Ahead of the meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping, China’s ambassador to the United States published a special article in the People’s Daily, declaring democracy and human rights to be among China’s “red lines” for the meeting and calling for these subjects not to be raised during the talks.
One can also understand from this that the Uyghur genocide and human rights are China’s greatest weaknesses, as well as crimes that China has spent enormous financial resources attempting to conceal from the international community. At this important moment, when the world is paying close attention, China does not want its vulnerability to be exposed.
It should not be forgotten that before Xi Jinping’s visit, some members of Congress called on Trump to raise the cases of political prisoners—including Gulshan Abbas, Ilham Tohti, Rahile Dawut and Ekpar Asat—and demand their release. China knows that in a democratic country such as the United States, the views of members of Congress carry weight and receive serious attention. Therefore, through this statement, China is attempting to pressure Donald Trump.
Certainly, this is not the kind of statement a strong country would issue. China’s economic development is not healthy development; it is development built upon unfair competition and coercion. The stability China has established within the country, particularly in East Turkistan, is not natural stability—it is artificially imposed stability. Therefore, although the Chinese government may appear strong, it is fundamentally weak. A government that fears its own people and cannot embrace democratic elections is a fearful government. It is especially afraid of criticism.
China’s statement itself demonstrates why Donald Trump must raise the Uyghur genocide and human rights. I believe that raising these issues would give Trump the upper hand at the negotiating table and help him achieve his objectives on other matters. If he does not raise them, he will not only be acting against the will of the American people but will also lose ground on the other issues under negotiation. I call upon—and hope—President Trump will pursue a course befitting the strong president of a powerful country.