(Clearwisdom.net) When the topic of the Chinese Communist Party abusing human rights comes up, in particular with regards to Falun Gong, a lot of apologists for the persecution will point to China's economic development and its rising status in the international community. They would ask, "Isn't this evidence of China's progress?" It may sound reasonable to some, but one must ask, "How is the persecution related to economic development? Are you saying that the economy developed as a result ofthe persecution?"

People might have a general perception that societal progress requires sacrifice. This might apply to certain things, such as economic development as it relates to environmental pollution, where there is a legitimate discussion regarding trade-offs. A given government might make policies to "deal with the pollution after development is well underway," "deal with the pollution while development takes place," or perhaps "only encourage economic development that does not create pollution." This is a valid discussion to have, since the two topics are intertwined. However, if someone tried to say, "In order to further economic development, we have to live with the persecution of Falun Gong for a while" or "We can develop the economy and persecute Falun Gong at the same time," everyone would find it a ridiculous conversation. China's economic development is unrelated to the persecution, so using economic development to address the issue of persecuting Falun Gong is nonsensical. If an entrepreneur murdered his neighbor and tried to defend his act based on how much money he has made or how many jobs his company has created, it would never pass muster in a courtroom or any other setting.

The real issue tied to the persecution is not economic development, but rather maintaining the CCP's dictatorship. Ultimately, Falun Gong's belief in divine beings and its guiding principles of Truth-Compassion-Forbearance are unacceptable to the atheistic and materialism-driven CCP. It is the CCP's fundamental ideology that is at odds with Falun Gong, not economic development. In fact, given the enormous resources that are poured into the persecution of Falun Gong, an activity that adds no value to society or to the economy, the persecution has been a tremendous drain on China's economic development. Perhaps more importantly, this has eroded the rule of law in China through its harsh implementation and has aggravated Chinese society's moral decline by outlawing the beliefs of a group of peaceful, kind individuals.