Jun 4, 2019 - World

China slams Pompeo for remarks on Tiananmen Square protest anniversary

Rebecca Falconer

Police officers stand in front of Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 4, 2019. — China stepped up security in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on Tuesday. Photo: Mathew Knight/AFP/Getty Images

China said Tuesday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "smears" the country with his remarks about the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest, as Beijing authorities stepped up security in the area on the 30th anniversary of the crackdown.

Details: Pompeo criticized China's human rights record in a statement Monday and called on the government to "make a full, public accounting of those killed" in the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., called Pompeo's remarks "an affront to the Chinese people."

The big picture: China has stepped up security in the square, AP reports, 30 years on from the crackdown on June 4, 1989 in which an estimated 1,000–1,500 people died. Extra checkpoints and street closures have been set up at the square, the news agency notes.

Go deeper: China's Tiananmen Square crackdown continues 30 years later

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China slams Pompeo for remarks on Tiananmen Square protest anniversary

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