China's baleful influence on world politics redux

This post has been cross-posted at Harry's Place

The Chinese state continues to demonstrate its baleful and unpleasant influence on world affairs.

In a move that will surprise no one the Chinese vetoed a UN resolution on sanctions on the Syrian regime.

China's UN ambassador Li Baodong said Beijing opposed the idea of "interference in [Syria's] internal affairs" and that sanctions or threats of sanctions "may further complicate the situation".

No doubt the STWC would approve. After all the US was in favour of it so it must be "imperialism".

And bowing to threats from Beijing the South African government denied a visa to the Dalai Lama, leading Desmond Tutu to fury :

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, visibly shaking with anger, compared the South African government unfavourably with the apartheid regime and threatened to pray for the downfall of the African National Congress (ANC) yesterday after the Dalai Lama said he was forced to pull out of Tutu's 80th birthday celebrations because he had not been granted an entry visa.

"Our government is worse than the apartheid government because at least you would expect it with the apartheid government," Tutu told a press conference in Cape Town. "Our government we expect to be sensitive to the sentiments of our constitution."

In a tirade that stunned South African journalists, he went on: "Let the ANC know they have a large majority. Well, Mubarak had a large majority, Gaddafi had a large majority. I am warning you: watch out. Watch out.

"Our government – representing me! – says it will not support Tibetans being viciously oppressed by China. You, president Zuma and your government, do not represent me. I am warning you, as I warned the [pro-apartheid] nationalists, one day we will pray for the defeat of the ANC government."

Meanwhile the regime continues its repressive habits at home as well, see here :

Chinese rights activist Hu Jia has criticised a proposed new law that would allow the secret detention of dissidents, comparing it to methods used by the former Soviet Union's KGB secret police.
Hu, one of China's leading government critics, was released from prison in June after completing a more than three-year sentence for subversion.

In a letter to a parliamentary committee considering the legal change, Hu said holding suspects in a secret location was a "painful torment" for the parents, wife and children of the person detained.

"This violates the minimum humanity of the suspect who is not yet convicted by the law and the innocent family members of his or hers," Hu said in the letter to the legislative working committee of the National People's Congress.

"Such KGB secret police-style Red Terror methods have been used not only on me but also a lot of people such as rights lawyers, dissidents, artists, petitioners and family members of political criminals."

Hu confirmed to AFP Thursday that he had sent the submission and also posted a copy on his new blog, forcivilrights.blogspot.com.

 What a brave man.