'89 student leader Wu'er Kaixi sends message of courage to 'Blank Paper Protestors' in China
'89學生領袖吾爾開希對中國'白紙革命者'呼籲要有勇氣
| 'The communists have managed to establish fear, but it’s not an inherited characteristic, the thirst for freedom is'
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Wu’er Kaixi (吾爾開希), called Monday (Nov. 28) on “Blank Paper Protestors” against the government in China to have courage and make the most of this “window of opportunity.” He said fear had been planted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 and that needed to be overcome. He added the CCP was under siege internally and by the West, likening China to a “pressure cooker, ready to explode.” Speaking to Taiwan News from Washington D.C., after representing Taiwan at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada, Kaixi said the spark of protest came from his hometown of Urumqi, in Xinjiang. China admitted just 10 lives were lost in a fire at a residential block locked down because of COVID, preventing fire and ambulance services from saving lives, but Kaixi believes this figure is up to four times higher. Kaixi claimed the majority of deaths were Uyghurs and said the outpouring of sympathy and solidarity among Chinese people comforted him. It showed, he said, that Chinese people did really care, even if information about the Xinjiang situation was scarce. “The fire was the cause, or the fuse, for protests around the country, for which I’m grateful because for the past 20 years it was my feeling that the Uyghur tragedy wasn’t recognized in China. This may have been because there was no information for them, but now many people have made their voices of condolence heard. That really comforts me.” Addressing the so-called Blank Paper Protests taking place in China that have seen thousands of people calling for CCP Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) to step down from power, Kaixi said it was “something I have been hoping for and calling for.” As a veteran of 1989, he said the Tiananmen crackdown enabled the CCP to rule with fear for a generation. He quoted former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) as saying that 20,000 people killed would give the communist party 20 years of security. “That prophecy was fulfilled for 33 years and, of course, that saddens me, but hearing the slogans in China last night, which were clearly political, they have also comforted me,” Kaixi said. “The communists have managed to establish fear, but it’s not an inherited characteristic, the thirst for freedom is. Courage is contagious, so I hope that the participants of these protests can encourage and be encouraged by each other.” Kaixi said the biggest difference between now and 33 years ago is modern technology. “We did not have that in 1989. News can spread really quick these days with the internet. This means we can grow with each other’s courage and so it can become like an epidemic of freedom and spread ever further.” There is a chance for genuine reform in China, for the people to make their voices heard by the ruling party, Kaixi said. “The world may see Xi Jinping secure in his position after the 20th party congress, but he also made a lot of enemies in the system, so that gives a window of opportunity for Xi stepping down a chance.” “And people will ask for more than just Xi stepping down, I can guarantee you that. There will be a second demand for freedom of expression and perhaps even democracy.” Under siege at home because of its zero-COVID policy, brutal lockdowns, and increasing economic damage as a result, Kaixi added: “They are also under siege by the outside world, led by the U.S. The world is waking up to the fact that the CCP regime is a direct threat to modern civilization and the previous policy of engagement was wrong and illusory.” “China is a high-pressure cooker and it could explode. It has come to its limit and Xi is the one person who contributed to that limit.” Finally, asked what his message to China’s present-day student leaders is, Kaixi responded by saying: “My apologies for not being able to resolve the issue and that we passed on the duty to your generation. Please do not make the same mistake and pass it on to the next generation.” The Blank Paper Protests in China were inspired by the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement, when Beijing’s newly imposed National Security Law prevented direct criticism of the CCP and its president. In response, a campaigner held up a blank, white sheet of paper to protest the situation without technically breaking the law. |
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| Jules Quartly, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer | |
| 2022-11-28 |
