Human Rights in China and the US - Essay Example

Human Rights Human rights are moral norms protected as legal rights and are used to describe the standards of the behavior of human. A person is entitled to such rights because he or she is a human being and deserves equality just like the rest. These rights range depending on various nationals. The differences between china and the US over human rights will always be there because the leadership of china matters on maintaining control and repressing protests. The main aim of using this strategy is to preserve stability in its government. This has earned China the reputation of not being able to have democracy in the near future (Gilpin & Ross 173). The forces of telecommunication and economic development revolutions have been working in democratization process in the region, hence bringing about a political change. Through this, discrediting of the communist ideology has enabled people conduct their business out of the control of Chinese Communist Party. The approach of China towards human rights starts mainly out of the domestic concerns. Unlike the US, China’s concept of human right is parallel to the definition of basic rights such as security from violence (Wenjiang 425). Conversely, the US has always attached little importance to economic rights as a legal concern of human rights. For the Chinese government, political rights are there in place to serve social utility since making a strong nation is the utmost priority, hence the state collectivism (Wenjiang 425). Both US and China are in conflicts because of the different political systems for the respective governments have but the profound reason is basic values and different cultures between them. Due to these differences, the US seems not concerned of the pressing needs of the Chinese population in meeting their rights and needs (Kim 42). Over the years, the republic of China has had significant changes on in its social, political, and economic domains. These changes together with policies in China have left imprints on various human right issues in both dimensions of international and domestic. The most controversial policy in China is the One Child Policy and it has raised an array of human rights concerns like sex selective abortions and sterilization (Lee & Lee 88). Such policies are in practice under their traditional gender norms that see boys being in favor than their counterparts the girls. The N. Korean republic is an authoritarian nation under dictatorship where even citizens have no right to change the government. The government has denied its citizens many fundamental rights and many aspects of their lives like denial of freedom of speech, association, religion press, and movement just to name a few. The government has established political prisons with under harsh living conditions as a punishment for those who do not comply with what the authority needs (Alston & Goodman 705). There is evidence of torture and other inhuman treatment as well as public executions of people for political reasons. There is denial of fundamental freedoms to their women and disabled children have had mistreatment and discrimination (Alston & Goodman). The UN has compared this kind of modern day dictatorship and harassment in N. Korea with that of Nazis. This has triggered thousands of citizens to run to neighboring countries like South Korea and china as refugees. The China and American governments as one of the super powers have a thing in common which is trying to fight for the rights of the N. Korean people. The American government is trying to help the Korean citizens from such oppression with the help of the Republic of China. China is of importance because it is the closest business ally of N. Korea so it can be pivotal for them to participate in liberating Koreans. China’s role is to ensure that the Korean government meets the basic human needs as well as participating in denuclearization process (Hi Kim, Roehrig, & Seliger 117). China has achieved its moral obligations through accommodating N. Korean refugees in their borders. Negative criticism from the West has been part of both N. Korea and China because of the kind of treatment their citizens go through. China has always supported N. Korea from international criticism for instance it opposed the US and United Nation Human Rights Council’s perspective on N. Korea by encouraging cooperation and communication rather than pressure and denouncement (Kim 44). This strategy by china shows it prioritizes economic rights over human and political rights. China has also been on the criticism end because of how they treated the N. Korean refugees who are victims in their state. It is not fair because N. Korea helped China when struck with famine between 1959 and 1961 yet now the N. Koreans who are in need of help from Chinese do not get it (Kim 44). In addition, the government of China has no policy set to handle the refugees from N. Korea refugees and this shows they have no care for the rights of people. The US has been one of the countries to have fully participated in fighting for human rights within its borders as well as internationally where people are deprived their rights. The government has human right groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch which partner with traditional organizations like American Civil Liberties Union. These organizations oversee and address human right violations within the country and internationally. These organizations have also gone beyond its civil rights and narrowed down to social and economic rights (Hertel & Libal 6). They also focus on checking and reporting any violations of noncitizen rights majorly to ensure that refugees in foreign countries do not face mistreatment or discrimination. Both China and the US use soft power diplomacy but in different ways and effects to solve various international problems. Through diplomacy in solving issues are the most effective way of negotiation rather than use of pressure and force. When countries use pressure against others, it happens that there will be violation of human rights. At times, the US imposes sanctions and pressure in some situations unlike china who maintain their diplomacy policy hence gaining economic rights. Through diplomacy, China swayed Burmese government to stabilize its government and evaluate its policies to make the country a better place. It also convinced Sudan to welcome UN peacekeepers something that the West did not manage to do through pressure (Rosecrance & Guoliang 32). Both countries have implemented the use of military diplomacy to seek peace in war torn regions and other place where there is violation of human rights. This is a better option rather than declaring war on other unstable countries because that will bring more harm than peace and civilians will suffer most. Other form of diplomacy is through military education and this is an important policy in Chinese defense policy. Work Cited Alston, Philip, and Goodman, Ryan. “International Human Rights.” Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print. Hertel, Shareen & Libal, Kathryn. “Human Rights in the United States: Beyond Exceptionalism.” Cambridge University Press. 2011. Print. Kim, Mikyoung. “Securitization of Human Rights: North Korean Refugees in East Asia.” Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, 2012. Print. Kim, Suk Hi., Roehrig, Terence., and Seliger, Bernhard. “The Survival of North Korea: Essays on Strategy, Economics and International Relations.” Jefferson: McFarland & Co., Publishers, 2011. Internet resource. Lee, Daniel & Lee, Elizabeth. “Human Rights and the Ethics of Globalization.” Cambridge University Press. 2010. Print. Rosecrance, Richard N & Guoliang, Gu. “Power and Restraint: A Shared Vision for the U.S.-China Relationship.” New York: PublicAffairs, 2009. Internet resource. Wenjiang, Du. Informatics and Management Science Ii. London: Springer, 2013. Internet resource. Read More