Swiss-Chinese bilateral relations date back to 1950. But dealings between our small democracy and the communist superpower are a little complicated – and are likely to become even trickier, with Switzerland under increasing pressure to nail its colours to the mast as geopolitical divisions widen.
The response from China was immediate. Switzerland should keep out of our internal affairs, said the Chinese ambassador in Berne, Wang Shiting, in March 2021, referring to what he called “groundless accusations” and “fake news”. This was a few days after Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis had presented the Federal Council’s future strategy on China, a pitch that also saw him addressing Beijing’s human rights record and treatment of minorities. In unusually stark language, Cassis had criticised the Chinese regime’s “increasingly authoritarian tendencies”. Some in Switzerland were in ideological confrontation mode, Wang retorted. “This is not conducive to Swiss-Chinese relations.”
Swiss-Chinese relations have a long tradition. They are multi-faceted and complicated. In 1950, Switzerland became one of the first Western nations to recognise the Maoist people’s republic. It has maintained broad-based bilateral relations with Beijing since the 1980s. For some 30 years, Berne has also been supporting projects that promote expertise and technology sharing. Current projects include development work to help China combat climate change. Since 1991, Switzerland and China have also been conducting a human rights dialogue that involves the two countries’ foreign ministers engaging in an annual round of talks on the human rights situation in China. However, these talks stalled in 2019 after Berne co-signed a letter at the United Nations objecting to China’s treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Economic ties have always been particularly important to the Swiss-Chinese dynamic. Lift and escalator manufacturer Schindler played a pioneering role in this regard. In 1980, the Lucerne-based company became the first Western enterprise to conclude an industrial joint venture in China. Schindler now has six sites in the country, where it is profiting from the Chinese urban construction boom and has a hand in numerous prestigious building projects. China is currently Switzerland’s third most important trading partner after Germany and the USA. Switzerland was the first country in mainland Europe to sign a free trade agreement with the Asian giant. The deal, which came into force in 2014, gives Switzerland a number of competitive advantages. For example, Swiss companies enjoy improved access to the Chinese market and are able to export duty-free and at reduced tariffs.
Both sides are proud of the pioneering nature of their bilateral relations. The Swiss government believes its role is to build bridges with China. It prefers to engage in “constructive, critical dialogue” and is reluctant to voice criticism or broach the prospect of sanctions. Berne wants to effect change by working with, not against, China. The various ties between Switzerland and China are politically appealing for the Beijing government, which regards neutral Switzerland as a link – and gateway – to Europe.
Both countries regularly interact at the highest political level. Even so, there have been hiccups in the past. Many Swiss will remember Jiang Zemin’s state visit in 1999. The president of China struggled to contain his anger at the sight and sound of Tibetan sympathisers in the centre of Berne exercising their democratic right to protest, as regularly happens in Switzerland. Keeping the Swiss government waiting, a visibly angered Jiang then cut the official reception short. His host, the then Swiss President Ruth Dreifuss, later continued on the theme of human rights, infuriating Jiang further. “You have lost a friend,” he said.
Yet friction is not only confined to the political stage. Chinese corporate and property acquisitions, not to mention Chinese investment in Swiss football, are a source of unease in Switzerland. Perhaps more than any other state apparatus, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tries to control how the world perceives it. In Switzerland, too, the CCP puts systematic and significant effort into monitoring the conversation on China among expatriates, at educational establishments, in economic circles and even in cultural life. CCP representatives also attend public events. Notably, they caused a stir at a University of Zurich function by taking photographs after participants began asking questions considered inappropriate by the CCP.
“Self-censorship becomes an issue for any academic who comes into contact with an authoritarian regime.”
Professor at the Institute for European Global Studies at the University of Basel
The Chinese embassy in Berne intervened when students at the Zurich University of the Arts made a film about the protests in Hong Kong. In 2021, the case of a PhD student at the University of St Gallen (HSG) also made headlines. The student had used Twitter to criticise the Chinese government, after which his professor wanted nothing more to do with him. Following his stay at a Chinese university, the young man tried in vain to re-enrol at St Gallen. The dispute ended with the student having to get a job that had nothing to do with the three years that he had spent on his doctorate. The HSG, which nurtures ties with universities in China through exchange programmes as well as training and research projects, has since announced its intention to address perils such as uncontrolled knowledge sharing and self-censorship.
