Financial Post July 24, 2000
By Bill Tieleman
It's time to put the bull in the China shop and break up trade with one of
the world's most brutal dictatorships.
But ironically the strongest opposition to ending the enormous trade that
keeps China's repressive Communist Party government in power comes from
free enterprise -- big businesses around the world who want access to
China's market of 1.2 billion people.
And if they have to sell their goods despite massive and increasing human
rights violations, so what? Business is business.
In May, the US Congress agreed, narrowly voting to grant Permanent Normal
Trade Relations and exempt China from annual scrutiny of its appalling
record. A key tool to force positive change on the Chinese government was
given up under pressure from a $12 million business lobby campaign.
The reason for corporate greed defeating concern for human rights is clear
-- China's imports this decade will exceed $2 trillion (US). With the
United States facing a $68-billion trade deficit with China, it was time
to balance the scales.
Is China's iron hand as good at business as it is repressing workers and
democracy? Between 1979 and 1998 the country's economy increased by a
remarkable 490 per cent.
But the cost of this growth is equally stunning.
Chinese manufacturing wages average just 20 cents an hour and go as low as
13 cents are hour. Working conditions are horrendous in factories
exporting goods to western nations.
"Workers are forced to toil 70, 80 and even 90 hours per week, protective
equipment is rare, physical abuse common, dorms filthy and unexplained
``penalties'' often reduce pay cheques to near zero," San Francisco
Chronicle reporter Robert Collier wrote in May. He spoke to Wang Pingli, a
young woman worker at a Reebok shoe factory.
"Wang works a maximum of 60 hours per week, with five days paid vacation a
year, three months of maternity leave if she gets pregnant, the services
of a company clinic and a pair of Reebok shoes as an annual bonus. Most
important (and most unusual in Guangdong), she is paid on time, once a
month," Collier reported.
"Wang gets three meals a day and a bunk bed in a 12-woman room in a
high-rise dormitory. Factory regulations stipulate that she place her
toothbrush in just the right angle in her rinse cup, hang her face towel
just so, participate in early-morning drills and obey the 11:30 p.m.
curfew. In return, Wang is paid 650 yuan, or about $80, per month."
And if you don't like the pay, hours and working conditions forget about
joining a union. Organizing an independent trade union means a long jail
sentence or worse. Stick with the Communist Party-controlled company union
to represent your interests.
And if you think Wang's case is unusual, check your foot ware. Wang works
for Yue Yuen, a Taiwanese corporation that makes shoes for New Balance,
Timberland and Dr. Martens as well as Reebok.
With factories in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Los Angeles, Yue
Yuen produced 14 percent of the world's branded athletic footwear in 1999,
as well as 14 percent of casual shoes -- a total of 87 million pairs.
So, despite imprisoning workers attempting to exercise United Nations
guaranteed labour rights, executing more than 27,000 prisoners in the
1990s, repression of religious groups such as the apolitical Falun Gong,
no democracy, no press freedom and no due legal process, is trade with
China improving conditions?
Canada's International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew thinks so. "Trade
does lead to development. Development does lead to better human rights.
This is the conviction we have."
Too bad his conviction is easily overturned by the evidence.
"1999 saw the most serious and wide-ranging crack-down on peaceful dissent
in China for a decade," reports Amnesty International. "Those targeted in
the crack-down included political dissidents, anti-corruption campaigners,
labour rights activists, human rights defenders and members of unofficial
religious or spiritual groups. Thousands of people were arbitrarily
detained by police in apparent attempts to intimidate or silence them."
And lastly, if for some strange reason you think the Internet will set
China free, forget it. Amnesty International reports that computer
software businessman Lin Hai became the first person in China imprisoned
for "subversive" use of the Internet.
Lin was sentenced to two years in prison for "inciting the overthrow of
the state" by sharing email addresses with people outside China. His
lawyer was informed by telephone of the secret trial seven weeks after it
took place.
"Made in China." It's a label consumers should boycott until significant
progress is demonstrated towards respecting human rights.
Bill Tieleman is president of West Star Communications, a Vancouver
communications and strategy consulting firm. |
