We will never forget Tiananmen crackdown, Taiwan and US say on 36th anniversary

Taiwan’s president and the leading U.S. diplomat stated that the world will always remember China’s 1989 suppression of pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, marking the 36th anniversary of an incident that Beijing considers taboo and prohibits public commemoration.

The incidents that occurred on and near the central Beijing square on June 4, 1989, when Chinese soldiers shot to terminate the student-led pro-democracy demonstrations, are not openly talked about in China, and the anniversary is not officially recognized. Public memorials happen in foreign cities such as Taipei, where high-ranking Taiwan government officials frequently use the anniversary to condemn China and call for acknowledgment of its actions.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, lauded the bravery of the protesters, stating that human rights are a principle embraced by Taiwan and other democracies, which spans generations and boundaries.

“The commemoration of the June 4 Tiananmen incident is not only to mourn history, but also to perpetuate this memory,” said Lai, who Beijing detests as a “separatist” and has rejected his repeated offers of talks.

“Authoritarian governments often choose to silence and forget history, while democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who gave their lives – and their dreams – to the idea of human rights,” he added.

“Not only do we refuse to forget history, we will implement our core values every day.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday praised the courage of the Chinese people who were killed in the bloody crackdown.” Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,” Rubio said in a statement.

“The CCP actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget,” he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.

Speaking at a daily briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Rubio’s “wrong comments maliciously distort the facts of history”, seriously inteferes in China’s internal affairs, and that China had lodged a complaint with the United States.

“With regard to the political turmoil that took place in the late 1980s, the Chinese government has long since come to the clear conclusion that the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the choice of history and the people,” he said.

Australia marked the anniversary saying that Canberra remains committed to protecting and supporting human rights including freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of political participation.

“On this day, we join communities around the world to remember the loss of life at Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989,” Australia’s Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macau, Gareth Williams, said in a post on X.