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

[ Full text of testimony ]

Dr. Perry Link, Chancellorial Chair for Teaching Across Disciplines, University of California, Riverside; Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies, Princeton University

[ Full text of testimony ]

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

[ Full text of testimony ]

Dr. Yang Jianli, Tiananmen protest participant; President, Initiatives for China; Fellow, Harvard University Committee on Human Rights Studies

[ Full text of testimony ]