America Lights the Fuse on Chinese Bomb: The Frustrating Case of Chen Guangcheng

Blind civil rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng stayed in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for six days, left after obtaining several assurances of his safety from China, then headed to a hospital for a health examination. On the surface, the affair has been “resolved,” Chen is “free,” and America has become his “savior and benefactor.” However, while observing these events, I have been extremely conflicted; it is like knocking over a spice rack, the salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and hot flavors all mixed in the pot.

What is the reason for this lamentation and sense of helplessness? It is all because China frequently makes “bombs,” which after a little casual toying from the U.S. blow up in the bomb maker’s face, leaving China bloodied all over. The Chen Guangcheng incident is a classic example of this. Furthermore, in the past the U.S. has “protected China’s dissidents” as needed, mostly accepting them into the U.S. to conserve strength to fight another day, but the heavy irony this time is that the U.S. made a show of protecting a Chinese person on Chinese soil, and was even lauded for doing so. How can we stand seeing China sink to this level of passivity?

China has chastised America for “using abnormal methods” to spirit Chen Guangcheng into the U.S. Embassy, and has also criticized the U.S. Embassy for engaging in work at variance with its role, requesting that America issue an apology. In light of all the clues, the criticism from China is more or less justified, yet the issue cannot be clearly addressed. Just think: The sightless Chen was able to climb a wall to escape and count that he had fallen over 200 times while fleeing from danger, in the end going from Shandong to Beijing, as well as arranging to enter the U.S. Embassy, “something which even Batman could not do, yet he did it.” It is truly difficult to imagine him being able to perform such a feat without others assisting him.

U.S. Seizes the Moral High Ground

Of course, his helpers mainly consisted of friends, as well as perhaps several sympathizers within the system, but outside assistance would also have been crucial. In the past, democratic advocates being able to conceal themselves for extended periods of time and then flee overseas (such as Chai Ling), was a result of the efforts of sympathizers both at home and abroad. Therefore, despite that the U.S. did not directly participate in the rescue of Chen Guangcheng, it must have played a certain role, and we cannot rule out the possibility of economic support such as bribing several of those responsible for monitoring him. Several previous cases have already proven that this kind of affair is not uncommon, so from the perspectives of foreign relations, international politics, and China’s national sovereignty, the U.S. has indeed meddled in Chinese internal affairs.

However, the crux of the problem is not here, but rather lies in whether or not America’s actions have gained widespread approval. In strategic terms, the U.S. has already seized the moral high ground on the issue of human rights in China, even if its efforts do not really stem from a desire to improve the state of human rights in China, but from hoping to catch a few typical examples of Chinese human rights violations, thereby building up bargaining chips for negotiations with China. The United States uses these chips to win increased economic and political benefits, all the while getting a positive reaction from the global community.

Taking the Chen Guangcheng case as an example, the incident occurred several days before Hillary Clinton’s state visit to China, and was entirely beneficial toward the U.S. raising its “asking prices” on issues (actually, even before the incident, America made sky-high demands on appreciation of the renminbi, the U.S. share of the Chinese financial market, intellectual property rights, and the U.S. role in Asia and the South China Sea, giving Clinton greater clout in negotiations). Additionally, as the U.S. elections draw closer, regardless of how the Chen Guangcheng situation develops, it will highlight “America’s values of human rights” and help Obama win a second term in office. It is clear that the United States has linked the matter of Chen Guangcheng to the universal value of human rights, becoming a “bomb” too large for China to mitigate. On this point, the United States has shown great foresight and meticulous planning.

Who Made the Bomb?

Probing deeper into the situation only makes one even more regretful. Ask for a moment: Who made this great American bomb? The answer is China itself. China occasionally saw this kind of human rights injustice in the past, and in recent years has produced numerous cases of using its power for coercion under the guise of “preserving stability,” with Ai Weiwei, Zhao Lianhai, Wang Lihong, etc., one after another. Once more using the Chen Guangcheng case as an example, Chen has lost the use of his eyes and only defends rights with regards to public welfare, but the Chinese government was unrelentingly coercive and incarcerated him, further escalating the issue into a political incident and thus allowing the United States to get involved. Consequently, China must undergo deep reflection and introspection. Its long-standing neglect of human rights, as well as its use of powerful autocratic machinery to suppress the reasonable demands of the people and protect corruption has already formed a criminal network where the elite worship power and the underclass perpetrates violence at the behest of their superiors, perpetually creating further human rights violation “bombs” for the U.S. to use. I do not wish to applaud America’s actions, but as I watch America use these cases to lay pressure on China, how can I cry foul on behalf of the Chinese government?

While China lacks self-criticism and continues to suppress human rights, its denouncement of U.S. interference in its internal affairs falls flat. If China wants the United States to apologize, then will the Chinese government apologize to Chen Guangcheng? Will it apologize to all the citizens who have had their civil rights violated? People must first belittle themselves before being belittled by others; why must China always bring dishonor upon itself?

People Must Belittle Themselves Before Being Belittled by Others

For the time being, Chen Guangcheng seems to be “free,” but what about the future? Will he be able to return to a normal life? No one can say for certain. After reaping the benefits, will the United States continue to concern itself with Chen? Perhaps it will, but only for so long as America feels the need to do so; accordingly, such remains uncertain. In line with American wishful thinking, the most effective result after playing out the rescue of Chen Guangcheng would be to “abandon” him in China. This would be akin to sticking a pin in the belly of China, being able to frequently “monitor China” while continuing to gain political points. However, if Chen Guangcheng’s family is allowed to go to the United States, he will not only become America’s burden, but will lose his value as an asset. Unless the U.S. government is also faced with public pressure, Chen may very likely find himself with nowhere to go. International politics are deceptive and ever-changing; can the average person really predict what will happen?

In a nutshell, the only one that can dismantle these bombs is China itself. Note that the civil rights activists who helped Chen Guangcheng escape have no fear of exposure themselves because they have already discovered that the more publicized the case becomes, the safer they actually are. The people are no longer afraid; does the Chinese government still think to use its power to intimidate them? Quickly follow the example of Zhou Chu eliminating the three evils*, and along with extensive economic development, work to advance true political reform!

*Translator’s Note: This refers to a story in which the wicked Zhou Chu, one of the “three evils” of his village along with a tiger and a dragon, chose to reform himself and eliminated the other two, eventually becoming a capable, respected and honorable official.