China, US clash over anniversary of Tiananmen crackdown
China has called US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments about the deadly crackdown on protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square 37 years ago a “slander” to the country’s political system, as Taiwan tells China to face history.
The events in and around the central Beijing square on June 4, 1989, when Chinese soldiers opened fire to end student-led pro-democracy protests, are not publicly discussed in China and the anniversary is not officially celebrated.
Rubio said Wednesday that censorship in Beijing cannot erase memories of the military attack.
“Those who make sacrifices to defend their inalienable rights such as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly will one day be vindicated,” the United States’ top diplomat said in a statement following his past practices celebrating the anniversary.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning reiterated Beijing’s position, saying the government had long reached a “clear conclusion” about the “political turmoil in the late 1980s”.
“China strongly opposes and firmly opposes the United States distorting historical facts and tarnishing China’s political system and development path,” Mao said regarding Rubio’s statement on Thursday. he said.
He also accused the United States of interfering in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of “democracy and human rights” and defended Beijing’s “path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
Public commemorations of the crackdown are taking place in overseas cities, including Taipei; Here, senior Taiwanese government leaders often use the anniversary to criticize China, which considers democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory.
Writing on his Facebook page, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said that a truly great country should not “blindly believe in military might or engage in militarism.”
“I sincerely hope that China will confront the June 4 incident that took place 37 years ago, accept the truth, relieve the pain, and open the door to reconciliation and dialogue,” he said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request seeking comment on Lai’s remarks.
Chinese tanks entered Tiananmen Square before dawn on June 4, 1989, crushing weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations by students and workers.
China has never released the exact death toll, but human rights groups and witnesses say the figure could reach thousands.
China blamed the protests on counter-revolutionaries trying to overthrow the ruling Communist Party.
In Hong Kong, where candlelight vigils in the city’s Victoria Park once drew tens of thousands of people each year, public commemorations ended after Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020.
Various vigils were expected to be held in many cities around the world on Thursday, including four in Germany and one in Australia.
