In waning hours of the Trump Administration, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – decorated military officer, former congressman, exceptional Secretary of State – leveled what may be the strongest, most widely supported, enduring charge against Communist China: Deliberate genocide.
Beyond China’s overt and covert attacks on Western values and international security, abusing rule of law, manipulating public opinion, economic data, currency, and multilateral trade regimes, hatching and spreading the deadly COVID-19 virus, Pompeo laid out the case for China’s unconscionable genocide against religious minorities, most egregiously millions of minority Muslims in Western China.
Notably, Muslims are not the only religion systematically, grotesquely, officially persecuted for their faith. Christians, Buddhists, Taoists, and other minorities are mercilessly persecuted by the Communist Government, which to now has been wholly unaccountable to world opinion.
As Pompeo affirmed, a wide swath of evidence from victims, relatives, journalists, international human rights groups, and incontrovertible technical data show 11 million Uighur Muslims have been targeted, one million forced into concentration camps for communist “deprogramming” or “reeducation.”
At the direction of China’s Communist government – the same one that bankrolled Biden family members – Chinese Muslims today suffer interminable physical imprisonment, physical abuse, forced abortions, forced sterilization, and unapologetic denial of rights found in our Bill of Rights, from free speech, worship, assembly, travel, and peaceful protest, to self-defense, confrontation of accusers, access to a fair trial, and freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.
With Muslims, Christians have been placed in fear, harassed, imprisoned, churches burned, theology changed, and personally martyred for unwillingness to deny their faith. Not surprisingly, when a 2015 Gallup poll asked Chinese citizens their views, 90 percent averred atheism. Fear, persecution, imprisonment, brain washing, and death are powerful incentives for denying faith.
What Pompeo had done, however, is bigger than meets the eye. By accusing China of genocide, a label that will likely be repeated by US allies, examined, and confirmed by non-partisan international human rights groups in time, he has brought China within reach of the “Genocide Convention” of 1948 (“Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide”).
This is a serious development, with downstream legal effects for China – no matter the Biden Administration’s affection, connection, or personal dependence on China.
The Genocide Convention, at Article II, makes clear that “genocide” is “any of the following acts to destroy, in whole or in part… a religious group” by “killing,” “causing serious bodily or mental harm,” “inflicting … conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction,” “imposing measures intended to prevent births,” or “forcibly transferring children of that group to another group.” China has done each of the above, most numerously to Muslims, but consistently to all faiths.
Communist China’s goal is to isolate, intimidate, and eradicate religious faith – and if they cannot do this by mind-control and “deprogramming,” then to isolate, intimidate, and eradicate all those who believe. The specter is horrific, and the “tell it like it is” Trump State Department is making clear – it is real.
Pompeo is saying what all know, and apologists for China and Communism never say. But the move will cast a long shadow over China, one they cannot outrun. Article IV states: “Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated … shall be punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals.” The sweep of that provision raises stakes for China’s rulers.
Lest some argue China is outside the Convention, it is not. Among the 151 treaty signatories, China ratified it in 1949. Even as China seeks to dodge accountability, as they do for COVID-19, truth is louder than communist denials. Recent reports compare China’s offenses against religious minorities with acts perpetrated by Nazi Germany.
So, here we are. Beyond declaring – finally – that Communist China is perpetuating “crimes against humanity,” evils so identifiable, systematic, egregious and unforgivable that they amount to genocide, and beyond setting up potential prosecutions, however unlikely, this move triggers three other events.
First, this move reminds the world – as President Ronald Reagan once did, to lasting effect and against advice of his own team – that there are still “evil empires” afoot. In Reagan’s day, the most powerful, inhumane, and ambitious communist regime was the Soviet Union. Today, it is China.
Second, this move forces incoming President Biden’s hand, making him own up to facts, stand up for liberty, or side with an overtly inexcusable, anti-religious, inhumane and cruel communist regime. The truth is hard to avert, once someone points it out, steps up to shine a light, making clear the untruth.
Finally, his move reinforces what the past four years have been, with respect to China. They have been an ugly coming out. They have been the bright light of a liberty-loving nation – saying enough. They have not been “business as usual,” or anything like the Obama-Biden years. Mike Pence did not fly to Beijing with his son to surreptitiously craft private contracts, with a nod, wink, and lasting stink.
Bottom line: The world is different because of moves like this, bold and real, credible and paradigm-shifting, powerful and patriotic, but wedded to truth, serving all humanity, showcasing fidelity to universal principles, including human rights, freedom of worship, and humanity’s rejection of genocide.
Thank you, Secretary Pompeo, and wider Trump Team, for speaking truth to Communist power. May we all take heart from your example. May we follow that example, wherever it leads.
Robert Charles is a former assistant secretary of state for President George W. Bush, former naval intelligence officer and litigator. He served in the Reagan and Bush 41 White Houses, as congressional counsel for five years, and wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003) and “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), the latter on WWII vets in a Maine town.
