Events >> The Democracy Award >> 1998 Democracy Award
Wei Jingsheng

Acceptance Speech


1998 Democracy Award 		Acceptance Speech

Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Mr. Carl Gershman, Ambassador Vondra, Honorable Members of Congress, ladies and gentlemen.

First, I wish to express my gratitude to the National Endowment for Democracy for honoring me with this award.

For many years, the democracy movement in China has been receiving the selfless assistance and sincere support from the American people. Such brotherly support and assistance has been an encouragement to the countless Chinese who are sacrificing their youth or their lives in their fight for their inalienable rights and for the establishment of democracy in China. I consider the honor given to me as a tribute to those Chinese who had given their lives and encouragement to the countless brothers and sisters who are still languishing in jail. Allow me on their behalf to thank all the friends present here and to thank all the American people.

However, perhaps I should make an exception. In recent years, there have indeed been some in the Unites States and the west who have helped the Chinese oppressors to spread rumors and a defeatist and pessimistic attitude, in an attempt to negate the support and assistance given to the Chinese people by decent Americans. They claim that American support and assistance has no impact on the development of Chinese society, and that the United States would only find itself isolated should it continue to assist the democracy movement in China. They even join in with the Communist tune by saying that the Chinese people are different than the westerners, therefore different human rights standards should be applied to them. Many such Nazi-like themes, although slightly dressed up, have influenced the views of many Americans and have radically changed the perspectives of some government decision makers. The result is a very strange phenomenon; on the one hand, there is active cooperation with the Chinese oppressors, extending aid to the tune of tens of millions of dollars; on the other hand, assistance to the democracy movement in China is very limited, the few million dollars appropriations for that purpose have to be balanced between the oppressors and the oppressed. It does seem to be fashionable now to assist the henchmen who are engaged in butchering the people. Friends, imagine for a moment you are a Chinese who has had no contact with western democracy. Judging from the above mentioned situation, would you consider the United States as being on the side of democracy, or on the side of communism. These words may be a little harsh, but they are all facts. We cannot just listen to what we wish to hear. We must face the reality.

This is not simply a question of appropriations. Many other facts have shown that the United States government has not been very active in supporting and assisting the democracy movement of the Chinese people. Instead, there has been help for the communist party. For example, in recent years, the United States has assumed a passive and perfunctory attitude towards the resolution condemning China for its violations of human rights at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva. This has resulted in the disintegration of the western coalition in Geneva last year. This outcome greatly encouraged the hard-liners in the Chinese Communist Party to persist in their autocratic line. It seriously eroded the fond sentiments of the Chinese people towards the western democracies. It also dealt a blow to the confidence of the Chinese people to achieve democracy and human rights through peaceful means. This defeat is not only a loss of face for the American people, but also represents a wrong signal to both the communist dictators and the Chinese people. It has radically changed the political orientation in China so that the peaceful struggle from both within and outside of the government for democracy and human rights that has been going on for decades in China are now faced with formidable obstacles.

The modern world is indeed becoming increasingly small. The impact of a country's action is no longer limited within its own borders. But will have either direct or indirect impact on its neighbors, or even the whole world. By supporting the enemies instead of democratic forces, one will only find oneself with less and less friends, and more and more enemies. This is the true cost of a self-imposed isolation. We will all be held accountable for our actions. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow.

And finally, allow me to thank once again those American friends for your support and assistance for the democracy movement in China and the Chinese people.

Thank you.

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