White House, on Tiananmen anniversary, urges China to respect human rights

The White House, in a statement on the 31st anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown, urged Beijing on Thursday to respect human rights, fulfill its commitments on Hong Kong and end persecution of ethnic and religious minorities.

"The Chinese Communist Party's slaughter of unarmed Chinese civilians was a tragedy that will not be forgotten," the White House said.

It urged the Chinese government to fulfill its commitments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Sino-British Joint Declaration governing Hong Kong's status, and to "uphold the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all Chinese citizens under China's constitution, and to end the systematic persecution of millions of ethnic and religious minorities."