No "substantive" increase in human rights, yet they haven't cracked down on Hong Kong, they have opened areas to capitalism, a new Middle Class has grown over the years and people move more freely with more automobiles and highways than ever.
Yes there are restrictive laws, yes there is Tibet, yes China needs to make more strides, but not trading with them didn't make any of the above changes happen. Opening areas to capatilistic trade would have been unheard of, and as more of the population reaches the undreamed of "riches" included more and more of them will spread this to the rest of China. The idea that there have been "no" changes because of the trade is simply denial, and that you get so hysterical over it only undermines your argument.
Denying trade kept people in the dark as to what others have and allowed the government an ultimate power they no longer have. They did not crack down heavily on huge demonstrations in 2002, previous to 1972, shoot even in the 90s they simply would have run over them with tanks.
To say that nothing has changed there, and that there is not slow progression toward something new, maybe too slow for some, but far better than pre-trade.
We make better strides being over-friendly than we ever did attempting to be strict.
