SYDNEY—On April 14, former Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin participated in the rally celebrating 20 million withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party and Affiliated Organization in Hyde Park, Sydney. Chen walked out from the Chinese Consulate in Sydney two years ago.
An Epoch Times journalist interviewed Chen regarding his view of the recent case of a Chinese diplomat fleeing the CCP in Canada.
According to Chen, every year many Chinese diplomats flee from the communist party’s control, the most recent case happened in Canada. On March 5, Mrs. Zhang Jiyang, wife of a Chinese Embassy diplomat in Ottawa, Canada, walked out of the Embassy to free herself from the CCP’s persecution.
On March 30, she participated in the rally to celebrate 20 million withdrawals at the Capital Hill, Ottawa and announced her withdrawal from the communist party. It has drawn a lot of attention from Canadian media.
The 48-year-old Zhang, a Falun Gong practitioner, caught the Embassy’s attention when she clarified the truth privately to people around her. She was monitored and the Embassy asked her to hand in her passport. Zhang was under pressure and worried about her fate if she returned to China. Hence, she left the Embassy on March 5 to free herself from the persecution.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was angry with her defection and the political counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Canada Huang Huikang claimed that Zhang was a fake refugee and requested that the Canadian government reject Zhang’s application. Huang also accused Zhang of “betraying her country” and “making her husband and mother furious.”
Reporter: The wife of a diplomat of the Chinese Embassy in Canada, Zhang Jiyang, recently walked out of the Chinese Embassy. The Embassy’s political counselor Huang Huikang accused her of betraying her home country and infuriating her husband and mother. What do you think of this?
Chen: Absolute nonsense. Huang Huikang is as brainless as Fu Ying, or is really vile! Huang’s act is against conscience and he is simply trying to get a promotion by using every possible means.
Zhang’s escape is a betrayal of the CCP, quitting the CCP is a great act for the public good. Zhang made public the internal CCP document confirming that the Chinese Embassy in Canada participates in the persecution of Falun Gong, how can that be called “betraying her country?”
Brutally persecuting Falun Gong is a crime against humanity, exposing this atrocity is to save lives, we can only say Zhang loves her country, loves her fellow countrymen!
Reporter: Do you think her family would be against her escape?
Chen: The possibility of her family being against her escape is slim. It is possible that they don’t understand her actions temporarily due to the CCP’s brainwashing or are afraid to express their opposition out of fear. Chinese nowadays are much more courageous than before. They would not always go along with the CCP. Zhang’s escape is a magnificent feat of upholding justice.
It is a wonderful act that is beneficial to the country and to herself, how could her family be against it? It is beneficial to the country to bring attention to the CCP’s violation of human rights and to use international pressure to call for changes. It is beneficial to herself because she finally obtained freedom.
Chinese writer Hu Shih said before, “Fighting for your personal freedom is fighting for the freedom of your country! Striving for your personal integrity is striving for your country’s integrity! A country of freedom and equality is not built by a bunch of minions!”
If Zhang’s husband and mother were furious, the CCP should let them say so themselves, give them their freedom of speech. Huang is a representative of the CCP’s crime syndicate stationed abroad, how could he be the spokesman of a Falun Gong practitioner’s family? The present China has turned right and wrong, black and white upside down.
Reporter: Huang told the media that Zhang’s refugee application was false and asked the Canadian government to reject her application. How do you think the Canadian government should deal with this?
Chen: Zhang, as a CCP diplomat’s family, holds a diplomatic passport. To escape using this special status is a serious offense to the CCP. The Canadian government and people should support the Chinese people’s endeavor to fight for democracy and human rights, support their refusal to yield to the CCP’s despotic and political power and to help Zhang to settle down in Canada soon.
Reporter: You said that many CCP diplomats and visiting officials have escaped. As a former high-ranking diplomat who has defected, it is inevitable that you will be suppressed by the CCP but why is it that in this instance, the CCP is so openly infuriated with the defection of a diplomat’s family and has gone all out to slander her integrity?
Chen: In the past, many high ranking CCP officials have ran away, but they were all fighting for personal freedom, therefore their defection was kept under low profile. They walked away but were not publicly fighting against the CCP. Although the CCP was displeased, they felt that it was tolerable.
For example, in August 2005, a worker from the CCP Embassy in Canada, Yang Jianhua, escaped with his whole family, but did not attract much attention from the media and the CCP did not pursue the issue further. But exposing the CCP’s hidden affairs like Zhang did, acting against the CCP in such a high profile, poking into the CCP’s sore spot and shaking its root has really infuriated the CCP. It would certainly deal with her in full strength.
To my knowledge, as soon as Zhang left the Embassy, the Embassy immediately started up the “crisis management mechanism,” mobilizing all forces to control the development and impact of the incident. They even investigated into Zhang and her husband’s joint bank account in Canada. The CCP is particularly worried that Zhang’s escape may cause a chain reaction. It may cause another big crack in the floodgates. Undoubtedly, right now is a good opportunity for the CCP diplomats to escape.
Reporter: Why is it that right now is the best time for the CCP diplomats to escape?
Chen: There are two reasons, one is, Mainland China is crisis-ridden. Riots have broken out everywhere non-stop, the regime may collapse at any time now. The second reason is that the CCP’s threat to world peace is increasingly manifesting day by day.
The regime’s Major General Zhu Chenghu has raved of a nuclear war, the CCP has carried out tests of guided missile destroying satellites and its disregard of North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons. These have enabled people in democratic countries to clearly understand the crazy and evil essence of the CCP’s autocratic regime.
Besieged with difficulties both at home and abroad, the CCP is very weak now. Once the embankment breaks, the water will flow out rapidly.
Overseas organizations are the CCP’s soft ribs. They are closest to the free world and provide plenty of opportunities and it is impossible for the CCP to guard against these. Also, the overseas anti-CCP force has already matured with a definite scale and it is ready to offer assistance anytime and ensure the safety of defectors. The western countries always yield to the mighty public pressure and do not attempt to resist at all. If you don’t escape now, what are you waiting for?
Reporter: Thank you for accepting our interview.
Chen: Don’t mention it. I hope we can help Zhang to settle down quickly.