Ralph Weber, a professor at the Institute for European Global Studies at the University of Basel, puts these incidents into a wider context. He believes there is a structural problem affecting many universities in Europe. “Self-censorship becomes an issue for any academic who comes into contact with an authoritarian regime,” he says, adding that China is putting increasing pressure not only on educational establishments, but on companies and policymakers too. Weber, a political scientist, has studied how the Chinese government exerts influence in Switzerland. “The Chinese one-party state is carrying out a systematic campaign,” and has an obscure network of groups and organisations embedded in this country, he says. “This is how Beijing is trying to get its message through to us.”
Anybody who does business in China will encounter the Communist Party. The question of how accommodating one should be to the CCP sparked debate last year when big bank Credit Suisse terminated an account held by the dissident artist Ai Weiwei. Credit Suisse cited missing paperwork as the reason. However, critics say it was more to do with Credit Suisse wanting to avoid antagonising the Chinese authorities because the bank wants to strengthen its position in the Asian market.
Bilateral relations with China have always been fraught with dilemma. Left-wing parties and organisations within civil society refuse to cooperate with a regime that “suppresses minorities”, as the federal government has officially put it. For years, they have decried Beijing’s treatment of dissidents, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and the inhabitants of Hong Kong. Condemnation and calls for a tougher response have grown louder of late, with related motions proliferating in parliament.
In autumn, national politicians debated whether to add a chapter on human and social rights to the free trade agreement. “Unfortunately, hopes that economic liberation would also lead to advances in democracy and human rights have been in vain,” said Lucerne National Councillor Roland Fischer (Green Liberals). He argues that the long-standing human rights dialogue has had little effect. In reply, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin said the clamour for binding clauses was counterproductive. “We would reach an impasse,” he warned, “And we would shut the door on conversations with China on all of these important issues.”
In its new strategy, the Federal Council says Switzerland wishes to build bridges, exploit opportunities and address problems openly. The federal government wants to apply a cogent framework to Switzerland’s diverse ties with China, continuing with its tailored approach to China while emphasising Swiss neutrality. At the same time, it is committed to “integrating China into the liberal international order and involving it in efforts to resolve global challenges”. Sounds simple. “But the wording is ambiguous,” says Weber. It is unclear how the government wishes to go about implementing its strategy. Then again, this dilemma has dogged Switzerland for decades, “ever since it decided, for perfectly valid reasons, to do business with an authoritarian regime but remain true to its values”. Switzerland’s policy on China is pragmatic – but you can also call it opportunistic, he adds.
It is indeed becoming increasingly difficult for Switzerland to justify its neutral stance. China’s bid for global influence has put the world on guard. The USA sharpened its rhetoric significantly under Donald Trump, initiating a trade war. Joe Biden has toned down the language, but he is just as unequivocal. In November 2021, he warned Chinese President Xi Jinping against choosing the path of confrontation. During a virtual summit with his counterpart, the US president said that economic competition should not “veer into conflict” and that all countries must abide by the same rules.
Last year, the EU imposed sanctions against Chinese officials in protest at what it called the “arbitrary detention” of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Beijing hit back immediately with its own sanctions against MEPs and European scientists. The regime also resorted to countermeasures amid criticism of its Covid strategy – restricting trade with Australia, for example, after the Canberra government had supported calls to investigate the origins of Covid-19. “China has polarised global opinion since the pandemic began,” noted the Swiss intelligence service, the FIS, in its 2020 situation report, adding that China’s international image had suffered. In this report, the FIS outlined the risk posed by cyberattacks and Chinese espionage. The latter was a “significant threat to Switzerland”, it warned. In other words, neutrality is reaching the limits of its effectiveness as far as China is concerned.
“Beijing will not stop suppressing minorities unless it faces considerable international pressure – as we learned when it hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008.”
