We just got another reminder that China, despite its enormous economic progress, is still a one-party state that doesn’t tolerate political dissent.
Xu Zhiyong, a prominent human rights activist, was sentenced to four years in prison for such unspeakable crimes as fighting government corruption and opposing a policy that prevents children of migrant laborers from attending school in the cities where their parents work.
Journalists were barred from the Beijing courtroom where Xu was convicted of “gathering a crowd to disturb public order,’’ which is government-speak for fomenting change. When political dissidents are charged in China, they have as much of a chance of being found not guilty as I do of beating LeBron James in a game of one-on-one.
Other members of Xu’s grassroots New Citizens Movement are facing similar charges. One of their main goals is to get Communist Party leaders to disclose their assets, which has been a sensitive subject since the New York Times and Bloomberg News published series in 2012 detailing the family wealth of top party officials.
***
I’m often asked if China will ever have a Western-style democracy. My answer is no, at least not in the foreseeable future. China has always been ruled by authoritarian regimes, and most people there have little comprehension of what a democracy is and how it works. In fact, I’m still amazed at how often I hear educated Chinese people defend the government’s absolute power as a necessity to maintain order.
So don’t look for free elections, opposition parties or political attack ads anytime soon.
