China angered by U.S. comments on Tiananmen

Members of the public walk across Beijing's Tiananmen Square during the flag raising ceremony June 4, 2009. China on Thursday denounced a U.S. demand that Beijing account for those killed in a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters around Tiananmen Square 20 years ago.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday denounced a U.S. demand that Beijing account for those killed in a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters around Tiananmen Square 20 years ago.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday called on China to release all those still imprisoned in connection with the protests, to stop harassing those who took part and to begin a dialogue with the victims' families.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Clinton's remarks amounted to "crudely meddling in Chinese domestic affairs".

"The statement from the United States ignores the facts and makes groundless accusations against the Chinese government," he told a news briefing.

"We express our strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition. We urge the United States to forsake its prejudices, correct its erroneous ways and avoid obstructing and damaging China-U.S. relations."

Tanks rolled into the square before dawn on June 4, 1989, to crush weeks of student and worker protests. The ruling Communist Party has never released a death toll and fears any public marking of the crackdown could undermine its hold on power.

Qin refused to directly answer questions about the death toll.

Chinese police have swamped Tiananmen to prevent commemoration of the crackdown. Authorities have also blocked access to the social messaging site Twitter (www.twitter.com) and online photo sharing service Flickr (www.flickr.com).