Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng addresses Republican National Convention urging votes for Trump’s re-election
- Chen urged those watching to ‘support, vote and fight for’ Trump, whom he sought to portray as a champion of human rights taking on CCP aggression
- The legal activist is a divisive figure among overseas dissident community, facing criticism for espousing right-wing views
“The US must use its values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law to gather a coalition of other democracies to stop [the] CCP’s aggression,” said Chen, a self-trained legal activist who fled China in 2012. “President Trump has led on this, and we need the other countries to join him in this fight, a fight for our world’s future.”
Speaking on the third night of the largely online, four-day convention, Chen described how he had been “prosecuted, beaten, sent to prison and put under house arrest” by authorities in China for speaking out against the country’s one-child policy and other “injustices”.
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Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng calls on support for Trump at US Republican National Convention
Trump, who many human rights advocates say has sidelined concerns over human rights violations in his dealings with Beijing, had “shown the courage to wage” a fight for fairness with China, said Chen, urging those watching to “support, vote and fight” for the US leader.
Soon after Chen spoke, Trump tweeted a video of his short address, delivered from the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington.
Chen, who campaigned for the rights of workers and farmers in China, left the country with the help of American diplomats in 2012, after escaping house arrest and taking refuge at the US embassy.
Chinese state media at the time launched a vitriolic attack against then-US ambassador Gary Locke over the affair, calling him a “guide dog” for assisting Chen, who is visually impaired. Beijing said the US’ actions violated Chinese law and constituted interference in China’s affairs.