In this era of global finance the United States and China have common interests regarding trade and debt. However, the essential character of a state is revealed not in its economic circumstances, but in its respect for human rights. In this field the U.S. and China have little in common—as illustrated by the harrowing and heroic story of Fang Zheng.

In 1989, Mr. Fang was among the 100,000 Chinese who flooded into Beijing's Tiananmen Square to demonstrate for democratic rights. He was then a Communist Party member, a student...