On the Prospects of Democracy in China

Liberal Westerners often express the view, "Sooner or later China will embrace democracy".

However, I have never heard a Chinese national, let alone a Chinese official, express this view.

Have you?

So how much do these liberal Westerners know of China? Are they aware that China has not had democracy for some 5000 years? Are they aware that China has done very well for the last 20 years without democracy - indeed precisely because of a lack of democracy?

Terrified as the Communist Party is of losing power, as well as of domestic chaos, what will ever prompt it to want to loosen the handcuffs?

If the international community is interested in seeing democracy come to China, it has to do more than simply crow a bit.

We have the ridiculous situation of having, as a Member of the UN Security Council, a country that has, systematically and openly, never stopped flouting the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

So, for a start, how about a campaign agains companies that invest in China - unless China implements basic human rights of association and freedom of thought and religion and association, to which it has already signed up? Sphere: Related Content