U.S. Marks Tiananmen Square Anniversary With Rubio Remarks; China Responds

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on June 3 that no amount of censorship can erase the past, referring to the events of June 4, 1989 in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Rubio spoke during a Senate subcommittee meeting in Washington.

On that date 37 years earlier, the Chinese government sent troops and tanks to crush protests calling for political reform in and around the square. The death toll remains unknown, and discussion of the events is censored in mainland China. China responded on June 4 by accusing the United States of distorting facts and smearing its political system.

Beijing described Rubio's comments as smearing the country's political system. Taiwan told China to face up to history in response to the anniversary.