Taiwan Urges China to Revisit Tiananmen Crackdown on 37th Anniversary

June 4, 2026

Mintesinot Nigussie

Taiwan marked the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown with renewed calls for China to acknowledge the incident and engage in dialogue over one of the most sensitive episodes in modern Chinese political history.

The appeal came from Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, who said he hoped China would “face up to the June 4 incident of 37 years ago, acknowledge the truth, soothe the pain, and open the door to reconciliation and dialogue.”

The 1989 events involved Chinese troops opening fire on student-led pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, an episode that remains officially unacknowledged in China.

Lai also cautioned against governance approaches based on coercion, stating that societies should avoid “violence, surveillance, and other means to strangle their dreams and erase their opinions.”

Beijing has labelled Lai a “separatist” and has repeatedly rejected his offers for dialogue.