Federation for a Democratic China
Encyclopedia
Federation for a Democratic China (FDC) is an interest group that advocates the democratization
of China
through opposition of the Communist Party of China
and support of human rights
. It was founded on September 22, 1989 in Paris, France, following the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Incident
. It was a party of exiles active in Japan
, England
, and Australia
. Fei Liangyong was the President with Sheng Xue
, Liang Youcan and Li Song as Vice-Presidents. Membership also included Yan Jiaqi
, who lived in France
during FDC's initial stage and now lives in New York
.
It was very active in the five years following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
and has been substantially reinvigorated and active since 2003 with large congresses attracting a broad cross-section of leading Chinese Democracy Activists and exiles.
In 2005 Chen Yonglin
, then Chinese consulate-general working in Sydney, defected to the Australian government by a formal claim for political asylum. Chen claimed that a network of 1,000 Chinese government spies were operating in Australia, leading the chairman of the Australian branch of the FDC to comment that such claims could "lead to [an] atmosphere of distrust and even antagonism towards the Chinese community."
Democratization
Democratization is the transition to a more democratic political regime. It may be the transition from an authoritarian regime to a full democracy, a transition from an authoritarian political system to a semi-democracy or transition from a semi-authoritarian political system to a democratic...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
through opposition of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
and support of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. It was founded on September 22, 1989 in Paris, France, following the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Incident
Tiananmen Incident
The Tiananmen Incident took place on April 5, 1976 at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The incident occurred on the traditional day of mourning, the Qingming Festival, after the Nanjing Incident, and was triggered by the death of Premier Zhou Enlai earlier that year...
. It was a party of exiles active in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Fei Liangyong was the President with Sheng Xue
Sheng Xue
SHENG, Xue is the pen name of ZANG, Xihong , a famous Chinese-Canadian journalist and writer, and human rights activist.She also has an English name Reimonna Sheng , which was used in the two movies she starred.-Background:SHENG Xue grew up in Beijing, and moved to Canada soon after the June...
, Liang Youcan and Li Song as Vice-Presidents. Membership also included Yan Jiaqi
Yan Jiaqi
Yan Jiaqi 嚴家其 is a Chinese political scientist, now a dissident and federalist.In 1959, he entered the University of Science and Technology of China, and then became the director of the Institute of Political Research of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, where he published several essays and...
, who lived in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during FDC's initial stage and now lives in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
It was very active in the five years following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
and has been substantially reinvigorated and active since 2003 with large congresses attracting a broad cross-section of leading Chinese Democracy Activists and exiles.
In 2005 Chen Yonglin
Chen Yonglin
Chen Yonglin is a former Chinese diplomat who sparked fears of a diplomatic incident through his defection to Australia in the summer of 2005. The episode highlighted the tensions faced by China's trade partners when concerns arise from that nation's human rights record...
, then Chinese consulate-general working in Sydney, defected to the Australian government by a formal claim for political asylum. Chen claimed that a network of 1,000 Chinese government spies were operating in Australia, leading the chairman of the Australian branch of the FDC to comment that such claims could "lead to [an] atmosphere of distrust and even antagonism towards the Chinese community."