June 04, 2026
Taiwan has pressed China to recognise the deadly crackdown on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square 37 years ago, in commemorating the anniversary on Thursday of an event that remains taboo for Beijing.
"I sincerely hope that China can face up to the Jun 4 incident of 37 years ago, acknowledge the truth, soothe the pain, and open the door to reconciliation and dialogue," Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said in a post on his Facebook page.
The events on and around the central Beijing square on Jun 4, 1989, when Chinese troops opened fire to end the student-led pro-democracy protests, are not publicly discussed in China and the anniversary is not officially marked.
Public commemorations now take place in overseas cities, including Taipei where senior Taiwanese government leaders often use the anniversary to criticise China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory.
