Rep-elect Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) says that U.S. politicians should defend the Chinese protesters who fight against Beijing’s stringent zero-COVID policies.
“Any time there’s abuse of human rights anywhere in this country, we all must stand up to defend them. Think what the protesters are doing. It sounds like [they’re] really taking the stand for their own lives, for their own rights, for humanitarian efforts,” Ramirez said in an interview with The Epoch Times’ sister media NTD Television on Dec. 7.
“To me, the dignity of human rights is absolute priority and all policy that we look at, we have to look at it from that angle.”
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Dec. 1 sent a letter to China’s ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, warning of “grave consequences for the U.S.–China relationship” if the communist regime were to carry out a violent suppression of demonstrations similar to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
The letter came after reports emerged that the Chinese police had responded with notable force as protests continue to rage across China over the regime’s harsh COVID-19 policies.
He reiterated that the United States shouldn’t be concerned about any commercial impact that might arise.
“I think we need to stand up for values that distinguish us from the Chinese Communist Party in the eyes of people who see us as a beacon of freedom and independence,” Blumenthal said in an interview on the same day.
“As the old saying goes, it’s not only the example of our power, it’s the power of our example that appeals to people around the world, including the people of China. And we can’t allow China to cow us or intimidate us, simply because they have a strong economy.
“In fact, they are damaging their own economy with many of their anti-democratic tactics.”
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), another letter signer, expressed hope that the Chinese protesters would be persistent in their quest for freedom and democracy.
“I hope they keep persisting, because I think this is just the start of a country that has largely gotten by with doing things that most places across the world wouldn’t consider normal,” Braun told NTD on Dec. 7.
“I think it’s a limitation to their own economy growing if they’re going to keep such an autocratic political system.”
According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the public discontent shows that the Chinese people are fed up with the authoritarian regime under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“I think that under Xi, China has become far more authoritarian. Yet the Chinese people are far more democratic (small d), and they don’t like it,” Schumer told NTD.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) weighed in, saying she shared many of the concerns raised in the stark warning letter.
“I think it’s important for the United States to be clear that we’re watching this very carefully. And we would urge the people in the Chinese government to understand that we have had this experience before with Tiananmen Square,” she said.
“So let’s hope that democracy continues to prevail.”
