China’s hardline regime is the lasting tragedy of Tiananmen

In 1989 China had a choice between three different political models but disruption in other nations left just one option, writes Minxin Pei.

China's progress toward an open society ended when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) slaughtered at least hundreds, if not thousands, of peaceful demonstrators in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 3-4, 1989.

The crackdown left a lasting stain on the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), despite the regime’s unrelenting efforts to whitewash history and suppress collective memory.