Tom Lantos: “Let me first pay tribute to my good friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who has been such an…”

“Let me first pay tribute to my good friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who has been such an indefatigable fighter for human rights across the globe and particularly with respect to China and Tibet. Listening to my friend from New Jersey, I am reminded of a picture I have in my office as one enters, and that picture, one of the most precious photos of all times, shows a lone young Chinese man standing up to a line of tanks, defying totalitarian tyranny with courage and devotion to the principles that our Constitution was built on. Mr. Speaker, 15 years ago today, China's senior leaders huddled behind the walls of their compound near the Forbidden City. They had a critically important decision to make, whether to reach out to the students and workers gathered in Tiananmen Square and address their concerns about party corruption and lack of democracy or seek to squash the movement with force, if necessary. Sadly for the cause of freedom and justice and for the lives of thousands of young Chinese citizens, the leadership of China made the wrong decision.”