Co-director of the Society for Threatened Peoples
Switzerland’s policy on China made news again before the Winter Olympics, when the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia announced a diplomatic boycott, with a handful of European nations following suit. It was impossible to cheer on the athletes without thinking about the situation on the ground in China, lamented the Zurich National Councillor Fabian Molina (SP). “It is not the right time to be celebrating a country in which crimes against humanity are currently being committed,” he said. Instead, the federal government had to send out a strong message and refrain from dispatching an official delegation to Beijing. Christoph Wiedmer, co-director of the Society for Threatened Peoples, also expressed support for a boycott, saying that firmness was needed to make any headway. “The extent of China’s human rights violations in Tibet and Xinjiang is shocking. Beijing will not stop suppressing minorities unless it faces considerable international pressure – as we learned whenit hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008.” The Federal Council reacted hesitantly to these demands, before eventually stating that it would be “appropriate” for a government representative to attend the opening ceremony in Beijing. However, it gave itself leeway by referring to the pandemic. “The visit will not go ahead if the Covid situation in Switzerland requires all the Federal Councillors to be in Switzerland,” said the Federal Council spokesman. At the end of January, the government decided to stay away from the opening ceremony after all.
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Comments
Comments :
La neutralité suisse qui s'est instaurée depuis la 2e guerre mondiale est-elle encore possible aujourd'hui ? Le monde et ses conditions politiques et économiques ont changé. La pression d'appartenir à un côté contre l'autre est énorme. La Chine est intéressée à atteindre sa suprématie économique afin de pouvoir utiliser ce pouvoir et exercer une pression politique sur les pays avec lesquels elle entretient des relations commerciales. Telles sont les relations amicales de la Chine. Le gouvernement chinois considère les droits de l'homme comme une menace existentielle. Mais c'est votre réaction qui pourrait constituer une ménace existentielle pour les droits des personnes dans le monde. Cependant, ne soyons pas naïfs, la soi-disant neutralité suisse a toujours eu son côté opportuniste, jusqu'à aujourd'hui.
Ist die seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg eingetretene schweizerische Neutralität heute noch möglich? Die Welt und ihre politischen und wirtschaftlichen Bedingungen haben sich verändert. Der Druck, der einen gegen die andere Seite anzugehören, ist enorm. China ist daran interessiert, seine wirtschaftliche Vormachtstellung zu erlangen, um diese Macht nutzen und politischen Druck auf die Länder ausüben zu können, mit denen es Handelsbeziehungen unterhält. So sind Chinas freundschaftliche Beziehungen. Chinas Regierung sieht die Menschenrechte als existenzielle Bedrohung an. Aber es ist Ihre Reaktion, die eine existenzielle Bedrohung für die Rechte von Menschen auf der ganzen Welt darstellen könnte. Doch seien wir nicht naiv, die sogenannte schweizerische Neutralität hatte immer auch ihre opportunistische Seite, bis heute.
Le problème de l'occident, c'est de croire que le monde entier envie sa manière de vivre et son indépendance. Chaque continents, chaque régions ont leurs culture. C'est le problème humain de croire qu'il est supérieur aux autres, et c'est lui qui a le savoir. Est-ce que la démocratie est la meilleures solution? pas obligatoirement, certaine personnes ne comprennent pas la discussion et ne comprennent que la force. D'autres s'insurgent contre la violence et ne passent que par la discussion pour persuader la personne en face qui n'en a rien à faire. Les droits de l'homme d'une région à l'autre varient énormément. Ce qui peut choquer certaine personne, peux être tout à fait normal pour d'autre.
Was die Chinesen an der Wirtschaftsbeziehung mit der Schweiz irritiert, sind die für sie offenbar unverständlichen Stolpersteine Namens Menschenrechte. Was mich irritiert, dass hier im Forum der Diskussion so manch jemand die Gelegenheit benutzt, mittels sogenannter Vergleichsdaten von anderswo, Vermiesung Anderer, das Thema China in dieser Kernfrage zu beschönigen, sauber zu waschen. Das ist unverantwortlich!
