President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday urged China to redress the wrongs of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, saying that concrete efforts to do so would bring the two sides of the Taiwan Strait closer together.
“This is the last chance I will have to share my thoughts about the June 4th Incident with you in my capacity as president, so today I’m making a special appeal,” Ma said in a statement to mark the 26th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing.
“I’m urging the mainland China authorities to squarely face history, heal old wounds and create a common future with a more firm foundation of dialogue,” he said in the statement.
China’s economic reforms over the past three decades have been tremendously successful, but its political reforms have lagged far behind, the president said.
He said the incident still informs the international community’s perception of human rights in China.
“Over time, numerous other incidents have also come to light, which is very disappointing for those who would like to see deeper and more extensive cross-strait relations,” Ma said.
Referring to a statement by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait need to come to a meeting of the minds, Ma said “any true meeting of the minds depends on mainland China vigorously pushing for democratic reforms.”
He called on the Chinese government to redress the wrongs of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
“Concrete efforts [by China] to do that would have a powerfully positive impact on Taiwan, and draw the two sides of the Taiwan Strait closer together,” he said. “It would also give both sides a more stable and diversified common foundation, while breaking new ground for future generations.”
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