Pick a reason not to do business with China:

Free Speech

UN declaration of Human Rights: Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

2007.01.11 Radio Free Asia: Gao was a veteran rights lawyer who lost is law license and sentenced for subversion when he criticized the government for its treatment of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement. The court based their judgment on Gao's signature on nine articles that were published on the Internet. It also cited the three letters Gao wrote to President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in which he called for religious freedom and less corruption.

A website covering corruption cases was shut down in January, the Sichuan authorities continue to enforce an Internet ban on Tibetan poet Woeser, and the wife of Yang Maodong (Guo Feixiong), one of the 50 cyber-dissidents jailed in China, today said he is being regularly tortured. -- Reporters Without Borders, 12 January 2007

Freedom of Religion

From the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights: December 10, 1948 Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

From China's constitution:
Article 36. "Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion. The state protects normal religious activities. No one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state. Religious bodies and religious affairs are not subject to any foreign domination."

The citizens of China don't have these rights. The Roman Catholic Church isn't allowed in the country Because China's Constitution states: "Religious bodies and religious affairs are not subject to any foreign domination." a.k.a The Vatican. China's Communist Party government has control of all the religious organizations, from the State acceptable religions to the number of persons allowed to practice those religions. They have shut down "house religions" (unsanctioned religious groups practicing in people's homes), and torn down their houses. (See PBS special documentary Inside China).

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, combines meditation and exercise with a doctrine loosely rooted in Buddhist and Taoist teachings. It first shocked Beijing with a 10,000-strong protest in April 1999 and was banned in China later that year.

Right to assemble

Chinese citizens have the right to assemble as long as they have applied for a permit from the government in advance; listing what the assembly is for, or against, when it takes place and who will be there, and that they aren't going to protest against the government. The government then can deny or grant the permit.

Radio Free Asia, 2007.01.18-HONG KONG-Authorities near the southern Chinese city of Foshan have dispatched thousands of police and security personnel after local residents staged a protest at the use of their land by local government. Villagers had staged a sit-in and tried to stop construction work from going ahead, saying that the land had been taken over for development without their agreement, and that they hadn't received any compensation. Police destroyed the tents in which the protesters were camping and ripped down banners hanging there, witnesses said, including a large portrait of Mao Zedong.

Chinese violently quell new protest: In Panlong village, about an hour's drive from the capital of Guangdong Province, residents said that as many as 60 people were hurt and that at least one person - a 13-year-old girl - was killed by security forces. The police denied any responsibility saying the girl had died of a heart attack.

Environmental

Chinese constitution: Article 26. "The state protects and improves the living environment and the ecological environment, and prevents and controls pollution and other public hazards. The state organizes and encourages afforestation and the protection of forests.

Article 9. Mineral resources, waters, forests, mountains, grassland, unreclaimed land, beaches and other natural resources are owned by the state, that is, by the whole people, with the exception of the forests, mountains, grassland, unreclaimed land and beaches that are owned by collectives in accordance with the law. The state ensures the rational use of natural resources and protects rare animals and plants. The appropriation or damage of natural resources by any organization or individual by whatever means is prohibited."

The speed of environmental change is most evident in the Yellow River. The river has virtually disappeared. In what may be the biggest water-diversion plan in history, China will build a canal north from the Three Gorges Dam that ultimately will tunnel under the Yellow River to bring water to dry northern areas of China. The US$50 billion south-to-north water diversion will require the resettlement of up to 400,000 peasants along the three possible routes. 1.8 million have been resettled along the banks of the Yangtze itself. -- Asia times online atime.com

A recent government report found that up to 70 percent of the country's rivers and lakes are seriously polluted. China has killed their rivers, and lakes, with Toxic trash from their factories. -- Washingtonpost.com

China is now the world's largest importer of tropical woods: half of all tropical trees logged globally end up in China. Much of this wood comes from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea where between 76 to 90 per cent of the logging is illegal. Recently, numerous companies in Europe have committed to stop purchasing Chinese plywood made from illegally logged timber from Papua New Guinea. China's total consumption of wood products increased by 70% in the last 10 years. A third of this was due to increase in exports of wood products and 66% to increases in domestic consumption. Greenpeace warns that if China were to increase its per capita paper consumption to that of the USA, for example, this would require nearly 1.6 billion additional cubic metres of wood to be logged - equivalent to the Earth's entire yearly harvest. -- Greenpeace.org

Go to Home Depot and see where the plywood comes from. While you're there check the 2x4's….

Geopolitical

China has played a leading role in building a thriving oil industry in Sudan amid the violence in Darfur, and now imports more than 64 percent of Sudan's oil exports, accounting for nearly 5 percent of China's petroleum imports Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai Jun acknowledged China's prominent role as a leading trading partner of Sudan's and said China would sign new economic agreements with the country during Hu's visit. "With Sudan, we have cooperation in many aspects, including military cooperation," he said. "In this, we have nothing to hide."

Africa is also a stage of China's bitter diplomatic contest with Taiwan, with China offering large amounts of foreign aid and investment to countries in order to keep them from recognizing Taiwan, which this country regards as a breakaway province. www.iht.com January 24, 2007