Reactions to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre facts for kids

The 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre were a big event in China in 1989. Many people around the world saw what happened on TV for the first time. Governments and news outlets, especially in Western countries, strongly criticized how the Chinese government reacted.

Countries in both Western and Eastern Europe, North America, Australia, and some parts of Asia and Latin America spoke out. However, many Asian countries stayed quiet. For example, the government of India told its state TV to show very little news about it. This was to help improve relations with China and show some understanding. Countries like North Korea, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany supported the Chinese government and criticized the protests. Meanwhile, Chinese students living in other countries protested against the Chinese government in many cities across Europe, America, the Middle East, and Asia.

China's Official Response

After the events at Tiananmen Square, some Chinese citizens were very upset. They felt that the government used too much force against peaceful protesters to stop any future demonstrations.

The Communist Party of China (CCP) said that the student protests were wrong. They stated that their actions were needed to keep the country stable. Government sources played down the violence that happened on June 3rd and 4th. They tried to show that the public supported their actions.

In the days that followed, the CCP tried to control what information got out. They took film from foreign journalists. Chinese journalists who had supported the students lost their jobs, and some foreign journalists were told to leave China. On June 6th, a government spokesman said that about 300 people had died. He claimed no one was killed in Tiananmen Square itself. He said the government's actions were a response to a "counterrevolutionary rebellion." In August 1989, the Chinese government released its official story, called The Truth About the Beijing Turmoil. This story is very different from what student leaders and foreign journalists reported. Many of these other reports are banned in China.

Today, the Chinese government blocks most internet searches in China related to the Tiananmen Square events. However, China has seen a long period of peace and strong economic growth since 1990. This has led to a much better quality of life for many Chinese citizens. More than 663 million people have moved out of poverty. Studies also show that trust in the Chinese government has remained high.

International Organizations React

The United Nations (UN)

The UN Secretary-General, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, was worried about what happened. He said the Chinese government should be very careful. But he also noted that the UN Charter says the UN should not get involved in a country's internal matters. This is especially true for countries with a Security Council veto, like China.

Later in 1989, a UN human rights group discussed the situation in China. They passed a resolution that asked for more information from China and other sources. It also asked for kindness, especially for those who were arrested because of the events.

China's representative to the UN, Ambassador Li Luye, said this resolution was "brutal interference" in China's internal affairs. He said the Chinese government strongly disagreed with it and considered it "illegal and null and void."

In early 1990, Ambassador Li repeated China's view. He said that stopping the "turmoil and rebellion" was right and lawful. He also said that punishing "criminals" who broke the law was fair. He felt that a few Western countries were using the UN to interfere, which he said went against the UN Charter.

However, the UN human rights group disagreed. They said that China's claim of interference was not valid. They stated that "massive violations" of human rights are a concern for everyone. They also pointed out that when China joined the UN, it agreed to uphold human rights standards.

Europe

The European Economic Community (EEC), now known as the European Union, strongly criticized China's actions. They stopped all high-level meetings and loans to China. They also planned to criticize China's human rights record at the UN. The EU still has an arms embargo against China today.

Countries Around the World React

A memorial in the Polish city of Wrocław showing a destroyed bicycle and a tank track, symbolizing the Tiananmen Square protests.

