Posted on 03/14/2016 3:30:20 PM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
TAIPEI (AFP) - A former leader of the Tiananmen Square protests in China has lashed out at US presidential hopeful Donald Trump, whom he dubbed a "privileged comeback king", and warned America is at risk of abandoning its cherished freedoms.
Wu'er Kaixi said he was speaking on behalf of Chinese democracy dissidents everywhere in condemning the provocative property magnate, who was criticised last week after describing the 1989 demonstration in Beijing as a "riot".
"Speaking personally, after 27 years in exile from that 'riot'... I think I can speak for all fellow exiled and imprisoned Chinese in condemning Trump," Wu'er wrote in a commentary posted on his official Facebook page.
"I am not alone in appealing to the very same Americans who offered Chinese such as myself refuge when our own government deserted us to put aside partisan disputes and unite against Trump," the activist said.
In a televised exchange, Republican frontrunner Trump was quizzed about his 1990 comments on the student-led protests and subsequent government crackdown that costs hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives, in which he referred to "the power of strength".
Speaking on CNN, Trump insisted he was not endorsing the Chinese Communist Party's brutal response, which saw the military brought in to crush the protests.
"I said that is a strong, powerful government that put it down with strength," he said.
"And then they kept down the riot. It was a horrible thing. It doesn't mean at all I was endorsing it."
Wu'er lived in the US after fleeing China in the aftermath of the protests, but has resided in Taiwan for the past two decades.
He has tried to return to China on several occasions, but has been denied entry each time.
The Communist Party today under President Xi Jinping continues to block any activists advocating democratic reforms, and has tightened its grip on the media.
"Politically, in China, nothing has changed - if anything it has become worse in recent years," Wu'er said.
"Trump, a privileged comeback king from a litany of failed fast-buck business scams, is an enemy of the values that America deeply defines itself by: the same values that have long provided hope to the victims of oppressive power worldwide.
"Those of us who have fought for freedom anywhere in the world worry that something is about to change in America."
© 2016 AFP
And the protestors were still Communists who believed that workers should run the factories.
He’s been very savvy, too, for his company’s bottom line, to contract with a US manufacturer located in Jiangling City, Fujian Province (not stateside with a US labor force) to produce T shirts, golf wear and other things for western markets, using low cost Chinese workers. So I cast no aspersion on Trump about any lack of knowledge of China and the Chinese due to his business deals there with the PRC.
good one
No one can be certain where we would be today if the Chinese Student Uprising would have been even marginally successful but relations today likely would be easier and Chinese human rights abuses far less.
Reagan was a natural no-nonsense, hands-on leader who got things done directly with his famous we win, they lose attitude. Lawyers want to gum, er, talk their opponents to death.
i’ll only ask this once, then not bring it up again.
it did sound like he admired the crackdown. why?
NO ONE else admired the crackdown.
It’s kind of like saying he was against the Warsaw Uprising, but boy did the Germans show power in putting it down.
A lot of people died as a result of that failed Chinese revolution.
I’m with Trump now, and I just have to let that statement go.
God, please don’t let him be a dictator wanna be. Please.
Fact is, if I’m not mistaken, as posted previously in your first thread, Mr. Trump never actually used the word “riot”.
Something misunderstood in translation?
If what was previously posted is true, these knuckleheads are getting bent out of shape for no reason.
come on man, they were facing down tanks. I’m with Trump now but don’t excuse an inexcusable statement.
he CAN be wrong, you know
we’re not voting for God.
we’re voting for a man.
His statement was wrong. In every way. Now we should forget it and move on.
Trump doesn’t have an articulate bone in his body.
no, you’re wrong. Read his statement. It reads bad
geez, the guy was wrong. He can be wrong.
he’s not God. He’s a man running for president.
i’ll let the statement go and move forward but how the #### are you guys justifying what he said?
That was mistaken and I and another FReeper than provided the exact quote, where he did both admire the power of the Chinese Government (with condoning it) but refered in fact to the student rebellion as a "riot." This is precisely why the Chinese dissident movement is in a ruckus over it.
THAT is the ONE thing that would makes sense why he didn’t want any great shake up in China.
I can understand not wanting to lose millions.
That reason is a lot better than the alternative.
He sees the damage outsourcing has done now and is willing to do something about it
So he’s not in the tank for Trump... big deal.
Only 4 or 5 of the most recognizable/vocal made it out that I’m aware of. I was due to report to Beijing for 6 months for language studies/consulate work as a new ensign when I was stopped in Hong Kong. Spent the next 30 days there before returning stateside. Wu’er was one of the top 3 in the college aged kids. I have T-shirts stashed with his and other leaders photos on them and extremely graphic books where all the pictures were smuggled out in the aftermath.
I deal with Chinese for work quite a bit and avoid the subject. I’ve had a few bring it up to me and I always tell them the same thing - we’ll talk if you get stateside, else I won’t speak to it.
At first embarrassed with the "gotcha", he said "yes, I would love to do that. Sure!" And we are now four years later. When do you think he might actually do something about it? As a businessman, could he have discontinued the contract manufacturing and moved them to Jamaica Plains, New York, like he and the host imagined in the interview? I've seen it.
Link to the quote that proves you are correct.
I’ve seen the transcript and he did not say “riot”.
Link to the statement where he used “riot”.
I have not been able to locate a credible source for his statement using the word riot, and all of the actual transcripts I have seen do not back up his or your claim.
one thing I’ve finally learned is, we’re not voting for a superhero. :)
once I realized that, life was easier.
Perot, that ####, after messing up the election all those years ago, outsourced last year.
If Trump comes in and slashes regulations and taxes and makes it appealing to come back to the US, companies will.
I am hoping and making a risky bet that his business decisions will have been different than his presidential decisions
Happy to. Trump did term it a riot. How in the hell could this be not, if we have news reports all over the place and Chinese dissidents have an open letter going around. But for the sake of proving it, I shall give you the URL. I already had FReepers apologize to me last night because they insisted he did not and then were shown that he did. Of course the defensive response here of rationalization will be, when shown he used these terms, that it really doesnt mean much anyway. Standby.
Here you go. You gotta scroll way down for it. Just keyword search "Tienanmen", or better yet "riot", if you would like to see Trump's comment.
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