The Superpower That Is China

The People’s Republic of China is not only just an emerging superpower in our modern world but has always been a force to reckon with. Among the earliest world civilizations to flourish were that of the Chinese. From one dynasty to the other, the Chinese civilization is as colorful as its history. Even today, China is a good example of a country rich in culture and the arts but never backs down in the face of technology and modern advancements. When you look around you today, many of the things around us are proudly made in China.

Like most nations, China is made of the executive, legislative, judiciary and military branches. The president, state council, and the National People’s Congress (NPC) are the primary seats of power in both the executive and legislative branches consecutively. The Paramount leader holds the highest office. Xi Jinping is the current paramount leader who is likewise the President (who serves a five-year term), the Chairman of the Central Military Commission and the General Secretary of the Communist Party. The National People’s Congress is the sole legislative body. The Central Military Commission heads the People’s Liberation Army and is the supreme military policy-making body in China. Meanwhile, the highest court in the Chinese Judicial System is the Supreme People’s Court.

China's President Xi Jinping sees extravagance and corruption as an existential threat to the party, whose authority is in part predicated on its ability to spread the gains of China's growth fairly among the Chinese people.

His ongoing crackdown on corruption has moved in recent months away from the high profile officials to weeding out daily corruption at the grassroots, making almost anyone a potential target.

"Officials at deputy county level or above are required to report information, including their marital status, overseas travel, criminal records, wages and other earnings, family properties, stocks, funds, insurance and other investment," the official Xinhua news agency reported late on Wednesday.

The rules, jointly issued by the General Office of the party's Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, China's cabinet, would be accompanied by random audits, increased in frequency to one in 10 reports, Xinhua said.

(Via: http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/china-issues-stricter-rules-for-officials-to-report-assets)

Like in everything else, the Chinese government is determined in wiping out corruption in its ranks, from the highest officials to ordinary employees. Even the healthcare industry is being scrutinized by outside medical standards groups.Virtually nobody is safe from this crackdown and with a nation as big and as wealthy as China, this measure is but imperative to ensure transparency in the government and gain the trust and respect of the people and of the world.

China’s government plans to create an economic zone that it hopes will become a center for technology.

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently announced plans for the project. It would turn a huge underdeveloped area southwest of Beijing into a modern and technologically advanced zone.

The Xiongan New Area will be about three times the size of New York City when completed. It is expected to become like Shenzhen -- a modern, high-tech city that acts as a bridge between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Xi said that the zone will create growth for places like Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.

China’s North has long been less of an economic force and innovator than the south. But now, officials are trying to reshape the capital to create new models of growth.

(Via: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/china-development-zone/3816552.html)

The Chinese government mostly always had their acts together. From major and ambitious developments within China to the power and authority it exudes in the international arena, many nations are wary of China because it is one superpower you don’t want to mess around with. The Chinese government knew that for them to be able to take over the world, they would have to first take good care of things within their backyard first and improve all aspects of governance, the military, business, and infrastructure and so on. Even though China was unheard of in the global scene several decades ago, it managed to gradually make its presence felt the world over and now there is no stopping the superpower that is China.

The Superpower That Is China is courtesy of chrdnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/04/26/the-superpower-that-is-china/

Voting Rights In America

America is synonymous with the land of the free and home of the brave. Its national anthem says just that. And in many ways, it has proven to be true over the years. America’s rich history shows how the Americans fought for their rights and gained the freedom every American now enjoys. Early American patriots gave up their lives so that the future generation will be free to live as they wish, free from the influence of others.

As the country freed itself from the hands of the conquerors, it had to deal with various internal conflicts before it became the great nation that it is today. Slavery was a thing in the past and black people were not considered as equals by White Americans. Women were also not considered as equals and they had to fight for their right to be equal with men and to be able to exercise their right to suffrage as well. The journey was a long and challenging one and it is still a work in progress but Americans are active in protecting their rights, especially the right to vote for the leader they want to lead the country. The majority even managed to put in office a total novice who is so full of himself and known for his racist nature. But of course, let us all give him the benefit of the doubt and wait for him to deliver his promise of greatness before passing judgment on him and his leadership skills.

