“Have courage to confront historical facts of June 4 incident”: Taiwan to China on Tiananmen Square Massacre

Amid soaring 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.

MAC, on Monday, called on Beijing authorities to “have the courage to confront the historical facts of the ‘June 4th Incident,’ reported Taiwan News.

It also urged the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to promote “a comprehensive deepening of reforms” and “enable the people to live better lives.”

Beijing was advised by the MAC to take a more accommodative and tolerant stance, tolerating differing viewpoints and ideas, and to pay attention to the aspirations of the general populace, who yearn for freedom, democratic living standards, and civil rights.

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

In order to close the gap between people on both sides of the strait, the council emphasized that universal principles like democracy, freedom, and peace are essential. It also underlined that the essence of cross-strait interactions is a struggle of systems and lifestyles.

The council stated that kindness and communication should be the foundation of cross-strait relationships.

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

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

On June 3 and 4 of the same year, the People’s Liberation Army stormed the square with tanks, crushing the protests with terrible human costs. Estimates of the number of people killed vary. The Chinese Communist Party stated that the injuries exceeded 3,000 and over 200 individuals, including 36 university students, were killed that night.