Mitchell McHugh

1. Introduction

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has established itself as the world’s second largest economy after the United States.  It maintains a socialist economic system.  Human Rights in China have been under heavy dispute.  China must reshape its human rights policies, principles and practices to maintain its global economic status.  

2. China’s Economy

China’s socialist economy is an economic system where goods and services are produced for their usefulness. Production is planned and does not change from the demand of consumers as does a capitalist system.  By comparison, in the US goods and services are produced to gain profit and to satisfy the wants of the consumers, therefore, the US economy is affected by the business cycles of a system and China’s economy is not.  

One of the factors that accounts for China’s tremendous economic growth, in the private sector of the economy, is their cheap labor force.  They have attracted many large companies to set up factories and bring in workers to the cities from the countryside for cheap and fast production.  Their salaries are based on their abilities and skill, as well as the amount they produce and how fast they produce.  

3. Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and Human Rights

China has provisions in their constitution for human rights, however, other principles allow them to be overruled. The 1982 constitution of China allowed the freedom of speech to its citizens, but the government often uses the subversion of state power and protection of state secrets to prosecute and imprison anyone who criticizes the government.  The Chinese government had promised freedom of the press, but China’s media has intense monitoring by the communist party propaganda department and punishment for violators.

In addition to the constitution, The Four Cardinal Principles are four issues in the Chinese government that are not allowed to be debated.   They are:  (1) the principle of upholding the socialist path, (2) the principle of upholding the People’s Democratic Dictatorship, (3) the principle of upholding the leadership of the communist party of china, and (4) the principle of upholding Marxist-Leninist-Maoist thought.  These principles helped to relax control over ideology and said that any issue, other than these four, can be argued and debated. Although, these four principles cannot be questioned, the interpretation of them can be, such as the definition of “socialism”.

4. Human Rights Violations in China

The United States Declaration of Independence endows all human beings the right to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”.  Liberty, by definition, is the quality or state of being free: freedom to do as one pleases; freedom from physical restraint; freedom from arbitrary control; the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges; and the power of choice.  There are numerous accounts demonstrating the denial of liberties in China.  

Many Chinese activists have been arrested and put in jail for speaking against the government. Activist Hu Jia was imprisoned for 3 years, and after returning home, he found that security forces had been sent to monitor him. This is the same for many Chinese activists, who are sent to jail and then upon being released are watched by forces sent by the government.  Citizens who go to Beijing to file petitions are captured by forces and forcefully deported home and then put into “black jails” which are controversially known to practice torture methods to re-educate.

Urban citizens of China enjoy many social and economic freedoms while rural citizens, the majority of China’s population, are treated as second-class. China classifies it’s citizens as “urban” or “rural” and attempts made by the rural citizens to move into urban areas or work in those areas are closely monitored and controlled.  It is enforced by denying them access to grain rations, housing, and health care.  The government has implemented a pass system where rural citizens need at least 6 passes in order to work in provinces other than their own.

In most rural areas citizens are allowed to apply to have a second child if the first born was female. Or suffers from physical disability or mental illness.  Families that disobey the policy are fined large amounts and may be denied bonuses at their workplace.   Some areas allow parents, who were both only children themselves, to have a second child.

Many religious buildings in China were looted and destroyed from 1966-1976 and religions were persecuted. Since then there have been efforts to rebuild and protect religious sites but the US criticizes that not enough has been done.  Christianity is tightly controlled, with only a couple Christian groups being allowed which are under the control of the communist party. Members of the underground Catholic Church true to the Pope are persecuted.

China has more executions than the rest of the world combined. Between 1994 and 1999 China was ranked seventh in executions per capita.  It is claimed that the real numbers of executions is actually much higher than officially stated since China considers that information to be state secrets. Of the 2390 people executed worldwide in 2008, 1718 of them were executed in China. 68 crimes are punishable by death including non-violent white collar crimes such as embezzlement and tax fraud. Execution methods are lethal injections and shootings, which are carried out by the People’s Armed Police, typically at 10 am.

Although China outlawed torture in 1996, Chinese detention centers allegedly use  brutal torture methods through communist party funded “black jails”.  Although they deny facilitating the operation of black jails.

Chinese citizens are allowed freedoms such as marriage, career opportunities, and are not discriminated for homosexuality because these things do not endanger the government.  If it brings in new ideas of government or criticizes the current one then they will do whatever possible to stop it and persecute anyone who speaks against it.

5. Impacts

If China continues with these human rights violations and does not show any progress in stopping them then the relations with the US, China’s largest customer, and many other countries may worsen and they may cut ties with China. China would then lose it’s largest customers and would suffer greatly economically.  In addition,  if the violations continue then the citizens of China may continue to show opposition to the government which may lead to much larger riots and could cause a huge stop to the productivity of China’s economy.

6. Conclusions

China has grown tremendously through the use of cheap labor and manipulation of their workforce. However their continued violation of human rights threatens their economy. If the government does not change their current views, they will lose many of their valuable businesses and customers and their people will be more likely to revolt causing China’s economy to plummet.

7. Recommendations

The US and other nations should put pressure on China to reform their views on human rights and refuse to buy products from them.  If China loses their largest customers they will be forced to change or suffer the economic consequences.

Works Cited

"Constitution of the United States - Official." Constitution of the United States - Official. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2013.

"Economy of the People's Republic of China." Wikipedia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2012.

"Four Cardinal Principles." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Dec. 2012. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.

"Human Rights in China." Wikipedia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2013.

"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Un.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.