Pictures of rallies in the United States On 28 June 1997, the Taiwanese- American community held "Say NO to China" rallies in seven cities. Here we present a brief report and pictures of some of these rallies: New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Why Say NO to China? Statement by Congressman Sherrod Brown Resolution introduced in the U.S. House Join the Green Ribbon campaign Washington Post: "Taiwan sees little to cheer in HK hangover" Massive Rally in Taipei: "Taiwan is not Hong Kong"

On July 1, 1997 Great Britain handed over sovereignty over Hong Kong to China. The transition was the focus of world attention. To show Taiwan rejects the "One Country, two Systems" approach outright, a major rally was held in Taipei on June 28th, 1997.

Over the past few years, China bullied and threatened Taiwan, and has prevented the island from gaining its rightful place among the family of nations. To show that Taiwan is a New Taiwan, which is a free and democratic nation, and to tell China that its claims are wrong, a large crowd gathered for a rally in downtown Taipei to "Say No to China."

Taiwan is populated by 21 million people, some 85 percent of whom consider themselves Taiwanese. The other 15 percent are Chinese mainlander followers of Chiang Kai-shek, who occupied Taiwan after 1945, repressed the Taiwanese with forty years of martial law, and made us unwilling pawns in the bigger chess-game between the two Chinese adversaries. The Taiwanese had nothing to do with that Civil War, and don't want their future to be held hostage to that Civil War.

Taiwan is now a New Taiwan, and the Taiwanese are asking the United States and other nations around the world to have the courage to stand up for the principles enbodied in the Charter of the United Nations. These principles give the people of Taiwan the right to self-determination and the right to determine their own future, without any outside interference by other countries such as China.

The people of Taiwan simply ask China to respect the right of the Taiwanese to choose "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as a free and independent country, which lives in peaceful coexistence next to its big neighbor. Is that provocative ? Is that too much to ask ?

The rally was sponsored by a coalition of social organizations and political parties in Taiwan, including the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Independence Party (TAIP). Former DPP presidential candidate Professor Peng Ming-min is Honorary Chair of the preparatory committee, and Legislator Trong Chai its chairman.