4th June marks the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 10,000 Chinese civilians. When socialism collapsed in the Soviet Union, the Chinese society of 1989 viewed the opportunity to revolt against the regime. However, they failed at overthrowing communism as military tanks crushed their hopes, similar to the tanks in Venezuela today.
According to official figures, in 2017, the year of the maximum protests, 5 535 people died at the hands of the Venezuelan state security forces. 106 people died each week under 21st-century socialism.
Both countries face a common reality: Socialism governs these countries. Political and ideological persecution is rampant. The state seemingly legitimizes the use of force against its opponents.
#URGENTE | Una tanqueta militar de la dictadura de @NicolasMaduro atropella a manifestantes civiles que se encuentran en los alrededores de la Base Aérea La Carlota (Más info ? https://t.co/zdIDP0pGnO) #30Abr #Venezuela #OperacionLibertad pic.twitter.com/zXNjrkhpz1
— PanAm Post Español (@PanAmPost_es) April 30, 2019
During the latest massive protests in Venezuela in 2019, there is a live recording of a military tanker, loyal to Nicolas Maduro, attacking civilian demonstrators, running over several. This incident brings back memories of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989.
However, China did not criticize the violent actions of the regime. Instead, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang, announced through the official press that “It would continue to advance along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics”.
China did not rectify the massacre but affirmed that “the tremendous (economic) success of the Asian country shows that the decision they made was the right one.
“China would have followed the path of the Soviet Union and would have sunk,” if Chinese leaders “had not taken tough decisions to safeguard the country’s stability 30 years ago,” was the only explicit mention in official media of what had happened.
It appeared only in the Global Times, by Fudan University researcher Zhang Weiwei, while the other official media confined themselves to detailing the success of economic and social reforms.
Tiananmen Square, in the Chinese capital, was surrounded by active security measures to avoid any commemoration of the event.
Moreover, many activists took “mandatory vacations” in remote provinces, and the monitoring of internet searches tightened.
In the same way, internet services to the main cities of Venezuela were restricted amid massive protests against the regime.
As a service primarily provided by the state, the government can cut internet services in specific zones for hours and even days.
China has loaned Venezuela 54,000 million Euros
Socialism and repressions are not the only common factors between China and Venezuela. They are also commercial partners. In the last decade, China has lent Venezuela 54 billion euros (although some sources claim that the amount exceeds 70 billion).
Maduro still owes China a third of the loan. Thus China has apparent interests in maintaining the power of its ally to guarantee repayment of the debt.
Through loan repayment agreements, Venezuela has been able to pay part of the debt with oil. The government dedicated about 21% of the oil production for this purpose at the end of 2014 when it sent almost 600 thousand barrels of oil to China daily.
On a geopolitical level, there seems to be a Cold War 2.0. Socialist countries still compete with the US for regional influence.
For example, in the last decade, China has increased trade with Latin America by 210%. Its efforts include a budget proposal for the construction of a canal in Nicaragua with Chinese capital to compete with the Panama Canal that the US has constructed.
The European Union condemns the Tiananmen Square massacre
The international community rejected China’s position. The vice-president of the European Union, Federica Mogherini, condemned the Tiananmen Square massacre and invited the Chinese government to put into practice the recommendations against torture that the UN issued in February 2016.
Mogherini called for respect for those seeking to commemorate the date and for the government to acknowledge its responsibility in the killing.
However, Mongherini’s position doesn’t extend to communism overall. She was the first diplomat to reject the claim of Cuban exiles expropriated by the Cuban communist regime as that would imply compromising the chains of European hotels built on those properties confiscated by the revolution. She even threatened to confiscate in Europe the properties of those who made claims in Cuba.
一個國家文明與否，端視於政府怎麼對待人民、怎麼對待過去的錯誤。 今年是「六四」三十週年，全世界的焦點，都在關注當年天安門前，上千名青年喪失寶貴生命的真相，以及現在中國對香港自由的侵蝕。 幾天前，前往香港參與六四紀念活動的當年學運…
Meanwhile, from Taiwan, in honor of the martyrs, President Tsai Ing-wen participated in a vigil with the message, “Freedom is like air, you can only feel its existence when you can’t breathe. Don’t forget June 4.”
“Whether a nation is civilized or not depends on how it treats its people and how it deals with its past mistakes,” she added.
Therefore, to complete these requirements laid out by Tsai Ing-wen, the Chinese regime will have to recognize that it massacred thousands of demonstrators 30 years ago and that the Venezuelan government continues to kill its people.