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The US has largely made the right decision: to separate matters of trade from matters of human rights and democratization. Perhaps the left's position on this is more sound: to develop a profound indifference to the internal repressive political apparatus in other states. It is certainly not the West's 'raison d'etre', nor its responsibility in any sense, to lead benighted states out of the darkness of systemic state repression of a state's own citizens.

Political modernization is not like upgrading a cell phone network or Internet connection speed. Repressive regimes will always have the ingenuity to circumvent internationally-imposed restrictions. Conferring 'privileged trade status' definitely was a policy based 'not' on a separation of matters of trade from internal democratization. The privileged trade status exists as an inducement for the repressive regime in China to democratize. In other words it's a trade decision based on the democratization principle. It's a very pronounced mixing of matters of trade and internal democratization.

Policy decisions on trade with China quite simply should reflect trade concerns, and trade concerns alone. The privileged access China currently enjoys should be withdrawn. In effect, the current arrangement perversely 'rewards' China for its repression, its one million plus political prisoners, its gulag network of 'lao gai' prisons, its persecutions, its intolerance of religion, and its notorious, scarcely-credible practice of coercive organ harvesting.

If we faced the facts on this, we would be forced to admit that we have had zero effect on moving China towards democratization. Therefore, there is no political, human rights reason for privileged trade status, and certainly no sound economic reason. It should be revoked.

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