El tema es muy importante, pues estamos ya en una guerra comercial, entre China y USA. Europa , en el medio está "presionada" y se va debilitando sin prisas, pero sin pausas. Ahora bien Suiza (la isla)a su vez también va siendo presionada por la EU. y, nuestra tradición de neutralidad está cada vez más difícil, una muestra de ello es la actual guerra en Ucrania, allí se perdió la neutralidad, tal vez para siempre ? Posiblemente en el futuro Suiza va a tener que decidirse entre China o USA.
I'm very disappointed about Swiss media's naiveness. Have you done field research on the so-called "China's human rights situation and oppression of China's minority"? I have grown up in China's west region where is neibour of Tibet and Xinjiang Uyghur. I saw the contrary. I have witnessed the Chinese government minority policies which gives favorite regulations and concrete financial, legal and social support and aids for the development of minority regions. For example, minority students obtained a much lower grades during China's national exams than Han majority students, they still can go China's top universities; China's rich east provinces provide financial, know how, technology and human capital to help development of Tibet and Xinjiang. I have frequently visited China's minority regions and saw the happiness of local people. I believe that Swiss politicians and media have never done any field research just simply believed American CNN and British BBC' s made-up stories about Tibet, Xinjiang Uyghur and Hong Kong.
I have lived in Geneva for 34 years and have worked in Geneva's NGO sector and corporate sector. I saw Western media's ignorance and prejudice on China. The American-led major media which were copied by the European media have completely manipulated western public who were misinformed about China. Having experienced Swiss and European democracy, I can say China's democracy is real PEOPLE's democracy. Because the democracy can not be simply judged by multi-parties system or one party system. I saw the USA two parties political régime has destroyed future of America. The two parties fight for their victory of election at the expenses of American people (of course, majority of American public are completely misled by American media). Look at American minority problem, look at American high inflation and high national debt (the USA government just irresponsibly printed more money, exported inflation to the whole world).
I doubt Switzerland can play the role of bridge between China and the West, unless the Swiss politicians can adopt a more objective view on China. Swiss politicians need to know the Western value is not the universal value. The Chinese traditional value have great influence on the Chinese people and political thought of the Chinese government which is much more wise than western value. This article's author talked about because "China didn't play the same rule of game of the West", this caused the tension between China and the West. My question is that why China should play the same rule? Does this rule set by the American-led West is fair to the developing countries of the third world? Does American-led international political, economic and financial order is fair to China, to muslin world, to Africa and to Russia? With the Western politicians' ignorance and prejudice, I foresee the decline of West in a decade. I sincerely hope that Swiss politicians can truly adopt the neutrality and maintain a wise strategy vis-à-vis China's challenge to the hegemony of USA in the world geopolitics.
Il n'y a point d'<amitié> avec la Chine. La <rélation> avec eux, c'est entièrement une question d'utilité pour les Chinois; il ne sont pas du tout intéressés par l'écoute, par les échanges sincères, à une évolution de leur système ou leur culture; simplement au pouvoir. On se trompe, dangereusement, si l'on imagine le contraire.
Der Krieg zwischen Russland und der Ukraine hat uns gezeigt,dass die Welt nie wieder dieselbe sein wird, also muss jeder Land eine Alternative haben. Die Abhängigkeit von einem Land funktioniert kurzfristig, verliert langfristig (es sollte sich entsprechend positionieren).
Si la Chine est condamnable pour se actes répétés contre les Droits Humains, la Suisse l'est aussi. Mais ne me faites pas dire ce que je ne veux pas dire...la Chine est tout à fait condamnable pour sa politique contraire aux Droits de l'Homme.
Cependant, il est tout à fait regrettable que la Suisse prenne part à une politique derrière les USA, qui veut donner des leçons aux chinois...et au monde entier d'ailleurs, quand chez elle, sur son propre territoire, elle ne respecte pas les Droits de l'Homme les plus élémentaires et est aussi pointée du doigt par la communauté internationale :
Elle n'a toujours pas respecté son devoir (pourtant écrit dans la loi) pour le développement d'une politique de respect envers les gens du voyage suisses. Elle n'a toujours pas mis à disposition pour les gens du voyage, suffisamment de terrains dignes de ce nom, c'est-à-dire emménagés et vivables (et non pas quelques terrains insuffisants coincés dans des bretelles d'autoroutes sans toilettes ni infrastructures pour les déchets, comme à Villeneuve par exemple). Ils représentent tout de même 35.000 suisses qui payent leurs impôts. La Suisse est régulièrement rappelée à l'ordre et notamment par Humanrights.
