Hong Kong activist challenges China's Tiananmen taboo from exile in Taiwan, Asia News
TAIPEI - Fu Tong and his wife Elaine To were among the first demonstrators in Hong Kong to be charged with rioting in 2020 after pro-democracy and anti-China protests started in 2019 in the former British colony.
After leaving for Taiwan, Fu continued his activism and is now preparing to mark this year's anniversary of Beijing's bloody June 4, 1989, crackdown on protesters in and around Tiananmen Square.
Fu has co-hosted a Hong Kong human rights exhibition in Taipei, showcasing artwork from the protest movement, and leads guided tours of the displays.
"When Hong Kong can no longer hold the June 4 vigils, and can no longer even mention it, Taiwan's existence becomes very important," Fu, 43, told Reuters in Taipei.
"It's one of the very few places in Asia, where people can openly commemorate the accident on June 4, discuss it, and even condemn the Chinese Communist Party. The existence of such a space is already hugely significant," he said.
Taiwan is the only part of the Chinese-speaking world where June 4 can be remembered openly, though Chinese communities in the United States, Britain, Australia and other Western countries will also mark it.
In Hong Kong, a national security law has outlawed such events, which previously drew tens of thousands of people.
Fu says he remains committed to advocating for Hong Kong issues and the values of freedom.
"I really feel like I've been chosen to be in this era. If I don't step up to do things that seem foolish and unrewarding, then who will? As long as I can, I'm willing to keep going," he said.
Before dawn on June 4, 1989, Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square, crushing weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations by students and workers.
China has never provided a full death toll, but rights groups and witnesses say the figure could run into thousands. Public discussion of what happened is taboo in China, which blamed the protests on counter-revolutionaries seeking to overthrow the ruling Communist Party.
[[nid:717396]]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Germany's Merz tempers expectations of breakthroughs in Trump talks
FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a speech at the German Association of Towns and Municipalities event in Berlin, Germany, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang/File Photo WASHINGTON/BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, U.S. tariffs and NATO in his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, but was not expecting major breakthroughs. Merz, a conservative who took office last month, was scheduled to join Trump for a meeting in the Oval Office and a White House lunch that analysts say could set the tone for U.S.-German ties for years to come. "I look forward to the talks although I do not expect us to make major breakthroughs on these three topics," Merz told reporters ahead of the meeting, his first with Trump as chancellor of Germany, Europe's largest economy. Trade will be a key topic along with ending the Ukraine war, Merz said. Germany is the second largest military and financial backer of Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion, after the United States. While Trump has threatened tariffs to slash Germany's substantial trade surplus, Merz said he would counter that his country is also the third biggest direct investor in the United States. The meeting comes amid a broader fraying of ties between the U.S. and many European countries. Trump's administration has, for example, intervened in domestic European politics in a break with past practice, aligning with right-wing political movements and challenging European policies on immigration and free speech. The Merz-Trump encounter will be closely watched after some dramatic Oval Office meetings in recent months in which the U.S. leader scolded Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and made false assertions. Merz, 69, and his entourage have sought coaching from other leaders on how to deal with Trump to avoid conflict, according to a source briefed on the matter. The meeting is taking place just weeks before a critical summit of the NATO Western military alliance, which has been strained by Trump's threats that the U.S. will not come to the aid of allies that do not increase their defence spending. Such threats are of particular concern to Germany, which has relied on U.S. nuclear deterrence for its security since the end of World War Two. Merz has already made some bold policy moves that he can highlight to appease Trump, analysts said. He has backed Trump's demand for NATO members to commit to a target of more than doubling defence spending to 5% of economic output in the future, earning praise last weekend from U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Merz, who has promised a more assertive foreign policy, also coordinated a visit by European leaders to Kyiv just days after taking office, two European diplomat sources said. "This shows that Germany is willing to accept a greater responsibility for Ukraine and the European security order – these are all things that have been wished for in the United States over years and will be welcomed," said Sudha David-Wilp of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. The fact Merz was invited to stay in the Blair House guest quarters across from the White House is a positive signal, said analysts. TO ARGUE OR NOT WITH TRUMP Merz and Trump could find some common ground given they share business backgrounds, membership in right-of-centre political parties, a focus on fighting illegal immigration and a fondness for golf, said Steven Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. Merz has described himself as "a convinced transatlanticist", chairing the "Atlantic Bridge", a non-profit fostering U.S.-German ties, for 10 years. "They might discover a kindred spirit," Sokol said. However, analysts noted huge frictions in the U.S.-German relationship. "The challenge that he could face is ... if Trump says something is erroneous, do you correct him? Do you risk turning it into an argument?" said Jeffrey Rathke, a former U.S. diplomat and president of the American-German Institute at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington. Merz was publicly critical of Trump shortly before the 2024 presidential election. On the eve of his own party's election victory in February, Merz criticised the "ultimately outrageous" comments flowing from Washington during the campaign, comparing them to hostile interventions from Russia. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
Trump and Xi agree to further talks to settle trade disputes
