Simon O'Connor: China blindness

What is it with former Prime Ministers and others when it comes to China?

Many former leaders of New Zealand have made much of New Zealand’s independent foreign policy, our commitment to the international rules based order, and human rights, and yet appear to throw such principles to then wind when it comes to appeasing Communist China.

A recent full page advertisement ran in weekend papers, sponsored by Helen Clark, Geoffrey Palmer, David Carter, Don Brash, Carl Worker, and David Mahon. These are former Prime Ministers, a Speaker of Parliament, arty leader, Ambassador to China, and businessman. They are of course, welcome to do so but I am struck by how the focus remains solely economic. This is of course very important - China is our largest trading partner! Yet, there is not one mention of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) appalling human rights record from those who often speak so loudly and proudly about such matters - the main proponent being Helen Clark.

Ms Clark has made much of human rights during her career and of course, working at the highest level of the United Nations. She is always quick to opine on just about every other cause and conflict around the globe, yet silent on the ongoing and persistent human rights abuses in China.

I’ve recently returned from Tokyo for the 9th World Convention on Tibet. There I heard from Tibetan MPs from their exiled parliament as well as the likes of Namkyi, a young Tibetan put in prison for three years for wearing Tibetan dress and talking about the Dalai Lama. She fled Tibet once released, but her story is harrowing and one shared by hundreds of thousands of other Tibetans.

Namkyi, the young Tibetan who stood up for her culture and spent three years in a CCP prison, before fleeing into India.

If you don’t know, the CCP is actively suppressing Tibetan culture, religion, language and identity. It would be what Helen Clark and friends would call a cultural genocide in any other jurisdiction. The CCP has even gone as far to erase the name of Tibet, replacing it with a new Chinese name (I won’t dignify them by using it).

And yet, silence. Total silence.

While Clark, Goff, and many others (beyond those sponsoring the ad) talk loudly of human rights abuses everywhere else in the world - and especially and with extra gusto whenever Israel is involved - there are crickets when it comes to China. It must be a legacy of working with the United Nations - where human rights abuses only warrant attention in certain countries, with China being largely exempt from criticism.

Whether it is Tibetans have their culture erased; Hong Kong’s democracy crushed; Filipino fisherman and coastguard harassed; Taiwan regularly threatened with invasion; House Christians arrested; Falun Gong practitioners abused; Uyghurs put into concentration camps … we hear nothing from Helen, Geoffrey, or others. Silence.

The ad’s authors also misrepresent the place of Taiwan in the world, followed by an extraordinary constitutional overreach by suggesting that the Prime Minister of the day restrict the movement of New Zealand Members of Parliament.

Clark et al use the CCP playbook of mischief when they say that “given that for more than half a century we have acknowledged that Taiwan is part of China”. Many other Parliaments around the globe are currently passing resolutions rejecting the implied and simplistic interpretation of this statement. Yes, New Zealand does recognise there is one China, which includes Taiwan. We also acknowledge that the communists claim Taiwan - but note and importantly, New Zealand (and other countries) acknowledge this is what the communist regime thinks, but does not say we agree with it. In fact, New Zealand has a strong and positive relationship with Taiwan. As with many countries, we recognise it’s sovereignty and unlike the authors of this advertisement, we reject the false CCP interpretation of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 (which is what Clark, Palmer et al are echoing).

We have a free trade agreement with Taiwan, and they are our sixth largest trading partner. We support their liberal, open, and vibrant democracy. Are Clark and friends really suggesting that they want to see another democracy come under the authoritarian rule of Beijing, just as has happened to Hong Kong?

As to the suggestion that the Prime Minister should prevent Members of Parliament traveling to wherever they want - this is simply outrageous. One of the privileges or rights of being a MP is to travel where one chooses and to engage the topics one wishes. What an overreach to suggest the PM of the day should dictate where MPs go, who they meet with, and what issues they take up. It is, as I say, an outrageous suggestion and strikes at the heart of our democratic system.

Finally, in a remarkable moment of synchronicity, the Chinese Ambassador wrote an opinion piece in the NZ Herald stressing our economic ties. This is of course correct, but as with everything noted above, it conveniently ignores all the human rights abuses within China.

We should also take a moment to reflect how easily and readily our legacy media give a platform to the representative of an autocratic and abusive State. I can assure you, no CCP controlled publication would ever allow a New Zealand Ambassador to write an opinion piece raising our human rights concerns.

They will though, take any praise that New Zealanders are willing to give and in yet another example of a ‘yesterday person’, we have another former Prime Minister, this time Jenny Shipley, praising President Xi Jinping's strategic vision. Yes, a former New Zealand Prime Minister is praising the authoritarian dictator ruling over China. It’s not quite the John Key, friendly Christmas card moment, but it’s close.

As I said at the start, what is it with ‘yesterday’s leaders’ and the desire to cozy up with the totalitarian regime running China?

Simon O'Connor a former National MP graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Political Studies . Simon blogs at On Point - where this article was sourced.