18 years after the ruthless massacre of student protesters in Tiananmen, what has really changed? The authoritarian government of China still refuses to apologize for the slaughter of innocent voices calling for increased democracy in China. The communist regime still exercises an iron-grip on state-controlled media and internet access. Ruthless persecution still continues against Falun Dafa practitioners, while democracies such as Taiwan and Japan feel growing unease at China's double-digit increases of its military budget.
European leaders must realize that the human rights situation in China is still in a terrible state. Rather than ignoring such human rights violations, they must condemn the abuses committed by the communist regime. They must state clearly that the E.U. arms embargo will remain until the human rights situation drastically improves and China renounces the use of force against democratic Taiwan. Europeans believe strongly in the values of freedom and democracy. It is time for their leaders to express such sentiments.
