Abstract
From its emergence as a fully fledged idea in the early 1990s, the concept of “Asian values” appeared as a cultural construct erected by authoritarian political leaders in the Asian region to fulfill various instrumental goals (Kausikan 1993; Kent 1999: 22; Tang 1995). It was devised to achieve legitimization of their authoritarian rule at a time when authoritarian communist regimes in Europe were crumbling. It was also designed to ward off the threat of cultural, political, and social change posed by an increasingly globalized world. At the same time, it was an understandable reaction by non-Western states to the emergence of the international human rights regime as a major focus of international politics in the West. Global politics became clad in the garb of culture, replacing the ideological clothing of the rapidly warming cold war.
Keywords
- International Labour Organization
- Asian Financial Crisis
- Unfair Labour Practice
- Draft Resolution
- Democracy Movement
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Chang Kai. 2000. “Lun bu dang laodong xingwei lifa” [On Legislation with Regard to Unfair Labour Practices]. Zhongguo shehui kexue [Social Sciences in China] vol. 5, pp. 71–82.
China Rights Forum. 2007. “’One World, One Dream and Universal Human Rights’: An Open Letter Proposing Seven Changes for Upholding Olympic Principles,” China Rights Forum no. 3, pp. 69–72.
China Securities Bulletin. 1997. “World Bank Says China’s Economic Challenge Mounting.” China Securities Bulletin, 18 June.
Congressional Research Service Issue Brief, by Kerry Dumbaugh. 2003. China-US Relations, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 31 January.
Dahlman, Carl J. and Aubert, Jean-Eric. 2001. China and the Knowledge Economy: Seizing the 21st Century. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Ghai, Yash. 1999. “Rights, Social Justice and Globalization in East Asia.” In Bauer, Joanne R. and Bell, Daniel A. eds. The East Asian Challenge for Human Rights. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hu Jintao. 2007. “Text of Hu Jintao’s Report at China’s 17th Party Congress 15 October 2007.” BBC Monitoring Asia-Pacific, 15 October, www.industrywatch.com.
Human Rights in China. 1998. From Principle to Pragmatism: Can Dialogue Improve China’s Human Rights Situation? www.hrichina.org.
Information Office of the State Council of the PRC. 1991. Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe [Human Rights in China]. Beijing, November.
—. 2005. Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe. [China’s Progress in Human Rights in 2004], Beijing, April.
International Labour Organization. 2004. The ILO in China, www.ilo.org/public/english/region/asro/beijing/inchina.html.
Kahn, Joseph. 2003. “Workplace Deaths Rise in China Despite New Safety Legislation.” New York Times, 24 October.
—. 2007. “In Party Speech, Hu Aims for Progress (with Limits).” New York Times, 16 October.
Kamm, John. 2007. “China’s Global Presence Shifts Dialogue away from Domestic Rights Abuses.” Dialogue no. 29, Fall.
Kausikan, Bilahari. 1993. “Human Rights: Asia’s Different Standard.” Foreign Policy no. 92.
Kent, Ann. 1993. Between Freedom and Subsistence: China and Human Rights. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press.
—. 1999. China, the United Nations and Human Rights: The Limits of Compliance. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
—. 2001. “States Monitoring States: The United States, Australia and China’s Human Rights, 1990–2001.” Human Rights Quarterly vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 583–624.
—. 2004. “China’s Growth Treadmill: Globalization, Human Rights and International Relations.” The Review of International Affairs vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 524–543.
—. 2007. Beyond Compliance: China, International Organizations and Global Security. Stanford CA: Stanford University Press.
Solinger, Dorothy J. 2002. “Labour Market Reform and the Plight of the Laid-Off Proletariat.” China Quarterly no. 170, pp. 304–326.
Tang, James. 1995. Human Rights and International Relations in the Asia-Pacific Region. London: Pinter.
UNDP. 2005. China Human Development Report 2005. New York: United Nations.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2008 Leena Avonius and Damien Kingsbury
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kent, A. (2008). Chinese Values and Human Rights. In: Avonius, L., Kingsbury, D. (eds) Human Rights in Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230615496_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230615496_5
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-37366-6
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-61549-6
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)