BEIJING — China defended anew Tuesday its military assault on Tiananmen Square democracy demonstrators 11 years ago as necessary to preserving the reforms that have brought prosperity to many Chinese.
Five days away from the sensitive June 4 anniversary of the attack that killed hundreds, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said, "the political upheaval of 1989 seriously undermined social stability."
"The Chinese government had no choice but to take necessary measures to solve this so as to maintain social stability and the smooth-going of China's reform and opening-up," Zhang said in response to a foreign reporter's question at a routine media briefing.
"Today's prosperity could not be achieved without stability," Zhang added.
Student-led demonstrators occupied the square in central Beijing off and on for seven weeks, drawing a million Chinese at the height of the demonstrations. Chinese leaders, fearing they would be swept aside, ordered in troops to clear the square. They shot their way into the city on June 3-4, 1989.
The exact number of those killed is not known. The communist government has never allowed an investigation. Its agents have routinely detained dissidents demanding redress. Family members of victims seeking compensation and an apology have been harassed and foreign donations to ease their plight have been seized.
When asked whether the government would consider transferring the donations to the families, Zhang said: "This was something that happened in China and I would like to point out here that no foreign country has the right to interfere in China's internal affairs."