Civilian Deaths Should be Atoned Just as a Human Tragedy Itself
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings that marked the beginning of the end for the Axis powers in World War II. As one of the Allied powers, China undoubtedly celebrates this occasion in its own muted ways. The sacrifice of more than 150,000 soldiers who landed on the murderous beaches of northern France was the first step in ending the more than a decade of warfare China was fighting, largely by itself, against Japan on the other side of the world. D-Day, for China, is the necessary precursor to the end of the war celebrations, of which is certainly goes all out for every year.
As part of the celebrations, the Chinese government and non-governmental groups are adamant that the invaders of the Axis powers atone for the millions killed in the years-long conflict initiated by them. And they are quite justified in their demands. Chinese civilian death was one of the highest in the war, and as memories of World War II fade and aggressive words are exchanged during the Sino-American trade war today, there is a real risk that the tragedies of past deaths are ignored in front of raw hyper-nationalism turning into violent confrontations. It is important to apologize for those killed in World War II just to appreciate today's increasingly fragile global peace.
Yet, the actions of the Chinese government asking other nations to atone for murders of Chinese citizens are becoming an increasingly hypocritical one as the government itself steadfastly refuses to apologize for its own actions that led to and is continuing to lead to deaths of its own people. Even as China celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings and condemns the deaths of civilians in World War II, it chooses to continue forgetting that just a few days ago, the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Incident passed under heavy censorship and official reasoning that the bloody crackdown was good for China in the long-term.
In some ways, the years since Tiananmen has been good to China. The national economy grew over 30 times in 30 years while those living below two dollars a day went from 2/3 to less than 1%. Many, both in China and abroad, are inclined to grudgingly agree that the violent crackdown may have created the political stability necessary for China to achieve the ensuing economic miracle. The messiness of a popular revolution allowed might have turned China into a democratic economic basketcase a la modern-day Iraq and set the country back to the fragmented days before the Communist Revolution.
Yet, 30 years of economic success has not provided the Chinese government with more confidence to reassess the pivotal events of June 4, 1989. If argued well, the government could very much convince even some of the protest leaders of then that they were wrong in demanding what they demanded, without knowing exactly what the future holds should their demands be met. But the argument lacks persuasion as long as one condition is not met: that the government apologizes for killing citizens, whether or not what those citizens were arguing for proved to be right or wrong 30 years later.
Indeed, for many people who lost their siblings, classmates, children, and coworkers 30 years ago, the fight is no longer about what society China can become. The direction the Chinese government has taken the country has proven that what they fought for is no longer realistic or relevant in the modern-day context. Most people, ultimately, only want one thing the most: that the government apologizes for killing its own citizens, to show that at the end, the government is there to protect and work with its citizens, rather than working against them when it feels threatened. That simple request is being refused year after year.
That steadfast refusal to apologize, not for squashing democracy or human rights, but just for killing civilians, is becoming a hindrance for China to embraced as a modern nation capable of attaining respect, both from citizens at home and its peers abroad. After all, if it can swat away criticisms of past murders of its own citizens using cold, hard logic of economics, why can't the same be done today and in the future? When the Chinese government is putting millions of its Muslim citizens in detention, what prevents them from using the cold, hard logic of preventing terrorism to justify killing a few when the inevitable radicalization happens?
As the ranks of veterans who fought through the beaches of Normandy thin out, the remembrance of D-Day is becoming less about the big ideologies that won World War II, but the simple understanding that it is wrong to kill millions of people in order to achieve an end goal. There is no denying that the end goal of global peace is noble and worthwhile, but there is also no denying that the death of millions to get there is tragic and unfortunate. Until the Chinese government can apply the same logic to its remembrance of what happened in Tiananmen Square, it cannot gain the complete trust of people at home and abroad.
As part of the celebrations, the Chinese government and non-governmental groups are adamant that the invaders of the Axis powers atone for the millions killed in the years-long conflict initiated by them. And they are quite justified in their demands. Chinese civilian death was one of the highest in the war, and as memories of World War II fade and aggressive words are exchanged during the Sino-American trade war today, there is a real risk that the tragedies of past deaths are ignored in front of raw hyper-nationalism turning into violent confrontations. It is important to apologize for those killed in World War II just to appreciate today's increasingly fragile global peace.
Yet, the actions of the Chinese government asking other nations to atone for murders of Chinese citizens are becoming an increasingly hypocritical one as the government itself steadfastly refuses to apologize for its own actions that led to and is continuing to lead to deaths of its own people. Even as China celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings and condemns the deaths of civilians in World War II, it chooses to continue forgetting that just a few days ago, the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Incident passed under heavy censorship and official reasoning that the bloody crackdown was good for China in the long-term.
In some ways, the years since Tiananmen has been good to China. The national economy grew over 30 times in 30 years while those living below two dollars a day went from 2/3 to less than 1%. Many, both in China and abroad, are inclined to grudgingly agree that the violent crackdown may have created the political stability necessary for China to achieve the ensuing economic miracle. The messiness of a popular revolution allowed might have turned China into a democratic economic basketcase a la modern-day Iraq and set the country back to the fragmented days before the Communist Revolution.
Yet, 30 years of economic success has not provided the Chinese government with more confidence to reassess the pivotal events of June 4, 1989. If argued well, the government could very much convince even some of the protest leaders of then that they were wrong in demanding what they demanded, without knowing exactly what the future holds should their demands be met. But the argument lacks persuasion as long as one condition is not met: that the government apologizes for killing citizens, whether or not what those citizens were arguing for proved to be right or wrong 30 years later.
Indeed, for many people who lost their siblings, classmates, children, and coworkers 30 years ago, the fight is no longer about what society China can become. The direction the Chinese government has taken the country has proven that what they fought for is no longer realistic or relevant in the modern-day context. Most people, ultimately, only want one thing the most: that the government apologizes for killing its own citizens, to show that at the end, the government is there to protect and work with its citizens, rather than working against them when it feels threatened. That simple request is being refused year after year.
That steadfast refusal to apologize, not for squashing democracy or human rights, but just for killing civilians, is becoming a hindrance for China to embraced as a modern nation capable of attaining respect, both from citizens at home and its peers abroad. After all, if it can swat away criticisms of past murders of its own citizens using cold, hard logic of economics, why can't the same be done today and in the future? When the Chinese government is putting millions of its Muslim citizens in detention, what prevents them from using the cold, hard logic of preventing terrorism to justify killing a few when the inevitable radicalization happens?
As the ranks of veterans who fought through the beaches of Normandy thin out, the remembrance of D-Day is becoming less about the big ideologies that won World War II, but the simple understanding that it is wrong to kill millions of people in order to achieve an end goal. There is no denying that the end goal of global peace is noble and worthwhile, but there is also no denying that the death of millions to get there is tragic and unfortunate. Until the Chinese government can apply the same logic to its remembrance of what happened in Tiananmen Square, it cannot gain the complete trust of people at home and abroad.
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