President Tsai Ing-wen has marked the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests by calling for like-minded people to support each other in upholding democratic values. The Taiwan leader’s post on Facebook on Friday comes as authorities in Hong Kong mobilize police forces to prevent the annual vigil in memory of those killed.
Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989 was the site of large student-led demonstrations calling for political and economic reform. On June 4, 1989 China’s People’s Liberation Army violently suppressed the movement. Estimates for the death toll range from hundreds to thousands.
In her post, Tsai says Taiwan will never forget the young people who died that day, nor will it forget the Hong Kong residents who cannot hold their yearly candle-lit vigil this year. She says she believes Taiwanese people who take pride in liberal democracy will not forget the historic day, nor let their faith be “shaken by the wind and rain”.
Tsai also references Japan’s recent commitment to send COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan. She calls Japan a partner among liberal democracies, and says their “timely assistance… gives democratic Taiwan even more faith in democracy”.