China Miffed Over US Communism Memorial
George Bush spoke Tuesday at the dedication of Washington’s newest monument: The Victims of Communism Memorial. The what? It sounds like Bush is now in charge of naming the memorials in Washington. And don’t you just want to punch a hole through this photograph? According to Bush, “the memorial in Washington stands as a reminder that freedom is precious and cannot be taken for granted.” Well at least he didn’t use the ceremony to talk about terrorists and September 11th. Wait, scratch that. Bush said in his speech, “Like the communists, the terrorists and radicals who attacked our nation are followers of a murderous ideology that despises freedom, crushes all dissent, has expansionist ambitions and pursues totalitarian aims.” Was Bush merely referring to the Cold War communist regimes of the past? Or was he indicting the communist ideology and those governments that exist today that are communist like… say… China. I mean, from China’s perspective, if Bush is bashing the old Soviets, then no big deal, right? Maybe China has nothing to do with this American denouncement of communism. Except for one thing. The memorial itself is 4.2-meter-tall bronze replica of the “Goddess of Democracy” statue carried by Chinese students during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Eek. The Chinese government fired shots back late Wednesday calling the monument “an attempt to defame China.” A foreign ministry spokesman wrote on the ministry’s site, “We resent and oppose the U.S. acts and have lodged strong representations with the U.S. side. The U.S. should stop interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.” He went on to say, “There are political forces in the United States who still think in Cold War terms and seek to provoke conflicts between different ideologies and social systems.” The Victims of Communism Memorial has been in the works for a decade and cost $1 million to complete. Which means China has had ample time to protest the project. In China’s eyes, the U.S. has erected a statue that serves as a constant reminder of China’s most embarrassing moment in recent history. What would America say if China erected a bronzed scene of George W. Bush standing on an aircraft carrier in 2003 with a “Mission Accomplished” sign behind him and an audio loop of him saying, “this is the end of major combat operations in Iraq.”
•Reuters: China Blasts Bush Tribute to Victims of Communism
•Chicago Tribune: Questions Arise Over Memorials