Top News 头条
36 years after June Fourth, the Tiananmen Mothers group face even greater restrictions imposed on them by the authorities, who continue to harass and intimidate the victims’ families, even leaving them incommunicado. 88-year-old Zhang Xianling, one of the founding members of the group, has problems walking but still remains under strict police surveillance. Despite that, a small group still gathered in Beijing as planned to commemorate their loved ones who were tragically murdered on June 4, 1989.
In Hong Kong: Joshua Wong, one of Hong Kong’s most high-profile pro-democracy activists, who has already been in prison for more than four years awaiting trial and/or serving current sentences, is now accused of conspiracy to collude with a foreign country. Rights groups say the Hong Kong government is trying to keep dissidents behind bars for as long as possible, continuing a chilling effect on civic activism in the city.
1989 Tiananmen Massacre 36th Anniversary - 1989年六四惨案36周年祭
Man jumps barricade at Tiananmen Square flag-raising ceremony: The incident happened two days ahead of the June Fourth anniversary and was posted on the X by “Mr. Li is not your teacher” to circumvent Chinese government censorship.
The Legacy of June 4: A First-Hand Account of a Tiananmen Survivor: Li Feng, a witness and victim of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, tells his story.
A quiet Tiananmen Square anniversary shows China’s ability to suppress history: For 36 years, the Communist Party has worked to erase June Fourth from the collective memory of Chinese people, a ban which has extended to scrubbing all references from the internet and even to Hong Kong in recent years.
World won’t forget Tiananmen Square, US and Taiwan say on 36th anniversary of massacre: The Chinese government employs extensive and increasingly sophisticated resources to censor any discussion or acknowledgment of the Tiananmen Massacre inside China, including on the internet.
Powered by AI, Strict Censorship on 36th Anniversary of Tiananmen Massacre: Chinese AI like Doubao and DeepSeek were reportedly unable to generate an image of a candle when prompted, and could not even answer the question when asked what the date was (on June Fourth).
Hong Kong Again Stifles Commemoration of Tiananmen Massacre: Between 2020 and 2024, 82 people in Hong Kong were arrested for commemorating the Tiananmen Massacre around its anniversary, and among them 43 people were convicted and sentenced to a total of over 20 years in prison.
Related: In Pictures: Hong Kong police deploy armoured vehicle, take people away on Tiananmen crackdown anniversary. Last week, hundreds of police officers were stationed in and around Victoria Park, the former site of annual vigils commemorating June Fourth, and other notable locations like Causeway Bay.
2 arrested, 10 taken away by Hong Kong police on Tiananmen crackdown anniversary: Five men and five women were taken to police stations for investigation on suspicion of “breaching the peace,” the youngest only 15 years old.
Related: Heavy police presence on eve of Tiananmen anniversary, performance artist escorted away by officers. Chan Mei-tung had previously been arrested for “disorderly conduct” on the eve of the June Fourth anniversary in 2022, after standing outside Sogo shopping mall and peeling potatoes.
Ex-district councillor’s candle shop inspected by Hong Kong customs officers on eve of Tiananmen anniversary: Katrina Chan, who served as Tsuen Wan district councillor from 2019 to 2021, was investigated for several hours and had some products confiscated supposedly for failing to “include bilingual safety labels.” Chan had been selling soy wax candles for “$6.4” on the eve of the June Fourth anniversary.
Hong Kong activists, diaspora attend Tiananmen anniversary vigils overseas amid ban in home city: Hongkongers living in exile gathered at events around the world to commemorate June Fourth, while in their home city, police patrolled the site of former vigils to detain those suspected of commemorating the date.
Foreign diplomatic missions in Hong Kong mourn Tiananmen crackdown with social media posts: Four diplomatic missions in Hong Kong representing Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US took to social media to commemorate June Fourth.
‘US 8964’ car owner ships vehicle abroad ahead of Tiananmen crackdown anniversary following harassment: Anthony Chiu, whose car bears the license plate “US 8964,” has faced harassment since last year’s Tiananmen crackdown anniversary. Anonymous letters containing his personal information were sent to his residence, workplace, and family members.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
China's Slow March Towards Cyber IDs: The new Measures for the Administration of National Network Identity Authentication Public Services would issue each internet user in China with a unique “web number” linked to their personal information, supposedly as a means of guaranteeing personal “information security.”
