Chris Smith: “I urge a yes vote on this important human rights resolution. Nine years ago today, the ground of Tiananmen Square was…”

“I urge a yes vote on this important human rights resolution. Nine years ago today, the ground of Tiananmen Square was hallowed by the blood of thousands of peaceful democracy advocates. Those Chinese patriots were slaughtered by a communist regime that remains unapologetic for its actions and that continues to deny the truth of what happened. It is repugnant that the President of the United States of America, the country that, foremost of any of the world, ought to bear the standard of freedom and democracy, would meet at the very site with dictators who continue to lie about the murders committed less than a decade ago. This resolution is not anti-China. It is anti-abuse, the abuse that was endured by those democracy activists, that was witnessed by the world via C-SPAN, via CNN and other networks that were there on the scene. Mr. Speaker, in December of 1996 General Chi Haotian, the Defense Minister of the People's Republic of China and the operational commander of the forces that attacked the pro-democracy demonstrators, was invited to the United States by the Clinton Administration.”