Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has criticized China for its failure to come to terms with the massacre at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing 37 years ago.
A "truly great nation" should not rely on military might but should confront the wounds of its history, Lai wrote on Facebook on Thursday. He said he hoped China would face up to the events, acknowledge the truth and begin a dialogue.
China does not commemorate the events of June 4, 1989. Buses crossing Tian'anmen Square in Beijing on Thursday were carrying several uniformed police officers alongside security personnel. Large numbers of tourists were moving across the square itself, as usual.
What happened on June 4, 1989
The death of Hu Yaobang, a reformist hope and Communist Party general secretary, in mid-April 1989 sparked a movement in the heart of Beijing calling for greater political participation and an end to corruption.
The government failed to bring the weeks-long protests under control and had them crushed by the military. In the early hours of June 4, hundreds of people died in the streets around Tian'anmen Square, many from gunfire. The exact death toll remains unknown to this day.
Bereaved relatives continue to demand clarification and compensation. The "Tian'anmen Mothers" said ahead of the anniversary that the government was not fulfilling its responsibilities, was refusing to make amends and was suppressing public discussion of the events.
Action in Hong Kong, vigil in Taipei
On Wednesday, artist Chen Sanmu stretched a 6.4-metre-long red thread near Victoria Park in the Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong, where the massacre had traditionally been commemorated. Hong Kong has banned the vigil in the park since the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to reports, plainclothes police officers took down Chen's personal details and searched him a few minutes later. The 6.4 metres symbolize the date of the events.
Memorial events were planned for Thursday afternoon and evening in the Taiwanese capital Taipei. The largest commemorations now take place on the independently governed democratic island, which China claims as its own and whose government it labels as separatists.
