Sir, - I am sure that I am not alone in finding the British government's grovelling and obsequious welcome for the Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, utterly sickening. Here is the leader of one of the most repressive and cruel dictatorships in the world and Tony Blair's Labour government gave him what amounts to a hero's welcome. By contrast, General Pinochet is under arrest in Britain for crimes against humanity. He is not being wined and dined at Buckingham Palace. It goes without saying that General Pinochet must answer for the dreadful things that took place in Chile when he was in power, but is there not a glaring hypocrisy in the attitude of the British government?
The unspeakable "one child per couple" policy enforced on its people by the Chinese government, with enforced abortion of subsequent children, or the possible imprisonment of parents who defy this monstrous rule, is an outrage against humanity, an outrage which is rightly condemned by the entire civilised world. The absence of religious freedom in China, the continuous persecution of priests and nuns and the ban on all expressions of public protest and dissent are hallmarks of this repressive regime. More than anything else, the vicious treatment of the unfortunate people of Tibet by Jiang Zemin's government must be condemned in the strongest terms by everyone who values democracy and basic human rights. China now has its greedy eyes on Taiwan and cannot wait to subject the people of that country to persecution and tyranny.
The most depressing sight of all was the jackboot tactics used by police in dealing with protesters against Jiang Zemin's visit in London. As soon as the protesters tried to show the Tibetan flag the police prevented them from doing so. The police also stopped the demonstrators from appearing anywhere near the Chinese leader. What has become of the famous British democracy with its right of peaceful protest? It seems that the Chinese government had made it clear to Britain that it did not want any public demonstrations against Jiang Zemin's visit and the British government responded in a suitably subservient manner.
The entire spectacle was quite sickening and disgusting. It would seem that it all just comes down to trade and money. So much for Britain's so-called "ethical foreign policy"! - Yours, etc.,
Anthony Redmond, Nth Great George's Street, Dublin 1.