Washington, DC - It has been 27 years since the Chinese government violently suppressed peaceful protests in and around Tiananmen Square. The United States government continues to call for a full public accounting of those killed, detained, or missing and for an end to censorship of discussions about the events of June 4, 1989, as well as an end to harassment and detention of those who wish to peacefully commemorate the anniversary.

While China has seen many changes in the intervening years, we continue to have serious concerns with ongoing violations of human rights in China, including, in the past year, the detention of hundreds of human rights activists, lawyers, journalists, and civil society leaders, and increased restrictions on media content, expression, association, and religious practice. The United States views the protection of human rights as a fundamental duty of all countries who seek to uphold the international system, and we urge the Chinese government to respect the universal rights and freedoms of all its citizens.