DOCSLIB.ORG

China Human Rights Report 2005

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
China Human Rights Report 2005 臺灣民主基金會 Taiwan Foundation for Democracy 本出版品係由財團法人臺灣民主基金會負責出版。臺灣民主基金會是 一個獨立、非營利的機構，其宗旨在促進臺灣以及全球民主、人權的 研究與發展。臺灣民主基金會成立於二○○三年，是亞洲第一個國家 級民主基金會，未來基金會志在與其他民主國家合作，促進全球新一 波的民主化。 This is a publication of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD). The TFD is an independent, non-profit foundation dedicated to the study and promotion of democracy and human rights in Taiwan and abroad. Founded in 2003, the TFD is the first democracy assistance foundation established in Asia. The Foundation is committed to the vision of working together with other democracies, to advance a new wave of democratization worldwide. 本報告由臺灣民主基金會負責出版，報告內容不代表本會意見。 版權所有，非經本會事先書面同意，不得翻印、轉載及翻譯。 This report is published by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. Statements of fact or opinion appearing in this report do not imply endorsement by the publisher. All rights reserved. No portion of the contents may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher. Taiwan Foundation for Democracy China Human Rights Report 2005 CONTENTS Foreword ....................................................................................................................i Chapter I: Introduction ................................................................................ 1 Chapter II: Social Rights .......................................................................... 23 Chapter III: Political Rights ................................................................... 45 Chapter IV: Judicial Rights .................................................................... 77 Chapter V: Economic Rights ............................................................... 99 Chapter VI: Education and Cultural Rights ......................... 115 2005 China Human Rights Chronology .................................. 141 China Human Rights Report 2005 Foreword On December 10, 2005, the Unted Natons General Assembly adopted the Unversal Declaraton of Human Rghts, declarng the rght to lfe, freedom, securty, and economc, socal and cultural rghts as fundamental human rghts. The pursut of these fundamental human rghts s not only a recognton of human dgnty, but also a promoton of the foundatons for world freedom, justce and peace. The development and protection of human rights is not only a government’s duty, but also the reason for a government’s existence. Democracy has become a universal value, as t possesses varous supervsory abltes to prevent governments from nfrngng their subjects’ human rights. Therefore, it can be said that democracy and human rghts complement each other and are nseparable. Democratc development enhances the protecton of human rghts, whch n turn deepens and consoldates democracy. Taiwan’s historical developments have provided one of the most successful examples n ths regard. Taiwan’s democratization has been hailed as a political miracle. As a fully democratic country, Taiwan’s achievements in human rights protection and promotion are widely recognized, but we are not complacent about this. In addition to further strengthening these achievements, we hope to expand our horizons and go one step further by carng about human rghts and democratc developments n neghborng countries. This is the raison d’etre for the establishment of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and ts goals. The Unted Natons have already affrmed fundamental human rghts, and human rghts protecton has become a unversal human rght. To the Tawanese people, human rghts are a gven, yet to people from other countres, human rghts remains a luxury, and a prime example of this is our neighbor-Chna. China’s human rights situation has long been a major concern of the international community as the Chinese government’s abuse of human rights has always been sternly criticized by the international community. From Taiwan’s point of view, China’s management of human rights issues not only determines whether © 2005 by Taiwan Foundation for Democracy China Human Rights Report 2005 Chna s able to abde by unversal norms of the nternatonal communty, whether ts people can enjoy fundamental human rghts, or whether ther human dgnty can be protected, but also affects regonal stablty and the development of cross-strat tes. With these considerations in mind, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy entrusted the Foundation on International and Cross-Strait Studies with a project that convened academics and experts including Wen-cheng Lin, Li-Wen Tung, Chun-ju Chen, Cheng-Yi Lin, Fort Fu-Te Liao, Jiann-fa Yan and Chang-yen Tsai who participated in a comprehensive study of China’s human rights development in the social, political, judicial, economic, educational and cultural spheres from July 2004 through June 2005. The study culmnated n a report that was publshed as Chna Human Rghts Report 2005. Through this annual report, the Foundation hopes to make a modest contribution to the arduous task of promoting human rights in China. Michael Y.M. Kau President Taiwan Foundation for Democracy December 2005 © 2005年 / 臺灣民主基金會 China Human Rights Report 2005 Introduction Wen-cheng Lin Human rights are regarded as the “fundamental moral rights of the person that are necessary for a life with human dignity.”