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More than 30 years ago, ordinary residents of China protested in Beijing\\u2019s Tiananmen Square, where authorities reacted by reportedly killing at least 10,000.

Sean Lin, who traveled to Beijing to attend those protests in 1989, recalls those events as \\u201ca historical moment in [China\\u2019s] modern history.\\u201d

Lin, who served as a U.S. Army microbiologist and is currently an assistant professor in Fei Tian College\\u2019s Biomedical Science Department in Middletown, New York, recalls that \\u201cnot only students actively joined the protests,\\u201d but \\u201ca lot of civilians from all walks of life all supported this movement.\\u201d

\\u201cAt the time, I think the main theme is anti-corruption because after the Cultural Revolution ended, the Communist Party allowed certain levels of economy reform,\\u201d Lin says. \\u201cSo, many of the party elites quickly get rich using their privilege, using their powers.\\u201d

He added: \\u201cSo, immediately, the Chinese people see the society become polarized \\u2026 I think it triggered a huge anger against the corruption level at the time.\\u201d

Lin brings this frame of reference to discussing the ongoing unrest in China triggered after at least 10 persons died and at least nine were hurt last Thursday in an apartment fire in northwestern China\\u2019s Xinjiang region during the nation\\u2019s COVID-19 lockdown. 

\\u201cI think at that time in the 1980s, people definitely were very, very angry and upset about the corruption level. But at that time, nobody even \\u2026 call for a step-down of the Communist Party,\\u201d Lin says. 

\\u201cBut now, 33 years later, I think people are totally disappointed and [have] totally lost any confidence in the Communist Party.\\u201d 

Lin joins \\u201cThe Daily Signal Podcast\\u201d to talk about his experience during the Tiananmen Square protests, his thoughts on the Biden administration\\u2019s response to the current protests in China, and his message to those protesting.

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