In 2013, Chief Justice John Roberts made a sweeping declaration about the state of voting rights in America. “Our country has changed,” he wrote in his majority opinion in Shelby County v. Holder, “and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions.”

With those words, Roberts and four other justices on the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a core provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a hammer of a civil-rights law that helped bludgeon recalcitrant states toward multiracial democracy. The majority concluded Congress was relying on out-of-date data when formulating which jurisdictions still had to receive federal approval to change their election laws and policies—a practice known as preclearance that’s meant to block discriminatory measures. Four justices, led by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, denounced the decision in stark terms. “Hubris is a fit word for today’s demolition of the VRA,” she wrote in dissent.

(Via: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/shelby-county-v-holder-voting-rights-supreme-court/522867/)

But it seems that the idea of America enjoying true democracy isn’t as good as it seems. With constant issues of discrimination and abuse that are often shown on TV, one may wonder what the truth really is. Acquaint yourself with these minor and often unheard voting issues that seem to plague modern-day America especially if you are a part of the minority.

The U.S. prides itself on being the world’s greatest democracy, but across the country, millions of people are denied the right to vote. More than half of all states require voters to show ID when they cast a ballot, yanking the most vulnerable in U.S. society from the electoral process.

On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Texas’ electoral law, which requires voters to show photo ID before casting a ballot, intentionally discriminates against black and Hispanic voters. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, ethnic minorities, along with low-income, disabled and elderly voters, are less likely to have government-issued identification.

Before the ruling—the fifth time in four years a court has found Texas’ voting laws discriminatory—a Texas voter was required to show one of six types of photo ID. If they failed to provide any, they could cast a provisional ballot and either present identification within six days of doing so or declare that they had a religious objection to being photographed or had lost their identification in a natural disaster.

(Via: http://www.newsweek.com/voter-id-laws-texas-minority-voters-strict-states-582405)

America has seen its fair share of disasters both natural and man-made, so it is not unlikely for people to lose important documents over the years. However, cases of discrimination are old news and even President Trump himself is a known bigot throughout the world. How could he prioritize the travel ban soon after assuming office if he doesn’t think lowly of these foreigners, right?

While the new administration continues to focus on unsubstantiated claims of vote fraud, across the country, communities continue to wrestle with the real and significant impact of voter suppression and voting discrimination. Some of the most egregious forms of voter suppression often play out in rural and isolated communities that are not under the national spotlight.

Take, for example, an issue from last Fall out of rural and majority-African-American Hancock County, one of the most economically disadvantaged counties in Georgia. The county’s majority-White Board of Elections decided to strip African-Americans of the right to vote on the eve of a hotly contested local election in which White candidates were challenging African-American incumbents for the Mayor and City Council of Sparta.

(Via: http://www.ebony.com/news-views/voter-suppression-georgia#axzz4ejUsS0mn)

Modern technology may have taken our lives to a whole new level but there are certain grassroots issues that persist. Voting problems are quite common especially in places that are not accessible to many, like in rural areas all over America. It just goes to show that the U.S. still has a long way to go before it can show the world the face of real freedom. While people are given a chance to shape the nation every election by electing leaders they believe will uphold the American ideals, not all the time they make the right choices. At times, these mistakes can be costly and leave the country with an incompetent leader who is far more comfortable using Twitter than in addressing the issues that affect the land and its people. In this case, many starts to doubt the value of voting rights when others don’t seem to grasp the power and importance of their votes and how they affect the country and the world as a whole.

The following article Voting Rights In America was originally seen on CHRDNet Blog

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/04/22/voting-rights-in-america/

The Battleground That Is Syria

We all heard of what happened and is still happening in Syria today. The Syrian civil war has been going on for six years but the end is still not in sight. The government and the rebel forces (now supported or funded by other nations) continue fighting each other and have managed to destroy their homeland. Most of its towns and cities are reduced to rubble and the casualty keeps on rising. The bloodbath has taken the lives of thousands to hundred thousands of innocent Syrian citizens, both young and old.

This all started when a few rebel groups expressed dissent over the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad but the government was adamant in wiping them out. Thus, this war dragged on for so long.  It is disheartening to see young kids dying over chemical warfare and Syrian refugees that are not welcome on many borders. There is no more life in Syria, only bloodbath, and more conflict. Unfortunately, the innocent civilians are the most affected of all as other nations join in on the bombings and deprive them of all hope of ever finding peace again.

 U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Tuesday that human rights violations have triggered conflict in Syria, stifled dissent in Burundi and led to repression in Myanmar — and the next international crisis could come from North Korea, Iran or Cuba where human rights are widely disregarded.

But Russia and China disputed her contention that human rights violations are a main driver of conflicts. And Human Rights Watch questioned the Trump administration's decision to focus on human rights at the U.N. Security Council in light of its own actions.

The United States holds the U.N. Security Council presidency this month and Haley was determined to hold a meeting to focus on the importance of human rights to international peace and security. It took place Tuesday after the U.S. addressed a key objection from Russia, China and other council members, and was the first meeting solely on human rights.

(Via: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-04-18/us-human-rights-violations-drive-conflicts-like-syria)

Who would’ve thought this armed conflict will persist for as long it does now. People all over the world are actually clueless on the real reason for this war but we witness the destruction and havoc it caused most especially on all the lives that were lost and will still be lost as the war continues to drag on and on and on.

Evacuations from two government-held areas of Syria have resumed, monitors and reports say, days after an attack on a convoy carrying evacuees killed 126 people, many of them children.

Some 3,000 people have left the north-western villages of Foah and Kefraya, which have been surrounded by rebels.

Meanwhile, buses have moved dozens of others from Zabadani, near Damascus, under siege by pro-government forces.

Security has been tight after Saturday's attack near Aleppo.

The evacuations resumed early on Wednesday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

At the Rashidin checkpoint, where the handover of evacuees was due to take place, buses were being carefully searched after the bombing there, an AFP correspondent at the scene reported.

Several dozen armed rebel fighters stood guard near the convoy.

(Via: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39640055)

But how can we help those poor Syrian refugees and civilians? Do we really have the power to make a difference in their lives? Is sharing horrific videos and photos of the battleground that is their home enough to raise awareness and mobilize the help and support they so desperately need? Don’t they have human rights anymore? What about the children? Why is it that they lost all semblance of normalcy (along with their rights) when the war broke?

Wars are never a good topic for just about everyone. The bloodshed and destruction are just too much for this modern world of ours. How can people be so consumed by rage in a world full of smart gadgets and social media? Are their causes that important, enough for them to disregard the rights of many and never reach a truce? Today, other nations have pledged their support either for the government or for the rebels. But what we are all hoping for is for this war that has taken so many lives and cost so much destruction to finally come to an end, so peace and life return in the war-torn nation that is battleground Syria.

The following article The Battleground That Is Syria is available on The Chinese Human Rights Development Net Blog

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/04/21/the-battleground-that-is-syria/

What We Need To Know About China’s Human Rights Abuse

China is fast becoming a force to reckon with in the global arena, whether in politics, the military or in the economy, the Chinese are in an upward momentum. When you look around you, everything is virtually “Made in China. If you look at it in that light, much of the world’s economy depends heavily on China. Labor is cheap and so are materials. In that way, businesses can save a lot of money and still make lots of profits. However, just from that alone stems a lot of human rights issues. From poor (even inhumane) working conditions to very cheap labor, the Chinese workforce is full of human right violations that can make you shudder if you hear about it for the first time.

The People’s Republic of China may be a socialist state but it is governed by the people’s democratic dictatorship that is led by the Chinese working class. It is among the handful of socialist states in the world that openly endorses communism. And as such, the Chinese people have to endure many forms of restrictions in their lives. There are restrictions on freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, free access to the web, right to have children, freedom of religion, and free formation of social organizations. China is known all over the world to have a one-child policy among its people. Indeed, important human rights remain a highly contested topic in all of China.

