Fw: M-TH: WW on imperialism
I suppose, Charles and others will never face up to how the PRC since the Deng years, under the leadership of the dominent wing of the Party, has been in partnership, in a subordinate status, with Western capital. I know it's confusing to some, that a Party which led a heroic revolution against feudalism and imperialism, has been transformed into the means by which the Chinese w/c are being exploited, but such is the case. Michael Pugliese, that rascally ultra-leftist with a social democratic practice. Guess I'm not the only confused one! "Left in form, right in essence, "eh?! - Original Message - From: Charles Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2000 8:45 AM Subject: M-TH: WW on imperialism > > > - > > Via Workers World News Service > > Reprinted from the June 1, 2000 > > issue of Workers World newspaper > > - > > > > CHINA & NORMALIZED TRADE: WHERE TO WORKERS' > > INTERESTS LIE? > > > > By Fred Goldstein > > > > Confusion, deception, and reaction reign in the public > > debate over the vote in the U.S. Congress to grant > > Permanent Normal Trade Relations to the People's Republic > > of China. > > > > It is difficult for any worker or progressive person to > > find an independent class orientation. Both sides of the > > debate consider the Chinese government as an opponent. They > > differ only on whether China has to be punished by > > withholding PNTR, or be politically and economically > > transformed through forced concessions granted to > > imperialism in return for PNTR. > > > > It is the height of chauvinism that nowhere in the debate > > is the sovereignty of the government of China even > > considered. It represents one fifth of the human race, > > liberated from centuries of oppression, invasion, and > > occupation only 50 years ago by a socialist revolution. > > > > Whatever happened to the right of self-determination for > > 1.2 billion people trying to overcome poverty and > > underdevelopment? China's onerous legacy comes from the > > very colonial interventionist powers--Europe, the United > > States and Japan--who rule the World Trade Organization. > > > > WHY BILLIONAIRES PUSH FOR PNTR > > > > The corporate CEOs and the billionaires they work for > > support PNTR because they don't want their European and > > Japanese corporate rivals to gain any advantage in a > > developing market that has twice the population of the U.S. > > and Europe combined. They are palpitating over the prospect > > of sales, particularly as the rest of the world's markets > > grow more and more saturated with overproduction and the > > capitalist expansion is perpetually in danger. > > > > President Bill Clinton and all the politicians promoting > > PNTR and pushing for China to enter the WTO in return for > > economic concessions say this is the way to strengthen > > "economic reform" and "human rights" in China. The > > translation of these catch words is that they want to > > strengthen and deepen capitalist penetration of China, > > subvert the political rule of the Chinese Communist Party, > > and ultimately re-colonize China. > > > > All the more shameful is it that the leadership of the > > AFL-CIO has spent over a million dollars of the workers' > > money on a deeply chauvinist campaign of "no blank check > > for China." It has frightened the workers into fighting > > China as a way of protecting their jobs. But the > > capitalists are forever taking away high-paying jobs for > > low-paying jobs as well as eliminating jobs altogether. > > This is the nature of capital. > > > > The way to protect jobs and wages in the present situation > > is for the unions to fight against layoffs and plant > > closings at home. The class struggle must be waged here. > > The bosses have no right to lay off workers. If they want > > to open up a plant in China, Indonesia, or Haiti, they > > still have no right to lay off the workers who made them > > rich and who built up the capital that created the plant in > > the first place. The fighting slogan of "a job is a right" > > should be made as fundamental as the slogan for a living > > wage in the labor movement. > > > > AFL-CIO SHOULD ESTABLISH RELATIONS WITH CHINA'S > > UNIONS > > > > But equally important, the unions should begin by &g
M-TH: WW on imperialism
> - > Via Workers World News Service > Reprinted from the June 1, 2000 > issue of Workers World newspaper > - > > CHINA & NORMALIZED TRADE: WHERE TO WORKERS' > INTERESTS LIE? > > By Fred Goldstein > > Confusion, deception, and reaction reign in the public > debate over the vote in the U.S. Congress to grant > Permanent Normal Trade Relations to the People's Republic > of China. > > It is difficult for any worker or progressive person to > find an independent class orientation. Both sides of the > debate consider the Chinese government as an opponent. They > differ only on whether China has to be punished by > withholding PNTR, or be politically and economically > transformed through forced concessions granted to > imperialism in return for PNTR. > > It is the height of chauvinism that nowhere in the debate > is the sovereignty of the government of China even > considered. It represents one fifth of the human race, > liberated from centuries of oppression, invasion, and > occupation only 50 years ago by a socialist revolution. > > Whatever happened to the right of self-determination for > 1.2 billion people trying to overcome poverty and > underdevelopment? China's onerous legacy comes from the > very colonial interventionist powers--Europe, the United > States and Japan--who rule the World Trade Organization. > > WHY BILLIONAIRES PUSH FOR PNTR > > The corporate CEOs and the billionaires they work for > support PNTR because they don't want their European and > Japanese corporate rivals to gain any advantage in a > developing market that has twice the population of the U.S. > and Europe combined. They are palpitating over the prospect > of sales, particularly as the rest of the world's markets > grow more and more saturated with overproduction and the > capitalist expansion is perpetually in danger. > > President Bill Clinton and all the politicians promoting > PNTR and pushing for China to enter the WTO in return for > economic concessions say this is the way to strengthen > "economic reform" and "human rights" in China. The > translation of these catch words is that they want to > strengthen and deepen capitalist penetration of China, > subvert the political rule of the Chinese Communist Party, > and ultimately re-colonize China. > > All the more shameful is it that the leadership of the > AFL-CIO has spent over a million dollars of the workers' > money on a deeply chauvinist campaign of "no blank check > for China." It has frightened the workers into fighting > China as a way of protecting their jobs. But the > capitalists are forever taking away high-paying jobs for > low-paying jobs as well as eliminating jobs altogether. > This is the nature of capital. > > The way to protect jobs and wages in the present situation > is for the unions to fight against layoffs and plant > closings at home. The class struggle must be waged here. > The bosses have no right to lay off workers. If they want > to open up a plant in China, Indonesia, or Haiti, they > still have no right to lay off the workers who made them > rich and who built up the capital that created the plant in > the first place. The fighting slogan of "a job is a right" > should be made as fundamental as the slogan for a living > wage in the labor movement. > > AFL-CIO SHOULD ESTABLISH RELATIONS WITH CHINA'S > UNIONS > > But equally important, the unions should begin by > establishing relations with the 103-million-member All- > China Federation of Trade Unions, and discuss the situation > in the spirit of class solidarity. So far the Sweeney > leadership has not even publicly considered such a course, > even though it was suggested by the general secretary of > the Congress of South African Trade Unions. > > In this regard it is very important to note that the > International Longshore and Warehouse Union on the West > Coast recently shone a ray of light in the labor movement > by passing an important resolution at its convention in > Portland, Ore., at the beginning of May. While expressing > opposition to PNTR and so-called "human rights" violations > in China, the emphasis of the resolution was to combat the > campaign of China-bashing. The resolution denounced > "racially tinged pronouncements" spoken at labor rallies as > " and causing "distress among all people of Chinese > descent." > > The resolution concluded "that the ILWU will prioritize > and prepare for a delegation of rank and file members to > travel to China to make contact with trade unionists from > China, including government-sanctioned unions as well as > opposition leaders, and report to the ILWU on > recommendations for enhancing worker conditions and human > rights in our two nations. > > It is to be hoped that this break with the official policy > of total hostility to China will reverberate through the > progressive ranks of the labor
