Click here to read the article from Foreign Policy.

Posted May 28, 2009

The memoirs of Zhao Ziyang provide insight into what China would be like today if the 1989 democracy movement had prevailed.

Last democratic words: Zhao Ziyang speaks through a megaphone to striking students in Tiananmen Square in 1989 just weeks before the government used force to put down the protests. We must establish that [the] final goal of political reform is the realization of this advanced political system. If we don’t move towards this goal, it will be impossible to resolve the abnormal conditions in China’s market economy.”

One of the most sincere advocates for an “advanced political system” in China — a system that included an independent judiciary, freedom of the press, and the right of citizens to organize (in a word, democracy) — was not a disenchanted dissident or an armchair academic. Writing at the most unlikely of times, the man was Zhao Ziyang, secretary general of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Zhao was toppled in 1989 after trying to peacefully negotiate with student demonstrators — like myself — in Tiananmen Square. His fall paved the way for hard-liners, under the leadership of CCP official Deng Xiaoping, to crush the demonstrations with soldiers and tanks on the morning of June 4, 1989. In one bold, violent stroke, the one-party regime, teetering on the verge of collapse, found reprieve. Zhao’s vision of a more moderate democratic future, one meticulously documented in his recently released memoirs, vanished from the scene, its author put under house arrest.
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Emotional press conference hears testimony of athlete Fang Zheng whose legs were crushed by Chinese army tank during crackdown of June 4, 1989

Pictured: (In wheelchair) Mr. Fang Zheng, (right) Ms. Grace Wang, Translator, (background) Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey.

(Washington, D.C. May18, 2009) — Mr. Fang Zheng, a victim of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre and world class athlete gave an emotional recount of his ordeal on the morning of June 4, 1989 as Chinese tanks and soldiers plowed through Tiananmen Square indiscriminately killing and injuring thousands of peaceful demonstrators, most of them students like Mr. Fang. Fang legs were mangled under a Chinese tank as he pushed a fellow student to safety “What kind of government would tell people in tanks to run over their own citizens?” Mr. Fang asked.

Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, spoke passionately about the ongoing repression of the Chinese government. “China’s human rights record is getting worse not better. Our silence enables their behavior” said Mr. Smith.

Hudson Senior Fellow and former Reagan Administration official, Mr. Michael Horowitz, spoke of his confidence that democracy will come to China “sooner rather than later because of brave patriots like Mr Fang and Dr. Yang.” He said a major step toward democratization is to break the firewalls that the Chinese government has erected to keep truth and freedom of expression from the Chinese people. “These firewalls are the Berlin Walls of the 21st Century. Once they are torn down, freedom will pour into China” said Mr. Horowitz.

Dr. Yang Jianli, Tiananmen Survivor and Former Political Prisoner, Calls for Action Initiatives for China president and also a survivor of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Dr. Yang Jianli, echoed the calls for action. “It is up to the Chinese people to drive democratic reforms, but the moral and political support of the American government is vital” said Dr. Yang. He said that he was delighted that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, outspoken supporter of human rights, would be traveling to China around the time of the 20th Anniversary of Taiananmen Square Crackdown. “I urge Speaker Pelosi to take concrete actions to show the Chinese government that advancement of human rights in China is critical to the development of America’s relationship with China”. Dr. Yang went on to recommend specific actions for Speaker Pelosi to take on her trip including a meeting with the Mothers of Tiananmen, a group of mothers whose children were killed, wounded, or imprisioned as a result of their presence in Tianamen Square on the morning of June 4, 1989. “This would be a great signal to the Chinese government as it has never acknowedeged that the Tiananmen massacre ever occured” said Dr. Yang.

click here to see the article on Boston Globe.html

Thursday, May 12, 2009 8:57 AM
By David Abel, Globe Staff

For the second time in less than a year, Chinese dissident and Harvard fellow Yang Jianli was refused entry into his native country.

His latest effort to enter Hong Kong was stymied Saturday night, he said in a telephone interview today after returning to Boston.

Yang, a permanent US resident with a valid Chinese passport who was released in 2007 after five years in a Chinese prison, was denied entry after flying to Hong Kong from Taipei, Taiwan. He said he was hoping to meet with democracy activists to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

“They gave me no explanation why they wouldn’t let me into my country,” he said, noting his passport remains valid until June 2017. “They said, according to Hong Kong law, they had made an assessment on my case, and they could not let me in. They refused to answer my questions.”

When he told them they were violating Hong Kong law, he said, they kept repeating, “No comment.”

“I told them that they must have a black list,” he said.

His last effort to enter China came last August on the eve of the Olympics in Beijing as part of a coordinated effort to test how China would react to the return of dissidents at a sensitive time.

“The refusal of Hong Kong authorities to give any cause for denying Dr. Yang’s entry into Hong Kong strongly indicates that they were operating under direct orders from the government in Beijing,” said Jim Geheran, director of Initiatives for China, which promotes democracy there, in a telephone interview.

Yang said he was provided rice and tea and held for two hours before Chinese authorities put him on a plane back to Taipei.

“They treated me OK,” he said. “They just wouldn’t answer any questions.”

He said he plans to keep trying to return, but he doesn’t expect anything will change until the government changes.

“If there’s a black list, I’m on it, and I don’t think I’ll be off it until the overall situation changes in China,” he said.