On Monday, Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper revealed that 11 democratic nations jointly condemned China’s increasing human rights abuses in a secret February 27 letter sent to Chinese representatives. The U.S. failed to sign it.

"Apparently the U.S. was asked to sign but declined, unlike Australia, Canada, Japan and Switzerland, along with seven European Union member countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom,” according to Bill Bishop, the publisher of Sinocism China Newsletter. “This does not seem to bode well for the hopes in some circles that Trump is going to take a harder line on China over human rights."

But it seems that despite being a powerful country and a country that loves to meddle with the affair of others (Think of Saddam, Lebanon etc.), the U.S. seems to be quiet on the human right issues of China.

China is an increasingly powerful country that regularly violates human rights at home and international law abroad. If the U.S. wants to maintain a position of global leadership, we will have to lead, not lag, our allies in taking the moral high ground. President Trump, Secretary of State Tillerson, and U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad need to step up to the plate and ensure that they strongly and publicly represent U.S. values of democracy and human rights when dealing with China.

(Via: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anderscorr/2017/03/21/u-s-weakness-on-chinas-human-rights-violations-revealed-by-secret-letter/#7747205e4129)

Since assuming office, Trump finally meets the Chinese leader and it is a great time than any to discuss pressing economic and political issues along with issues concerning human right abuse. Trump should be able to handle this well considering he is a businessman who has likely been in more uncomfortable situations in the past, similar to this one. However, President Trump is a flawed man himself. How can he even lecture the Chinese leader on valuing the rights of its citizens when he himself is a known chauvinist?

As President Donald Trump prepares to meet China's President Xi Jinping this week, it's unclear whether any discussion will be had about each country's approach to human rights. While the Chinese government has long been known for its human rights abuses, the recent U.S. rollback of human rights at home and abroad by the Trump administration sets the stakes higher than usual for Thursday's meeting.

There is no doubt that Trump has a significantly dismal human rights record for someone who's been president for less than 100 days. With his bigoted travel ban under legal scrutiny and the devastating effect of his immigration and refugee policies on thousands of families in the U.S., he's not in the strongest position to encourage Xi to improve the Chinese human rights record. But there must be a discussion.

To understand the situation more clearly, Trump should take a cue from one of his predecessors, President George W. Bush, and meet with former Chinese prisoners of conscience now living in the United States. These individuals will provide him with firsthand accounts of the state of human rights in China.

For instance, two years ago, China enacted a series of sweeping laws and regulations used to silence dissent by human rights defenders. Individuals critical of the Chinese government have been charged with "inciting subversion," "separatism" and "leaking state secrets" – all under the pretext of national security. These laws restrict organizations and individuals working to create sustainable solutions to human rights challenges.

(Via: https://www.usnews.com/opinion/world-report/articles/2017-04-06/donald-trump-cant-ignore-chinas-human-rights-violations)

The Chinese are unforgiving. With all these cases (and allegations) of human rights abuse, how can the U.S. just turn a blind eye and keep on doing business with this emerging superpower from Asia? But aren’t you also considered an accomplice to a crime if you know about the crime but opt to intentionally ignore it? Because that is just what the U.S. is doing. Although Trump criticizes China on their military activities and trade policies in his favorite platform – Twitter – he seems to overlook other more pressing issues like Internet censorship, punitive detention and other forms of human rights abuses.

The Chinese government should not just keep on holding political prisoners because these people have spoken about topics China considers as sensitive. All these abuses have just got to stop. But who will tell them when the leader of one of the most powerful nations on the planet refuses to talk about human rights practices in China unlike his predecessors? Although the Trump administration insists they would still discuss these issues in private, human rights advocates don’t get their hopes up. True reform will likely elude the Chinese for now but we’ll see where international talks lead us. At least now, China no longer shy away from the global stage unlike before where they have totally confined themselves in their own country, which happens to be second largest nation in the world in terms of land area with a population of over 1.3 billion. They are such a force indeed.

The following blog article What We Need To Know About China’s Human Rights Abuse See more on: The Chinese Human Rights Development Net Blog

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/04/20/what-we-need-to-know-about-chinas-human-rights-abuse/