China Helps North Korea Celebrate 60 Years of Oppression

TeachAbroadChina.com ^ | September 9, 2008 | Robert Vance

[ETL]

Most of my Chinese friends and students act as if I am claiming that men live on Mars when I tell them about the atrocities that are taking place in North Korea. For them, North Korea is their friendly Communist neighbor and the mere suggestion that people there are dying of starvation or that the regime is murdering entire generations seems to offend people here. Most Chinese people are in complete denial about what is happening in North Korea as is the Chinese government which continues to support, defend, and even praise North Korea at every turn.

On Monday, Beijing held a reception “to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” according to the state owned media outlet Xinhua. The article reports that Jia Qinglin, “top political adviser in China and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference” attended the event.

According to article, “Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, congratulated the DPRK on the anniversary, hailing the DPRK’s economic and social achievements over the past six decades” stating that “we are wholeheartedly glad to see it, and hope to see the DPRK and its people score bigger achievements in their future national construction.”

Come again? What exactly has North Korea achieved economically or socially in the past six decades? The acquisition of nuclear weapons? A 20 million dollar collection of Mercedes Benz vehicles? Getting away with kidnapping actors and Japanese fishermen? Tricking Madeline Albright into believing that North Korea was making some progress? If there is any achievement to be counted for North Korea, it would be that the reclusive regime still has any friends left in the international community.

The Communist Party in China is Kim Jong-il’s strongest ally and has been for a long time. If any country had the chance to try to bring change to North Korea, it would be China. The Chinese government,however, has always chosen to ignore the dismal human rights situation in North Korea for purely selfish reasons. If the fragile political situation in North Korea were to fall apart, the Chinese government would have to deal with millions of North Korean refugees as well as try to help bring stability to the region.

“We have our own problems right now,” explained a student to me recently. “Whatever is happening in North Korea is none of our concern.” This seems to be the general attitude of Chinese people who seem to forget that just 50 years ago, they were living under similar oppression. While my friends seem to be genuinely surprised to hear about the atrocities that are being perpetrated upon the North Korean people, they simply shrug their shoulders.

Unfortunately, this type of attitude seems typical in a culture where people are more than willing to standby and watch others be mugged or injured because becoming involved might be dangerous. While it is true that China has plenty of its own problems, this argument is difficult to accept considering the amount of money that Beijing spent preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games. Besides, what country does not have problems? If China wishes to be Asia’s leader in the near future, it needs to ’step up to the plate’ and see how it can help other Asian nations.

Unfortunately, China also sees North Korea as its little Communist brother and has come to the aid of the regime throughout the past six decades. A beloved son of Chairman Mao lost his life fighting the Americans during the Korean War as did many other young Chinese men. More importantly however, it is likely that China takes comfort in knowing that there are still a few Communist regimes left in the world today. As long as Kim Jong Il’s regime is allowed to survive, the regime in China will not look so bad. Meanwhile, millions of people in North Korea being tortured and starved to death while the largest country in the world looks on and applauds.

[ETL]

From the website of the Workers World Party, workers.org:

"On July 9 (1994), Workers World Party Chairperson Sam Marcy sent the following statement to Comrade Kim Jong Il, the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea and the State Funeral Committee of President Kim Il Sung.":

"Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il ...

The National Committee of Workers World Party extends our deepest condolences on the passing of the great leader of the Korean people, Comrade President Kim Il Sung.

Comrade Kim Il Sung devoted his whole life to the Korean people's struggle for national self-determination and the international working-class struggle for socialist emancipation. With his leadership, the Korean people defeated the Japanese colonial occupation and soon after brought about the first defeat of the U.S. imperialist military machine.

For over 40 years since the armistice, the U.S. military has continued to occupy the south of Korea with troops and nuclear weapons. This occupation has been the chief obstacle to peaceful reunification of Korea and poses the chief danger of a new war on the peninsula." ...

"Workers World Party values our close, comradely relations with the Workers Party of Korea very highly. We are proud to have known Kim Il Sung as a great leader and a comrade in the international communist movement. ...

With comradely solidarity, Sam Marcy Chairperson, Workers World Party":
http://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/sam94/1994html/s940721.htm

___________________________________________________

Photo left: Ramsey Clark(l) and Lynne Stewart(r).
Photo right: DemonRat Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel.
Workers World Party sponsored "anti war" rally. The March 19, 2005 occasion marked the 2nd anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. WWP also founded that other "anti-war" organization, A.N.S.W.E.R. -ETL
http://www.workers.org/march19/index2.html

___________________________________________________

Workers World
55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news
http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php

International Action Center
55 W 17th St #5C
New York, NY 10011
212-633-6646
iacenter@action-mail.org
ndomtickets@safewebmail.com
www.iacenter.org
[http://www.iacenter.org/polprisoners/dom-2007.htm]

Troops Out Now Coalition
55 W. 17th St. #5C
NY NY 10011
www.TroopsOutNow.org
212.633-6646