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WORLD FOCUS

Tiananmen 30 years on: A China that's averse to political reforms - for now

Commenting on reforms, China's President Xi Jinping warned in 2013 against "committing paradigm-shifting mistakes" that would be "irreparable", apparently referring to Western-style democracy.
Commenting on reforms, China's President Xi Jinping warned in 2013 against "committing paradigm-shifting mistakes" that would be "irreparable", apparently referring to Western-style democracy. PHOTO: AFP

Thirty years ago, in the early hours of June 4, the world watched in shock and horror as tanks rolled into Beijing's main Tiananmen Square and West Chang'an Avenue and fired on student protesters calling for democracy and freedom. In the final part of a two-part special, The Straits Times' China Bureau looks at how the country has moved on since that fateful day.

Published: 
Jun 4, 2019, 5:00 am SGT
Benjamin Kang Lim Global Affairs Correspondent In Hong Kong

Flirting with political reforms can be risky business.

Mr Zhao Ziyang was purged as Chinese Communist Party chief for opposing the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown and put under house arrest for about 16 years until his death - the second reform-minded leader to be toppled after the 1949 communist revolution.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 04, 2019, with the headline 'A China that's averse to political reforms - for now'. Print Edition | Subscribe
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