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Article: The American pot and the Chinese kettle: joining forces for human rights.
- Article from:
- The American Journal of Economics and Sociology
- Article date:
- July 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Blackwell Publishers Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Search for the High Ground
The U.S. is confident that it is occupying the high ground when it threatens to apply economic and diplomatic sanctions against China until it mends its ways. China defines its high ground by citing statistical profiles of its economic and social progress. American leaders justify their stand by presenting annual lists of conspicuous abuses that are reported by independent human rights groups. Chinese leaders complain that those reports specialize in condemning offenders who have western credentials but don't give credit for success in improving the living conditions of the poorest. The tone of this discourse is monotonously ...