The 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests: Examining the Significance of the 1989 Demonstrations in China and Implications for U.S. Policy
628 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
| Thursday, June 4, 2009 - 2:15pm to 4:00pm
Transcript (PDF) (Text)
This CECC hearing examined the significance of the Tiananmen Square protests and their suppression in Beijing 20 years ago. How have citizen demands for government accountability and democracy changed in 20 years? What impact have the 1989 demonstrations had on the Chinese government and Communist Party over the last two decades? What are the implications, if any, of the 1989 demonstrations for U.S. policy toward China today?
View a recorded video of this hearing here.
Opening Statements
Senator Byron Dorgan, Chairman
Representative Sander Levin, Cochairman
Representative Tim Walz
Senator John Barrasso
Representative Christopher H. Smith
Representative Joe Pitts
Representative David Wu
Representative Marcy Kaptur
Witnesses
Mr. Winston Lord, former U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, 1985-1989
Dr. Perry Link, Chancellorial Chair for Teaching Across Disciplines, University of California, Riverside; Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies, Princeton University
Dr. Susan Shirk, Director, University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation; Ho Miu Lam Professor of China and Pacific Affairs, School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego; Arthur Ross Fellow, Asia Society Center on US-China Relations
Dr. Yang Jianli, Tiananmen protest participant; President, Initiatives for China; Fellow, Harvard University Committee on Human Rights Studies