How they see it
The 25th anniversary of June 4
1. Global Times
Chinese society still remembers how poor we were 25 years ago. But the country has grown into the world's second largest economy today. Disintegration of the Soviet Union, civil war in Yugoslavia, and what is happening in Ukraine and Thailand have disturbed us more than preaching and appeals from the West … The West has also granted activity space and open support to Xinjiang and Tibetan separatists. These are powerful lessons for Chinese people. … China has found an effective growth path. An increasingly diversified Chinese society is treasuring this path generally. What happened 25 years ago and many incidents of turbulence in the world have taught us to be wiser. Beijing
2. The Asahi Shimbun
Steadily and surely, the ranks of politically and socially aware Chinese citizens are growing. It has been argued that the intellectual level of the public is still too low for democracy and that democracy is not the right system for China. But such arguments are no longer tenable. The Xi [government] must heed the voices of the people seeking freedom. It is wrong to send people to jail for just criticising the regime. Beijing must allow free speech and accept the people's right to form associations to encourage healthy dissent. By skipping such phases of gradual democratisation, China will never become stable. The demands of students 25 years ago are even more legitimate today. They must never be forgotten. Tokyo
3. The Plain Dealer
Twenty-five years later, the events of June 3-4 when Beijing's Tiananmen Square and surrounding squares and avenues were forcibly cleared of protesters remain a sad bellwether … As part of the legacy of its crackdown, the Chinese government still patrols the web to clamp down on disclosures and prevent discussions and debates about the June events. A brave group calling themselves the Tiananmen Mothers has documented the names of more than 200 who died either from gunshot wounds or in related ways. But the legacy of Tiananmen is far deeper and more profound in a nation that, because it cannot openly confront its past, cannot fully embrace its future. Cleveland, Ohio
