Los Angeles human rights organization “Visual Artists Association” Chairman Ann Lau issued a statement on October 1, enumerating the disasters brought to China, Hong Kong, and even to Californians since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized power in 1949. The following is an excerpt from the statement.
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the CCP’s establishment of the “People’s Republic of China,” but what have they achieved in these 75 years?
Some of the CCP’s policies, such as the Great Leap Forward, resulted in approximately 40 million deaths due to famine, the only large-scale famine event in human history to occur during peacetime.
In addition to land reform, suppression campaigns, anti-rightist movements persecuting intellectuals, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square massacre, the total death toll from these movements is estimated to be no less than 70 million.
These 70 million do not include the number of unborn babies who died due to the implementation of the one-child policy for over forty years. It is estimated that 24 million Chinese girls are “missing.” This policy has resulted in gender imbalance, low birth rates, and an aging population issue in China.
On the brink of economic collapse, then top leader Deng Xiaoping was forced to change policies, allowing foreign investment and encouraging domestic entrepreneurship. It was Chinese expatriates who had fled to Hong Kong that were among the first to return to China, helping to kickstart the economy and make it the world’s second-largest economy today.
The current leader’s “zero COVID policy” failure has led to the deaths of millions. Scenes of people queuing for the ashes of their loved ones, funeral homes filled with unclaimed cell phones, and a sudden decrease of 21 million mobile phone users from China’s three major telecom companies are chilling.
Under the leadership of the CCP, maintaining “stability” has become the top priority.
Economists have long pointed out the unsustainability of China’s high debt. This is evident in the three unfinished high-rise buildings in downtown Los Angeles. These buildings, invested in by China, have been abandoned, costing taxpayers $4 million for security, fencing, and maintenance.
The continual failures of CCP policies stem from the leadership’s control of dissenting voices. Even economic suggestions can lead to renowned economists like Zhu Hengpeng, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, to “disappear.”
In Hong Kong, China’s imposition of the National Security Law and the recent addition of Article 23 to the Basic Law have led to a mass exodus of people, including children, teachers, and medical professionals. This wave of emigration has had a significant impact on Hong Kong’s economy and demographics.
Current Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, should learn from her predecessor’s mistakes. Despite closely following Xi Jinping’s instructions, Lam failed to secure re-election and was not even invited to join China’s political elite.
With the loss of professional talent and reduced investments, Hong Kong will struggle to maintain its past glory.
The history of modern China clearly shows that ignoring advice and punishing dissenters will only bring suffering, with the people ultimately bearing the consequences.