 |
Eyes on TradePublic Citizen's Global Trade Watch blog on globalization and trade |
What's New -
|
Workers' Rights and Jobs
|
In 1994, the Clinton administration officially delinked the issue of China's human rights record from U.S.-China trade relations. No longer would Most Favored Nation (MFN) trade benefits be conditioned upon Beijing's progress in respecting and protecting human rights of Chinese citizens and those of its neighbors (like Tibet). Proponents of this delinkage termed "constructive engagement" after the Reagan administration's tolerant policy toward the apartheid regime in South Africa in the 1980s claim that free market policies alone will translate into political, religious and social freedoms. However, the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International and others reveal that Beijing's human rights abuses continue to mount and have in fact gotten worse since the Tienamen Square massacre of 1989 and since the constructive engagement policy went into effect in 1995. |
Copyright © 2011 Public Citizen. All rights reserved. This Web site is shared by Public Citizen Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation.
Learn More about the distinction between these two components of Public Citizen.
Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation
| Together, two separate corporate entities called Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation, Inc., form Public Citizen. Both entities are part of the same overall organization, and this Web site refers to the two organizations collectively as Public Citizen. Although the work of the two components overlaps, some activities are done by one component and not the other. The primary distinction is with respect to lobbying activity. Public Citizen, Inc., an IRS § 501(c)(4) entity, lobbies Congress to advance Public Citizen’s mission of protecting public health and safety, advancing government transparency, and urging corporate accountability. Public Citizen Foundation, however, is an IRS § 501(c)(3) organization. Accordingly, its ability to engage in lobbying is limited by federal law, but it may receive donations that are tax-deductible by the contributor. Public Citizen Inc. does most of the lobbying activity discussed on the Public Citizen Web site. Public Citizen Foundation performs most of the litigation and education activities discussed on the Web site. You may make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., Public Citizen Foundation, or both. Contributions to both organizations are used to support our public interest work. However, each Public Citizen component will use only the funds contributed directly to it to carry out the activities it conducts as part of Public Citizen’s mission. Only gifts to the Foundation are tax-deductible. Individuals who want to join Public Citizen should make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., which will not be tax deductible. |
To become a member of Public Citizen, click here. |