James Stuber, Contributor, The American Dossier
Hong Kong Protests vs. Tiananmen Square
Inevitably, we are drawn to a comparison of the current Hong Kong protests and those in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989.
Then, China had experienced a decade of economic growth, and the Chinese central government was encouraging some participation by citizens in political matters. Chinese students, especially, were embracing these whiffs of democracy, and in 1986 and 1987 led demonstrations demanding greater freedoms.
Hardliners responded with suppression, including the ousting of reform-minded Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang. When Hu died in April of 1989, his funeral became the catalyst for student-led demonstrations for democratic reforms, in Tiananmen Square and in numerous other Chinese cities. Hardliners feared chaos and insisted on suppressing the protests by force.
An initial attempt by the People’s Liberation Army to clear Tiananmen Square was unsuccessful as Beijing residents flooded the streets. On June 3rd, and 4th, the PLA sent in tanks and armed troops, crushing a shooting those who sought to block their advance; so, too, in other cities. Reference to the incident is banned in China; however, in Hong Kong, a remembrance is held every June 4th.
Parallels between China in 1989 and Hong Kong in 2019 include citizens of all walks of life flooding the streets to bring things to a halt, and a citizenry shocked at the brutality of the response by the “People’s” army and the Hong Kong police.
But the strongest parallel is the Chinese and Hong Kong citizens’ yearning for a constitutional government – one where the social contract among them is written down and applied through transparent rule of law, not the whim of a party elite seeking to stay in power.
It is fitting that I write these words on Constitution Day, commemorating September 17, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention concluded with the signing of the Constitution of the United States of America. The Preamble states that its purpose, among others, is to “secure the blessings of Liberty.” This is the ultimate goal of the Hong Kong protesters, as it was of the Chinese protesters of 1989. Let us pray that it ends differently, and that Hong Kong can be a beacon for a different path for China’s future.
Jim Stuber is the author of the recent book, What if Things Were Made in America Again: How Consumers Can Rebuild the Middle Class by Buying Things Made in American Communities.
In the book, Jim assesses the problem caused by sending American jobs overseas and
describes how consumers can solve it. Toward that end, Jim has founded a non-profit
organization, Made in America Again, with the goal of bringing home $500 billion in consumer spending, enough to balance trade and create six million jobs. Jim has kindly agreed to share his insights with The American Dossier from time to time.
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