)

And where bloggers like us could be put in jail very easily.

Submitted by BackyardConservative on Wed, 09/17/2008 - 12:19

human rights in china

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Is anyone going to hold China
to account on the promises it made that hosting the Olympics would improve
human rights in China?

China’s
officials must let people practice whatever religion or spiritual practice they
choose. Just like they must let journalists go about their business without
censorship, and let peaceful human rights defenders campaign on whatever issues
they like, and just like they must let ethnic minorities to express their
culture.

http://uncensor.com.au

Submitted by kimbatch on Thu, 09/18/2008 - 23:04