Tuesday marked the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, a brutal event during which Chinese communist forces gunned down untold numbers of protestors seeking greater political freedoms from the oppressive regime.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo clearly knows his history, and released a statement Monday commemorating the event — angering the Chinese government and further pushing U.S.-Chinese relations into hostile territory:
On June 4, we honor the heroic protest movement of the Chinese people that ended on June 4, 1989, when the Chinese Communist Party leadership sent tanks into Tiananmen Square to violently repress peaceful demonstrations calling for democracy, human rights, and an end to rampant corruption.
Pompeo went on to praise the “heroes of the Chinese people” who stood up for their basic human rights and liberties.
But praising the brave protestors is not what makes Pompeo’s statement such a story — it's what he added about the Chinese government:
Over the decades that followed, the United States hoped that China’s integration into the international system would lead to a more open, tolerant society. Those hopes have been dashed.
Implying that the United States has lost its patience with China’s government and its repressive ways, Pompeo went on to cite the regime’s particular hostility toward the Uighur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region, where estimates have over a million of the group interned in what the Chinese have dubbed "voluntary reeducation camps."
Apparently, voluntary reeducation camps include torture. Who knew?
Pompeo has been taking an increased interest in China’s oppression of the nation's Uighur population, meeting with four Uighurs in March to discuss China’s human rights abuses. Soon after meeting with Pompeo, one of the Uighurs and a U.S. citizen, Ferkat Jawdat, received news that his aunt and uncle had been moved from a detention camp and sentenced to eight years in prison.
"Voluntary." Sure.
Pompeo ended his statement by urging the Chinese government “to make a full, public accounting of those killed or missing to give comfort to the many victims of this dark chapter of history.” This is an issue, considering the Chinese government denies the Tiananmen Square Massacre ever happened in a miserable attempt at gaslighting.
Pompeo continued:
China’s own constitution stipulates that all power belongs to the people. History has shown that nations are stronger when governments are responsive to their citizens, respect the rule of law, and uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Needless to say, China isn’t happy with Pompeo for digging up their dirty laundry and pushing for a complete overhaul of how their government operates. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy asserted that Pompeo’s statement was made “out of prejudice and arrogance."
“Under the pretext of human rights, the statement grossly intervenes in China's internal affairs, attacks its system, and smears its domestic and foreign policies," the spokesperson continued, alleging that “China's human rights are in the best period ever.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang also came out to bash Pompeo, saying his “lunatic ravings and babbling nonsense will only end up in the trash can of history.”
Now, some might consider someone saying something along the lines of “China's human rights are in the best period ever” are lunatic ravings, but to each his own.
As the Trump administration's relationship with China deteriorates, one must wonder what sort of change will be brought on by the sudden shift in approach to the communist juggernaut.