AMN
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged China to respect the basic human rights of its people.Pompeo issued a statement on Monday, the 29th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident.
He said the United States remembers the tragic loss of innocent lives. He quoted words by the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate and symbol of China’s prodemocracy movement, activist Liu Xiaobo, that “the ghosts of June 4th have not yet been laid to rest”.
Pompeo urged the government to respect the universal rights and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, and to end the continued harassment of demonstration participants and their families.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday that the US issues statements every year making gratuitous criticism of China interfering in its internal affairs. Hua then expressed China’s strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition.
Hua revealed that the government had lodged a protest with Washington.
She also pointed out that the US should discard its prejudice, correct its wrongs and stop releasing irresponsible statements and meddling with China’s internal affairs.
She added that the Chinese government has reached a clear conclusion on political disturbance in the late 1980s, reiterating the government’s position that there is no need to re-evaluate the incident.