| | On looking at reality, there is a definite effect occurring because of American business in China. The author of the article states:
Underneath the seemingly stable surface, dissent and unrest in China is rising.
This is the result of the Chinese people being shown up close what the fruits of liberty are. They did not have these things before and even party-line indoctrinates cannot evade that fact that another system - a more effective system than theirs - created these things.
I am not sure where the line to draw is on this. I cannot condone the lack of individual rights (or, let's say, the selective permission of moral entitlements) and the abuses of an arbitrary government power, but there is the issue of the sheer size of China, both in land mass and in terms of number of people. It is so big that to ignore it is to ignore reality.
War, for instance, would be extremely costly. China is not Afghanistan or Iraq. Should a war ever come with China, occupation after dismantling their formal military capacity would be a holy nightmare.
In making an argument, you can get a point across by saying something and by showing it. American businesses doing trade with China are not interested in saying anything, merely making profits. But in doing so, they are eloquently showing what an alternative to Communism is here on earth. Unwittingly, their business activities - in a "show" not "tell" manner - are making a powerful intellectual statement.
How far this will go in arming the thugs, though, is the rub. I don't think pragmatism is the whole standard here. This situation needs to be closely watched... er... objectively.
Michael
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