La Suisse se fait régulièrement taper sur les doigts par l'ONU elle-même, quant à sa politique répressive et violente envers les demandeurs d'asile, parce que l'asile, il faut le répéter, n'est pour ainsi dire JAMAIS reconnu en Suisse. L'asile est octroyé et reconnu dans une politique tout à fait élitiste et injuste. Pire, sa politique actuelle augmente les dérapages graves et violents envers les demandeurs d'asile par la privatisation de ses centres d'accueil, souvent isolés et donc loin du regard. Les cas de violations graves des Droits Humains sont devenus courants dans ce milieu et qui poussent les personnes jusqu’au suicide.
L'ONU soupçonne (justement) la Suisse de mettre en danger l'enfance avec handicap par sa politique et la structure de ses établissements qui ne les protègent pas.
En effet, en raison de sa politique de coupe radicale dans le domaine sanitaire et sociale, la Suisse s'expose à de grave abus dans l'accompagnement des personnes avec handicaps.
Parlons également du droit au logement, totalement bafoué par la Suisse avec sa politique envers le logement en général, le peu de protection qu'à le locataire dans une situation sociale précaire. Le système de marché libre et très agressif du système immobilier rend les logements de plus en plus inaccessibles aux plus démunis comme les femmes seules avec enfants ou les personnes à faible revenu. La Suisse n'aime pas ses pauvres.
Et je n'entre même pas dans le sujet délicat des garderies pour enfants...inaccessibles et tellement insuffisantes que ça en devient une honte !
La honte aussi à ses congés de paternité ! La Suisse est à la queue de l'Europe et largement !
On ne parle pas non plus de sa politique désastreuse en matière de retraite de ses aînés. Combien de milliers de suisses doivent-ils aller vivre à l'étranger parce que leur retraite ne suffit pas à les nourrir en Suisse ? La Suisse exporte ainsi son problème social par rapport aux retraités et s'en lave les mains.
Ce sont les exemples que je connais de près, mais il y en a certainement d'autres, et je ne considère ni la Suisse, ni les USA ni les autres pays avoir le droit de donner des leçons aux autres comme ils semblent se donner le droit avec une arrogance toute occidentale.
Balayons devant notre porte et que la Suisse ose se remettre en question elle-même !
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http://revue.link/yeniche
http://revue.link/yeniche2
Im Namen einer gesunden Gerechtigkeitsbeurteilung kann ich nur hoffen, dass Sie die Menschenrechtsverbrechen in der Schweiz mit denen in China weder in Ausmass noch Charakter auf ein und die selbe Ebene stellen.
Je condamne danvatage l'hypocrésie planétaire que sa complaisance ! Business as usual ... le leitmotive de tous et toutes
Why, with the same area as Europe, and the United States, is China the country with the most indigenous peoples in the world, with 106 million people?
What happened to the indigenous peoples of the United States, of whom there are only 5 million left, and of Europe, of whom there are still 72,675 Sami?
And how many indigenous peoples have Europeans wiped out outside their borders?
This may be one reason why China doesn't like to be moralized by Europeans and Americans
Pourquoi, avec la même superficie que l'Europe, et que les États-Unis, la Chine est-elle le pays qui héberge le plus de peuples autochtones au monde, avec 106 millions de personnes ?
Qu'est-il arrivé aux peuples autochtones états-uniens, dont il ne reste que 5 millions, et européens, dont il reste tout de même 72 675 samis ?
Et combien de peuples autochtones les européens ont-ils anéantis en dehors de leurs frontières ?
Voilà peut-être une raison pour laquelle la Chine n'aime pas se faire moralisée par l'occident.
Ja, China hat allen guten historischen Grund, dem Westen gegenüber skeptisch zu sein. Aber diese berechtigte Skepsis ist in meinen Augen kein Grund, die Dinge, die in China heute intern passieren, nicht beim Namen zu nennen. Und das Schlechte als Vergleichswert mit Anderen macht es für die Opfer ganz sicher nicht leichter, meine ich.
