The world on Tuesday marked the 35th anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown, when Chinese troops opened fire to quash student-led prodemocracy protests, amid growing fears that the deadly event’s memory is being erased by Beijing and overshadowed by increasingly tense Sino-U.S. rivalry.
While commemorations of the June 4, 1989, crackdown are effectively banned in mainland China and in Hong Kong — which had until recently hosted memorials — events were being held in Taiwan and other locations.
In a statement Tuesday, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te pledged to work hard to preserve the memory of the crackdown.