• Australia: The Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, cried at a memorial service. The Australian government allowed Chinese students to stay in Australia for four years.
• Burma (Myanmar): The government supported China's actions. But opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi condemned them, saying, "It happened in Burma and we wanted the world to stand by Burma, so we stand by the Chinese students."
• Canada: The External Affairs Minister, Joe Clark, called the incident "inexcusable." He said Canada was "horrified and outraged" by the "senseless violence" against students and civilians. In Vancouver, different reactions caused tension within the Chinese community.
• Czechoslovakia: The government supported China's response. They believed China would overcome its problems and continue to develop socialism. China thanked them for understanding.
• East Germany: The government of the German Democratic Republic approved of the military action. They passed a resolution supporting China's use of force. Some high-ranking politicians from the ruling party visited China soon after. However, many ordinary people in East Germany protested against China's actions.
• France: The French Foreign Minister, Roland Dumas, was "dismayed by the bloody repression" of "an unarmed crowd."
• Hong Kong: The military action greatly changed how people in Hong Kong viewed mainland China. 200,000 people protested against the Chinese government. China saw these protests as "subversive." People in Hong Kong hoped the chaos would weaken the Beijing government and stop Hong Kong from reuniting with China. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was also questioned. Protests continued for days, and flowers were placed outside the Xinhua News Agency office. This led to many people from Hong Kong moving to other countries.
• Hungary: The Hungarian government, which was going through its own political changes, reacted strongly. The Foreign Minister called the events a "horrible tragedy." The government said "fundamental human rights could not be exclusively confined to the internal affairs of any country." Protests were held outside the Chinese embassy. Hungary was the only European country to significantly reduce its relations with China afterward.
• India: The government of India told state television to show very little news about the events. This was to avoid harming improving relations with China and to show some understanding. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) was the only political party in the world to praise China's actions. They called the protests "an imperialist attempt to internally subvert socialism," which they said was stopped by the Chinese Communist Party and the army.
• Japan: The Japanese government called the response "intolerable" and stopped loans to China. However, Japan was the first of the G7 countries to restart high-level relations with China in the following months.
• Macau: 150,000 people protested in Macau.
• Netherlands: The Dutch government stopped diplomatic relations with China. They called China's representative to express shock at the "violent and brutal actions" of the army.
• Poland: The Polish government criticized China's actions but not the government itself. A spokesman called the incident "tragic" and expressed "sincere sympathy" for those affected. Daily protests and hunger strikes happened outside the Chinese embassy in Warsaw. The government hoped it would not affect relations. After a new government took power in Poland, it issued new stamps to remember the student protests.
• Romania: Nicolae Ceaușescu praised the military action. In return, China sent a high-ranking official to Romania's Communist Party Congress in August 1989.
• Republic of China (Taiwan): President Lee Teng-hui strongly condemned China's actions on June 4th. He said, "Although we anticipated this mad action... it still has moved us to incomparable grief, indignation and shock." Taiwan also lifted a ban on phone calls to mainland China to encourage private contact and counter the news blackout.
• Singapore: Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said his government was shocked and saddened. He expected China to use "minimum force" when the army was used to control civil disorder.
• Soviet Union: General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev did not directly condemn the actions but called for reform. There was interest in building relations after a recent meeting in Beijing. The events led to discussions about human rights and Soviet foreign policy. Some privately criticized China's response. Newly formed opposition groups condemned the military action. Ten days later, the government expressed regret and called for political talks. Public protests happened at the Chinese embassy in Moscow.
• South Korea: The Foreign Ministry expressed "grave concern" and hoped the situation would not get worse. They encouraged talks to solve the issue peacefully.
• Sweden: The Swedish government stopped diplomatic relations with China.
• United Kingdom: The Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, expressed "utter revulsion and outrage." She was "appalled by the indiscriminate shooting of unarmed people." She promised to make it easier for Hong Kong residents to immigrate.

A memorial for Tiananmen in Chinatown, Boston.

• United States: The United States Congress and media criticized the military action. President George H. W. Bush stopped military sales and visits to China. Large protests against the Chinese government happened across the country. However, through secret channels, the US government told China on June 30, 1989, that the events were an "internal affair." Public opinion of China in the U.S. dropped a lot after the protests.
• Vietnam: Even though Vietnam and China had a history of difficult relations, the Vietnamese government quietly supported China. Their media reported on the protests but did not comment. State radio said the army could not have stopped after "hooligans and ruffians insulted or beat up soldiers." The government wanted better relations with China and did not want to go to the "extremes of Eastern Europe or Tiananmen," referring to its own stability.
• Yugoslavia: The national news agency in this non-aligned country said the protest became a "symbol of destroyed illusions and also a symbol of sacrificed ideals which have been cut off by machine gun volleys and squashed under the caterpillars of heavy vehicles."

Chinese People's Reactions Abroad

Chinese Communist Party's Efforts

The CCP, led by Premier Li Peng and Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin, tried to reduce the negative impact of the Tiananmen Square events on China's image worldwide. They gave "reassuring public speeches" to avoid losing special trade status with the United States. They also tried to change the minds of overseas Chinese. Beijing offered benefits to Chinese intellectuals living abroad who led pro-democracy movements, hoping to win back their loyalty. However, many overseas Chinese saw the June 4th events as another example of communist control.

Hong Kong's Protests

After the crackdown, rallies supporting the Tiananmen Square protesters happened all over the world. In the days following the initial events, 200,000 people in Hong Kong held a huge rally. This was one of the largest in Hong Kong's history. They gathered to mourn those who died and protest the Chinese government's actions.

This protest also had a feeling of fear. The idea of reuniting with China was a big worry. Even with the "one country, two systems" idea, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people rushed to move to other countries. In the end, "thousands of people... disillusioned and worried about their future, moved overseas." But many Hong Kong residents continued to protest the crackdown in mainland China. They called for unity with the Chinese people in fighting for democracy.

After the events, Hong Kong's biggest protest ever took place. Over 1.5 million people joined a march organized by the new Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China. This was the largest protest against the crackdown outside Beijing.

Taiwan's Response

Many people in Taiwan also protested China's handling of the June 4th crackdown. They even held a "hands across the island" demonstration. However, there seemed to be some mixed feelings about the events in China. One news magazine publisher commented that "people in Taiwan think that Tiananmen Square is very far away... They think that we have plenty of local issues to be concerned about."

Other than the "hands across the island" event, there seemed to be only a "muted and controlled local response." Any demonstrations that did happen seemed "more dutiful than enthusiastic." Taiwan's President Lee Teng-hui issued a statement on June 4th. He said that "although [the Taiwanese government] anticipated this mad action... it still has moved us to incomparable grief, indignation and shock."

Canada's Chinese Community

On June 5, 1989, large protests against the Beijing government were held by Chinese Canadians. About 30,000 protesters, many of Chinese descent, picketed the Chinese consulate in Toronto. They called for an end to the violence. Five hundred Chinese Canadians also rallied in front of the Chinese consulate in Vancouver. In Halifax, one hundred Chinese students protested the actions of the PLA. Chinese students at the University of Manitoba protested at the provincial legislature.

A student from the University of Calgary said the government's action was unavoidable. He felt that "the students tried to push too hard... [and that] you can't change a whole society overnight." Another student from Simon Fraser University called it "one of the darkest days in Chinese history." Many Chinese foreign exchange students in Canada chose to apply for permanent residency after June 4th instead of returning to China.

In Vancouver, the Chinese community was among those who spoke out against the Chinese Communist Party's decision to use military force. Various Chinese Canadian Organizations protested in Vancouver to show their support for the students.

Protests in Vancouver

A replica of the Goddess of Democracy statue at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Using similar methods to the students in Beijing, 1,000 protesters marched down Granville Street in Vancouver to the Chinese Consulate. The Vancouver Sun reported that protesters wore black armbands. They carried signs with slogans like "Li Peng, you are a beast!" They demanded a statement from the consul-general.

Members of various Chinese organizations attended. A leader from the Chinese Benevolent Association of Canada said that the events in Beijing had ended support for state communism in China. Chinese university students from British Columbia also took part. A student from the University of Victoria said, "Tiananmen Square has never been attacked by any government, even the Japanese. Chinese culture has a long civilization that was destroyed by the government."

Demonstrations continued in the following weeks. On June 6, 1989, 5,000 members of the Vancouver Chinese community marched down Granville Street again. They held a 40-minute candlelight memorial service. Six days later, on June 12, 1989, more people rallied in Vancouver's Chinatown. About 13,000 protesters joined this rally. A local political leader, Ed Broadbent, spoke. He called for Canada's Ambassador to China to be recalled immediately. He also asked for an emergency discussion of the crisis by the United Nations Security Council. Afterward, protesters shared their feelings about the Chinese government's use of violence. A Chinese student from Simon Fraser University said, "For each of those who have fallen, 1,000 Chinese will come forward and rise up."

Debate Over the Goddess of Democracy

On August 22, 1989, Vancouver's Chinese community and human rights activists gathered at Robson Square. They held an art exhibition to remember the 1989 Tiananmen Square events. The exhibition included videos, images, news clippings, and discussions about a replica of the Beijing students' 'Goddess of Democracy' statue.

After the exhibition, the community debated where to place the replica statue. Some believed it should be in Vancouver's Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. The garden is named after the founder of modern China. However, the garden's trustees did not want the statue. They said the garden was not a place for politics. Others thought the trustees did not want the statue because the Chinese Communist Party had donated over $500,000 to build the garden.

The debate continued. A chairman of Vancouver's Chinese Benevolent Association argued that the statue should be in the garden. He said it was "not political" but was "promoting freedom and democracy." He believed that "Dr. Sun Yat-Sen stood for freedom and that's the whole spirit of the Garden." When talks with the Vancouver Parks Board failed, the statue had no home. Finally, after much effort, new talks began with the University of British Columbia. The 'Vancouver Society in Support for the Democracy Movement' was hopeful. The society approached UBC through a student group and received a warm welcome. The talks were successful, and the 'Goddess of Democracy' statue was moved to the grounds of the University of British Columbia.

National Day Division in Vancouver

China's National Day, celebrated on October 1st, further brought up strong feelings about the Tiananmen Square events. National Day celebrates the founding of the People's Republic of China. In Vancouver, the Chinese community was divided on how to celebrate.

Supporters of democracy in China planned a 24-hour fast and a reenactment of the Beijing students' tent camps. The Chinese Cultural Center and Chinese Benevolent Association suggested that regular National Day events, like lion dancing and dinner, should take place. A leader from the Canadian Christians for Democratic Movement in China said that continuing regular celebrations was another Chinese government cover-up. He stated that phone polls showed "71.6% of Vancouver's Chinese community opposed celebrations."

A former director of the Chinese Benevolent Association said, "To celebrate National Day without condemnation of the current Chinese government is hypocritical... I believe if we celebrate anything we should celebrate the courage and determination of the Chinese people seeking democracy." In response, the director of the Chinese Cultural Center said that because Canada still recognized the Chinese government, "we go along with the government," even though he sympathized with the democracy movement.

On October 1, 1989, the National Day events showed these two different views. A protest of over 500 pro-democracy supporters was held outside the Main Street SkyTrain station in Vancouver. They protested against the Tiananmen Square events. One person criticized those who attended the regular National Day celebrations, saying, "I think those who are feasting are doing so for personal gain." Others, like the president of the Chinese Benevolent Association, defended their celebration. He argued it was based on a 30-year-old tradition.

Legal Action in the United States

Some people who were part of the June 4th movement settled in other countries. Some, like Wang Dan, chose to continue fighting against the CCP. He and four other protesters filed a lawsuit against Li Peng. Their goal was to "prove that he is accountable for the crime, and that this kind of crime, the human rights violation, is beyond China's borders."