2nd time in less than a year Harvard Fellow, Yang Jianli, refused entry into his country

Washington DC, May 9, 2009. Noted pro democracy architect and Harvard Fellow Dr. Yang Jianli was refused entry into Hong Kong at approximately 8:00 p.m. Hong Kong time (8:00 a.m. EDT). Hong Kong authorities gave no reason for the refusal. A permanent resident of the United States, Dr. Yang is a Chinese citizen with a valid Chinese passport. Dr. Yang flew into Hong Kong from Taipei, Taiwan.

According to Initiatives for China Director, Jim Geheran, this is the second time in less than a year that Dr. Yang has been refused entry into his own country. “On August 5, 2008, Dr. Yang was refused entry into Hong Kong and detained without cause for several hours before he was forcibly put on a plane to Japan,” Geheran said.

“The refusal of Hong Kong authorities to give any cause for denying Dr. Yang’s entry into Hong Kong strongly indicates that they were operatinog under direct orders from the government in Beijing,” Geheran said.

Geheran emphasized that under both Chinese law and well established international law, a citizen with a valid passport cannot be blocked from entering or leaving his home country. According to Geheran, the incident with Dr. Yang is typical of how the Chinese government routinely overlooks its own and international laws. “We must ask ourselves which way the world is going when a government that rules 20% of the world’s population, is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and the second largest trading partner of the U.S., disregards international law at will.” commented Mr. Geheran.

In a brief conversation with Dr. Yang, Geheran reported that Dr. Yang was “very disappointed” that Hong Kong authorities had refused him entry “When the rule of men overrides the rule of law, people are stripped of their dignity. This is what Tiananmen taught us in 1989, and this is what Charter 08 tells us in 2009,” Dr. Yang said.

Dr. Yang is on a long-planned international itinerary that will take him to several countries including Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. The purpose of his trip is to particpate in activities to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the June 4th Pro Democracy Movement, which abruptly ended when Chinese army tanks rolled across Tiananmen Square in Beijing on the morning of June 4, 1989. An untold number of people were killed or wounded. To this date the Chinese government has not aknowledged that this event ever happened.

Dr. Yang will return to the U.S. in time to participate in the 20th Anniversary Tiananmen Commemoration event on Capitol Hill, Washington DC on June 4, 2009. For more information visit www.initiativesforchina.org.

- Speech Delivered by Dr. Yang Jianli
Harvard Senior Fellow, President, Initiatives for China
Defense Forum Foundation
February 27, 2009

Good afternoon, Thank you Suzanne for inviting me to address the Defense Forum Foundation. And thank you Ed for sharing Dr. Edwards’ letter with us. I applaud Dr. Edwards and everyone associated with Victims of Communism Memorial for their vision and their fortitude in making this monument a reality.

I also thank everyone here, particularly the hard working staff from Congress and the executive departments for taking the time to come to this luncheon. I will do my best to give some good food for thought that will assist you with the difficult work you have in turning information into effective legislation and policy.

I will talk of 3 things this afternoon. Then I will answer any questions you may have:
1. The importance of the struggle for democracy in China to the long term strategic interest of the United States and the World,
2. The three conditions that must be present at the same time to effect a political change in a country like China
3. The specific foreign policy options Charter 08 presents for achieving an open, stable, democratic China.
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“Tiananmen + 20 Years”
is the topic of Gustavus Adolphus College’s 29th annual MAYDAY! Peace Conference held Wednesday, April 29, 2009 on the college campus.

Featured speakers:

Andrew Nathan, Ph.D, department of political science at Columbia University and a leading expert on Chinese affairs and politics, opens the daylong conference at 10:00 a.m. in Christ Chapel. The afternoon keynote speaker is Yang Jianli, Ph.D, human rights activist and a participant in the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations. His talk and the closing ceremony will be hosted in Christ Chapel.

KEYC-TV covers MAYDAY! Peace Conference.\”29th MAYDAY! Peace Conference\”
29th MAYDAY! Peace Conference
May Day isn’t until Friday, but at Gustavus Adolphus College May Day is today.It’s the 29th annual MAYDAY Peace Conference.This year’s theme is “Tiananmen-plus-20 years”.The conference looked at topics relating to human rights and social justice on life in China.It is the 20th anniversary since the protest and massacre at Tiananmen Square.The day consisted of workshops and speeches focusing on the possibility of democracy in China.MAYDAY keynote speaker Dr. Yang Jianli says, “The Chinese regime must feel the pressure. Without pressure, we do not win.”Previous MAYDAY conferences have focused on hunger, Africa’s AIDS crisis, violence in the community, and others.
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By Ti-Anna Wang, daughter of Dr. Wang Bingzhang

 Last week, after communicating with the Dalai Lama’s staff in New York, Times and I were invited to have a private audience with His Holiness. Because of his busy schedule during his stay in Boston and New York, we were asked to travel to Santa Barbara, CA to meet him. So we both flew, from DC and Durham, and met up in LA where we rented a car and drove along the Pacific Coast to Santa Barbara to the only hostel in the quaint town.

The night before our meeting, we fretted about how to best make use of our time with the Dalai Lama. We walked along the wharf under dim lamplights. The gentle sound of the waves was punctuated by the distant barks of sea lions. In this calm, we pondered the nature of our meeting. The impetus of our audience with the Dalai Lama was our father’s imprisonment, but we were not meeting a political figure who had influence with the Chinese government. We decided the best questions would focus on the spiritual dimension of our dilemma. Supposedly, the Dalai Lama had some measure of insight into spirituality. [Read more →]