Wu'er Kaixi, a leading figure in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, has given an interview to DW, detailing his personal losses and nearly four decades in exile.

Now 58 and living in Taipei, Kaixi remains outspoken against the Chinese government, which has made clear he will never be granted amnesty. Speaking in Tokyo, he called China 'a direct threat to the entire civilization of mankind'.

Kaixi criticized other nations for turning a blind eye to China's oppression of dissent, including ethnic minorities like Tibetans and Uyghurs. He described US policy toward China as 'appeasement' and praised Donald Trump's businesslike approach.

'The Chinese Communist Party is a criminal group driven by profit,' Kaixi said, accusing Chinese leaders of caring only about adding zeros to their bank balances rather than rejuvenating the nation.

He warned Germany about Chinese investments in the Port of Hamburg, calling them a tool to enrich and empower Beijing's leadership. Germany, he said, 'is waking up fast' to the challenges posed by Chinese firms.

A Uyghur from western China, Kaixi was a student at Beijing Normal University when protests began. He famously interrupted Premier Li Peng on live television, earning fame but also the regime's enmity.

The crackdown on the night of June 3-4, 1989, saw thousands of troops storm Tiananmen Square with tanks and live ammunition. Official death tolls have never been released, but rights groups estimate thousands were killed.

Kaixi fled via Hong Kong and Paris, studied at Harvard, and moved to Taipei in 1996. He now chairs the Taiwan Association for Democracy in China.

'Exile is mental and spiritual torture. I have lived this way for 37 years. Last year, I got the call that my father had passed away, and I was not ready,' Kaixi said. His parents were denied permission to travel abroad to see him.

Source: www.dw.com