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The vote by the U.S. Congress this month on whether to grant permanent “normal trade relations” status to China is really a question of whether trade is above anything else. 

For four decades the U.S. government has kept an unfair and useless embargo on Cuba, a harmless small country with lack of political freedom and repression against Castro’s opposition; but enormous China, despite its serious repression of religion and political freedom, its brutal occupation of Tibet and its proliferation of weapons of mass destruction – chemical, biological and nuclear technology – is treated much better. This U.S. economic foreign policy is overwhelmingly inconsistent. In fact, the only similarities between Cuba and China are that they are both one of the last few “communist” or State-controlled nations in the world and that neither allows opposition parties. In everything else, including human rights abuses, China is a much worse offender. But the U.S. government, backed by businesses, wants to treat China as if it were a country like any other because 1,300 million Chinese is a huge market this group can’t wait to get its greedy hands into. That is what it’s all about, greed versus human rights. Actually, the fact that China is an oppressive regime is probably even welcomed by businesses because there is less room for social upheaval and more stability for business, and Clinton’s – and others’ – view that economic liberalization eventually brings increased freedom is just an excuse. 

If the House passes this resolution, it is formally telling the whole world that it doesn’t matter how repressive a State is as long as it has potential for economic growth and U.S. exports. Poor Cuba, if it only had 900 million more people to please the U.S. government and its business owners. 

Jorge Valle 

Oakland