On Friday 29 May, CLB Director Han Dongfang and Research Director Robin Munro met with a bipartisan congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Hong Kong to discuss the current and future state of labour rights in China and how Washington should engage with the government in Beijing on rights issues in general.
The delegation was particularly interested to know if there was any good news emanating from China. Han Dongfang replied that there was plenty of good news, although it largely stemmed from the bad news. Corruption had reached such endemic levels in China, Han explained, that ordinary people, farmers, workers and urban professionals, had been compelled to fight back and stand up for their rights.
These people, he said, were not seeking the overthrow of the central government, indeed in most cases they were looking to the central government for justice. This movement of ordinary citizens, and the government’s growing willingness to engage with it, was leading to the gradual strengthening of civil society in China.
Munro stressed that where political dissent of all kinds is concerned, the Chinese authorities’ stance remains highly repressive. However, he too noted that with the fast-growing wei quan or rights defense movement, through which countless citizens’ groups are now demanding rights’ improvements at the local level, future progress on human rights’ goals will come mainly from domestic pressure and less from outside, international pressure. This was a long overdue and very welcome development, he added, though the task remained huge.
With regard to climate change (the main focus of the delegation’s earlier visit to Beijing), Han said he believed the Chinese government would live up to its promises, not because of pressure from foreign governments but because of the desire of ordinary Chinese citizens for a better environment.
Han said China was changing fast and that Washington and other governments would have to adapt. Whilst sticking firmly to their principles on labour and human rights issues, he said, foreign governments should also look to develop more positive and constructive ways of engaging with China.
On this issue of Tibet, for example, Han urged the delegation to encourage both Beijing and the Dalai Lama to continue their dialogue and refrain from any actions, be it military suppression or calls for independence, that might inflame the situation.