Canada must speak out on rights and freedoms in China

Chinese leaders must recognize new global responsibilities

Over the coming decades, much of the global power and diplomacy that in recent decades has emanated from the USA will be increasingly coming from China, India and other regional powers. This is why it is so crucial that China improve human rights and democratic freedoms within.

The recent detention of Christians for praying in public is just another example of a worrying trend in recent weeks, as Chinese authorities crack down on local activists as they fear a Mideast-style uprising.

According to an aljazeera.net article on Christian worshippers being detained in Beijing China:

The United States and the United Nations have expressed serious concerns in the past week at a growing crackdown across China in which artists, lawyers, writers, activists and intellectuals have been detained.

The church incident comes a week after Ai Weiwei, an outspoken artist who helped design the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium for the 2008 Beijing Games, was detained for unspecified "economic crimes."

On Friday, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the US secretary of state, called for Ai's release and criticised China for what she said was a deteriorating human rights situation in the first part of 2011.


Harper and Ignatieff both need to comment on the situation, and urge the Government of The People's Republic of China to be true to their ideals and genuinely guarantee freedom of religion, and freedom of expression.