China Crackdown

[kmguru]

Here is a controversial issue, and I am not sure whether it is a republican agenda or democratic...I need a little education.

Apparently the Chinese are expelling a bunch of Chinese American teachers and their America cohorts that went to China for "freedom of inquiry, intellectual curiosity, and exploration". These groups apparently tried to start independent "labor unions, social clubs and churches." The Chinese are saying, these people are not engineers or real scientists who can help the country economically but trouble makers that will turn China into Russia - a real mess, overrun with Mafia.

My question is, do we have a right to force the Chinese to start labor unions when the entire communist party is supposed to be a giant labor union (that is how it started I think including peasants)...

The other question is, whether it is the democrats idea or republicans?

-Confused in Vermont

[piffi]

China does have a right to operate as they see fit... it shouldn't be our business in deciding their morals. However, we can always invoke sanctions if it gets pretty nasty.

If China is basically its own giant labor union, the establishment wouldn't want another group to challenge its power. It would be, in a sense, allowing one section of the military to operate against the US instead of for it.
No matter how twisted communism may be, we've got to respect it as just a different way of doing things. We can only hope it somehow just fades away sometime soon...

[kmguru]

China will change, but the politicians have to figure out how to keep their powerbase and change with it. They know, that US politicians have a lot of power, yet we are a democracy. May be someday they will split their party to left and right and go for it.

The other part is, in the name of democracy, there are groups from outside China, that try to dictate the social order and Hollywood life style the Chinese should have - and if they dont, it somehow makes them evil....

Changing over night is dangerous. In my opinion, that is what happened in Russia. As the Chinese interact with the world, they will find a way to adapt for the better.

[FA_Q2]

" My question is, do we have a right to force the Chinese to start labor unions when the entire communist party is supposed to be a giant labor union (that is how it started I think including peasants)... "

No. We have no right to go sticking our butt in their personal problems. Let china deal with itself as it sees fit.