Trading in Death
28.45 mins - A Journeyman Production

01:00.00 China's Northern Desert. China is the world's most populous country but its 1 billion people live mostly impoverished lives, with few prospects, and in a system devoid of human compassion.

00.21 With its new wealth China's government could improve the lives of almost one quarter of the world's people. Instead, behind its gleaming cities, a harsh regime breaks every international human rights standard.

00:39 Faced with losing a giant market, the international business community usually prefers to ignore China's human rights record. Media magnate Rupert Murdoch was one of the few who took a stand.

00:54 Advances in the technology of television have proved an unambiguous threat to totalitarian regimes everywhere. Satellite broadcasting makes it possible for Information Hungary residents of many closed societies to bypass state controlled television channels

01:17 But Rupert Murdoch went quiet after heavy economic pressure from the Chinese government. Today, though, he is once more doing big business in China.

01:31 In an uncertain international market few will risk promoting human rights at the expense of the world's most profitable new investment.

01:39 In order to lure business the Chinese state is doing its best to stage-manage its public image.

01:50 These soldiers are shining shoes and mending clothes for the public. They belong to a brigade set up to improve the image of the Chinese State in the eyes of its people.

02:05 But the stark truth is that China has one of the world's worst human rights record.

02:19 A Tibetan monk smuggled out this collection of Chinese torture implements. He himself was jailed for a total of 24 years and was severely tortured.

02:33 One thing they do is tie you up like this behind your back, hang you from a loop from the ceiling and pour hot water from a thermos flask on your naked body, which hurts a lot. They also hang you up and light a fire underneath you so that the flames burn you.

03:09 Even the workers who have fueled China's boom have seen little change. A factory collapses. Ninety three dead. Workers are often housed in the same building as the factory they work in.

03:24 The factory which collapsed and killed ninety three people. This is the dead body of some workers. This is what we call the three-in- one building. The factory is upstairs. There is no way out. The people have to jump down.

03:55 Foreign companies just understand how to make money they try to give the lowest wages to the workers & they try to keep their investment lower & they don't want to give enough for safety investment.

04:23 If the factory workers complain about their conditions they might find themselves in a ‘re-education through labour' camp like this one outside Shanghai.

04:37 There is an article in the regulations which says if you have any argument with the management in a factory then the management can apply to the police, to the Committee, the ‘Re-education through Labour Committee', for three years ‘re-education through labour' for the committee to give to you.

05:07 Re-education through labour is the Chinese State's way of keeping its workers in line. Foreign companies that invest in China are in effect making money out of a feudal labour system. Workers caught up in this so-called administrative procedure, can appeal, but have little chance of success.

05:31 In actual fact the common people don't accept the handling of administrative cases by the Public Security Bureau, the way the Public Security Bureau manages it. They don't approve of the legality of the administrative courts. And when the common people do not accept the police charges, there is little chance of success against them.

06:03 The Chinese legal system is, in comparison to the Western model, a harsh regime . This is a detoxification centre for drug addicts. Drug abuse here is viewed not as an illness but as a crime, and it's the police who administer the cure. Anything which might tarnish the image the Chinese regime has of itself is ruthlessly suppressed.

06:35 A drug addict who was recently released told of his experiences
Drug Addict: I've been there. It's unbearable. The police beat you up. Everyone beats each other. It's like a prison. Mentally, it's too much to stand. As well physical suffering it's mental torture.

06:59 You don't have to look very far beneath the glossy economic exterior to see an entirely different world.

07:09 New found wealth has brought with it a steep rise in crime. Here the Chinese police battle with drug warlords.

07:18 Police! police! Surrender! Think of the innocent people, the elderly children and women. There's no use resisting.

07:26 This is Chinese police video from Yunnan. Two thousand troops stormed a drug baron's hideout after a siege of 80 days.

07:38 Instead of using the new wealth to improve the quality of life, the Chinese government is driving ordinary people to despise the glossy façade.

07:48 The authorities say they must rely on Chinese solutions. That means an iron clamp, using the legal system to homogenize society.

08:05 Liu Qing, Human Rights Leader with Pro-Democracy Movement: Human rights is not a native concept in China. The autocratic system has existed for several thousand years in China, so the power of the autocracy is very great, and the consciousness of human rights, of the need for human rights, is very weak.

08:27 In 1989 the Chinese blasted away the protest movement in Tiananmen Square. It showed that despite increased international contacts the Chinese government was still far off track on international standards. If anything the government's ability to control its populace only seemed to be growing.

08:52 Liu Qing: Economic reform causes rapid development of the economy in China. It is good that the Chinese and the Foreign investors are gaining the benefits. But the growing economy also increases the state's power - in a country which is already a dictatorship. In this way foreign investment can be a bad thing for the human rights situation, rather than a good thing.

09:39 It's rush hour in Urumqi, capital of the far western province of Xinjiang. It takes up one sixth of China and it's home to millions of Muslims. Here government insensitivity toward the beliefs and customs of its Muslim minorities has provoked a wave of violent unrest. The regime's intransigence is making the country more unstable.

