, Columnist
Today’s U.S.-China Clash Began at Tiananmen Square
Ever since the massacre, Beijing has pushed authoritarianism at home and abroad.
From self-sacrifice to selfies.
Photographer: Giulia Marchi/Bloomberg
This article is for subscribers only.
Next week will mark the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, in which hundreds or perhaps thousands of students and pro-democracy dissidents were killed by the Chinese military. It was an event that profoundly shaped not only modern China, but also the U.S.-China relationship.
It is the odd anniversary that will pass virtually unobserved in the place where it had the greatest impact. Each year, around the anniversary, the government mobilizes an army of censors and trolls — both human and robotic — to stamp out any discussion of Tiananmen online.