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Participating in the BRI does not itself lead to investment, access to finance, or improved trade with China, but being vocal about the BRI sends a signal of fealty to Beijing. This matters to some extent – politics can override commercial logic in a Leninist Party State and Beijing uses both economic coercion and reward to incentivize support for its positions.
These Czech breakfasts on International Human Rights Day stem from the memory of the official visit of the French President Francois Mitterrand on December 9, 1988, in times of the communist regime in the then Czechoslovakia, during which he made it a condition to meet with dissidents and political opponents.
In a forum where the representative of the North Korean dictatorship closed by expressing his gratitude to countries such as Russia, China, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua «for their positive inputs and recommendations», the proclaimed «Beacon of Liberty» of Javier Milei’s government remained dark in the face of North Korea’s human rights review.
Combined with damaging key partnerships in the region and Trump’s chaotic and rude nature, this could inadvertently support China’s position. However, it is true that Trump and the Republicans have been in some ways more effective in countering China’s threat to regional stability and global order than the Democrats, who often failed to act on their words.
Between October and November, two elections were held in this small country, neighboring Romania and Ukraine, one of the poorest territories in Europe in terms of GDP per capita. Both elections were deeply intertwined, as Maia Sandu, Head of State since 2020, represents the most pro-European vision of local politics and led the process resulting in the EU candidacy in June 2022.
The democratic pedigree of the 22 emerging countries that are formally members of the alliance now, or could become members in the future, is reflected in The Economist’s Democracy Index 2023. According to it, six countries (Brazil, India, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia) are «flawed democracies», and another four (Turkey, Bolivia, Uganda and Nigeria) are «hybrid regimes», combining democratic and authoritarian characteristics. The other 12, i.e. more than half, are considered «authoritarian regimes».
According to the report from the joint observation mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and the European Parliament, there were instances of voter pressure and intimidation, frequent violations of ballot secrecy, and allegations of vote-buying.
Chancay is the first deepwater port in Latin America over which Cosco will have full operational control. As with other Chinese state-owned giants, the shipping company is under the long shadow of the Chinese government.
China has taken our measure and few governments dare to risk their commercial relationship with the giant. Milei is not the only president who has had to swallow his diatribes against the Chinese government, which in a way calls into question their timeliness.
China has gone through very few changes with respect to political, economic and governance transformation assessed by the Bertelsmann Transformation Index. No clear trend can be observed in any of these three dimensions, with scores ranging between differences of less than one point since the BTI 2006. While China’s economy status and governance were evaluated with medium scores, the lack of democratic openness has positioned China within the last of the BTI’s categories regarding political transformation.
It is time that democracies adopt a coordinated and active foreign human rights policy. Such a policy must be based on its general application and on maintaining high domestic standards of civil and political liberties.
In this scenario of a journey back to the world of espionage and the Cold War, it is worth asking what is real and what is not. The only way to resolve this dichotomy is by respecting the civil rights of local and foreign citizens, through fair, open trials with concrete evidence and charges.
The unconditional political, diplomatic and economic support offered by Beijing has been key to keeping the Bolivarian regime in power, from Chavez to Maduro.
It is heartening that opposition parties managed to prune away the BJP’s majority in government - yet it does not change the fact that Modi is an authoritarian leader, and remains a danger to Indian democracy as he continues to steer the country towards authoritarianism.
The approval of the Foreign Agents Law in Georgia has resulted in protests and increased levels of political violence and polarization, with a government determined to move forward at any cost, knowing it has electoral support. Promoting fear and paranoia about supposed foreign influence resembles the Cold War more than the current reality, in which Georgia aspires to join the European Union, a bloc whose headquarters are, of course, abroad.
Being forced to leave behind –at the age of 27, perhaps forever– her country, family and dreams seems a heavy price to pay. What sparked the authorities’ fury against Rei was her participation, in late 2022, in a silent protest in Shanghai against the Covid restrictions, in which attendees displayed blank sheets of paper. Such conduct is not a criminal offence in the free world, but it can change the course of a life in China. Talking is forbidden. So is silence.
Despite gaining international attention, the Chinese government has intensified its propaganda efforts and disinformation campaigns to obscure the reality on the ground. In addition, ever since the start of the genocide, seven years ago, the Chinese government’s repression extends beyond East Turkistan, targeting Uyghur human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and members of the diaspora worldwide.
The European Union faces a great moral dilemma. But if it intends to exert some pressure on Russia and punish its leaders for violations of international law, it is of little use if it ends up endorsing other states that commit equally serious crimes in such a sustained manner.
The promulgation of the National Security Law that develops, according to Article 23 of the Basic Law (the so-called mini-Constitution of the island), the crimes of treason, secession, sedition, or subversion against the central government, among others, somehow culminates the involution of a Hong Kong finally brought back to the discipline of the Chinese Communist Party.
No Latin American country made a recommendation to China on Tibet in its recent human rights review in Geneva, which reflects how far the Latin American region is from inserting itself internationally in the claim for noble causes, including countries such as Argentina, Chile and Uruguay that lived through terrible military dictatorships.
The escalating scope and sophistication of China’s surveillance apparatus necessitate a critical examination of its implications for human rights and global democratic norms. This article advocates for an immediate cessation of technological abuses and a commitment to transparency, data protection, and adherence to international human rights standards by the Chinese government and the international community.
CADAL launched the initiative »Point out and shame dictatorships» which consists in comparing the intervention of our country with another one that deserves to be highlighted. For example, last January 23 took place the 4th UPR of China, considered »autocracy», »not free country» and with »closed civic space», where CADAL highlights the intervention of the United Kingdom and invites to qualify Argentina’s intervention to monitor its commitment to human rights and international democratic solidarity.
Taiwan has been running free elections for almost thirty years now. The world should finally take note. Most European governments have not even dared to name the winner of the elections in their reactions. Such self-restraint does not only betray a model democracy.
Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections carry great significance for the overall stability of US-China relations and the cohesion of Indo-Pacific regional alignment.
While the companies are trying to maintain their profitable position on the global semiconductor market, for politicians the chip industry is something they can use in diplomatic negotiations, and more importantly, it is viewed as crucial for the maintaining of Taiwan’s de facto independence.
No people should be given the untenable choice between subjugation and annihilation, and if we force such choices on free peoples, we not only lose our humanity but, more problematically, we increase the likelihood that other tyrannical regimes will conclude that it is possible to coerce, terrorize, and subjugate their neighbors.
