China: Pompeo criticism on Tiananmen Square anniversary a ‘serious violation of international law’

The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. on Tuesday sharply condemned Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s criticism on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. 

“Under the pretext of human rights, the statement grossly intervenes in China’s internal affairs, attacks its system, and smears its domestic and foreign policies,” a spokesperson for the embassy said in the statement.

{mosads}”This is an affront to the Chinese people and a serious violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations.”

“The Chinese government and people reached the verdict on the political incident of the late 1980s long ago,” the spokesperson added.

Pompeo on Monday ripped Beijing for its ongoing human rights abuses and intolerance toward dissent 30 years after the June 1989 protests.

“Over the decades that followed, the United States hoped that China’s integration into the international system would lead to a more open, tolerant society. Those hopes have been dashed,” he said in a statement. 

Pompeo called out China’s “new wave of abuses,” including the the detention of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang at so-called reeducation camps.

Foreign experts estimate as many as 1 million Muslims have been placed into the camps, according to The New York Times. 

In its response Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy said the country’s “human rights are in the best period ever.”

Asked about the Chinese Embassy’s pushback on Tuesday, a State Department spokesperson told The Hill that “the Secretary’s statement speaks for itself.”

“We join others in the international community in urging the Chinese government to make a full public accounting of those killed, detained or missing; to release those who have been jailed for striving to keep the memory of Tiananmen Square alive; and to end the continued harassment of participants in the demonstration and their families,” the spokesperson said.

Updated: 1:44 p.m.