Thirty years on, Taiwan continues to commemorate the tragedy of the 1989 Tiananmen protest. “It reminds Taiwan’s people of the history and the preciousness of democracy,” said Taiwan’s Vice President Chen Chien-jen at the vigil on Tuesday.
Alongside Hong Kong and Macau, Taipei was the only other city in the Chinese-speaking sphere hosting the annual vigil to mourn the Tiananmen massacre, as it has for the past three decades. This year, Taipei’s Liberty Square saw a large turnout of around 2,000 people, according to the organizer, New School for Democracy.
Vice President Chen’s presence showed the emphasis the country’s current administration placed on the event. President Tsai Ing-Wen also took to social media channels to support the Chinese people in the quest for democracy: “Freedom-loving friends in Hong Kong and China, rest assured that despite threats and subversion, Taiwan will unconditionally defend democracy and safeguard freedom.”
