Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article: A1259-W875

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A1259-W875

Release Date: November 10, 2019

发布日：2019年11月10日

Topic: US Congressman: Hong Kong is the New Berlin -- Voice of America Report

标题：美议员：香港是新的柏林 -- 美国之音报道

Original Language Version: Chinese (Chinese version at the end)

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US Congressman: Hong Kong is the New Berlin

-- Voice of America

Washington -

On the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a member of the US Congress said that Hong Kong is the new Berlin.

Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), said in a video speech on the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall held by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation on Friday, November 8: "We know that the horror of communism is not over. The actions of the Chinese government are particularly alarming. They have increased their influence globally and continue to suppress Muslim Uyghurs, Christians and others in the country. Today, Hong Kong is the new Berlin. "

He said that if people stand firm as in the Cold War, "we will get a victory for freedom as it was 30 years ago."

On November 9, 1989, the East Germans broke through and overthrew the Berlin Wall which was built by the Communist government to block the exodus of East Germans into West Germany. The fall of the Berlin Wall was an important symbol of the end of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the end of the Cold War.

Lee Edwards, chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, said that before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the leaders of the Communist countries declared that the wall could stand for a century, but the collapse of the Berlin Wall not only proved that they were wrong, but also proved that even people living under the communist regime have the ability to overthrow the high walls that limit freedom.

He said to the Voice of America: "So there is always a possibility. If you stand up to tell the truth and tell the truth to the authorities, the dictatorship will collapse and the wall will collapse."

He believes that just as the Berlin Wall was a turning point during the Cold War, we are currently in a state of cold war with Hong Kong as a turning point. He said that the United States and other Western countries need to support the young people in Hong Kong and let them know that they are not isolated and helpless.

Last month, the US House of Representatives passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 without objection to show support for the democratic struggle of the Hong Kong people. However, this proposal, supported by the bipartisan congressional members, has not had legislative progress in the Senate after the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations passed it.

Senator Marco Rubio, the proponent of the Senate version of the bill, said on Twitter on Thursday that one way or another the bill "will soon be on the Senate floor." He said that although the senators have many issues to deal with, they aren't going to wait forever.

President Trump's position on the Hong Kong issue has been going back and forward. He once urged China to "humanely" deal with the Hong Kong issue and respect people's way of living in Hong Kong. However, after he basically reached a new phase of the trade agreement with China, he said that the situation in Hong Kong has improved. During a speech about China policy in October, Vice President Pence said that the United States stood with the Hong Kong people who demonstrated peacefully. He urged the Chinese government to continue to exercise restraint and called on the Hong Kong people to adhere to non-violence. But he did not mention the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019.

In 1989, the struggle of the European people ended the one-party rule of the Communist Party and pushed off the Berlin Wall, yet the democracy movement by the Chinese students ended in bloody suppression. Wei Jingsheng, chairman of the Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition, believes that one of the reasons for the failure is that the United States and other Western democracies did not give firm support. He hopes that when the Hong Kong people risk their lives fighting for democracy and freedom, the United States and other democratic countries would not make the same mistakes.

He said to the Voice of America: "The resistance of the people of Hong Kong will not change, they will continue; the stubborn attitude of the Chinese government will not change either, because that is its interest. It is afraid that issue of Hong Kong will spread to the democratization of China as a whole. When these two constant quantities are fighting to the death, the international community is a variable, ... this factor is not that big, but is the key factor, as it will tip the balance of the weight.

He thinks that if the Western countries do not push down the "Berlin Wall" in Hong Kong, they will make a historic mistake: "That is to say that, when you let the Communist regime get what it wants, it eventually will defeat you."

Also attending the event held by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation was the former German President Joachim Gauck. Gauck was a Lutheran pastor and civil society activist in East Germany, known for his criticism of communism and the promotion of human rights.

The Foundation awarded this year's Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom to Gauck.

At the event, Gauck shared some of his experiences at East Germany and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He said: "After many years of suppression, you could finally go to the streets with citizens to protest and demonstrate. It was a great feeling. For me, what is even more amazing is that I was elected as President of Germany and moved into the presidential palace in Berlin."

Original link to this article:

https://www.voachinese.com/a/congressman-hong-kong-is-new-berlin-20191108/5158715.html