China had been waiting for a long time for the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Peace Prize. When the prize was announced Oct. 8, however, the government received a nasty surprise when the Nobel Committee awarded the prize to Liu Xiaobo, a pro-democracy dissident who had been sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment in December 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power." Following the announcement, many individuals wrote about its significance for China's democratization. Several have even compared Liu's Nobel Peace Prize to that of Soviet nuclear physicist Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov. But those expecting the prize to mark the beginning of an era of drastic, rapid liberalization will be sorely disappointed.
When asked about the awardee, Chinese citizens were either wholly unaware of Liu's existence or completely indifferent to the situation, National Public Radio's Rob Gifford said in a recent interview.. Gifford continues, "The Chinese Communist Party here has given so much social and economic freedom to the people ... that they don't really care. They're too busy making a killing on the stock market or in real estate." This is reflective of the broader Chinese culture. The public is more concerned about getting a steady job and supporting a family because although the right to elect your political leaders is a nice freedom, it will not feed you or your family. Moreover, it is difficult to discern whether a majority of Chinese people actively seek democracy. For the most part, only academics and intellectuals fight vigorously for rights and liberties. Democracy will not succeed in China if this attitude continues.
Here is where Liu's work becomes so important: His moderation compared to that of other dissidents was crucial to his recognition by the Committee. The New York Times reported that just before the prize was awarded, a group of 14 exiled Chinese dissidents called for the Committee to deny Liu the prize. The dissidents accused Liu of being soft on the Communist Party. "His open praise in the last 20 years for the Chinese Communist Party ... has been extremely misleading and influential." Radical dissidents opposing Liu are wrong: Moderation and patience are exactly what is needed to bring democracy to China.
China had been ruled autocratically by emperors for thousands of years before the war-filled 20th century gave it a temporary democracy under Sun Yat-sen. But that republic barely was short-lived and dissolved once China devolved into warlordism. Thus, democratization will not happen instantly and Liu's Charter 08 reflects this understanding; it is not a document calling for revolution, but for gradual reform.
China has come a long way since the days of Mao Zedong. In fact, thanks to the Internet, political expression and dissidence have multiplied. One only needs to look at the well-known blogger Han Han's criticism of Chinese society and government. Furthermore, China is freer than some may think as it is quite difficult to suppress 800 million cell phones and 420 million online users. The "Great Firewall" is not quite so impenetrable. It is gradual change that has lifted millions out of poverty and granted them freedoms never dreamed of by their parents.
The West shares its own blame for China's lack of political rights. The rhetoric calling for freedom is often second to economic interests. Criticisms of China often stem from trade rather than human rights. In this election cycle, attack ads accusing politicians of being bought by Chinese money or sending jobs to China fill the airwaves, but these claims are neither true nor beneficial to U.S.-Sino relations.
The accusations of Chinese currency manipulation as the cause of the U.S. trade deficit with China are not grounded in fact. The numbers show that when China appreciated the Renminbi by about 20 percent from 2005 to 2008, the U.S. trade deficit with China actually increased significantly. In essence, these attacks only hurt the cause for Chinese democracy because it strengthens the government's legitimacy. The Communist government can often use Western attacks on China to rally support behind the banner of nationalism. The riots prior to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing are a perfect example of this.
The confused foreign rhetoric about China has not and will not help the country become freer. If China liberalizes, it will have its own people to thank. Years of humiliation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century have caused the Chinese to be wary of foreigners. I do not argue for international criticism of China's human rights abuses to cease, for that would be a grave injustice to the victims of abuse. I simply call for those to recognize that achieving the goal of freedom is ultimately up the Chinese people. It is important to remember that China is a great and ancient culture. Too much foreign interference will lead to resentment. Liu's Nobel Peace Prize does not signify a new expansion of freedom in China. Rather, it recognizes the long struggle for democracy and the longer road yet to come.\n\nGeorge Wang is a Viewpoint writer for The Cavalier Daily.
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