Taiwan and US push China on anniversary of 1989 crackdown

The 1989 protests that clogged Beijing's Tiananmen Square and spread to other cities remain a taboo topic for the ruling Communist Party, all the more so this year following online calls for an Arab-style “jasmine revolution” in China.

The events of more than two decades ago continue to affect international perceptions of China, now the world's number two economy and increasingly active on the international stage.

The U.S. State Department said China must release all those still jailed for their participation in the 1989 protests.

“We ask the Chinese government to provide the fullest possible public accounting of those killed, detained or missing,” deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.

At least five people remain in jail for joining the protests.

The president of democratic Taiwan, the island China claims as its own and has never renounced the use of force to recover, said Beijing should follow Taipei's example and reform politically.

“As we look back upon the June 4th incident, we urgently hope the mainland Chinese authorities will have the courage to undertake political reforms and promote the development of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law,” President Ma Ying-jeou said in a statement.

On Saturday, Tiananmen Square was packed with tourists as normal, with no obvious signs that already tight security had been stepped up significantly.

Some roads in central Beijing did have greater numbers of police on them. Police checked some cars on at least one section of the city's main interior ring road.

“I didn't agree with the method of the protest, making a disturbance on the square,” said a 60-year-old Beijing resident who gave her family name as Chen. “But I think there should be a way for people to express what's on their mind.”

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