Xi Jinping Praises Tiananmen Crackdown, Calls for ‘Indomitable Fighting Spirit’

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called on China to show an “indomitable fighting spirit” while praising the Communist Party’s decision to clamp down on the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests.

Xi made the comments on Monday in a speech marking the centenary of the birth of former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, who led China from 1993 to 2002 and died in 2022. According to CNN, Xi also referred to Jiang’s role during the 1989 political upheaval, in a rare mention of the Tiananmen protests in an official speech.

Speaking before thousands of officials and delegates at the Great Hall of the People, Xi portrayed China as a country facing tough times but one that would emerge unscathed.

“With an indomitable fighting spirit and exceptional capabilities, we will actively confront major challenges, whether they be rough seas or even raging storms,” he said.

“(We must) resolutely defend our national sovereignty, security, and development interests, thereby writing a new chapter in the two great miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.”

In an indication of the speech’s importance, all seven members of China’s powerful Politburo Standing Committee, along with retired party and state leaders, were present, according to state television footage.

Tiananmen crackdown

Jiang’s rise to the top began amid the tumult of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests, which were brutally crushed by Chinese troops in what remains one of the most sensitive political taboos in mainland China.

In the 45-minute speech, Xi praised a long list of Jiang’s achievements, including his support for the Communist Party’s decision to reject the protesters’ demands and clear the square using troops and tanks.

“In between of the spring and summer of 1989, China experienced a serious political upheaval, Comrade Jiang Zemin resolutely supported and implemented the Central Committee’s correct decisions, effectively maintaining stability in Shanghai,” said Xi.

According to CNN, the protests began in April after the death of former Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang, who died at the age of 73. Hu was seen by the public as a champion of liberalisation and had been removed from his position two years earlier.

His death on April 15 was widely mourned. Thousands of students subsequently marched through Beijing, calling for a more democratic government in Hu’s honour. The protests grew over several weeks, with demonstrators gathering in Tiananmen Square before People’s Liberation Army troops fired on them on June 4.

Jiang unexpectedly became general secretary of the Communist Party shortly after the crackdown, partly because the person he replaced, Zhao Ziyang, was seen as being too sympathetic towards the protesters. By 1993, Jiang was the undisputed leader of China.

CNN reported that Jiang’s support for the party rulers’ decision to clamp down on the protesters was also referred to in a 12-episode documentary broadcast on state television last week to commemorate his life. The programme did not show footage of the killings that shocked the world.

The crackdown remains one of the most sensitive political taboos in mainland China. Those images are routinely scrubbed from China’s heavily censored internet, while discussion of what happened remains fraught with risk to this day.

Jiang’s economic legacy

Jiang’s era saw China’s economy charge ahead and open up to the world. China joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001, with US support.

A period of intense economic growth followed, with improving relations between the US and China. However, in recent years bilateral ties have plunged, marred by frequent tit-for-tat trade tensions and growing geopolitical rivalries.

Xi is scheduled to hold his second meeting with US President Donald Trump in late September. The two leaders are expected to discuss trade ties, artificial intelligence and Taiwan, among other issues.

In his speech Monday, also broadcast and published by state media, Xi talked up the nation’s accomplishments, saying that “people’s lives continue to improve,” even as data shows slowing economic growth.

“The prospects for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are bright, and the dream for which several generations have strived with unwavering determination is gradually becoming a reality,” he added.