On June 3rd, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio issued a press release on the State Department website, stating, "In the spring of 1989, tens of thousands of students gathered in Beijing's largest square to mourn a Chinese Communist Party leader who had tried to steer China toward a more open and democratic system. Their action inspired a nationwide movement. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens took to the streets in the capital and across China for weeks, using freedom of speech and peaceful assembly to call for democracy, human rights, and an end to rampant corruption. The Chinese Communist Party responded with brutal repression, sending the People's Liberation Army to open fire in an attempt to extinguish the democratic demands of the unarmed people gathered on the streets of Beijing and in Tiananmen Square."
Reuters reported that the statement from the top US diplomat comes at a turbulent time in US-China relations. US officials said this week that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks soon to resolve trade issues, including the dispute over critical minerals.
Rubio added in his statement, "The Chinese Communist Party continues to vigorously suppress the facts, but the world will not forget. Today, we commemorate the brave Chinese people who lost their lives fighting for basic freedoms on June 4, 1989, and we also commemorate those who continue to be persecuted for seeking accountability and justice. Their courage, despite knowing the dangers, reminds us that the ideals of freedom, democracy, and self-governance are not just American values, but common values of all mankind - values that the Chinese Communist Party cannot erase."