10:05 In a forbidding show of power, the Chinese army stages mock target practice in the main square. This forbidding exercise aims to strike fear in the hearts of the Muslim population.

10:46 Torture

10:54 Gedrun Rinchen, Tibetan activist: They said it's your responsibility and now you have to decide whether to confess or face the consequences. Then they said: ‘Well Rinchen, if you see the black hole you may be very late to confess or do anything. Or if you see the coffin then I think it's too late.'

11:23 Gedrun Rinchen: What's the black hole?The black hole is the barrel... the barrel of the gun.

11:28 In Tiananmen Square, citizens are today kept under close surveillance.

With its economic coming of age much has changed in China. Following widespread international publicity, China made many changes to its legal system but an inherent feudal mentality leaves much of China's social order in the dark ages.

11:46 All outside the strict and secular party structure are heavily penalized. The government sees most organized religion as a threat. It tolerates worship only through ‘official' churches where what is preached can be carefully monitored.Those who take part in religious gatherings held without official approval are often persecuted.

12:09 Across China, scores are jailed, many have been tortured and some have had their churches razed to the ground. This house church in Guangzhou dates from a time when Christians were universally persecuted.But even recently it has been subject to raids and its congregation harassed.

12:33 Samuel Lamb, House Church Leader: The last time they came...

Samuel Lamb, its 71 year-old leader, has spent more than twenty years in prison. He was forced to work in a coal mine for his beliefs.

Samuel Lamb: ...was November 6th this month...

Samuel Lamb: ...in the evening 8.30 to 10.30 they called me to the Government home then they came back and took away forty boxes of bibles and spiritual books away.

13:06 Samuel Lamb: After they closed our church they took away the address book and went to everybody's house and threatened them not to come.

13:17 Samuel Lamb: Otherwise no job for you, no salary for you, no pension for you.

13:20 Xue Mingde, Artist: When I could not work because I was ill they beat me and tied me up or locked my thumbs behind my back for one week.

13:37 Chinese art - the authorized version. Artists who express their own ideas have been imprisoned and persecuted.

13:45 Xue Mingde, Artist: Why? Because the Chinese Communist Party wanted to control art, to make it serve their political ends. But I wanted to paint as I liked. They couldn't allow the scope of art to be broadened. My art was at odds with what they wanted, so they locked me up in jail.
14:06 Xue Mingde's works of art were said to contradict the Communist Party line. So they jailed him for six years. He now lives and works in New York.

14:20 In Tibet the Buddhist temples have for centuries fiercely guarded the Tibetan way of life. Over decades hundreds of monasteries have been demolished. In the ancient city of Lhasa Tibetan workers are being made to construct a new Chinese city. It often seems the authorities' want to make enemies of its people.

14:43 As the international spotlight falls on China the government must face the skeletons bursting out of its cupboards.

15:27 Chinese building sites are working 24 hours a day. Despite the evidence of extensive human rights excesses international investment has never been so great.

15:41 New York. The financial centre of the World. It's here that China is looking for investors to fund their economic miracle.

15:50 At New York's World Trade Centre, China is seeking new partners to help modernize its chemical industry.But, as one Chinese delegate at the trade fair says, the Chinese government does not see an improvement in human rights as part of the deal.

16:19 Each country has its own understanding of human rights. Our socialism continues to stress developing the economy and improving people's lives. As a developing country it's difficult to compare our human rights with those of advanced countries. You can't use the human rights standards of developed countries to judge China.

16:51 Just a stone's throw from the World Trade Centre is Chinatown. Many Chinese activists fled and sought asylum in the US. They now form the nucleus of international opposition to the Chinese Government.

17:04 Tang Boqiao now works in New York. When he lived in China he was tortured and beaten for voicing his political beliefs.

17:14 Tang Boqiao: These are the bloodstains from when I was a prisoner. There were a lot more but I've now washed the shirt many times. There was a lot of blood all over then.
17:29 Tang Boqiao endured terrible torture inside China's prison system. He says the worst and most prolific means of control is the electric baton.

17:39 Tang Boqiao: Electric batons are used on different parts of the body Not like a normal beating. They like to give shocks to the tongue, to jolt it out of the mouth. The second favourite place is the ears or your neck. When they hit your ear you hear a horrible noise. It was terrifying.
18:03 The confessions passed on to the Court by the Public Security Bureau are often obtained in the cruelest possible way. This might be a reconstruction but everyday it happens in China.

18:23 Electric batons like these are the favourite method of extracting confessions. Western companies supply many of them.

18:32 Liu Qing: I have been beaten with an electric baton, and when I was in prison I saw many people being beaten with them. They are very widely used.

18:47 Throughout China Deng is portrayed as a father figure. But he presides over a family divided.

18:54 Increasingly it is divided into those who have everything. And those who have nothing. Deng has taken China into the modern world but has done so at the expense of ordinary Chinese.

