On May 12, 2026, the 18th anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, China, members of the New Democracy Party of China and some members of the public gathered in front of the Chinese Consulate in New York to mourn the victims of the earthquake, especially the students who lost their lives in the collapse of school buildings. They also condemned the Chinese Communist Party for their use of substandard construction materials that cost lives, criticized the authorities for concealing the truth and suppressing accountability, emphasizing that the Wenchuan earthquake was not just a natural disaster but also a man-made tragedy.
At the gathering, participants held banners in both Chinese and English with slogans such as “Hold the CCP accountable for the substandard construction, the number of fatalities, and the allocation of donations,” “18th anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake,” and “The truth is the best way to commemorate the deceased.” They also shouted slogans like “Overthrow the Communist Party, bring the Communist Party to justice.”
On the afternoon of May 12, 2008, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Wenchuan in Sichuan, and the Chinese government officially reported nearly 90,000 deaths. It was one of the deadliest earthquakes since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, second only to the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Many schools and residential buildings collapsed during the earthquake, with schools becoming the hardest-hit areas in terms of casualties. It was later discovered that many school buildings were constructed using substandard materials. The Chinese government, in order to prioritize the Beijing Olympics, had concealed the earthquake forecast before it happened, according to experts, linking the Wenchuan earthquake to the controversial Three Gorges Dam project. After the enormous disaster, the Chinese government even turned the funeral into a celebration, seizing the opportunity to whitewash its image and political power.
One of the founders of the New Democracy Party of China, Yang Maosen, spoke at the event, stating that holding a commemorative event in front of the consulate was to seek accountability from the Chinese government, as the world is still owed the truth by the CCP. He mentioned that after the disaster, many individuals tried to investigate the reasons behind the school collapses, but many rights defenders and parents of deceased students were suppressed by the authorities.
“Many students were buried under the debris of reinforced concrete, and the scenes were unbearable,” Yang Maosen said. “Today, we commemorate those who perished in the disaster, especially the students. We cannot forget nor will we ever give up on holding the CCP accountable.”
He also accused the Chinese Communist Party of long-term ecological damage, extensive construction of hydraulic projects, and altering river channels, which contributed to the disaster.
Another speaker, Hu Fuqing, compared the situation of the Wenchuan earthquake with that of democratic countries facing disasters. He mentioned that countries like Japan, which frequently experiences earthquakes, do not witness such massive collapses of school buildings and casualties due to their strict building standards and transparent systems.
“Why does China have so many substandard projects? Why were there so many casualties?” Hu Fuqing asked. “The root cause lies in the system. This system is not people-oriented but rather an evil system. Only by overthrowing this evil system can we prevent tragedies like the Wenchuan earthquake from happening again.”
Hu Fuqing also questioned the redirection of a large amount of aid and donations from home and abroad, claiming that only a “tiny fraction” actually reached the disaster victims.
Chen Fengye, who participated in civilian rescue efforts in the disaster area in Sichuan in 2008, shared his own experiences at the event. He recalled visiting different areas in Sichuan, witnessing horrific scenes in the disaster zone every day.
“The most heart-wrenching part was when I returned to the disaster area two years later and found that many disaster sites had been packaged as symbols of the CCP’s ‘achievements,’ and many victims received very limited assistance,” he said.
Yang Maosen emphasized that people should not forget the tragedy of the Wenchuan earthquake and should not give up on holding the CCP accountable for the atrocities committed against the world and the Chinese people. He stated that over the past century, the CCP’s crimes against China and the world are too numerous to count, urging not to forget history and to reckon with the CCP’s century-long atrocities and the disasters they have caused in the world, emphasizing that all disasters in the world are related to the CCP or CCP-related factors.