① This kind of thinking even existed in ancient times. British philosopher John Locke regarded human rights as natural rights. However, the idea of human rights was not deeply rooted until the American Revolution and the French Revolution. These two countries began to establish political doctrine based on human rights. The United States adopted the Declaration of Independence, emphasizing that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The French Revolution in 789 led to the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizens on August 26. It pointed out that “men are born and remain free and equal in rights” and that “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression” are “the natural and imprescriptible rights of man.” The idea of human rights was thereby further rooted. Therefore, Jan Herman Burgers regards the seventeen-through-eighteen centuries as the first wave of the rise of ideas about human rights. These ideas had strong influence in the fields of politics, legislation, and administrative justice.② Between the two world wars in the first half of the twentieth century, the international community was shocked by the Nazis’ abuse of human rights. This sentiment encouraged the emergence of the second wave of human rights rhetoric, which became the main guideline for states in international relations.③ In his Annual Message to the Congress on January 6, 94, Franklin D. Roosevelt enumerated four essential human freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of every person to worship God in his own way, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. In 1945, the Charter of the United Nations reaffirmed “faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men * Wen-cheng Lin is professor at the Institute of Mainland China Studies, National Sun Yat-sen University. © 2005 by Taiwan Foundation for Democracy 2 China Human Rights Report 2005 and women and of nations large and small.” The first article of the Charter further states that one of the purposes of the United Nations is “to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.” The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 0, 948, the ideas of human rights had become universal values. Although human rights have become universal values and the world has made significant progress in human rights for the last six decades, there is still a large portion of people in the world who cannot enjoy the human rights articulated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They still cannot enjoy the four freedoms enumerated by FDR. Authoritarian regimes, which violate human rights and control freedom, continue to exist. China is an example of a country with such a regime. The basic human rights of the .3 billion people in China remain unprotected. Promoting human rights in China has been a goal for the international community, including Taiwan, to fight for. I. The Scope of Human Rights Michael Freeman points out that “the concept of human rights raises problems that are, on the one hand, practical and urgent, and, on the other hand, theoretical and abstract.”④ For instance, practical human rights supporters care about how to prevent political murders, torture, and unjust imprisonment. For them, to rescue fellow human-beings from injustice is more important and urgent than the studies of human rights theories. But those who care about theoretical issues pay attention to “the requirements of legitimate government and the nature of good life.” Not only does a gap exist between theory and activism in human rights, but there are also debates between scholars on the scope of human rights. Maurice Cranston suggests that human rights cover only civil and political rights,⑤ but Attracta Ingram argues that economic and social rights should also be included.⑥ As Ann Kent suggests, “human rights are a cluster of values derived from international consensus.”⑦ Although Western countries
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Taiwan and China's Cross-Strait Relations" (2018)
