Word: bequelin
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...political reforms in China including direct elections, a separation of political powers, free speech, legalization of political parties and the creation of an independent judiciary. Critically, it doesn't call for the Communist Party to step down, but envisions a system that advances beyond one-party rule, says Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong?based researcher for the NGO Human Rights Watch. "It does not say, 'We should set up a party to topple the Party.' They say, 'We must work to outgrow the Party and create conditions for a political system that's not based on one-party rule,'" notes...
...least 39 signatories in Beijing, Shanghai and eight provinces have been questioned, trailed or had their movements restricted by police, says the Chinese Human Rights Defenders, an activist group. "This is a big thing, if only measuring by the reaction of the authorities," says Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong-based researcher for the group Human Rights Watch. "One thing the [Communist] Party is very worried about is to have the loyalty of the intellectuals and the academics...
...against plans to build a billion-dollar chemical factory ultimately forced the cancellation of the project - and sparked subsequent copycat demonstrations over proposed megaprojects in Shanghai and Chengdu. "The pressure is building in the pressure cooker and there's no current avenue for it to be released," says Nicholas Bequelin, China researcher for New York City - based Human Rights Watch. Bequelin believes there may be "many calls both inside and outside the Party to put some sort of reforms on the agenda again...
...While the evolution of China's civil society was put on hold during the Olympics, Bequelin and others say they think the longer-term outlook is bright. "It's a battle in which Chinese are trying to get government off their backs," says Bequelin. "This has nothing to do with the legitimacy of the Communist Party or debates about political systems." What's being fought for is access to information and greater personal freedom, the "fundamental tools Chinese people need to organize their lives in a market economy. I don't see how progress on those fronts can be reversed...
...cancellation of the project. And the protests directly sparked copycat demonstrations against planned mega-projects in Shanghai as well as Chengdu in Sichuan province, which occurred just a few days before the earthquake devastated the region in May. "Chinese are trying to get government off their backs," says Bequelin. "This has nothing to do with the legitimacy of the Communist Party or debates about political systems...