Let me first say that Mike Pompeo did an excellent job for President Trump. He carried out the President’s stated policy objectives and didn’t try to backstab him or undermine him to protect the status quo unlike some others in the administration did over the years. Which is why he had to replace so many.
What Mr. Pompeo did with China on his way out the door was simply to state the obvious, that far too many other nations around the world are unwilling to do. A very good final message to the a repressive Chinese government from the Trump administration. China’s predictable response was meaningless to those the CCP named.
Maybe the UK will echo our sentiments. Maybe the Australians and Japanese too. Aside from that, all I see is far too many leaders of other countries in Europe is either pandering to China as they angle for economic deals for their own countries or dead silence. The smaller nations around the world that may agree with the sentiments expressed by Mr. Pompeo are simply too terrified of the growing threat of China to say a word. These smaller nations look to the new administration in the United States and what many of them rightly see is an administration returning to the old “talk tough, but do nothing to actually back it up” of the Obama years. I certainly don’t expect the new Secretary of State under Biden to be as blunt and forceful as Mr. Pompeo, by imposing new actions to back up the message, and neither does China.
The CCP appear to be quite happy with Biden’s pick for SoS and the tone of the overall Biden administration towards China is very deferential. Very, very similar to the Obama years, which shouldn’t be surprising. After all, that is where most of the senior members of the Biden Cabinet come from. The Chinese have certainly gotten their money’s worth. Their relatively small investment will likely yield them trillions in returns over the span of this administration, but that’s a subject for another day.
The CCP has been brutal to several different ethic and religious factions under their control for many, many years as you’ve pointed out. That behavior is kind of the norm for repressive, authoritarian governments all around the world, as you would likely agree. China just happens to be the most economically and militarily powerful of the bunch. That unfortunately is OUR fault for being stupid enough to pursue the idiot foreign policy we did with them for the last 30 years. We created this monster and now we are left with trying to clean up after it, as it becomes ever more dangerous on the world stage. The CCP is using the classic communist tactic of “You will comply with everything we tell you to do, in the exact manner we tell you to do it, or you will face either assault, confinement or death.” approach to the management of the population under their control.
It’s heartening to hear such support for Muslims overseas. American Muslims would appreciate your support as well.
Thank you for this great article Robert Charles. Abortion is also genocide – of the unborn. America and the whole world is guilty of this great and heavy sin. We should start a campaign to include abortion as genocide under this Convention
. Ps. I read and enjoyed your book Evergreens and Eagles.
Updated Feb 24, 2020
July 4 2019
For your prayerful and earnest consideration – Thoughts on abortion.
In a sane and rational world a mother would be the first and last line of defense for her baby at every stage of development before & after birth.
In a sane and rational world abortion would be unthinkable.
In a sane and rational world an unborn child would be valued for the precious life that it is.
In a sane and rational world a mother who does not want or cannot provide for her baby would opt for adoption – not abortion.
Abortion is every bit a sin and stain on this country as slavery.
Congress and the Supreme Court are guilty of legalizing this horror but the real shame and guilt lies with women who embrace the so called “right” to kill their own flesh and blood.
When did we become so hard-hearted, so selfish, and so irresponsible and our thinking so twisted? And why?
We are in the grips of an evil mindset that is destroying us.
In the name of “women’s rights” we have given up our most sacred rights.
We’ve turned innocent babies into “inconveniences” that can be legally destroyed.
We’ve turned men and boys into objects of contempt and loathing.
This cannot stand. There is nothing good in this. We must change our course. Our country’s very soul is at stake.
Just as the slave was innocent and had no voice in becoming a slave so the unborn child is innocent and had no voice in its conception.
Just as we finally had to decide that it is wrong to own another person, we must finally decide that abortion is wrong because it takes away that person’s right to life.
And a child that is born should have all the rights that each of us had at birth and that we now have! The Right to Life!
We can aptly apply Thomas Jefferson’s profound belief regarding the sin of slavery to our collective sin of abortion – that “the Almighty has no attribute which will take our side in this matter”.
The abortion procedure is surreal! Who dreams up such cruelty and horrors that we do not permit to be done to animals and calls it a “right” to do to a human being? One day we will wake up in disbelief of our collective sin. But it is too late for the 60+million that have already been sacrificed on the altar of self-worship.
There are no words for the horror of abortion. It is unspeakable evil. Abortion at every stage should be called by its right name – genocide of the unborn by the most horrific means imaginable.
How did the hearts of women become so hardened and their thinking so twisted and misguided! They are so broken and pitiful, giving up their most sacred privilege.
I pray for women everywhere to turn from this abomination and embrace the privilege of Motherhood. It is the unique ability of the female sex and should be celebrated as the crowning glory and purpose of womanhood and femininity.
I pray for women who can’t or don’t want to accept Motherhood to please choose adoption instead of abortion. Don’t add another tragedy to the circumstances of your unwanted pregnancy.
Prayers abound for those who have chosen abortion and who have regret and remorse. Regret and remorse can provide the impetus for repentance and for changing hearts and minds. Forgiveness and redemption come with repentance. May God help us.
Diana Lott