I wish Switzerland will be more objective than Australia in judging China. We must not forget that some 500 innocent civilians were butchered to death in Xinjiang by criminals who have a written document that demands them to do so. China has not only the right, but also the duty to protect its citizens from this evil organisation. In Australia we have the same problem but at a smaller scale. In Australia we build specialised Supermax Prisons to detain these criminals, and nobody has a problem with that. But when China does the same thing, then we call them Concentration Camps, designed to commit genocide. And our evidence of this so called genocide is the account of a dissident Uyghur criminal who just came back from a Jihadist Training Camp in Egypt. His account has more weight in our government and our media than the most extensive study carried out by the Harvard University. Some of our politicians already hear the drums of war beating again, to a very familiar tune. Not long ago we have murdered nearly a million people in Iraq on the basis of exactly the same evidence, the account of a dissident Iraqi criminal. I pride myself of my Swiss Citizenship and trust that Switzerland will continue to play an influential roll in stopping the world from descending down a spiral of never-ending violence.
Besten Dank für diesen umfassenden Artikel, der die Lage in etwa zusammenfasst, zumindest, was die schweizerische Sicht anbelangt. Was an der ganzen Diskussion leider fehlt, ist der strategische Hintergrund, den weder West noch Ost wirklich bearbeitet haben. Dies zeigt sich beispielsweise an der Frage der Menschenrechte. Sie sind bisher einseitig westlich erarbeitet worden, ihr Akzent liegt auf (individuellen) Rechten und Freiheiten. Die Pflichten, die sich aus dem Zusammenleben im Familien- oder Gruppenverband ergeben, hat man in den vierziger Jahren nach Nationalismus und Faschismus unter den Tisch gewischt. Das rächt sich nun, denn weltweit haben Gesellschaften an Gewicht gewonnen, die sozial vor allem die Pflichten ihrer Mitglieder einfordern und ihnen erst dann Rechte zugestehen, wenn diese Pflichten erfüllt sind. Dieser anderen Sicht müssen wir im Westen Rechnung zu tragen beginnen, wenn wir erfolgreich durch das 21. Jahrhundert steuern wollen. China andererseits wird sich die westliche Haltung der Rechte und Freiheiten ansehen müssen. Gerade die entstehende Mittelklasse wird Haltungen zu entwickeln beginnen, in denen Rechte und Freiheiten ebenfalls eine Rolle spielen werden - wenn auch nicht in unserem, westlichen Mass. Gleichzeitig werden auch die Pflichten in unseren westlichen Gesellschaften nie die Priorität erhalten, die sie in Kollektivgesellschaften haben. Aber sie einfach zu negieren, wie dies auch in der Menschenrechtdeklaration geschieht, wo sie gerade noch kurz in Artikel 29 erwähnt werden, das geht nicht und führt zu einem mangelnden internationalen Verständnis.
Bien dit. Nous oublions trop souvent que les privilèges doivent s'accompagner de devoirs.
Il aurait fallu en premier lieu que les entreprises occidentales n'aillent pas donner leur savoir-faire. Est-ce qu'un boulanger qui fait un super gâteau va donner sa recette à un autre boulanger proche de sa boulangerie ? Donc, il faut arrêter au plus tôt, si cela n'est pas trop tard, ce transfert de technologie. Ensuite les grandes marques qui produisent en Chine doivent petit à petit se retirer. Il ne restera que des produits chinois, en très grande majorité de très mauvaise qualité, et finalement que les consommateurs arrêtent d'acheter ce qui est produit en Chine. Cela aura beaucoup plus d'impact que des pseudos discussions, dont on voit nettement que le gouvernement chinois n'en a strictement rien à faire. Le bonus, c'est que cela diminuera la circulation des mégacargos qui sont l'une des plus grosses sources de pollution.
