Myth #6：China's human rights situation is improving.
China's citizens today enjoy increased economic freedom as a result of the CommunistParty's attempt to retain some legitimacy.However，there has been no substantiveimprovement in China's human rights or civil liberties since the Tiananmen Squaretragedy of June 1989.Virtually all movement forward has been accompanied by a stepor two backward.
The 2003annual report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China revealsthat the changes Beijing has made in its legal process have had little impact onthe state of human rights in the country.China still has no freedom of speech orof the press，in addition to which its judicial system is plagued by corruptionand its massive repression of religious movements and non-state-run organizationscontinues unabated.The country continues to enforce its invasive family planninglaws and does very little to protect women's rights.Despite the legal frameworkit has built to protect women's rights，once again ，the implementation has beenweak.
Chinese officials are not held accountable for their actions.As explained byAssistant Secretary of State Kelly，"China remains a one-party system where thepeople who rule and who make the rules are by and large not accountable to the generalpopulation."77During 2002，Beijing appeared to be taking steps to improve itshuman rights record and address some international concerns.The country releaseda number of dissident prisoners and even extended an invitation to the U.N.SpecialRapporteurs on Torture and Religious Intolerance and the U.N.Working Group on ArbitraryDetention.Later in the year，however，the government arrested democracy activists，put labor leaders on trial for "subversion，"and imposed death sentences on twoTibetans without due process.78
In early 2003，China began to focus on constitutional development ，therebyencouraging citizens to engage in discussions of constitutionalism.The governmentquickly grew concerned with the tone of the discussions ，however，and prohibitedtalk of political reform in the media and among academics.Additionally ，during2002，the government continued its "strike hard"campaign against crime.The maincrimes targeted were dissent and separatism.As a part of this campaign ，Chineseofficials are reported to have executed over 4，000people，often without due process.Amnesty International reported that China carried out more executions than all othercountries combined.79
For example ，in October 2003，a young Tibetan political prisoner died soonafter being moved from prison to a hospital ；80a young Turkistani political prisonerdeported from Nepal in 1999was sentenced to death by a Chinese court ；8112undergroundRoman Catholic priests and seminarians were arrested in central China ，and anunauthorized Roman Catholic Church was bulldozed to the ground；82a lawyer whohelped a group of Shanghai residents sue a prominent real estate developer was sentencedto three years in prison；83and a Chinese court charged a former high school teacherwith trying to subvert the government by posting tracts on the Internet.84
The Chinese government still does not permit nongovernmental organizations tomonitor human rights conditions.It also refused to permit the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees （UNHCR ）to operate along its border with North Koreaand deported thousands of North Koreans ，many of whom face imprisonment or worsein the DPRK.Responding to reports that the U.S.government urged the U.N.investigatorof torture to visit China ，a Chinese Foreign Ministry official claimed that theviews were based on "arrogance and prejudices."85
Myth #7：China's military expansion is normal.
For over a decade ，China has massively increased defense spending.The Pentagonestimates that total Chinese defense spending ranges from $45billion to $65billionper year，making China's military budget the second largest in the world afterthat of the United States.Moreover ，the Pentagon sees additional double-digitdefense budget growth as likely ，at least through the 10th Five-Year Plan （2001-2005）。86
The Department of Defense assesses that China's military has improved in a numberof important areas that will pose a major threat to Taiwan.This includes a reviseddoctrine of preemption and surprise ：
Chinese doctrine is moving toward the goal of surprise，deception，and shockeffect in the opening phase of a campaign.China is exploring coercive strategiesdesigned to bring Taipei to terms quickly.87
In the event China takes Taiwan by force，it wants to work fast in order topreclude U.S.intervention.88According to the Department of Defense report ，muchof China's increased defense spending is on missiles，both short-range and long-range.In July 2003，China had 450short-range ballistic missiles ，and factory outputindicates that this number will increase by over 75missiles per year for the nextfew years.All of China's known short-range missiles are deployed opposite Taiwan.
China has also improved its military training and joint operations.China'smilitary expansion and treatment of the U.S.as an adversary in its military exercisessuggest that the country still poses a challenge to America's interests in the Pacificand is a significant threat to the security of Taiwan ，a democracy that the U.S.has carefully nurtured over 50years.America would be loath to allow a communistdictatorship to take Taiwan by force.89
Given the exigencies of international politics，the U.S.support of the Taiwanpeople's right to determine their own future softened during the Wen visit.90Thispolicy has not stabilized the Taiwan-China balance.Just the opposite ：It hasemboldened China to step up its missile deployments and drive Taiwan's leaders toever more insistent declarations that Taiwan is independent from Beijing.91
What Washington Should Do Strengthen Ties with Japan and Australia The key topeace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region is not China ，but rather a strongalliance with Japan and Australia.In 2000，George W.Bush ran on a platform thatcalled for a major change in managing relations with China："A misguided policytoward China was exemplified by President Bill Clinton's trip to Beijing that producedan embarrassing presidential kowtow and a public insult to our longstanding ally，Japan."92During his first weeks in office，President Bush saw China as a strategiccompetitor，and the catharsis of the Hainan incident on April 1，2001，beliedthe value of the Clinton "engagement"policies.
Time for Washington to Take a Realistic Look at Chin
Time for Washington to Take a Realistic Look at Chin