US senior official visits China on Tiananmen Square Massacre anniversary.

On the eve of the 34th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s Tiananmen Square Massacre, the U.S. State Department announced that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink would be visiting China from June 4.

Kritenbrink will be accompanied by National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran to “discuss key issues in the bilateral relationship” with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials.

Kritenbrink’s official meetings in Beijing will begin on Monday. As always, Kritenbrink will raise human rights concerns with Chinese officials and continue to advocate for fundamental freedoms in China.

Kritenbrink is then scheduled to deliver a speech at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs Conference in Auckland on 8 June and will travel to Wellington through June 10 to participate in the U.S.-New Zealand Strategic Dialogue.

He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam during the Trump administration.

Daniel Kritenbrink, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, joins the keynote speakers for our flagship conference on 8 June. #NZIIA2023 Limited registrations are available here: https://t.co/zca1r0jcJG pic.twitter.com/Pbw0DP1HBe

— New Zealand Institute of International Affairs (@NZIIA_live) June 1, 2023

Remembering the Tiananmen Square Massacre

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also noted in a statement late June 3 that the United States would be observing the upcoming 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

“On June 4th, 1989, the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) sent tanks into Tiananmen Square to brutally repress peaceful Chinese pro-democracy protesters and bystanders alike,” he said. “The victims’ bravery will not be forgotten and continues to inspire advocates for these principles around the world.”

An estimated 300,000 Chinese soldiers—many only 18 or 19 years old—were deployed to disperse the student protesters in what would become a bloody massacre.

When the soldiers opened fire, hundreds—potentially thousands—of protesters were estimated killed for standing up to say no to the CCP’s oppression of human rights and freedoms in China under its one-party rule.

Official CCP figures claim that 241 died in the incident, including soldiers, and that 7,000 were wounded.

According to declassified documents provided by an unnamed whistleblower in December 2017, at least 10,000 were killed.

Tensions Simmer

Kritenbrink’s visit comes after a secret China visit by CIA Director William Burns last month following a crisis over what President Joe Biden called a “silly balloon” that the United States alleged to be a spy bal