Reps. Issa and Smith Demand Answers on U.S. Officials’ Visit to Beijing on Tiananmen Square Anniversary
Washington — Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-48) and Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-4) demanded answers last week in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan following a public visit to Beijing by State Department officials on the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
The letter from Reps. Issa and Smith specifically asks, "Was this a date proposed by the PRC to which you acceded or was the date proposed by our government in order to get access to the PRC? This is particularly relevant because we know that you share the core value and fundamental belief that we are better than allowing America’s prestige to be used by an adversary for obvious propaganda purposes and to distract from the infamy of what China’s rulers did that day in 1989.”
Issa added that the visit by Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and White House National Security Council’s Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran to Beijing on June 4th was “the Biden White House handing a clear PR coup to Beijing.”
The letter requests a response from Blinken and Sullivan no later than June 20, 2023.
Read the whole letter here: