Taiwan’s top China policymaking body is calling on Beijing to respond to the Chinese people’s demands for freedom and democracy. The call comes as the world prepares to mark the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Incident on Thursday.
The Mainland Affairs Council says that China’s refusal to tell the truth about the incident, or come to terms with it, is regrettable. The council says China’s government should institute political reforms, reexamine the Tiananmen Square massacre, and apologize for it.
The council criticized the long-standing lack of freedom and human rights in China under one-party Communist rule.
It cited Beijing’s holding of Uyghurs in concentration camps, its persecution of religious groups and dissidents, and its recent erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy. It also alluded to the suppression of people who warned about the COVID-19 outbreak before it reached pandemic proportions. It said that Beijing’s clamp down on freedom of speech has damaged the health and lives of the Chinese people.
The council said China’s use of violence and surveillance are depriving people of basic rights. It said now is the time for Beijing to correct its mistakes, institute reforms, and give its people their rights.