On the 36th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned China’s censorship and its refusal to acknowledge the tragic event, while Chinese officials responded by accusing the U.S. of interfering in internal affairs. The exchange highlights the ongoing political divide between Washington and Beijing over the historical incident.
The anniversary marks the day when Chinese authorities deployed the People’s Liberation Army to quell pro-democracy demonstrations, resulting in a significant loss of life. Despite the CCP’s efforts to suppress information about the incident, the memory of the event continues to stir international debate and tension between the two nations.
In a statement Tuesday evening, which was Wednesday morning local time in China, Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement that said, ‘the world will never forget’ the CCP’s brutal actions as it ‘actively tries to censor the facts.’ He highlighted the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, emphasizing that the principles of freedom, democracy, and self-rule are universal and cannot be erased by the CCP.
Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign ministry clapped back at Rubio and accused him of ‘maliciously distorting’ historical facts. Chinese spokesman Lin Jian stated that Rubio had ‘seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs,’ and said Beijing had lodged a formal complaint with the U.S.
The communist leadership has acknowledged the anniversary by routinely ramping up security at the square, as well as the entrance to Wan’an Cemetery, where some of the victims of the attack were laid to rest, reported AFP. Images of security forces lining Tiananmen Square again surfaced on Wednesday, though the square stood relatively empty.
The extent of the massacre remains unknown, though hundreds were believed to have been killed, with some estimates ranging as high as 1,000 civilian deaths. The CCP has since sought to cover up the crackdown by refusing to publicly acknowledge the tragedy, scrubbing online references and barring media coverage of the event.