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to further talks between the countries to hash out differences on tariffs that have roiled the global economy, according to US and Chinese summaries of their phone call on Thursday (Jun 5). 'There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of rare earth products,' Trump wrote on social media. 'Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined.' Trump and a Chinese government summary of the meeting said the leaders had invited each other to their respective countries at a future date. 'The US side should take a realistic view of the progress made and withdraw the negative measures imposed on China,' the Chinese government said in a statement published by the state-run Xinhua news agency. 'Xi Jinping welcomed Trump's visit to China again, and Trump expressed his sincere gratitude.' The highly anticipated call came amid accusations between Washington and Beijing in recent weeks over 'rare earths' minerals in a dispute that has threatened to tear up a fragile truce in the trade war between the two biggest economies. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump's January inauguration. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Though stocks rallied, the temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China's state-dominated, export-driven economic model. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly threatened an array of punitive measures on trading partners, only to revoke some of them at the last minute. The on-again, off-again approach has baffled world leaders and spooked business executives, who say the uncertainty has made it difficult to forecast market conditions. China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets continues to disrupt supplies needed by automakers, computer chip manufacturers and military contractors around the world. Beijing sees mineral exports as a source of leverage – halting those exports could put domestic political pressure on the Republican US president if economic growth sags because companies cannot produce mineral-powered products. The 90-day deal to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions is tenuous. Trump has accused China of violating the agreement and has ordered curbs on chip design software and other shipments to China, while also doubling steel and aluminum tariffs to 50 per cent. Beijing rejected the claim and threatened counter-measures. In recent years, the US has identified China as its top geopolitical rival and the only country in the world able to challenge the US economically and militarily. Despite this and repeated trade threats and tariff announcements, Trump has spoken admiringly of Xi, including of the Chinese leader's toughness and ability to stay in power without the term limits imposed on US presidents. Trump has long pushed for a call or a meeting with Xi, but China has rejected that as not in keeping with its traditional approach of working out agreement details before the leaders talk. The US president and his aides see leader-to-leader talks as vital to sort through log-jams that have vexed lower-level officials in difficult negotiations. Thursday's call came at Trump's request, China said. It's not clear when the two men last spoke. Both sides said they spoke on Jan 17, days before Trump's inauguration and Trump has repeatedly said that he had spoken to Xi since taking office on Jan 20. He has declined to say when any call took place or to give details of their conversation. China had said that the two leaders had not had any recent phone calls. The talks are being closely watched by investors worried that a chaotic trade war could cut into corporate earnings and disrupt supply chains in the key months before the Christmas holiday shopping season. Trump's tariffs are also the subject of ongoing litigation in US courts. Trump has met Xi on several occasions, including exchange visits in 2017, but they have not met face to face since 2019 talks in Osaka, Japan. Xi last traveled to the US in November 2023, for a summit with then-President Joe Biden, resulting in agreements to resume military-to-military communications and curb fentanyl production. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Israeli Finance Minister says banks should not obey EU sanctions on settlers
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel's new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/ File Photo Israeli Finance Minister says banks should not obey EU sanctions on settlers JERUSALEM - Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday condemned the country's banks that have refused to provide services to Israeli settlers sanctioned by the European Union and warned they may have to pay compensation to them. The EU last year imposed sanctions on five Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians and Smotrich said there were reports of sanctions being considered against other settlers. But in a letter to the banking supervisor, he said Israeli banks should not follow a "zero risk" policy since it leads to the abandonment of Israeli clients "under the guise of compliance with foreign sanctions." In a statement quoting his letter to the regulator, Smotrich called on banks to use their legal, economic, and international strength to fight "unjust sanctions". "The banks' enormous profits enable them to take measured risks on behalf of their clients — especially when it comes to a national moral injustice," Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, said. Should banks continue to comply with sanctions and harm clients, Smotrich said he intended to promote immediate legislation that would require banks to pay substantial compensation to affected customers. He also intends to require the Bank of Israel itself to offer banking services to citizens targeted by sanctions. Responding to the letter, the Bank of Israel said that while banks must comply with international sanctions to avoid an array of risks, a draft directive it published on Thursday aimed to ensure appropriate banking services were available for the affected customers. "Circumventing foreign sanctions regimes through the Israeli banking system exposes banking corporations to multiple risks, including compliance risks, anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing risks, legal risks, and reputational risks," the central bank said. But it said it has taken steps to comply with sanctions "without banks resorting to blanket refusals to serve such customers." While the sanctions in question concern Israeli settlers, the EU is reviewing its broad pact governing its political and economic ties with Israel in the face of mounting international pressure on Israel amid complaints about the lack of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza in the wake of the war triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
