Don’t mention the Chinese elephant in the room

The most prominent in recent years has been the campaign against domestic violence, a worthy cause. Yet the way some talk about China bears an unmistake­able resemblance to what in a different context executives profess to find completely unacceptable:

“Yeah he (China) occasionally goes off the rails at times. But it is a domestic issue, perhaps understandable. Not really our business. We shouldn’t make a fuss. He’s basically a good bloke when you get to know him.”

The standard you walk past, is the standard you accept, fellas.

Oh, but Carr will say, that is so unfair, “China is not the Soviet Union!”, parroting one of Beijing’s favourite lines. And yes, China obviously is better than during Mao Zedong’s time. But it still a flawed political system and economy that has developed differently to its other Asian neighbours. Japan was able to grow economically without making political dissidents “disappear”. You don’t have to be Soviet Moscow to be worth worrying about.

The sad reality is that according to any metrics of human rights — freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association — China today is no better than Mussolini’s Italy. That is a blunt thing to say, but it is also true. It does not mean that it will necessarily follow the same trajectory, but it is the duty of all those involved with China to do their utmost to ensure it does not. Even if it comes at a commercial cost.

There were plenty of lovely lunches held in Rome during the 1930s. Carr-types swanned around dutifully explaining in pidgin Italian how “positive and optimistic” they were about the “New Italy”. How dynamic the society had become. How fast the trains were running. Anyone who disagreed was simply anti-Italian.

History has not judged kindly the reputations of those who engaged in such nonsense.