By Shen Dingli
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper published a column in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, saying that since the People’s Liberation Army is a loyal tool of the Communist Party of China, the United States and its allies should be ready to defend themselves. In particular, he urged that nations “valuing freedom, human rights and the rule of law must stand together to counter the coercive role of the PLA in the Chinese Communist Party’s aggressive attempt to undermine the sovereignty of nations”.
Which brings us to the question: Is the US, as a country, “valuing freedom and human rights”, and defending sovereignty and rule of law? Looking at the US’ internal and external actions, one can safely reply in the negative. Domestically, the US faces a round of human rights protests. From May to August, massive anti-racism protests across the US have shattered the myth of a democratic American society, narrowing the chances of the US president’s re-election in November.
The Black Lives Matter protests started in May with the death of an African American, George Floyd, who died when a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dug his knee into his neck while he was lying on a street with his hands behind his back. The latest victim of police brutality is another African American, Jacob Blake, who was shot multiple times in the back during an arrest by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug 23.
Can Esper explain how a country “valuing freedom and human rights” consistently violates racial equality laws?
Externally, the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, both sovereign countries, on the pretext of rooting out terrorism globally, have left hundreds of thousands of people dead and even more wounded, apart from causing humanitarian crises in the two countries.
Shouldn’t Esper reflect on how the US caused such humanitarian disasters and violated international laws? Is his Republican Party and the US military to blame for that, or should the CPC and PLA take the blame?
The US police may have defended freedom and human rights, and the US military may have protected some sovereign governments. But does that give the US police the right to randomly kill and incarcerate black and colored people in the country, and the US politicians and military to indiscriminately kill and maim people and violate human rights across the world? Preaching is easier than practicing, Secretary Esper! More important, Esper should exercise caution while talking about Beijing (especially the Taiwan question), because the US, when establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic, agreed to abide by the one-China policy that there is only one China and Taiwan is an integral part of China.
– The Daily Mail-ChinaDaily
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