The Politics of Expendibility in China
This most populous country in the world, with its ancient, advanced and highly respected history and culture has much to teach the West. Obviously, however, in modern China some matters of principle and morals and ethical teaching were somehow lost in the long transition from a society of honoured ancestors to the modern era; the change from Imperial China to Communist China and beyond to the present time has wrought some regretful political, social and cultural anomalies.Most well evolved countries, particularly those which, like China, can boast of an enlightened and cultured past, do have some respect for human rights. With China and its immense geography and broad demographics encompassing a multitude of ethnically diverse communities, languages, tribal cultures and traditions compressed into one large political system, the more worldly and enlightened respect for individual rights has been overlooked in favour of state needs.
Imperial China gave the world its first working bureaucracy, one based on personal meritorious service and knowledge. Modern China has long abandoned that high-minded and immensely workable system in favour of expediency which rewards personal corruption. A known human-rights abuser itself, China does not hesitate to align itself with other like states.
It curries favour with states such as Sudan and Iran, both of whose agendas are causing great anguish in the international community through their brutal human rights excesses.
This powerful giant engages in industrial espionage, pirating of intellectual and copyright property rights with impunity. International standards of governance and recognition of international copyright standards are not placed high on the Chinese agenda. These globally-recognized niceties are incidental to its needs to produce, to sell, to dominate markets.
From the harvesting of rare and exotic animal species whose parts are required in the ancient Chinese pharmacopoeia, to the harvesting of human organs required to expand the Chinese market in saleable medicinal goods and through surgical procedures in sparkling new, well-equipped hospitals, China stands out in the world. Unfortunately the hospitals which treat their own populations are plagued by inefficient, unhygienic, corrupted services.
China sees no need to reform its peoples' ancient cultural beliefs and predilections revolving around miracle cures for impotence or hair loss for example, formulating folkloric medicines guaranteed to cure all human ills. On the other hand, legitimate scientific enquiry into many of ancient China's formularies in their pharmacopoeia has revealed efficacious or promising results in some areas of medical chemistry and practise, mostly with the use of native flora.
Unfortunately the Chinese enthusiasm for medicaments whose constituents require rhinoceros horn or tiger spleen or any other parts of rare and exotic and threatened species from increasingly non-renewable sources represent a blight on the society. Much as over-fishing does, and whaling, bringing them in conflict with the expectations of the modern world and its commitment to the protection of other species on this planet.
The cultural, folkloric element encourages the Chinese diet to include wild birds and domestic cats and dogs. Chows, a breed not unknown to the Western world are favoured delicacies at the table, bred and sold just as domesticated fowl are elsewhere in the world. The demand both within and without China for animal parts to be used in traditional medicines and for the dinner table is not diminishing, and presents an alarming pressure on various species.
While the world's tiger population has decreased to a truly vulnerable state, it faces a new threat as China appears determined to legitimize farming the animals for body parts. Chinese tiger farm owners who account for roughly 4,000 tigers are lobbying for the creation of a legal market in farmed parts. By so doing, these farmers can demand huge profits in the sales, but at the same time because the organs are so costly, this would have the effect of encouraging poaching animals in the wild.
The worldwide population of wild tigers has been reduced to 5,000 animals, making their ultimate survival tenuous to say the least, particularly in the event that China succeeds in bringing India around to agreement for China's motion to be presented at an international wildlife convention to take place in the Netherlands, to lift the 14-year ban on trading in tiger parts. We can only anticipate with hope that more rational and compassionate perceptions will prevail.
But as seriously disturbing as that is, what can we possibly say about China's emerging and very popular market in human organ harvesting? China has engaged in marketing its expert surgical services in modern, well-equipped hospitals open to foreigners awaiting transplants. Go to China, and for a relatively modest fee by Western standards, the long wait for a transplant is but a memory as miraculously, the required organ can be produced on demand.
For years China has depended upon 'living donors' from whom organs can be extracted to provide for its international transplant programme. Now a newly-formed medical group, Doctors Against Organ Harvesting is warning Westerners who face an increasingly long wait-time for transplant organs at home, that by travelling to China to solve their problem, they condemn prisoners or Falun Gong practitioners to death.
Where once China harvested needed organs from convicted and executed criminals, profit and expedience has turned them to the culling of organs from political prisoners such as practitioners of Falun Gong, an outlawed life-practise in China; the organs are harvested, the prisoners left to die, according to Doctors Against Organ Harvesting's latest report.
The conclusions in the report were taken from interviews with medical eyewitnesses as well as organ recipients, along with official government announcements, statistics indicating a sudden proliferation in transplants performed, marketing websites and covert enquiries to various hospitals.
China has made great advances in its economy since it relaxed its rigidly authoritarian strain of communist ideology, after the upheaval and mass killings of the Cultural Revolution. It has entered into fruitful dialogue with the international community, it has expanded its trade exponentially, making it a true world powerhouse. China has made great strides in its determination to grow its international exchanges and prestige as a powerful country and in the process bringing its own population into a wealthier lifestyle.
Clearly, respect of human rights, along with a healthy respect for the international environment and the plight of other creatures who share our globe do not top its learning curve.
Labels: Political Realities, Troublespots
posted by Pieface @ Friday, May 18, 2007
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