Speech at Jianli Defence Fund Benefit DinnerWang Dan Sept 21, 2003 Christina Fu, the Honorable Congressman Barney Frank, ladies and gentlemen: As a Chinese, a colleague and a personal friend of Dr. Yang Jianli, I am deeply moved by your participation of this event. Jianli has devoted himself to the oversea Chinese democratic movement since 1989 when I was a college freshman. Back then, democracy in my understanding was just democracy in the political system. Since I came here in the United States six year ago, I have been gradually gaining the deeper level of understanding of "democracy" from the American society, that is, respecting the human beings. Ladies and gentlemen, you might not be personally familiar with Jianli and might not thoroughly understand to what he has devoted since fourteen years ago. However, your coming here for this event, as I observed, is to support Jianli’s basic human rights - that is his rights of going back to his own country as a Chinese citizen- based on your belief in democracy and basic human rights. I believe Jianli will be very proud if he knows his action is understood and supported by so many people. I, myself, had been in jail in China for seven years. I knew how important the confidence is for a political prisoner. So, I would like to say, one more time here, Thank You for your support! Ladies and gentlemen, some of you may have been to China, others may not. I guess you all have good impression on China, but not on Chinese government. As you know today, different nations are closely related with each other due to the globalization. I believe you all hope that China become a highly democratic country with respect to human rights and you all support for America to be a partner of such a China. What I can tell you, here, is that what Jianli has been devoted in the past 14 years was to promote the birth of such a country. Therefore, supporting Jianli and China’s democratization is in line with the American national interest. I believe continuing attention and support will bring the pressure on Chinese Government and will help Jianli to come back home earlier to his wife and his children.
Thank you very much! -------------------------- |