Ever since the reforms for a more free and open country have been implemented, China has improved its economic situation and foreign trade has increased. Unfortunately, with regard to human rights, the situation has hardly changed at all, save for a few cosmetic changes to improve the country´s image. Many Chinese products are made in labour camps (laogai) where many of the inmates are prisoners o
f conscience, imprisoned because of their political views or religious beliefs, and often sentenced without trials. It is also common that their sentences do not have a specified time limit. China does not have a judicial system in the ordinary sense of the word. The general human rights situation in China is very bad. Censorship and coercion is very common. The Chinese Communist Party completely controls how the media reports. For instance, the official version of the massacre on Tiananmen Square is that no one was killed and the authorities were not at fault in any way. SHRIC believes that China can be influenced on these issues. By spreading information about the violations of human rights and thereby creating public opinion, one can have a positive impact on the country´s development.
