June 4, 1999
ON MY MIND / By A.M. ROSENTHAL
Meeting At Tiananmen
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Anniversary statement time. For
a few days, in America and Europe,
politicians will express sorrow at the
murder of the young Chinese shot
down in Tiananmen Square on June
4, 1989, because they had gathered to
cry out for freedom.
Statements will come from two
kinds of people. For the sake of the
Chinese people, and our national
soul, Americans should remember
the difference.
One group will be those who for
years have struggled with their governments to use trade and political
pressure against the Communists --
to lessen persecution of Chinese and
Tibetans who fight for religious and
political liberties. They struggled,
lost, keep struggling.
The other set of people will say a
shame, Tiananmen, but we must not
let that interfere with America's policy of "engagement" with China.
Bland word -- but it means American political deals with the Chinese
Politburo, which ordered the Tiananmen massacre, coziness with Chinese
officers who command Beijing's espionage apparatus and U.S. business
appeasement of Chinese trade ministries. Left outside engagement are the
Chinese and Tibetan people -- particularly those jailed and tortured for
expressing forbidden thoughts.
The sardonic promise from President Clinton that this engagement
would improve Chinese human
rights and American security is a
nasty joke by now to everybody but
the U.S.-China business lobbies and
their groupies in the U.S. Government and press.
The engagers besmirch the American nation. By using their money and
influence to strengthen Chinese
Communist power, they brand the
U.S. unfaithful to the freedoms that
sustain America itself.
Western money, which so often
propped up other dictatorships, now
helps the Politburo dispose of dissidents, condemn millions to forced
labor and give Christians the choice
between worshiping in Government-controlled churches and going to jail
for praying underground.
Another form of Western help --
utter passivity -- allows the Communists to continue the genocidal war
against Tibet. Tony Clifton, who
knows Asia long and well, reports in
the international edition of Newsweek
that only shards of the Tibetan civilization are left in Lhasa -- and stables
of imported Chinese prostitutes.
In his 1992 campaign, Mr. Clinton
ran as a human rights advocate favoring trade restrictions against China. Within two years he was preaching that increased trade would mean
increased human rights for China
and increased security for the U.S.
The Politburo itself exposed that
as a lie -- by crackdowns on dissidents, more pressure against free
religion and stepping up anti-American espionage until it became a major industry. Mr. Clinton apparently
discovered the espionage about 20
minutes ago.
But, true blue, he is fighting another battle for China -- to maintain
its most-favored-nation trade status.
That would prevent America raising
tariffs to get Beijing's attention and
respect. If Congress goes along with
Mr. Clinton, both will be firmly lying
down at Beijing's feet.
Still, some frequently clear-thinking Americans echo the morally
crippling Clintonian dogma -- engagement through mental compartmentalization.
Andrew Grove, president of Intel
Corporation, believes in parallel universes -- trade, political, geopolitical
and technological. Tie them together,
he said to David Sanger of The New
York Times, and they will all "stop
making progress" if one "hits a
brick wall."
Mr. Grove ignores two other universes. The historical universe
shows the wall is hit, hard, when no
connection is drawn between trade
or technology universes and the moral universe, excuse the expression.
Senator John McCain, a Republican candidate for President, wants
troops used to achieve military victory against Serbia, but does not
seem interested in even partial political victory in China -- no bombs, no
troops needed, just democratic conviction.
He says Chinese espionage should
be judged "on the basis of our trade
interests." The scandal, says he, is
not about China's spying but "that
we let them." Familiar? Blame the
cops, give the thieves a free pass.
But instead, at this Tiananmen anniversary, perhaps we will realize at
last that three groups, or universes,
were in the square and still are: the
Politburo killers, the murdered Chinese, and ourselves.