China's White Paper on Human Rights: Some Reflections

Earlier this month, a White Paper titled “Progress in China's Human Rights in 2012” was released. This is the first major policy document focussing on the domestic situation to come out during the new leadership and soon after the biennial publication of the Defence White Paper. Like the Defence White Paper, the document on Human Rights comes out once every two years. But unlike the former, it does not generate the hype. For China, it is an exercise in projecting its inclusive growth and sensitivity towards the marginalised and no longer seen as contestation with the West since issues like trade, tariff and currency have taken centre stage.

The context and timing of this paper is significant as it surveys the wide spectrum of social issues and the challenges facing China. These issues have been central to the Xi-Li's leadership since coming to power recently. The reported number protests over issues concerning environmental, employment and land ownership have crossed 100,000 in the 2012.1 At the same time, the new leadership has also identified corruption and exploitation of powers as problem areas to be effectively tackled. Yet, the scope of this White Paper is limited and only defines human rights in China as economic and political construction, cultural services, social development, ecological progress, and foreign exchange and cooperation.

Click here to read the full text of my commentary published today. Your feedback is welcome!

Comments

Civil Military Relations and Media

In India, civil military relations have been strained in the recent past due to a couple of instances. First, it was the date of birth controversy about the serving Chief of the Army. It involved a few missing documents and a legal tangle. Even as it was solved with all honours retained, other set of controversies seem to have emerged. These new controversies perhaps have been blown out of proportion, probably because the DoB controversy was still fresh in mind. During this second phase of the controversy, corruption, under-performance and under-preparedness came into picture. However, the icing on the cake was the whole supposed coup expose by the Indian Express. Figment of imagination, undoubtedly at its worst, was at play in creating a script that would crate yet another dud like Agent Vinod! Has the media been mature on reportage and expose? Its one thing for a letter to be leaked, but its completely different for the media to publish it without even giving it a second thou

संयुक्त प्रगतिशील गठबंधन की विदेशनीती: आत्मविश्वास का अभाव अविनाश गोडबोले 2009 मे हुए चुनाव के बाद फिर एक बार कॉंग्रेसके नेतृतवमे संयुक्त प्रगतिशील गठबंधन ने सरकार बनाया . इन चुनाओमे वामपंथी दल और समाजवादी पार्टी जैसे भूतपूर्व साथियोंको भारी नुकसान हुआ और UPA मे कॉंग्रेस का स्थान मज़बूत हो गया . इसका यह परिणाम अपेक्षित था के नयी सरकार एक सकारात्मक विचारधारा लेकर आगे चलेगी और देशके भविष्य के बारेमे दिशा दर्शक काम करेगी . 1996 से 2009 तक भारतमे बने हरेक सरकार मे मुख्य पार्टी कमज़ोर रही है और प्रादेशिक अथवा वैचारिक गठबंधन डालो की स्थिति मज़बूत और निर्णायक रही है. परिणामी सरकारोँकी नीतीयाभी छोटे दलोँके हितअनुसार बदलती रही है. जब 2009 के चुनाव मे कॉंग्रेस ने सबसे ज़्यादा सीट्स पाई थी. तब यह अंदाज़ जताया गया था की उसकी मज़बूती उसके आत्मविश्वास मे परिवर्तित हो सकती है लेकिन पिछलेएक साल का विश्लेषण करतहुए भारतीय विदेशनीतिमे ऐसा कोई बदल या ऐसी कोई घोषणा दिखाई नही दी है. 26/11 के हमलो के बाद पाकिस्तान पर दबाव डालकर वहांके सरकार क

avinash.godbole

Search This Blog