Twenty-Five Years On, the Chinese Communist Party Is Still Repressing Tiananmen

For many in China, the events of June 1989 were a turning point: Any hopes that China would pursue economic and political reforms in tandem were dashed. Over the years, the Chinese government has done its best to block any public conversation of the 1989 protest; many fear that it has succeeded in creating a sort of collective amnesia, at least among young people, many of whom have little knowledge of what happened in Beijing and across China at that time.

And yet the Tiananmen Square protests retain a strong symbolic power, so much so that in the run-up to the 25th anniversary, the Chinese government detained a number of activists who planned commemorative events. To some, this repression suggests that, despite two decades of record economic growth, the Chinese Communist Party remains nervous about its hold on power, and is anxious to head off not only debates about historical questions like Tiananmen, but also conversations about the future of political reform in China. Whether it can put off such debates indefinitely remains in question.

In a recent panel discussion, experts explored the significance of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, and whether China’s rise has broken the long-assumed tie between economic development and an open society. Listen above.