U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner on Tuesday denounced the “failed ideology” of the People’s Republic of China on the communist country’s 70th anniversary, in sharp contrast to the congratulations offered earlier in the day by President Donald Trump.

On Twitter, Trump marked the anniversary of Mao Zedong’s establishment of communist rule by congratulating Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Congratulations to President Xi and the Chinese people on the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China!” Trump exclaimed.

Gardner, a Colorado Republican, took a contrary approach, highlighting human rights abuses and ongoing demonstrations in Hong Kong as its residents bristle under Chinese rule.

“Communism is a failed ideology that was imposed on the Chinese people against their will and against their celebrated history and traditions,” said Gardner, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chairman of its Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, in a statement.

“As the Chinese Communist Party celebrates the 70th anniversary of its totalitarian rule, over a million Uighurs are imprisoned in labor camps, millions are repressed in Tibet, and millions are on the streets of Hong Kong marching for autonomy and human rights. The United States will always stand with the people of China to have the freedom to choose their destiny.”

Other Republican lawmakers had similarly harsh condemnations of the regime.

“The Butchers of Beijing celebrate 70 years of communist tyranny by shooting a student marching for freedom in Hong Kong,” tweeted U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, referring to an Associated Press report on the Chinese crackdown. “What a sadly appropriate way to mark a dark, lamentable anniversary.”

“I will pass,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, in response to Trump’s tweet.