Protests Across Washington During Xi Jinping's U.S. Visit: Tibetan, Uyghur and Hong Kong Groups Rally Near the Chinese Embassy and the White House
On September 24, the day Chinese President Xi Jinping met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, protest activities appeared at multiple locations across Washington. According to on-the-scene reporting by Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and the Associated Press, participating groups included Tibetan, Uyghur, Hong Kong and Taiwanese organizations as well as Chinese pro-democracy activists. The events were organized separately by different groups, outside the Chinese Embassy in the United States, around the White House and on the National Mall. Welcoming crowds also waved Chinese and U.S. flags along the motorcade route the same day.
In the morning, Tibetan activists rallied outside the Chinese Embassy and then marched to the U.S. Capitol carrying snow-lion flags and portraits of the Dalai Lama, calling for attention to religious and cultural rights in Tibet. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jim McGovern spoke the same day at a 'Free Tibet' event on the National Mall.
Uyghur groups rallied outside the White House perimeter in the morning, urging Trump to raise human rights in his meeting with Xi. Rushan Abbas, executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs, told VOA her sister was detained in 2018, days after Abbas discussed Xinjiang policies at a Washington think tank, and she called on the U.S. side to press the issue.
In the afternoon, pro-democracy activist Wang Dan organized a protest in northwest Washington calling for the release of Jimmy Lai, Joshua Wong, Xu Zhiyong and others; economist Li Hengqing also took part. In the evening, several hundred Hong Kongers, Taiwanese and Tibetans gathered at Franklin Square near the White House; Hong Kong activist Joey Siu and Cao Shijie, head of a Washington-area Taiwanese association, outlined their groups' demands to reporters. Falun Gong practitioners also held a rally in Washington that day, at which Rep. Pat Ryan spoke.
The Associated Press reported that protests continued throughout the visit, covering Tibet, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Taiwan and Chinese political prisoners; demonstrations were also seen on September 25, the final day of the visit. The Chinese government has consistently stated that the affairs of Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong are China's internal affairs, and opposes outside interference in the name of human rights.
Related: Trump Welcomes Xi Jinping at the White House
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：白宫北草坪（资料图）。照片：Mike，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: The White House North Lawn (file photo). By Mike, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
