[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13911-13912]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING TIANANMEN SQUARE

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, 20 years ago this week, on June 3 and 4 in 
1989, the world watched the Communist Government of China violently 
crack down on peaceful demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. We all 
remember that. It is hard for me to believe it has been 20 years ago.
  One picture that is forever imprinted on our minds and our memories 
is that of a lone Chinese student who stood before a line of army tanks 
following days of violence that had resulted in hundreds killed and 
thousands more wounded. We never did find out what happened to that 
young student. I assume he was taken away, tortured, and killed, but we 
don't know that. He displayed tremendous courage in the face of tyranny 
and injustice. For weeks, students had raised their voices demanding 
greater democracy, basic freedoms of speech and assembly, and an end to 
corruption. While the photo of this student became infamous to the 
world as a picture of the Chinese people and their desire for true and 
lasting freedom and democracy, it remained virtually unknown to the 
people of China due to the Chinese Government's continued censorship 
and oppression.
  On March 25, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy 
Pelosi, while on a trip to China, remained silent regarding the ongoing 
human rights abuses there. Instead, she talked about the government on 
global warming and issues such as that. This week in Beijing, U.S. 
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner followed the Pelosi model, remaining 
mute on human rights abuses that are going on today, and spoke only of 
environmental issues.
  In 2005, I gave a series of speeches on the threat China poses to our 
Nation. Now, 4 years later, we are in a position where they are the 
largest holder of our national debt, and my concerns regarding China 
remain the same.
  I have spent many years in activity in Africa, primarily Sub-Saharan 
Africa, and right now we are competing with China for the energy that 
is there. China is doing a better job than we are. They are competitors 
of ours not just militarily but economically. It is of great concern to 
me that as we continue to grow in our relationship and our dependence 
on China, our U.S. Government officials seem to place more value on the 
Chinese Government's treatment of the environment than the treatment of 
their own people and the threat they pose to our Nation.
  On the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, Pelosi and 
Geithner's omission is a disgrace to the memory of those who stood and 
many who died as they pleaded with the government to allow them basic 
freedoms that we as Americans possess and enjoy.
  Sadly, ignoring these issues is exactly what the Government of 
Beijing wants. They would like nothing more than to erase the memory of 
the Tiananmen Square massacre from our minds and from the minds of all 
people around the world. The Chinese Government would like us to forget 
that in June of 1989, they used lethal force of 300,000 troops strong 
to crush peaceful protestors who were seeking greater freedoms. The 
Chinese Government would like the image of that courageous man standing 
before the line of tanks to fade from our memory. However, we can't 
forget the hundreds who were murdered, the thousands who were injured, 
and the more than 20,000 people who were arrested and detained without 
trial due to the suspected involvement in the protests, specifically in 
Tiananmen Square.
  We don't know today where those people are. Most likely, they are 
still incarcerated someplace or they have been killed. The Communist 
government is so bent on wanting us to forget these issues that they 
have shut down blogs, blocking access to individual news sources such 
as Twitter, and denied access to popular sites such as YouTube.
  Since Tiananmen Square, China has continued to increase severe 
cultural suppression of ethnic minorities such as the Tibetans, the 
Uighurs; increase persecution of Chinese Christians, the Falun Gong, 
and other religious groups and other minorities; increase detention and 
harassment of dissidents and journalists; and has maintained tight

[[Page 13912]]

controls on freedom of speech and access to the Internet. We know 
journalists who right now are still incarcerated over there, but there 
is no trace of exactly where they are.
  Despite the promises to the contrary, China didn't provide greater 
access to the international media during the 2008 Olympic Games. Unlike 
the previous hosts of the past games, the Government in Beijing blocked 
access to certain Internet sites and media outlets in an attempt to 
censor free speech.
  As China grows economically and continues to exert its influence 
globally and thus considers itself a significant player on the world 
stage, I believe China should be held to a standard of political, 
religious, and ethical responsibility.
  Our country was founded by those who were seeking basic freedoms, and 
we have to stand for those who are doing the same in other countries. 
When basic freedoms can be practiced, countries thrive and prosper 
because people are allowed to choose a better way of life for 
themselves. We must also recognize the danger we place ourselves in by 
becoming closer and more dependent upon nations that continue to 
silence their people, deny them access to information and the ability 
to practice their cultures and beliefs. That is what is happening 
today.
  On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square, my 
colleague Senator Brown and I have introduced S. Res. 167 to remember 
the families and the victims who were killed in the June 1989 protest 
and to call on the Government of China to put an end to its continuing 
human rights violations. Our country must not remain silent, and many 
of my fellow colleagues in the Senate who are cosponsors of this 
resolution agree.
  This resolution calls on the Chinese Government to release all 
prisoners still in captivity as a result of their suspected involvement 
in Tiananmen Square protests and to release all others who are 
currently being imprisoned without cause. This resolution puts the 
Senate on record, encouraging the Chinese Government to allow freedom 
of speech and to access information, while ending the harassment, 
intimidation, and imprisonment practices the government has carried out 
against those who are minorities and who seek religious freedom. We 
also call on our government to uphold human rights in China. Our 
silence only dishonors those who lost their lives and freedoms in 
Tiananmen Square.
  We have this resolution right now. So far, we have cosponsors who 
have just found out about it and called in, including, in addition to 
Senator Brown and myself, Senators Graham, Lieberman, Kyl, Coburn, 
Vitter, Menendez, Webb, and Brownback. I encourage others to join in 
this message that I believe is a very clear message that should be sent 
by the United States.
  Today--this very day, this moment--there are 150,000 people who are 
protesting in Hong Kong right now because of the problems we are 
addressing with this resolution. So I encourage my colleagues to join 
in this resolution and get this message out loud and clear.

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