Taiwan attacks China over Tiananmen Square massacre

Amid rising tensions between the two countries, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has urged China to face history on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

According to Taiwan News, the MAC on Monday called on Beijing authorities “to show the courage to face the historical facts of the June 4 incident.”

It also urged the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to “comprehensively deepen reforms” and “enable the people to live a better life”.

The MAC advised Beijing to adopt a more liberal and tolerant attitude, tolerate different viewpoints and opinions, and pay attention to the aspirations of the general public who yearn for freedom, democratic living standards and civil rights.

According to Taiwan News, the council stressed that the CCP must move decisively to implement democracy and safeguard fundamental human rights as “this is the modern path to long-term peace and stability.”

To bridge the gap between the people on both sides of the Strait, the Council stressed that universal principles such as democracy, freedom and peace are essential. It also underlined that the essence of the relations between the people on both sides of the Strait is the conflict of systems and ways of life.

The Council said that kindness and communication should be the basis of cross-Strait relations.

Despite never ruling Taiwan, China’s ruling Communist Party considers it part of its territory and has threatened to annex it by force if necessary.

The Tiananmen protests began on April 15, 1989, when Chinese students gathered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to honor the death of popular pro-reform Chinese leader Hu Yaobang, where numerous student and mass demonstrations had taken place since the early 20th century.

On June 3 and 4 of that year, the People’s Liberation Army attacked the square with tanks, crushing the protests with terrible human losses. Estimates of the number of people killed vary. The Chinese Communist Party said more than 3,000 people were injured that night and more than 200 people, including 36 university students, were killed.