China on Friday opposed remarks made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and termed the widespread crackdown as a "political turmoil".
"What Secretary Blinken said on 'political turmoil' in the late 1980s interferes in China's internal affairs; China firmly opposes it. Before attacking other countries on so-called human rights, the US should first look at itself in the mirror and see its own human rights violations," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, as quoted by the Global Times.
This statement comes after Secretary Blinken on Thursday honoured the "sacrifices of those killed 32 years ago, and the brave activists who carry on their efforts today in the face of ongoing government repression."
"Tomorrow marks the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Named after the nearby Gate of Heavenly Peace, the square is instead synonymous with the brutal actions by the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1989 to silence tens of thousands of individuals advocating to have a say in their government and exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms," Blinken said in a statement.
"The courage of the brave individuals who stood shoulder-to-shoulder on June 4 reminds us that we must never stop seeking transparency on the events of that day, including a full accounting of all those killed, detained, or missing," he added.
Blinken said that the Tiananmen demonstrations are echoed in the struggle for democracy and freedom in Hong Kong, where a planned vigil to commemorate the massacre in Tiananmen Square was banned by local authorities.
The United States will continue to stand with the people of China as they demand that their government respect universal human rights, he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor