Corruption and human rights abuses cast a shadow over OBOR, Xi Jinping’s mega project
Corruption is not just the result of a money exchange; it also comes from a lack of transparency when agreements are implemented. One cannot expect a new Gospel from a government that promotes repression and abuse. An exiled Chinese scholar looks at the issue. Courtesy of ChinaChange.
Beijing (AsiaNews) - Rampant corruption and human rights abuses cast a long shadow over Beijing’s One Belt, One Road mega-project, this according to a Chinese expert currently in exile in Germany, writing in ChinaChange. From opaque guidelines to the lack of transparency in funding, this initiative raises not only doubts about international relations but also about its impact on human capital.
Seen with suspicion by quite a few world leaders, the recent summit in Beijing raises doubts and suspicions. Under a government and a leadership that promote the suppression of domestic dissent and violate democratic freedoms, the scholar wonders whether one can expect good news in economic matters and future development.
Here is his analysis:
God said: "Let there be light," and then there was light. Xi Jinping said: "A 'Project of the Century' must be undertaken," and then there was “One Belt, One Road.” At the just-completed summit in Beijing, Xi Jinping announced that China will invest hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars in 60 countries to lead in the construction of bridges, railways, ports and energy projects. This venture is known as “One Belt, One Road,” and involves more than 60 percent of the world’s population. It's projected to transform the global political and economic order, and can be said to be the largest overseas investment project undertaken by a single country in history.
Where does such an unprecedented, magnificent, and spectacular plan come from? How many Chinese were aware of it in advance? Was it critically evaluated? And what was the outcome of the evaluation? Other than Xi Jinping, there is probably no one who can answer these questions. And no one knows if he himself has carefully thought about it. People can at least learn about almighty God by reading the Bible. But the “One Belt, One Road” plan of renewing the world only consists of a few pages of empty speeches and some conference documents. According to Chinese media descriptions, the whole world is heralding the birth of a new savior.
‘One Belt, One Road’: Don’t Ask Me Where I Came From
It's been 500 years since Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation, but in China a corrupt "church" still monopolizes everything. Rational Europeans cast a suspicious eye. German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not attend the forum and "join in the festivities," and the German Minister for Economics and Energy, Brigitte Zypries, who attended the event, criticized the unclear source of capital in China's acquisition of German companies. Minister Zypries should also see that the lack of clarity does not just apply to the origin of part of the capital, but the whole "One Belt, One Road" project.
Joerg Wuttke, President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said in a recent interview: "I hope China is actually embracing the world and opening up to foreign trade instead of just reaching out." Risk analyst Andrew Gilholm said: "I don't think many people are buying the spin that this is all in the name of free trade and global prosperity." Siegfried O. Wolf, Director of Research at South Asia Democratic Forum in Brussels, was even more candid: "At present there is a lack of an effective platform for 'One Bridge, One Road' cooperation between Europe and China. If China is reluctant to build this bridge, and is unwilling to move toward multilateral mechanisms and disregards the values of the European Union based on good governance, rule of law, human rights, and democracy, then European skepticism of 'One Belt, One Road' will continue."
Countries outside Europe aren't irrational either. U.S. President Donald Trump, a businessman, has adopted a wait-and-see attitude toward China's Creation Project, and only sent National Security Council Asia Director Matthew Pottinger to attend the meeting. Australia rejected China's invitation. India boycotted the summit, saying that the "One Belt, One Road" project ignored "core concerns about sovereignty and territorial integrity." Many of the leaders attending the summit are autocrats who don't care about the questionable origin of China's funding, and know the Chinese government doesn't care how the investment is actually used once it's given.
Buy One, Give Two Away: Corruption and the Deterioration of Human Rights
Many Chinese believe that Xi Jinping is leading a fight against corruption. What is corruption? Corruption is not just the result of money being misused, but the lack of a fair and transparent mechanism itself. In this sense, the lack of democratic supervision of "One Belt, One Road" is a mechanism for corruption. As with all large projects in China, there is no restriction on power, and this inevitably results in the criminal activities of corruption, rent-seeking, giving and taking bribes and money laundering.
While the Chinese media was obediently singing the praises of “One Belt, One Road” and its benefit to all mankind, a Chinese netizen posted the comment: "Some people lamented that overnight we've returned to the Song Dynasty [translator's note: Song is a homonym for "give away" in Mandarin]. Others asked: the Southern Song Dynasty or the Northern Song Dynasty? Answer: No, it’s not 'Southern Song Dynasty or Northern Song Dynasty,' it's the 'Eastern Song [Give-Away] Dynasty' and ‘Western Song [Give-Away] Dynasty!" Without public oversight, an unelected leader can take hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars in taxpayers' money and give it to authoritarian states. The only thing that taxpayers can do is sneer at and mock it. Can a sane person believe that this is a good thing?
In the process of cooking up "One Belt, One Road," China's human rights situation has significantly deteriorated and threatens the whole world. Can all these—the kidnapping of Hong Kong booksellers, the coerced confessions of journalists, NGO workers, dissidents, and activists on China Central Television (CCTV), the disappearance of a Taiwanese human rights worker, and the cruel torture suffered by a large number of Chinese human rights lawyers—make you believe that such a government, which is expanding its economic and political clout through the "One Belt, One Road" program, will bring a New Gospel to mankind?
* Chang Ping is a Chinese media veteran and current events commentator now living in political exile in Germany.
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31/01/2020 12:50
