FM spokesman responds to US statement on 1989 political turmoil

BEIJING - A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry on Saturday urged the United States to dismiss its prejudice regarding the political turmoil in Beijing in 1989 and stop interfering in China's domestic affairs.

"We urge the US side to discard political prejudice and correctly treat China's development," spokesman Hong Lei said in response to a statement made by a spokesperson for the US State Department on the political disturbance in Beijing in 1989.

A clear conclusion has already been made concerning the political turmoil that happened in the late 1980s, Hong said in a news release.

It is witnessed by all that in the past 20 years and more, China has achieved sustained economic growth, continuous progress in democracy and the country's legal system and an increasingly flourishing culture, Hong said, adding that that Chinese people of all ethnic groups have enjoyed extensive rights and freedom according to law.

The US side releasing similar statements year after year, ignoring facts and making groundless accusations against the Chinese government, is a rude interference in China's internal affairs, he said, adding that the Chinese side is "strongly dissatisfied with, and firmly opposes" the US move.

"We urge the US side to discard political prejudice, correctly treat China's development, immediately rectify its wrongdoings and stop interfering in China's internal affairs so as not to sabotage China-US relations," he said.