DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH OR HUMAN DIGNITY?

China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and it is believed that it would become the supreme power in the world by 2050. The US president also made a covert reference to this fact in his speech, during his visit to China last year.

But there have been a lot of human rights violation in the country, which no one is taking notice. Last year when there was an ethnic conflict between Uyghurs and Han, the whole problem was crushed with the help of the armed police. The Chinese government has still stationed armed police men in Xinjiang as a pre-emptive measure to prevent further violence. The Chinese government dealt the whole issue from a political point of view, but it should have looked into the conflict as a social issue.

There are a lot of questions on the Chinese government’s policy on land confiscations. Recently there was news about a lady who immolated herself at the top of her residence because she was forced to leave her place, as it was required for some official purpose.

Such ghastly incidents remind us the fact that even though double digit growth is important for a country, individual dignity is above all. The Chinese government should purge all its antediluvian policies and overhaul its view about growth, because the main achievement of growth is to make an individual independent.