that i think all of us as members of the senate should hear, reflect, and respect. i want you to know that i am thankful i was here to personally -- we can read words, like it is when we have the ability to hear and to feel those words that their true meaning comes out and i appreciate and thank you for that. >> during thursday's session, mitch mcconnell started the day by talking about the passage of revisions to the paycheck protection program. he and other members paid tribute to those killed in tiananmen square and the protests around the us. >> yesterday evening, targeted

changes, senator collins and senator rubio's paycheck protection program continued to protect american workers and small businesses through this pandemic. back in march, senate leaders hand designed this push for unprecedented assistance to working families and main street businesses. once again, the charge to rebuild popular and successful program with more money so it could help even more americans. in the weeks since, our colleagues track the program operation. for two weeks when necessary. they proposed a ppp modification before they passed the bill. senior senators from maine in florida identified several more

technical fixes of the legislation that i hope congress will address, thanks to senator collins, chairman rubio and other colleagues who made this program a success the ppp has delivered half $1 trillion in relief that has literally saved tens of millions of american jobs. as we stay nimble and continue our efforts i have to thank and recognize the architect of this historic program, senior senators from maine in florida for helping soften the blow of this pandemic for so many american families. madam president, on an entirely different matter today marks the 30 first anniversary of the tiananmen square massacre in beijing. because of censorship and disinformation we still do not

know how many chinese people were killed by their own government on june 4th, 1989. conservative estimate say hundreds, others say thousands, a burst of violence against peaceful democracy protesters, weeks of arrests, roundups and executions and then, madam president, total silence. never since have chinese people been able to freely and openly remember the atrocity. never outside the oasis of hong kong has a single gathering on chinese soil been permitted to commemorate the victims. even that oasis of freedom is at risk. we learned this week under new pressure from beijing hong kong is refusing to permit the annual candlelight vigil for

the first time ever. this year the chinese communist party wants no candle wit even in hong kong. brave chinese flooded the public square, in the fervent hope that economic liberalization led to an authoritarian more open society, what they got were bodies littering the ground. a shocked world sanctioned the prc but as time passed, returned to a strategy will coming china into the public square in those institutions in the hope it included china would play by the rules. time and again those hopes have been dashed. the last few months have been a case study in the peoples republic has chosen to be.

the response to the coronavirus pandemic as started in their own country by silencing their own doctors, imprison their own people, shutdown important research and lie to the rest of the world while hoarding supplies for themselves. the ccp's selfishness and failures fueled a wild -- worldwide catastrophe and a persons they tried to use that as a smokescreen for other aggression. they thought the rest of the world was distracted, china has cracked down on hong kong, conducted provocative military exercises near taiwan, expanded their bullying in the south china sea, pressured the philippines and initiated physical fighting with india in the himalayas. and according to pressure ports they also found the time to mount online disinformation

campaigns to hurt america and divide us among ourselves. bad actors, went to beijing and reportedly flooded twitter to exploit the death of george floyd and increase the possibility among americans even in official channels, ccp leaders across america and apply our society is no better than their tyranny. as an aside some democrats in washington seem to have swallowed the chinese propaganda and set up to amplify themselves including right here on the senate floor. yesterday right here in the senate chamber the democratic leader explicitly compared american men and women in uniform to the chinese murderers who committed the

massacre in tiananmen square. leader schumer said when he saw evidence of american men and women in uniform standing or the recently defaced lincoln memorial and protect the rights of peaceful protest, quote, cannot help but think of tiananmen square, that is what he said. i am sure beijing was thrilled with this comparison, propaganda victory for communist party giftwrapped with the complement of the democratic party delivered just in time for this blood he anniversary. imagine being so consumed by partisanship that you deliberately link the brave american men and women who stop violence, protect peaceful protests, defend citizens constitutional liberties and defend against violent riots to the chinese butchers, butchers who guns down crowds of peaceful dissenters who are begging for the same rights our military defense. in america the police help peaceful marchers march.

over a they gunned them down. if anyone is having trouble establishing these things the problem is not with our nation, it is with them. madam president these recent examples of chinese hostility are symptoms of the fundamental problem that has come into focus. decades ago the united states and the rest of the world made a calculated step in will coming china into the fold would cause them to mend their ways. president clinton argued for admitting china into the wto because, quote, economic innovation and political empowerment will inevitably go hand in hand. many smart people made that wager. the president in both parties, we should never use words like

inevitable. president clinton also said china has been trying to crack down on the internet, good luck. the transcript in 2000 said that was greeted with laughter. no one is laughing now. china's leaders pounced on every inch of economic space the world has afforded them and then some. they cheated on trade, stolen technology, executor long-term plan to dominate global industries, what a nice foreign aid to bring developing countries under there for all, the chinese economy has -- the chinese people enjoy after communist mismanagement but all of this money and innovation have not brought the people any more freedom. they have given ccp better

high-tech tools to oppress their own people and more leverage to undermine the system. rather than inputting liberty into china disintegration seems to have been rather more successful at exporting their authoritarian preferences to the rest of us. right here in the united states we have seen hollywood make a habit of self-centered films to avoid offending the chinese communist party. we have seen the nba prioritize profits inside and throw them under the bus. the same elites and businesses totally free to critique our own society and rightly so, increasingly walk on eggshells around president xi and his cronies. free speech is hardly the only a front china poses a threat.

a recent major report from an interagency task force found the china's deliver it economic regression and targeting of our industrial - with significant vulnerability. others are awakening the same reality. the controlled newspaper threat, and plunge into the mighty sea of coronavirus. if we did not play more nicely with beijing, one month later chinese officials threaten to boycott australia because our australian friends wanted to investigate the origins of the pandemic. earlier this year the director of the fbi explain china's, conspiracies make the ccp the

greatest long-term threat to intellectual property and by extension our economic vitality. once again our allies and partners are being victimized by the very same tactic. one outside report found the united states is losing $400 billion-$600 billion per year in intellectual property theft as a matter of provable losses. that figure does not account for second-order losses such as jobs and infrastructure. let's put that in perspective. congress has been working hard on a huge historic paycheck protection program, pushed half $1 trillion for american workers. by this estimate china reaches

into our country and steals the equivalent of that entire program every single year. china does not play by the rules, not in hong kong, not in the who, not in the wto, not in international trade, year after year, on issue over issue, they have chosen progression so there will be consequences. just this week the uk reportedly continued to back away from plans to work with huawei, boris johnson is preparing to offer visas so they know their freedoms and liberties are more severe, in the united kingdom. in japan prime minister abe taking major steps to check

china economic pressure. defending american security, american interests, american prosperity and the international system cannot be a go it alone operation. there will be steps the united states will take on our own. just as the free world stands united to remember tiananmen square so we will need to stand together to prevent the world's public square from heading towards similar domination by china. we need to keep our friends and partners close. china can try to repress their own people but the united states of america will never fall silent. we will never go dark. we will keep the candles lit, protect our people and their