Cameron Should take a Stand for Freedom

China is acting like a bully in a playground. Ever since the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiabao has the communist Middle Kingdom been telling off every human-rights-respecting country in the world for applauding - or at least not criticising - the decision. Some countries, like France, have decided to refrain from mentioning the award in their dealings with China and have been rewarded for their silence with lucrative commercial contracts. Fearful as they are of losing the friendship and goodwill of the economic Dragon of the Orient, these countries look the other way when it comes to upholding their own human-rights standards. They take at full face value the threat uttered by Cui Tiankai, a high ranking Chinese diplomat (quoted in the Telegraph):

“The choice before some European countries and others is clear and simple: do they want to be part of the political game to challenge China’s judicial system or do they want to develop a true friendly relationship with the Chinese government and people?” He added: “If they make the wrong choice, they will have to bear the consequences”.

With David Cameron about to head to China for talks with President Hu Jintao, it is now the turn of the United Kingdom to decide on the importance of human rights and liberty for its relation with other states. Will Britain speak up for the values it professes to hold dear, or will economic opportunity force its acquiescence to the unknown horrors of the jail cell, the anguished tears of the torture chamber and the terrible silence of the execution ground?

As far as I'm concerned Mr. Cameron has no choice but to take a stand for freedom and raise China's human rights record when he meets Mr Hu. I have little hope that it will have any effects on China's actions - I am realist enough for that - but at least it will show the Chinese leadership that there are limits to the reach of their economic power. It will show them that not every country will meekly submit to their coarse demands for silence. Mr Cameron now has the chance to show true leadership and raise the standard of liberty that West says it defends and upholds. He should not merely follow in the lock-stepped footfalls of all the Presidents and Prime Ministers who held their tongues in the hope of not offending the jailers that rule in Beijing.

PS. Just as I was about to post this I saw on the BBC News website that Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist responsible for the beautiful 100 Million Sunflower Seeds display in the Tate Modern, has been placed under house arrest for the simple act of wanting to celebrate the impending demolition of his Shanghai studio.