Wei, Jingsheng

"It is inevitable that the communist government in China will collapse," said Wei Jingsheng, a Columbia visiting scholar, upon being honored by the Columbia Alumni Federation for his pursuit of human rights in China. A citation was presented to Wei during a reception at the Columbia Club in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Asked why he believes the communist regime soon will fail, Wei used the analogy of rats abandoning a sinking ship. "For the last 10 years, communists have been sending their money and their children overseas," Wei said.

The portrait-lined walls and formal decor of the Columbia Club's main lounge set the stage for the ceremony. The citation to Wei was the first of its kind by the Federation and recognized his "significant impact on world affairs and the course of events," said Alumni Federation President Bernard Sunshine, CC'46, who presented the citation. After accepting his award, Wei gave a short speech and answered questions from the audience. Political Science Professor Andrew Nathan provided translation for Wei, who does not speak English.

Imprisoned in China for 18 years, Wei has worked fervently since his release and exile to America in 1997. Wei's passion for drawing attention to oppression in China and supporting the country's underground democratic efforts have fueled his restless schedule, which he began only four days after his release.

"It's one thing to have a long list of things to do," Wei said of his full-time commitment. "It's another to do them."

Wei insists that a real communist party has not existed in China for quite some time.

"The current party is not a group of idealists, it's a group of vested interests," he said, adding that today's communist leaders "use some beautiful ideal as an excuse, as a ploy for exploiting people."

Still, because of China's "complicated culture and social structure," Wei acknowledged the importance of learning from the recent history of the Soviet Union.

"When the Soviet government collapsed, there were no organized democratic forces to take over," he said, noting that those forces are similarly not strong inside China. "We have to increase the effort."

Although Wei argues that "no matter who replaces the communists, no one will run the government any worse," there is still concern that control of China might be assumed by the wrong leadership. He said, "If government power gets into the hands of people with hatred, the results might not be so good."

In the end, Wei thanked Columbia for sponsoring him since his arrival in America: "If I've accomplished anything, it has to be at least half because of the opportunities offered to me by Columbia. I've been awarded by the University some excellent conditions for my work."