    The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Master's Projects and Capstones Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects Spring 5-18-2018 Contending Identities: Taiwan and China's Cross- Strait Relations Jing Feng [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone Recommended Citation Feng, Jing, "Contending Identities: Taiwan and China's Cross-Strait Relations" (2018). Master's Projects and Capstones. 777. https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/777 This Project/Capstone is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Projects and Capstones by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Contending Identities: Taiwan and ​ China’s Cross-Strait Relationship Jing Feng Capstone Project APS 650 Professor Brian Komei Dempster May 15, 2018 2 Abstract Taiwan’s strategic geopolitical position—along with domestic political developments—have put the country in turmoil ever since the post-Chinese civil war. In particular, its antagonistic, cross-strait relationship with China has led to various negative consequences and cast a spotlight on the country on the international diplomatic front for close to over six decades. After the end of the Cold War, the democratization of Taiwan altered her political identity and released a nation-building process that was seemingly irreversible. Taiwan’s nation-building efforts have moved the nation further away from reunification with China.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian House Church Members by the Public
    Responses to Information Requests - Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Page 1 of 8 Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Home > Research Program > Responses to Information Requests Responses to Information Requests Responses to Information Requests (RIR) respond to focused Requests for Information that are submitted to the Research Directorate in the course of the refugee protection determination process. The database contains a seven- year archive of English and French RIRs. Earlier RIRs may be found on the UNHCR's Refworld website. Please note that some RIRs have attachments which are not electronically accessible. To obtain a PDF copy of an RIR attachment please email [email protected]. 10 October 2014 CHN104966.E China: Treatment of "ordinary" Christian house church members by the Public Security Bureau (PSB), including treatment of children of house church members (2009-2014) Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. House Church Demography According to the Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI), which analyzes the quality of democracy and political management in 128 countries (Bertelsmann Stiftung n.d.), there are an estimated 80 million Christians in China, "many of whom congregate in illegal house churches" (ibid. 2014, 5). The Wall Street Journal reports that house church members could number between 30 and 60 million (29 July 2011). Voice of America (VOA) notes that the exact number of Christians is difficult to estimate because many worship at underground house churches (VOA 16 June 2014). For detailed information on the estimated number of registered and unregistered Christians in China, by denomination, as of 2012, see Response to Information Request CHN104189.
    [Show full text]
  • R Stern Phd Diss 2009
    UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Navigating the Boundaries of Political Tolerance: Environmental Litigation in China Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3rc0h094 Author Stern, Rachel E. Publication Date 2009 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Navigating the Boundaries of Political Tolerance: Environmental Litigation in China by Rachel E. Stern A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Kevin J. O’Brien, Chair Professor Robert Kagan Professor Katherine O’Neill Fall 2009 Navigating the Boundaries of Political Tolerance: Environmental Litigation in China © 2009 by Rachel E. Stern Abstract Navigating the Boundaries of Political Tolerance: Environmental Litigation in China by Rachel E. Stern Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science University of California, Berkeley Professor Kevin J. O’Brien, Chair This is a dissertation about lawyers, judges, international NGOs and legal action in an authoritarian state. The state is contemporary China. The type of legal action is civil environmental lawsuits, as when herdsmen from Inner Mongolia sue a local paper factory over poisoned groundwater and dead livestock or a Shandong villager demands compensation from a nearby factory for the noise that allegedly killed 26 foxes on his farm. Empirically, this is a close-to-the-ground account of everyday justice and the factors that shape it. Drawing on fifteen months of field research in China, along with in-depth exploration of four cases, legal documents, government reports, newspaper articles and blog archives, this dissertation unpacks how law as litigation works: how judges make decisions, why lawyers take cases and how international influence matters.
