Comments on: Tibet and Iraq http://lordsoftheblog.net/2008/03/21/tibet-and-iraq/ Life and Work in the House of Lords Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:26:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Bedd Gelert http://lordsoftheblog.net/2008/03/21/tibet-and-iraq/comment-page-1/#comment-176 Bedd Gelert Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:29:30 +0000 http://lordsoftheblog.wordpress.com/?p=170#comment-176 Lord Soley, I think you are right that a carrot and stick approach [if that is not too inappropriate phrase given the current situation] will tend to work best with the Chinese. The benefits of 'opening up' needs to be emphasised strongly during the run up to the Olympic Games. I was less than ecstatic about the Games going to Beijing, but recognise that as with South Africa there needed to be an element of reward for making some progress down the road to a fairer society. The rush to invest in China should not blind us to the human rights issues, and I think further development of trade with China should be contingent on improvements in the progress to greater civil liberties and a stronger focus on environmental protection. Further technology investment should be reliant on a loosening of the grip of the Great Firewall of China. But dialogue at a senior level is essential. Lord Soley, I think you are right that a carrot and stick approach [if that is not too inappropriate phrase given the current situation] will tend to work best with the Chinese. The benefits of ‘opening up’ needs to be emphasised strongly during the run up to the Olympic Games. I was less than ecstatic about the Games going to Beijing, but recognise that as with South Africa there needed to be an element of reward for making some progress down the road to a fairer society.

The rush to invest in China should not blind us to the human rights issues, and I think further development of trade with China should be contingent on improvements in the progress to greater civil liberties and a stronger focus on environmental protection. Further technology investment should be reliant on a loosening of the grip of the Great Firewall of China. But dialogue at a senior level is essential.

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