19:05 Two decades earlier during Mao's cultural revolution Deng was one of the few Chinese leaders to challenge Mao. He promised openness but delivered Tiananmen Square. His opponents say he exploited democratic ideals to get into power.

19:26 Liu Qing: At first we and Deng benefited each other. What we wanted was a democratic society in which there were human rights. Deng needed these ideas. When Deng strengthened his power, he found that we also threatened his power and began to oppress us.

20:02 Today there's a privileged super class which has emerged around Deng's family. They're adept at manipulating what the world sees of China to suit their own ends.

20:16 Deng's Daughter: My purpose in coming to NY on this occasion is for the publication of the English edition of my book.... my father'.I am very delighted to see so many members of the press here today. In China we call reporters uncrowned kings.

20:48 The Chinese State used communism to master its control of the masses. Today control of the Chinese people remains a high government priority.

20:56 At dawn in The People's Square in Urumqi students and workers are drilled by the troops. The authorities say it promotes good feelings and good behaviour. The all-powerful Public Security Bureau can and does control all aspects of its citizens lives.

21:22 In any given year the Public Security Bureau jails hundreds of thousands of people, often without charge.

21:31 Some come to Shanghai's central prison. It's notorious for its cruelty

21:38 Yang ZhouTrade Alliance Promoter: The Detention Centre in Shanghai uses the rogues among the prisoners to take charge of management. These hooligans are called heads of the group. They are indeed jail tyrants who enjoy bullying other prisoners.

22:05 Even after the State has decided their crime, the accused's right to a defence is severely restricted coming from deep within the Chinese legal system.

Outside the Shanghai prosecutor's office indictments are posted for all to read. But rarely do lawyers have enough time to prepare a defence.

It's a private justice system which benefits few outside the Party.

22:33 Mo Lihua,Writer: I had studied their law and had written a defence.However my sentence of three years had been decided even before the trial. They had given the sentence to me before hearing my case. The trial was just for show.
22:57 Chinese lawyers have the most difficult task. Criminal convictions are at 90%. The legal profession has made widespread calls for reform but the issue remains deeply sensitive.

23:09 Lawyer (disguised): The main problem is that the courts do not give lawyers enough opportunity to cross-examine witnesses and argue with the prosecution. It is a major point of reform for the court system. All evidence should be scrutinized by the lawyer at trial.

23:33 The range of sentences given is much wider than that in the West and the Court has too much discretionary power. It is difficult to anticipate the sentences. Sentences for some crimes can range from a few years to life imprisonment, or even the death penalty.

24:09 China regards the Death Penalty as the new panacea for all its social ills. Those sentenced to death are paraded in city centres and stadiums as a deterrent to others.

24:20 People have been executed for forging bank documents, accepting bribes and tax evasion. Now there are plans to extend the list of crimes punishable by death even further.

24:25 Execution

24:40 Mo Lihua, Writer: If the government was more merciful and did not use the Death Penalty, or at least not to punish those who have committed non-violent crimes, it would reduce many families tragedies and release people's sufferings. That would give their families hope. But the Chinese government would rather kill them all. It is always strict and never shows any humanity or any forgiveness.

25:06 Tang Boqiao: If anybody who is sentenced to death complains, or cries out, they would be immediately shackled to a board. Their arms and legs would be cuffed, sometimes for 3-4 months. Once they are there the shackles are not removed until they've been executed.

25:32 It's a system removed from a modern sense of humanity. As China heads into the 21st century things might seem to be changing but its leaders seem determined to ensure those changes remain skin-deep

25:49 China will not admit that there are flaws in its legal system. They insist where abuse is found it is harshly dealt with. Ex-Chinese police though, tell a different story

25:58 This former PSB officer admitted that police do sometimes abuse their powers. He said Chinese justice depends on the qualities of each policeman.

26:11 Wang Jiaqi, Former PSB Detective: At the moment in China there is a difference between the legislation and the implementation of the law. Laws are made but the authority of the police enables them to avoid them. There are official procedures but in practice the police ignore them.

26:47 While this Chinese stock exchange hums, officials are free to wage a cruel reign. But business too can be at risk from the ills of the Chinese system.

27:01 For foreign businesses which get into conflict with the authorities the law offers very little. McDonald's had their lease torn up after it had been signed and sealed. Foreign companies are as vulnerable as the ordinary Chinese.

27:17 Many businessmen have found themselves trapped by a corrupt system and with very uncertain legal recourse. Australian James Peng fell out with his influential business partner who took him to court. After a severely flawed trial he was jailed for 17 years.

27:41 But it is businessmen China most wants to woo. Wei Jinsheng called on investors to ask about human rights when doing their business. It so incensed the authorities that he was recently jailed for 14 years.

27:57 In China business is good and investors are reaping the rewards But it's a sophisticated mirage. Human rights groups are calling for businesses to apply pressure on human rights issues when doing business in China. For these prisoners, as for many other Chinese, pressure from the world's business community could have a dramatic influence on securing their release.

ENDS 28:45