    [Show full text]
  • Hong Kong SAR
    China Data Supplement November 2006 J People’s Republic of China J Hong Kong SAR J Macau SAR J Taiwan ISSN 0943-7533 China aktuell Data Supplement – PRC, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Taiwan 1 Contents The Main National Leadership of the PRC 2 LIU Jen-Kai The Main Provincial Leadership of the PRC 30 LIU Jen-Kai Data on Changes in PRC Main Leadership 37 LIU Jen-Kai PRC Agreements with Foreign Countries 47 LIU Jen-Kai PRC Laws and Regulations 50 LIU Jen-Kai Hong Kong SAR 54 Political, Social and Economic Data LIU Jen-Kai Macau SAR 61 Political, Social and Economic Data LIU Jen-Kai Taiwan 65 Political, Social and Economic Data LIU Jen-Kai ISSN 0943-7533 All information given here is derived from generally accessible sources. Publisher/Distributor: GIGA Institute of Asian Affairs Rothenbaumchaussee 32 20148 Hamburg Germany Phone: +49 (0 40) 42 88 74-0 Fax: +49 (040) 4107945 2 November 2006 The Main National Leadership of the PRC LIU Jen-Kai Abbreviations and Explanatory Notes CCP CC Chinese Communist Party Central Committee CCa Central Committee, alternate member CCm Central Committee, member CCSm Central Committee Secretariat, member PBa Politburo, alternate member PBm Politburo, member Cdr. Commander Chp. Chairperson CPPCC Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference CYL Communist Youth League Dep. P.C. Deputy Political Commissar Dir. Director exec. executive f female Gen.Man. General Manager Gen.Sec. General Secretary Hon.Chp. Honorary Chairperson H.V.-Chp. Honorary Vice-Chairperson MPC Municipal People’s Congress NPC National People’s Congress PCC Political Consultative Conference PLA People’s Liberation Army Pol.Com.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy: Issues for the 117Th Congress
    Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy: Issues for the 117th Congress March 31, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R46750 SUMMARY R46750 Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy: Issues March 31, 2021 for the 117th Congress Thomas Lum U.S. concern over human rights in China has been a central issue in U.S.-China relations, Specialist in Asian Affairs particularly since the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. In recent years, human rights conditions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have deteriorated, while bilateral tensions related to trade Michael A. Weber and security have increased, possibly creating both constraints and opportunities for U.S. policy Analyst in Foreign Affairs on human rights. After consolidating power in 2013, Chinese Communist Party General Secretary and State President Xi Jinping intensified and expanded the reassertion of party control over society that began toward the end of the term of his predecessor, Hu Jintao. Since 2017, the government has enacted new laws that place further restrictions on civil society in the name of national security, authorize greater controls over minority and religious groups, and further constrain the freedoms of PRC citizens. Government methods of social and political control are evolving to include the widespread use of sophisticated surveillance and big data technologies. Arrests of human rights advocates and lawyers intensified in 2015, followed by party efforts to instill ideological conformity across various spheres of society. In 2016, President Xi launched a policy known as “Sinicization,” under which the government has taken additional measures to compel China’s religious practitioners and ethnic minorities to conform to Han Chinese culture, support China’s socialist system as defined by the Communist Party, abide by Communist Party policies, and reduce ethnic differences and foreign influences.
    [Show full text]
  • 2019 International Religious Freedom Report
    CHINA (INCLUDES TIBET, XINJIANG, HONG KONG, AND MACAU) 2019 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary Reports on Hong Kong, Macau, Tibet, and Xinjiang are appended at the end of this report. The constitution, which cites the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and the guidance of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, states that citizens have freedom of religious belief but limits protections for religious practice to “normal religious activities” and does not define “normal.” Despite Chairman Xi Jinping’s decree that all members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) must be “unyielding Marxist atheists,” the government continued to exercise control over religion and restrict the activities and personal freedom of religious adherents that it perceived as threatening state or CCP interests, according to religious groups, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and international media reports. The government recognizes five official religions – Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism. Only religious groups belonging to the five state- sanctioned “patriotic religious associations” representing these religions are permitted to register with the government and officially permitted to hold worship services. There continued to be reports of deaths in custody and that the government tortured, physically abused, arrested, detained, sentenced to prison, subjected to forced indoctrination in CCP ideology, or harassed adherents of both registered and unregistered religious groups for activities related to their religious beliefs and practices. There were several reports of individuals committing suicide in detention, or, according to sources, as a result of being threatened and surveilled. In December Pastor Wang Yi was tried in secret and sentenced to nine years in prison by a court in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in connection to his peaceful advocacy for religious freedom.
    [Show full text]
  • Preserving Stability and Rights Protection: Conflict Or Coherence? FENG Chongyi
    • •• Journal ofCurrent Chinese Affairs 2/2013: 21-50 GIGA ••• Preserving Stability and Rights Protection: Conflict or Coherence? FENG Chongyi Abstract: The creation of a new administrative institution known as the "Stability Preservation Office" at the central level, which is overseen by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and has branches at every local level, from streets and townships to enterprises, and has extraordinary powers to override other regular institutions and branches of government, is a clear indication that the Chinese govern- ment's efforts to preserve stabüit)' are not limited to the conventional business of crime control or public security. This paper traces the origin of the discourse and practice of preserving stability and the rights de- fence movement in China, investigating the interplay or interaction be- tween the two. It examines the end and the means of stability preserva- tion, explores whether the measures taken by the government to pre- serve stability or the rights protection actions taken by citizens are the root cause of social unrest, and whether the suppression of discontent or the improvement of human rights and social justice is the better way to achieve social stability in contemporary China. It contributes to our un- derstanding of emerging state-society relations and the latest social and political trends in China. • Manusctipt received 9 January 2012; accepted 6 July 2012 Keywords: China, stability, human rights Dr. Feng Chongyi is an Associate Professor in China Studies, University of Technology, Sydney and adjunct Professor of History, Nankai Universi- ty, Tianjin. His current research focuses on intellectual and political devel- opment in modern and contemporary China, as well as political economy of China's provinces.
    [Show full text]
  • Business Risk of Crime in China
    Business and the Ris k of Crime in China Business and the Ris k of Crime in China Roderic Broadhurst John Bacon-Shone Brigitte Bouhours Thierry Bouhours assisted by Lee Kingwa ASIAN STUDIES SERIES MONOGRAPH 3 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY E PRESS E PRESS Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/ National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Business and the risk of crime in China : the 2005-2006 China international crime against business survey / Roderic Broadhurst ... [et al.]. ISBN: 9781921862533 (pbk.) 9781921862540 (ebook) Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Subjects: Crime--China--21st century--Costs. Commercial crimes--China--21st century--Costs. Other Authors/Contributors: Broadhurst, Roderic G. Dewey Number: 345.510268 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU E Press Cover image: The gods of wealth enter the home from everywhere, wealth, treasures and peace beckon; designer unknown, 1993; (Landsberger Collection) International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam. Printed by Griffin Press This edition © 2011 ANU E Press Contents Foreword . vii Lu Jianping Preface . ix Acronyms . xv Introduction . 1 1 . Background . 25 2 . Crime and its Control in China . 43 3 . ICBS Instrument, Methodology and Sample . 79 4 . Common Crimes against Business . 95 5 . Fraud, Bribery, Extortion and Other Crimes against Business .
    [Show full text]
  • China – Labour Regulations – Working Conditions – Industrial Relations
    Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE Research Response Number: CHN32293 Country: China Date: 29 August 2007 Keywords: China – Labour regulations – Working conditions – Industrial relations This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein. Questions 1. Are there labour laws in China that regulate the hours of work? 2. Are there labour laws that regulate salary? 3. Are there labour laws that regulate a worker’s conditions of work such as sick pay? 4. What is the attitude of the Chinese authorities towards workers demanding better working conditions such as a reduction in working hours and an increase in salary? RESPONSE 1. Are there labour laws in China that regulate the hours of work? China has a 1994 Labour Law that includes articles to regulate hours of work in its Chapter 4 (Labour Law of the People’s Republic of China 1994, adopted at the Eighth Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on 5 July 1994, and entering into force on 1 January 1995, All-China Federation of Trade Unions websitehttp://www.acftu.org.cn/labourlaw.htm – Accessed 23 August 2007 – Attachment 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Corruption and Economic Growth in China: an Emirical Analysis Nicholas D'amico John Carroll University, [email protected]
