Iii military allows demonstrations to continue they

iii. Military allows demonstrations to continue, they grow rapidly-
protests in Beijing go beyond students.
1. April 21-22- 10 thousand protestors
2. April 27- over 300,000 (during Gorbachev’s visit)- state
controlled media reports what they are seeing;
demonstrations breaking out all over China.
3. May 17- 2 million protestors in Tiananmen Square
4. Period of crisis in China; government not willing to back
down- students begin to debate employing violence.
5. June 3-4- Tiananmen Square Massacre Government
sends the tanks into Tiananmen Square. (Death toll as high
as 4,000 students) - many prominent dissidents flee the
country.
VII. The Rise of the Falun Gong
a. Spiritual movement that combines elements of Buddhism with meditation
and exercise.
Practitioners believe it leads to physical and spiritual well-being
50 million members, the largest non-Communist Party organization in
China.
c. Adherents to Falun Gong practice openly in city parks, in other public
places.
1) Have demonstrated in Tiananmen Square urging the government
accept their religion; insistence that this is not a political organization.
d. Confrontation with President Hu Jintao in the White House Rose Garden
VIII. The New Cold War?
a. When I was your age, we were talking about the possible beginning of a
new Cold War vs. China.
b. Hainan Island incident (April 2001)
c. Then September 11 th occurs…American foreign policy shifts focus to the
Middle East.

d. With an end to Iraq War, and drawing down in Afghanistan on horizon,
there is strong evidence that the Obama Administration intends to look
East.
e. American allies in Asia very worried about the dramatic increase of
Chinese power; does it alter the balance of Southeast Asia?
f. Beijing Olympics- China’s coming out party?
g. Last year, China overtakes Japan as the world’s second largest economy…
a very symbolic moment whose importance was not lost on the two rivals.
h. Japan, Taiwan, S. Korea hope to keep American involvement in the
region.