Read the Label - Put It Back

Is China a sleeping tiger, or is it just resting its eyes? The Chinese government maintains the largest standing army on earth. In the post-Vietnam era, China has deployed its military against her own people, and has continued its oppression of Tibet, which China overran in 1959.

The legitimate Tibetan government, headed by the Dalai Lama, has maintained a headquarters in exile since the invasion. As Buddhists, they resist the Chinese aggression by non-violent means. The Chinese have no such qualms. Their occupation government plunders Tibetan natural resources and national treasures. Exclusion of natives from equal participation in the state-run economy is widespread. In many provinces, Chinese settlers shipped in on government orders now outnumber legitimate Tibetan residents. Anyone who remembers the government's violence and executions during and after Tienanmen Square will understand the kind of brutal regime the Tibetans have endured for 40 years.

Closer to home, the Chinese as recently as last month were accused of espionage involving three U.S. Department of Energy facilities. Industrial espionage, attempts to influence government officials at the highest levels of government, and attempts to shift the outcome of recent presidential elections are among the charges leveled at the Chinese government in the 1990's.

Meanwhile, Congress and President Clinton continue to extend China 'most favored nation' status for economic and political reasons. One prominent argument is that by doing business with them and drawing them out through "constructive engagement," we will encourage them to become a more free and democratic society. Since Nixon opened China in 1973, there has been much economic improvement but virtually no human rights improvement in China. So by doing business with them, we fund their military, adventurism and espionage, while transferring to China ample resources with which to continue their repressive regime.

Read the story of the Panchen Lama, a 5-year-old Tibetan boy who turned up missing under mysterious circumstances four years ago. If still alive, he would be 9 today - and the world's youngest political prisoner. Still Missing

A cheap price is not everything in life. Read the label. If it says "Made in China," put it back. Tell merchants that you'd rather not have to reach past Chinese goods to select your purchases.

Information used in this article was drawn from the following web sites: Times of India article
Ten Things You Should Know About Tibet
Why Boycott China?

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