    John Carroll University Carroll Collected Senior Honors Projects Theses, Essays, and Senior Honors Projects Spring 2015 Corruption and Economic Growth in China: An Emirical Analysis Nicholas D'Amico John Carroll University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://collected.jcu.edu/honorspapers Part of the Finance and Financial Management Commons Recommended Citation D'Amico, Nicholas, "Corruption and Economic Growth in China: An Emirical Analysis" (2015). Senior Honors Projects. 78. http://collected.jcu.edu/honorspapers/78 This Honors Paper/Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Essays, and Senior Honors Projects at Carroll Collected. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of Carroll Collected. For more information, please contact [email protected]. D’Amico 1 Introduction China’s rise to a global economic superpower in the last 35 years has been nothing short of extraordinary. Factors that have played a part include China’s liberalization of its financial system, opening up to foreign markets, and massive comparative advantage in labor. An intriguing issue, and the focus of this paper, involves the role that corruption has played in China’s unprecedented economic growth. Corruption is an intriguing issue in part because the literature disagrees on its potential economic impacts. On the one hand, some research finds that corruption is detrimental to economic growth, and this is no different in China (Cole, Elliott, and Zhang 1-32, Bergsten, Freeman, Lardy, and Mitchell 91-105). The elimination of corruption is necessary in order for China’s economic growth to be sustainable in the future.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinese Workers Vs. Walmart: Brainstorming Solutions to Funding Strategic Labor Litigation in the Wake of China’S 2017 Foreign Ngo Law
    40776-nyu_93-6 Sheet No. 220 Side B 12/14/2018 11:29:27 \\jciprod01\productn\N\NYU\93-6\NYU610.txt unknown Seq: 1 12-DEC-18 11:01 CHINESE WORKERS VS. WALMART: BRAINSTORMING SOLUTIONS TO FUNDING STRATEGIC LABOR LITIGATION IN THE WAKE OF CHINA’S 2017 FOREIGN NGO LAW AUDREY WINN* Over the past two years, China’s treatment of labor advocates was full of conflicting norms: Though the Party remained hostile toward labor organizing directed at domestic employers, certain conditions caused state officials to hesitate in violently cracking down on labor organizing directed at Western companies. Against this backdrop, groups like the Walmart Chinese Workers’ Association (WCWA) were leading successful campaigns to fight worker exploitation through organizing and legal remedies. In order to fund litigation against Walmart, the WCWA received litigation funding from nonprofit groups like the Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin (CLB). However, in January 2017, China passed a new Foreign Non- Governmental Organization Law (FNGO), which requires both foreign and Hong Kong nonprofits, like CLB, to register and submit themselves to greater govern- ment control in order to continue working in China. As a result, labor nonprofits like CLB are no longer able to fund litigation for groups like the WCWA. This Note proposes one way that Chinese labor organizations and NGOs could address the funding issues caused by the FNGO Law. Part I will discuss the state-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), explain the role it plays in the larger Communist Party agenda, and discuss the conditions in China that have cre- ated an opportunity for labor groups like the WCWA to form.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 2 Beijing's Internal and External Challenges
    CHAPTER 2 BEIJING’S INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CHALLENGES Key Findings • The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is facing internal and external challenges as it attempts to maintain power at home and increase its influence abroad. China’s leadership is acutely aware of these challenges and is making a concerted effort to overcome them. • The CCP perceives Western values and democracy as weaken- ing the ideological commitment to China’s socialist system of Party cadres and the broader populace, which the Party views as a fundamental threat to its rule. General Secretary Xi Jin- ping has attempted to restore the CCP’s belief in its founding values to further consolidate control over nearly all of China’s government, economy, and society. His personal ascendancy within the CCP is in contrast to the previous consensus-based model established by his predecessors. Meanwhile, his signature anticorruption campaign has contributed to bureaucratic confu- sion and paralysis while failing to resolve the endemic corrup- tion plaguing China’s governing system. • China’s current economic challenges include slowing econom- ic growth, a struggling private sector, rising debt levels, and a rapidly-aging population. Beijing’s deleveraging campaign has been a major drag on growth and disproportionately affects the private sector. Rather than attempt to energize China’s econo- my through market reforms, the policy emphasis under General Secretary Xi has shifted markedly toward state control. • Beijing views its dependence on foreign intellectual property as undermining its ambition to become a global power and a threat to its technological independence. China has accelerated its efforts to develop advanced technologies to move up the eco- nomic value chain and reduce its dependence on foreign tech- nology, which it views as both a critical economic and security vulnerability.
    [Show full text]