Re: China asks Chretien for research aid, May 31.
As SARS claims another Canadian life, your article about the St. Petersburg
meeting at which Chinese leader Hu Jin Tao would not discuss China’s SARS
cover-up was another reminder of the true threat underlying the epidemic:
the deeply ingrained culture in China of secrecy, paranoia, censorship and
“guidance” from above on what should be said. It is a system that breeds
fear, lies, deceit and corruption, too often at the expense of principles,
conscience, and ultimately human life.
For six months, the Chinese regime kept the public and the World Health
Organization from knowing the gravity of the situation. Such was the
environment that allowed SARS to become increasingly widespread, complex,
and hard to control, escalating it into a serious threat to world health,
causing tragic losses of human life and huge economic consequences as well.
Such is the system that also allowed the brutal persecution of Falun Gong to
persist for nearly four years, with the hate propaganda and hostile actions
against its practitioners spreading to other countries, including Canada.
The Chinese regime vigorously covers up its policy of state terrorism
against Falun Gong, even as former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin now faces a
lawsuit in the United States for genocide and crimes against humanity for
his orchestration of this horrific persecution.
Isn’t such a system more frightening than SARS itself? Canada has the
expertise and resources to overcome SARS eventually, but what foreign-policy
role will we choose to play to address the system itself as we build
long-term relations with China?
Within the culture of secrecy and paranoia, the personal stakes are high for
Chinese leaders and advisers, yet we must insist that any relations with
China reflect our values.
How will our leadership and we as Canadians resolve this issue?
Cindy Chan,
Nepean
