Taiwanese enjoy democracy and freedom and have multiple ways to express their creativity, and hopefully young people in China would also one day have the freedom to sing and express themselves, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, commemorating the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Yesterday was the 34th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s bloody crackdown on student-led protests in Beijing in 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident.
Tsai posted a photograph taken in March in a subway station in Guizhou, China, where hundreds of young people gathered to sing People With No Ideals Don’t Get Hurt (沒有理想的人不傷心), saying that they had sung the verse: “I don’t want to always live underground.”
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
Expressing emotions or criticizing society through song is common for young people, including in Taiwan, she wrote on social media.
For many, the right to freely create is as natural as air and water, as people have democracy, freedom and multiple channels to express their diverse creativity in Taiwan, Tsai wrote.
“We hope one day, young people in China can sing freely and have passion when they create and express themselves, without worry,” she wrote.
Vice President and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman William Lai (賴清德) wrote on Facebook that “people should not forget the June Fourth Incident, and should cherish hard-won freedom and democracy.”
Taiwan had just lifted martial law and there were many democratic movements when the Tiananmen Square Massacre occurred, so Taiwanese understood why Chinese wanted democracy, he wrote.
The incident has not been and should not be forgotten, and people should continue to discuss and commemorate it to remind themselves that freedom and democracy do not come easily, Lai wrote.
As China tightens its control over Hong Kong, events commemorating the incident have been suspended, books about it have been removed from libraries and the liberal, pro-democracy Civic Party was dissolved last month, he wrote.
Lai said that the play 35th of May (五月三 十 五日) — code used by Chinese for “June 4” as it is censored — was banned in China and Hong Kong, but would be performed in Taipei, showing the difference between democracy in Taiwan and China’s autocracy.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) wrote on Facebook that the students who pursued freedom in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square not only shouted their wish for reform, but showed the world their hope for democracy.
He said that the best way to pay tribute to them is by continuing to be a democratic lighthouse for ethnic Chinese, preserving the lifestyles in Taiwan, and protecting the freedom, democracy, human rights, rule of law and prosperity of the Republic of China (ROC).
“Facing the historical pain, we must realize that freedom and human rights are the progressive values that both sides of the [Taiwan] Strait should pursue, and supporting June Fourth is a practical display of the ROC pursuing freedom and democracy,” New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the KMT’s presidential candidate, said in a statement.
Separately, National Taiwan University (NTU) graduate student Lau Ka-yee (劉家儀) and a friend protested in commemoration of the Tiananmen Square Massacre at Hong Kong’s Victoria Park on Saturday evening, and were arrested for allegedly acting with seditious intention.
The NTU Graduate Student Association held a news conference condemning the Hong Kong police, saying that it would monitor Lau’s situation.
It urged NTU’s president to speak up for Lau and provide assistance.
Additional reporting by Yang Mien-chieh
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNDER WAY: The contract for advanced sensor systems would be fulfilled in Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 2031, the Pentagon said Lockheed Martin has been given a contract involving foreign military sales to Taiwan to meet what Washington calls “an urgent operational need” of Taiwan’s air force, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The contract has a ceiling value of US$328.5 million, with US$157.3 million in foreign military sales funds obligated at the time of award, the Pentagon said in a statement. “This contract provides for the procurement and delivery of 55 Infrared Search and Track Legion Enhanced Sensor Pods, processors, pod containers and processor containers required to meet the urgent operational need of the Taiwan air force,” it said. The contract’s work would be
RSS