Asian Wall Street Journal: A Stand for Human Rights

Repression of the Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong) spiritual movement is finally beginning to carry diplomatic consequences for Beijing and Hong Kong. The announcement Tuesday that Dutch Foreign Minister Jozias van Aartsen canceled an official trip to both the mainland and the territory shows how conflict over human rights could escalate and hurt China's efforts to play a bigger role on the international stage. The controversy arose because members of the Dutch delegation -- including the country's Human Rights Ambassador Renee Jones-Bos -- wanted to hold meetings with leaders of Chinese human rights groups and the Falun Dafa while they stopped over in Hong Kong. The authorities in Beijing, however, objected and decided to hold the entire China trip hostage until the Dutch backed down. A statement released Monday by the Hong Kong office of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that, "We are firmly opposed to any foreign government and its officials in their interference in China's internal affairs by making use of the Falun Gong issue." The Dutch courageously called Beijing's bluff, and cancelled the trip. This was no small visit -- Mr. van Aartsen's itinerary included meetings with Premier Zhu Rongji and other luminaries. The cancellation in protest is now news world-wide, causing China much more adverse publicity than the proposed meetings would have generated. International attention of this kind exposes fault lines in China's quest to become part of the greater international community. Most of the world has welcomed China's entrance into the World Trade Organization on the assumption that a willingness by China to abide by WTO rules will lead to a greater respect for a rule of law. Those hopes may be fulfilled in the future, but they are currently being disappointed by Beijing's campaign against the Falun Dafa. That campaign clearly recognizes no due process constraints of a type that would exist in a country truly observant of a rule of law. That this campaign now extends to Hong Kong, a place where due process is firmly established, is especially troubling. Beijing claims that the movement is using the territory as a base for subversion on the mainland. There is no evidence, however, that the Falun Dafa has done anything more than defend its members' rights to practice their beliefs. The law in mainland China is based mainly on protecting the power of the Communist Party rather than any concept of even-handed justice. Questioning any government policy can be considered a crime. Hong Kong, where the Basic Law is supposed to guarantee more sensitivity to civil rights, is itself risking the international confidence it has enjoyed for so long by playing follow-the-leader. The Dutch retreat from its meetings this week is a reminder that the international community is unlikely to turn a blind eye on Chinese human rights abuses. Mr. van Aartsen's action underscores that political freedom is inextricably linked with membership in the world community. The question now is how will Beijing and Hong Kong react.