HK Rally Marks 90M Withdrawals from Chinese Communist Party

Over the weekend, China's top Communist Party officials discussed their rule during an annual conference in Beijing. But meanwhile, over in independently governed Hong Kong, a very different event took place. Residents there gathered on Sunday to support the 90 million people who have publicly renounced their ties with the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP.

 

It's a movement that began more than six years ago. In 2004, the Chinese edition of the Epoch Times Newspaper published this editorial titled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party." It gives an in-depth analysis of the CCP, including its crimes against the Chinese people. The editorial soon prompted individuals to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. This movement became known as the Tuidang movement, which means to withdraw from or "quit" the CCP.

 

On Sunday, Hong Kong politicians voiced their support for those who have participated.

 

[Howard Lam, Democratic Party Central Committee Member]:

"90 million people withdrawing from the Communist Party represent a collective conscience. It means that many Chinese are still people of conscience and are willing to withdraw from this sinful regime."

 

Organized by the New York-based Global Service Center to Quit the CCP, the Tuidang movement is distinct from most political movements. It simply calls on Chinese people to separate themselves from the CCP on a moral or spiritual basis for their own sake. It therefore allows those who are not current members of the CCP to participate.

 

With greater political freedoms, Hong Kong has become a place for mainland Chinese tourists to get information on topics suppressed by the CCP—like Tuidang movement.

 

[Mainland Chinese Tourist]:

"I feel the freedom of speech. Simply put, mainland China and Hong Kong are two very different places."

 

Notable individuals who have publicly renounced their ties with the CCP include rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and former Olympic Medalist Huang Xiaoming.