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Raise human rights in private
The private approach
It is easier for countries far from China, or less dependent on it, to hold to these principles in public than for countries close to China or tied to it economically. China under Xi Jinping has pressed other countries to stay quiet on issues like the Uyghurs ever since he came to power, and he has more to go on now.
Norway's retreat
Norway shows how it plays out. After the Nobel Peace Prize went to Liu Xiaobo, Norway made a complete retreat under Chinese pressure. It is easier to say things to the Chinese about human rights in private than in public, and given where global economic power now sits, many leaders are unwilling to engage with China on the subject publicly.
The Cold War pattern
The Cold War pattern points to the same approach with China: a public line and a private line are two different things, and it is the private one, kept up over time, that has had results.
What happened to Norway after Liu Xiaobo's prize?
The Nobel Peace Prize went to the jailed writer Liu Xiaobo in October 2010. The Nobel committee is independent of the Norwegian government, but China froze high-level contacts with Norway and Norwegian salmon exports to China fell sharply. The two governments normalized relations in December 2016. In the statement that ended the freeze, Norway said it would not support actions that undermine China's core interests.
How did the Helsinki Accords help Soviet dissidents?
The Helsinki Final Act of 1975 recognized postwar European borders, which the Soviet Union wanted. It also included a principle on respect for human rights, which gave activists a document to cite. In May 1976, Yuri Orlov founded the Moscow Helsinki Group to monitor Soviet compliance. Western delegations raised individual cases at the follow-up meetings in Belgrade and Madrid.
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