President Bush is on his way to China for a visit this coming week. U.S. diplomats have been listing several issues that Bush will raise with his Chinese counterpart, President Jiang Zemin. Foremost among them, allegedly, is the Chinese human-rights policy, or lack thereof.

To qualify for the "Axis of Evil," the countries had to be rogue states, developing weapons of mass destruction, supporting terrorism and participating in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. China already has nukes, but it also supports those terrorist states in the Mideast by exporting missile technology. Several Chinese companies were banned recently from doing business with the U.S. for violating agreements not to export such technology. Of course, since China's a communist country, all of these companies are controlled by the government.

The Chinese government is evil, brutal and routinely ignores human rights. There is an open letter to President Bush in today's Washington Post from a man whose wife has been imprisoned in China. Her crime? It seems she sent some newspapers to her husband here in the U.S. That's right, some newspapers you can buy on the street corner of the town she lived in.

China signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights nearly four years ago. And four years later it has still not ratified it nor even attempted to follow it.

Article 18
Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.
Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.

Article 19
Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.
The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:
For respect of the rights or reputations of others;
For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.

After giving the Chinese permanent normal trade relations, something never awarded to the brutal Soviet regime or Cuba's repressive government, China better shape up. Purchasing Chinese-made products doesn't help the Chinese citizens who are jailed for their religious beliefs or advocating for Democracy.