JAKARTA – The Chinese government has raised objections over remarks made by Marco Rubio, the United States Secretary of State, who referred to the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident.

Citing The Straits Times on Wednesday (4/6), Lin Jian, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Beijing had lodged a formal complaint with the US regarding its commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen events.

According to Lin, the US has distorted historical facts and attacked China’s political system by raising the issue.

Earlier, Marco Rubio had made a statement honouring the courage of Chinese citizens who were killed during protests at Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989.

“Today we honour the courage of the Chinese people who were killed while trying to exercise their fundamental freedoms, and those who continue to suffer persecution for seeking accountability and justice for what happened on 4 June 1989,” he said.

He added that the Chinese Communist Party actively censors the facts of the incident, but the global community will not forget.

On 4 June 1989, demonstrators in China faced armed troops and tanks in Tiananmen Square as they protested against the country’s economic and political conditions. (LK/KR/ZH)