Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official U.S. House headshot
Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official U.S. House headshot
The House Select Committee on China convened a press conference in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. The event underscored the bravery of dissidents and pro-democracy advocates in China.
Various speakers attended, sharing a unified message: support for freedom against the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) totalitarian regime. Chairman Moolenaar remarked, "For 76 years, the CCP’s greatest victims have been the Chinese people themselves, millions dead, millions more living under fear, censorship, and repression. Even the act of remembering Tiananmen is illegal in China today." He added, "But we remember. We remember the students who held up banners calling for reform. The workers who refused to leave. The man who stood in front of a tank and reminded the world what courage looks like."
Chairman Moolenaar was joined by Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Young Kim (R-CA), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Jill Tokuda (D-HI). Two Chinese dissidents and victims of CCP repression, Wang Dan and Wei Jingsheng, also spoke at the event.
Chairman Moolenaar emphasized that the U.S. stands as a symbol of freedom and democracy—values that contrast with those promoted by the CCP. As part of his efforts during the event, he delivered a letter urging Washington D.C.'s Mayor Muriel Bowser to end its sister-city relationship with Beijing. This move aims to reject CCP propaganda and show solidarity with the Chinese people.
"In Washington D.C., our citizens enjoy freedom of speech, petition, and assembly. In Beijing, under the CCP’s rule, the Chinese people have no such rights," states the letter. It continues by reflecting on past hopes that ties established between Washington D.C. and Beijing in 1984 would lead to positive change within China—a hope dashed by events like Tiananmen Square.
The letter was signed by several speakers from the event including Chairman Moolenaar, CECC Co-Chair Smith, Representatives Bilirakis, Kim, Newhouse, Nunn as well as Representatives Andy Barr (R-KY), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), and Rob Wittman (R-VA).
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