Over 100 Chinese writers, lawyers and activist have published a letter appealing to the Chinese government to release Liu Xiaobo who was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. They also called for the release of other political prisoners. I found the following article in the Guardian to be an insightful account of the growing pressure for change in China.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/15/chinese-activists-beijing-liu-xiaobo
I am not sure how much longer the Communist Party can hang on to a monopoly of power but change in China is often accompanied by violence and repression – so fingers crossed for this emerging super power.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/speedread.html
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/xiaobo.html
There was also a good article in the Economist just before the prize was announced:
http://www.economist.com/node/17150224
The Chinese are not alone in being dominan tly discriminatory against new-expertise;
the Americans effectively ‘banished’ the English new-expert Professor Bertrand Russell simply for teaching critical-thinking including towards religious dogma in turn including towards Christian dogma; yet he did not change, nor retract, possibly improved in some ways, and was later awarded a Nobel prize, and made Lord Russell I believe with an actual seat in the House of Lords.
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1921Sn17Oct10
Lord Soley is a much better man than I am, so perhaps he actually understands Chinese Politics.
I have never presumed to do so, for such a vast sub continent and such numbers of people, even if I lay claim to a little understanding of the US political system.
a Peace Prize sounds as though there is a peaceful struggle for power, something than Nobel’s dynamite.
GH: As you are left leaning, it’s a wonder you don’t fall over, I thought you might be interested in the paper issued by the German IZA, Institute for the Study of Labor, written by Lina Song and Simon Appleton. Also the problems faced by the Chinese authorities on land reform and law given in the Stanford University paper by Klaus Deininger.
What caught my eye was a piece shown recently on Al Jazeera describing problems with migrant labour that was similar to the problems being faced by the EU. In a nutshell if you migrate from your home to one of the cities you are not automatically granted welfare rights even though you might be working for one of the big companies. There seems scope here for dealing with migration across the EU to limit or discourage welfare tourism from poorer EU countries. The trick is how to accomplish this politically within the EU and with some degree of socialist approval.
The other thing you need to know is that doing business with China is tricky to say the least. Terms and Conditions of a contract have little meaning and suppliers just ignore them and do their own thing. The Chinese courts have a lot to answer for in this respect but as you say the shear size of China with its diverse cultures and huge population makes you wonder how it all hangs together.
Ref: IZA DP No. 3594; July 2008
Social Protection and Migration in China:
What Can Protect Migrants from Economic Uncertainty
http://ftp.iza.org/dp3594.pdf
Stanford University: Implementing China’s New Land Law:
Evidence and Policy Lessons; Klaus Deininger [et al]; 2004
http://iis-db.stanford.edu/pubs/21648/land_rental_and_community_land_laws_jin.pdf
JSDM, I don’t think its queit the ame sutuation, as the Americans didnot arrest, imprison, and torture Russel for his views. A University simplu dismissed him. Likewise, the same ahappens todya only in reverse, with Ardent Secularist Proffessors and admnistrators who utright demand complaince to their dogmas and refuse to allow peopel to question them. They ncourag questioning Religious Authority, bit not their own.
As Ive said numeorus times,n one really is Ireeligious, but many hate the word Religion and insist there beelifs aren’t. Those types will most ardently demand complaince to theorbelis, and insist that you are a Free Thinker only if you arrive at their ocnclusions.
Same old song and dance really, but other than beign discriminatoy and unfair, its not really int he same euge as China. In China, if you express beelifs the Communist Party does not approve of, which by the way woudl often include those that Russel himself waned you to criisise, you may end up in prison.
I’d much raher an American proffessor, or British profesor, than a Chinese one for this. If I were in Universirty int he UK, or in a more seculaised one int he US, the Proffessors may want to indocternate me into seculsr htinkign and claim they just want me ot think clearly and be critical of Religion, and, havign actuallybeen Critical fo Secular thought I know irtshand hey will be hostile to me, but I’venever feared for my life for beign an overt Christian. Somethign tells me if I were a Chinese National, I’d not quiet be treated so well.