USALI This Week in Asian Law: June 1-7: The revised Supervision Law Implementation Regulations took effect on June 1, 2025, adding three new types of compulsory measures and extending the maximum period for custody to fourteen months in certain circumstances.
Chinese Legislature’s 2025 Oversight Agenda: “New Quality Productive Forces,” Government Debt, Climate Action, Food Safety, Gig Worker Rights & More: According to the 2025 plan, the NPCSC will review 36 reports and discuss 25. Topics include the gig economy, the Prisons Law, and climate change issues.
Same-sex couples should have ‘right to found family,’ lawyer tells Hong Kong court in reciprocal IVF case: This case involves lesbian parents who had a child via reciprocal in vitro fertilization, but were barred from including both their names on their son’s birth certificate.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
Lingua Sinica Newsletter, 02 June: A Chinese and ASEAN-joint AI media initiative is now aimed at boosting cooperation in research and development for AI and AI capacity building, in a wider strategy to boost China’s influence in the Global South through AI development.
Chinese police crackdown on writers of online erotic fiction: Police officers have been acting outside of their jurisdiction in targeting online writers, such as police in Lanzhou summoning writers who live outside the province.
Chinese hackers and user lapses turn smartphones into a ‘mobile security crisis’: Smartphones are a key vulnerable point for cyberattacks. Recently, a small number of smartphones belonging to people who work in fields of interest to China’s government showed evidence of a sophisticated cyberattack that “allowed hackers to infiltrate a phone without a single click from the user.”
OpenAI takes down covert operations tied to China and other countries: According to OpenAI’s investigation, these Chinese operations targeted many different countries and topics, and combined elements of influence operations, social engineering, and surveillance.
_China_Chatbot_22: Developers in China are taking advantage of the post-training process when creating Large Language Models (LLMs) to align their models with CCP redlines.
China issues warrants for alleged Taiwanese hackers and bans a business for pro-independence links: The authorities issued warrants for 20 Taiwanese individuals it accused of “hacking” and banned commercial contact with Sicuens International Company Ltd., a Taiwanese company which imports bicycle parts, because its owners are “hardcore Taiwan independence supporters.”
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
Cheng Lei: ‘I’m catching up on four years. I missed my children so much’: Journalist Cheng Lei, who recently returned to Australia after spending three years and two months in prison in China on espionage charges, describes her experience returning home.
Tibetans evicted then reinstated after protest at US-China women’s soccer match: The eight Tibetan activists shouted slogans and held up white banners that read “Free Tibet” during the second half of the game at the Allianz stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota. After security asked them to leave, at the request of the Chinese team, audience members booed and chanted that the protestors should be allowed to stay.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
2 Hong Kong men convicted of rioting during 2019 protests following retrial: Chan Lok-sun, 31, and Lam Hin-shing, 21, had previously been acquitted of the charge in December 2021, but the government successfully appealed against the acquittal in June 2024, sending their case to a retrial.
Hong Kong artist remanded after being charged again over ‘Freedom’ graffiti: Graffiti artist Chan King-fai was detained and his bail application denied after he was charged with criminal damage for the third time, this time for graffiti in 2023. Chan is known for tagging the Chinese characters for “freedom” across Hong Kong.
Eateries, entertainment premises could lose licence over conduct ‘contrary’ to national security: Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department sent letters to businesses at the end of May about new national security-related clauses under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance.
9 seek to overturn rioting convictions, sentences over 2019 storming of Hong Kong’s legislature: A two-day hearing is scheduled for December 16 to determine whether the 9 will be allowed to take their challenge to the city’s appeals court.
Hong Kong pro-democracy business hit with ‘unwarranted’ tax demand, owner says: Derek Chu, an ex-district councilor, says his business is being “targeted” with demands for tax payments that do not match its actual profits last year. The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association made a similar announcement last month.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
Colonial Boarding Schools and Reincarnation Policies Help China Control Tibet’s Future: The Chinese government’s continued efforts to sever the generational links that sustain Tibetan culture has played out in the realms of education and religion, according to several recent reports.
Related: China’s Panchen Lama pledges loyalty to the Communist Party in a meeting with Xi. Gyaltsen Norbu, who was installed by Beijing after the Chinese authorities kidnapped the Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima in 1995, recently met behind closed doors with Xi Jinping and pledged he would “firmly support the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and resolutely safeguard the unity of the motherland and national unity.”