Why was Nobel Committee Chairman wrong?

By Ji Shiping
Print E-mail Xinhua, October 29, 2010
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Jagland's ideological prejudice behind human rights excuse

Why do Jagland and some Western forces behind him still indulge in trumpeting "human rights above sovereignty"?

In his article, Jagland elaborated on the evolution of modern state systems, mentioning the American Declaration of Independence, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Following the elaboration, he lashed out at China's social and legal system, saying "China is not a constitutional democracy."

Such a mindset and logic exposed Jagland's deep-rooted prejudice against China.

In the eyes of the Nobel Committee headed by Jagland, China, which adopts a socialist system, is an exception to the Western value system. So they, armed with a Cold War ideology, thought they were entitled to infringe upon China's sovereignty using the excuse of human rights.

Reluctant to see a stronger China, they have tried to sabotage the rise of the country through various means, including using the Nobel Peace Prize as a tool.

Their true intention was patently revealed by Geir Lundestad, the secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, who said during a talk at Oxford University that in recent years, the judges (of the committee) had gradually come to believe they had to "address the China question," and finally, Liu became an "obvious choice" for them to "address China."

Moreover, what Jagland said about "democracy" in China failed to pay respect to China's history and reality.

In the early 20th Century, the Revolution of 1911 ended the rule of feudal dynasties that had lasted for hundreds of years in China. Later, the flags of "science" and "democracy" were flying high in China's land during the May 4th Movement of 1919. In 1949, a new China was founded which took people as the foundation of the republic.

Over the past 60 years, especially since the adoption of the reform and opening up policy, China has made unprecedented progress in democratic politics and the human rights cause.

As a matter of fact, China's modernization is closely related to the main stream of the modernization process across the globe. China's adherence to and advocation of the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have won widespread appreciation and respect from the international community.

Jagland's arrogance and prejudice can not deny the fact that China has scored remarkable progress in the cause of democracy and human rights.

Jagland's accusations against China just mirrors the ideological prejudice upheld by certain forces in the Western world.

Later on, Jagland said "China should be proud that it has become powerful enough to be the subject of debate and criticism."

In fact, the reason why they accuse China is not because China is "powerful enough" but because China has adopted a different social system and values from the West.

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