Hello, every where we can see how we are being influenced by the US. Year by Year it is getting worse. Countries are being told how to behave in all matters and one of them is in human abuse. I personally do not know one country who could pledge to be clean under this righteous false view on human abuse. Specially when it comes to the US where racisms and shooting is a daily agenda. There would be much more importance to find a softer way to deal with this rather closing doors because of retribution from the authorities from other countries. Diplomacy is dead and debating an important issue isn't possible anymore. China is not to blame or even better, which right does the West has to tell other countries what is right or wrong. US is definitely not a good country to start with. No moralities, have no values and constantly at war. For Democracy. US has no democracy it is killing over freedom. Let China be. Nearly 1 Billion People out of poverty. CH has a good track record. But the UK for example 60% in poverty and 3 Million out of work. US even worse. The West has no good example of human rights. Something over 100,000 millions of refugees... where is HUMAN RIGHTS.
Wo sind sie verblieben, die Menschenrechte? Ich dachte imner, dass das Menschenrecht auf dem Recht zu freier, kririscher Meinungsäusserung fusst. Also, wenn Sie das in den USA nicht mehr finden, schlage ich Ihnen vor Ihr Glück z.B. in China zu versuchen....
Glück für Sie, dass Sie diese Anklagefrage in einer Schweizer Zeitschrift und nicht in China aufwerfen.
Bravo François! How come that US closes its eyes to the violations of human rights in Israel? An Apartheid state! China has done wonders in alleviation of poverty for millions of its people! No country in the world has implemented the right to food, shelter, health and education to its population as China did and do!
Gerade der Ukraine-Konflikt hat gezeigt, dass die Schweiz nicht mehr neutral ist. Man kann das schon so machen, muss dann aber die Kozequenzen ziehen und vielleicht auf wirtschaftliche Vorteile verzichten. Die Frage ist einfach, weil gegen China und gegen Russland so gehandelt wird. Warum nicht gegen die USA? Es deutet alles auf zwei wirtschaftliche Systeme hin. Ich denke, dass das System mit Russland und China die Zukunft sein wird – mit vielmehr Einwohnern. Aber die Schweiz hat sich schon entschieden! Sie hat sich selber rausgenommen.
Die Idee der Schweizer Neutralität ist illusorisch, da sie vom Konflikt abhängt. Während man einerseits "neutral" sein will, was Waffenlieferungen in die Ukraine betrifft, hat die Regierung nicht gezögert, den Waffenexport nach Saudi-Arabien, das im Jemen Krieg führt, durchgehen zu lassen. Kanonen für die saudischen Ölscheichs, aber keine Schutzwesten für die Ukrainer: Es scheint, dass die Schweiz mit zweierlei Mass misst, wenn es einen finanziellen Vorteil gibt.
Beitrag zur Thematik im St.Galler Tagblatt: http://revue.link/waffenexport
Erst mal Hut ab vor der Autorin. Der sehr gelungene Titel sagt eigentlich schon alles! Im Weiteren möchte ich mich kurz halten und einfach sagen: Lest das an die Wand Geschriebene bevor jene auf euch einstürzt.
Eine neutrale Haltung verlangt, dass die Schweiz für alle Staaten die gleiche Strategie wählt. Eine Ausnahmepolitik für CHina ist nicht angebracht und eine neutrale Haltung darf kritisch beurteilen sowie eine eigene Meinung vertreten. Dies hat die Schweiz noch zu lernen und zu akzeptieren, dass Neutralität seinen Preis hat.
Neutralität im staatlichen Sinne beruht im Wesentlichen auf der Nichteinmischung in interne Probleme der Anderen. Neutralität bedeutet aber nicht Meinungslosigkeit und Gewissenlosigkeit gegenüber verbrecherischem Tun anderer.
China hat sich dank Taiwan und dem westlichen und dem asiatischem Know-How und ihrem Fleiss hochgearbeitet.
Diese Naivität der Europäer zieht sich hin. China will Weltmacht werden und europäisches Bestreben prallt ab. Russland arbeitet nach dem selben Muster, wird aber selbst von China benutzt. All unser Bestreben endet mit Abhängigkeit von China.
Ja, leider richtig - aber das eben nur, weil wir kurzfristiges Renditendenken einem seriösen Langfristnachdenken vorziehen.