Due to economic reforms that were started in the late 1970s, China has stepped into the center of international politics and economy during the past years. These reforms helped the country to achieve an immense economic upturn with annual growth rates of almost ten percent and thus made China an ever more important actor on the international stage of politics.
The United States strongly support China’s economic development by granting it permanent Normal Trade Relations, for example, and investing directly in China’s manufacturing sector. But whereas China has been liberalizing its market, using American interests to gain profits, it largely maintains its defensive and rejecting attitude about changing its human rights situation. There are controversial opinions about how the United States should respond towards China human rights situation.
In order to make aware of the stagnated situation of the human rights issue in U.S. China policy, this paper explores how the Clinton administration handled human rights in China policy and looks at the role of human rights in the Bush jr. administration’s policy towards China.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Background
a) Foundation of Human Rights in Political Theory
b) Universality vs. Cultural Relativism
2. China’s Human Rights Situation
3. Human Rights and China Policy during the Clinton Administration
4. Bush’s China Policy and Human Rights
Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines the role and effectiveness of human rights considerations within United States foreign policy towards the People's Republic of China, specifically focusing on the transition from the Clinton to the Bush administration. The research investigates how U.S. administrations have attempted to balance economic interests and trade relations with the promotion of international human rights standards.
- The theoretical foundation of human rights and the debate between universalism and cultural relativism.
- An analysis of the current human rights situation in China, including political and civil rights violations.
- A critical evaluation of U.S. China policy under the Clinton administration, particularly regarding the delinkage of trade and human rights.
- An assessment of the Bush administration's approach to human rights in the context of global security and economic priorities.
Excerpt from the Book
China’s Human Rights Situation
Although during the last century some improvements have been achieved in China’s human rights situation, there remain strong major concerns. Human rights groups have even reported deterioration in the past couple of years. Christopher P. Carney’s view that “apparent ideological shifts have led to tremendous economic, legal, civil, political, and social transformations that have made the Chinese freer today than at any time since World War II” is true in reference to the horrendous human rights abuses of the mao era (1949-76), but it might convey an overly optimistic impression of the situation today.
Human Rights Watch reports about a tightening of controls on basic freedoms that has continued since 1998, warning that “the range of the crackdown suggests that a nationally coordinated campaign is underway to shut down all peaceful opposition in the name of maintaining ‘social stability’”. As the Amnesty International report and the latest U.S. Department of State’s country report on human rights practice in China confirm, “the Government’s poor human rights record worsened, and it continued to commit numerous serious abuses”.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the rise of China as a global economic actor and identifies the central tension between U.S. economic interests and its stated commitment to human rights.
1. Background: This section provides a theoretical framework for human rights, tracing their development in political theory and addressing the universalist versus cultural relativist debate.
2. China’s Human Rights Situation: This chapter evaluates the current state of human rights in China, highlighting systemic abuses and the government's continued suppression of political and civil freedoms.
3. Human Rights and China Policy during the Clinton Administration: This section analyzes the shift in U.S. policy from linking Most Favored Nation (MFN) status to human rights progress toward a policy of comprehensive engagement and eventual delinkage.
4. Bush’s China Policy and Human Rights: This chapter discusses the continuity of U.S. policy under the Bush administration, emphasizing how security and economic priorities often overshadowed human rights concerns.
Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the findings, arguing that the policy of delinkage led to disillusioned expectations and suggesting future multilateral strategies for promoting human rights.
Keywords
Human Rights, U.S. Foreign Policy, China, Clinton Administration, Bush Administration, Normal Trade Relations, Universalism, Cultural Relativism, Economic Engagement, Political Freedom, Trade Deficit, World Trade Organization, Rule of Law, Civil Society, Human Rights Commission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
This work explores how the United States has navigated the conflict between its economic involvement with China and its declared goal of promoting international human rights standards throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
What are the central themes of the research?
The core themes include the universality of human rights versus cultural relativism, the evolution of U.S. trade-linkage policies, and the impact of China's economic rise on global human rights diplomacy.
What is the primary research objective?
The objective is to determine how effective U.S. foreign policy has been in influencing China's human rights record and to evaluate the success of moving from coercive trade conditions to engagement strategies.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The thesis employs a qualitative political analysis, incorporating historical review, evaluation of international legal frameworks, and examination of government reports and expert commentary.
What does the main body cover?
It covers the theoretical roots of rights, the reality of the human rights situation in China, a detailed examination of Clinton-era trade policy, and the subsequent approach of the Bush administration.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Essential keywords include human rights, foreign policy, China, economic engagement, political reform, and international relations.
How did the Clinton administration approach the linkage of trade and human rights?
Initially, the administration attempted to use trade status as a tool for leverage, but eventually delinked economic relations from human rights progress in favor of broader cooperation.
What role did the Bush administration play regarding human rights in China?
The Bush administration generally maintained continuity with its predecessor, prioritizing economic and security concerns and demonstrating less vigorous pursuit of human rights resolutions in international forums.
- Quote paper
- Britta Meys (Author), 2002, The Role of Human Rights in Contemporary U.S. Foreign Policy towards China, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/23569
