The Red and Black

Univ., China to begin exchange programs

Abstract:
The University is getting closer to the other side of the world. The University said it has reached a deal with Nanjing University in China for student and faculty exchanges and collaborative research, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The two universities are discussing the possibility of training for Chinese government workers....

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Will Lance

posted 4/20/08 @ 11:52 PM EST

This program would sound great if it were not for China's human rights violations. Every time the U.S. invests in or does business with China it is giving the U.S. stamp of approval on all of the cruelties China is inflicting on the Tibetans, the Sudanese, and often the Chinese people themselves. In the 1980's Reagan said we would not negotiate with terrorists but it seems now we are more than willing to sell our nation's moral soul and make money with a nation involved in the destruction of so many lives. As an alumni I am disappointed in UGA's "stand" on this issue. We should not cut contact with the Chinese people; but we should let their government know that we stand against their social policies. We can do this by not cooperating with them economically until human dignity is honored by China.

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Dan Healy

posted 5/14/08 @ 1:38 PM EST

Originally posted by
Will Lance
This program would sound great if it were not for China's human rights violations. Every time the U.S. invests in or does business with China it is giving the U.S. stamp of approval on all of the cruelties China is inflicting on the Tibetans, the Sudanese, and often the Chinese people themselves. In the 1980's Reagan said we would not negotiate with terrorists but it seems now we are more than willing to sell our nation's moral soul and make money with a nation involved in the destruction of so many lives. As an alumni I am disappointed in UGA's "stand" on this issue. We should not cut contact with the Chinese people; but we should let their government know that we stand against their social policies. We can do this by not cooperating with them economically until human dignity is honored by China.

Another way to look at it is through cooperation and trade, the goal of liberalization can be achieved. I think most sensible people would like to see China's government ease off, but I feel that can be easier achieved if we cooperate with them and help them grow rather than trying to isolate them. Once China has grown enough, they will have to liberalize in order to maintain the growth. The Olympics may very well speed up this process.

Don't forget that Taiwan, the capitalist counterpart to China, was a brutal authoritarian regime that instituted martial law from 1949 to 1987. Taiwan grew under this system to the point where liberalization was possible. In 1990, there was a massive student protest for democracy in Taiwan, yet it was not met with the brutal response that characterized the Tiananmen Square protests in China a year earlier. I would argue that Taiwan was economically developed at that point to successfully demanded the freedoms a democracy provides. There had been incidents of protest before this point in Taiwan that were repressed (See: Kaohsiung Incident).

In short, sometimes, in international politics, you have to play nice with less than desirable folks to achieve goals.

The University made the right move here, as they stand to gain nothing from isolating themselves from China.

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Dan Healy

posted 5/14/08 @ 5:37 PM EST

I forgot to put this in my initial post.

Will, I'm a little confused here. It seems that you contradict yourself here, but I could be misreading this. You are against the University's support of foreign exchange programs with China, correct? Though, you are not against cutting cutting contact with the Chinese people, correct?

Now, let me see here. Foreign exchange programs, by nature, facilitates contact between citizens of two different countries(in this case the USA and China). By opposing such programs, are you not support the cutting of contact between Chinese and American citizens(might I add, people who are most likely not involved with the things you are decrying)? It sounds like more of a punishment of average citizens who want to study than a punishment of any government.

I know you are talking about bigger things than just what the University is doing(i.e. you are also concerned with the US government's position towards China), but you suggest that the University of Georgia should make some sort of political statement by not cooperating with China at all(that would include terminating the existing study abroad programs in China). This would be an infinitely more disappointing "stand" than the one you are upset with. It would be squandering an opportunity to promote mutual understanding and the advancement of knowledge. Is this not the purpose of academia? Or is there some other purpose that I am not aware of?

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