Evidence of meeting #11 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chinese.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Jason Kenney
To the best of your knowledge, has the Chinese government ever acknowledged or recognized the deaths of students, the killing of students that occurred following Tiananmen Square?
Interpreter, As an Individual
You hear different versions from the government on the victims in that movement. From the very beginning, Yu Anmu, who was a government official, denied there were any deaths in the event, and then later on we heard that a few were killed, and then after that, a few dozen.
So there were different versions, because there were pressures from the outside world about this. But I believe that these numbers are far from being true, and that nobody knows the truth.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Jason Kenney
I have one last question.
You talked about pressure from the outside world being effective in some cases, including your own. I have a two-part question. The first part is, do you think that if the Chinese people had a choice, they would choose to be governed by the Communist Party?
My second question is, do you think those who support democratic reform in China are encouraged and motivated by foreign governments like Canada, who express concern about the human rights situation in China? Do you think it's helpful to the forces for reform when countries like Canada publicly express concern about the human rights situation?
Interpreter, As an Individual
In answer to your first question, the Chinese people are actually forced to accept the leadership of the Chinese Community Party. They really have no choice.
Secondly, after 1989, after June 4, it was Japan that first gave up its sanctions to China. In other words, if there were no compromises from any countries, would China's human rights situation be better today?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Jason Kenney
Okay.
Well, thank you again very much, Mr. Decheng. Thank you to the interpreter.
We'll adjourn this portion of the meeting. The committee will move in camera, so I would invite those who are not members of the committee, or their staff, to please leave the room.
Thank you very much.
[Proceedings continue in camera]