[4Tran]

Originally Posted by Kinny Riddle

If "nothing ever happened" 20 years ago, what are trying to hide?

It's fear. If there is one sticking point, one niggling factor that the central government doesn't want to admit to, this is it. From a more balanced point of view, a lot of other governments also have things to hide, and the truth often doesn't come out for several decades. I expect that China will follow suit after their leadership is turned over a couple of times, and when those most culpable have passed away.

Originally Posted by Daniel E.

Not to mention that their attempts at trying to hide this are probably drawing even more attention from the media.

It doesn't; there's going to be intense media coverage every June, and China's actions aren't going to change that to any great degree. Moreover, China's leaders would love it if there was more focus on their silly security antics (which aren't really all that funny given the secret police can do) than on the substance of those events twenty years ago.

Originally Posted by Shadow Minato

Actually, China's tactics are pretty much that they preferred to be feared rather than respected. After all, they do have quite some mighty economy power and an average military power supported by their huge number of soldiers or volunteers; aside from that, they also have the veto power in the United Nations.

On the contrary. While China's diplomatic moves are still terribly clumsy at times, they are a lot more effective now than they were in the past. It's quite simple: China's leaders want respect whenever possible, and will try to invoke fear if they don't think that garnering respect is going to work. It's an eminently rational approach, and it's really something that just about all countries try to get away with.

Originally Posted by Shadow Minato

As for the Tiananmen Square, it is their domestic issue after all. Foreign nations would rather not interfere with it, even though China's hands are very bloody but helping those victims of their tyranny will not benefit anybody but rather bring misfortunes and unpleasant consequences as that some nations may end up with the "enemy+1" stat while everyone else won't make much of a difference as that words don't reach them. Sanctions won't work as that China is quite an economic partner of multiple nations meaning sanctions interfere with national interest.

I still remember very well when Western governments used Tiananmen as the main sticking point to any dealings with China. Something has changed from then to now, and they are time, and power. Democracies have an astonishing ability to forget about events that are no longer immediate, and this has lessened the power of even the most tragic events to maintain their influence over diplomatic negotiations. The power issue is just as Shadow Minato points out: China is an economic powerhouse like few others, and it's very unprofitable to cut the country out of dealings over such matters. And in the global economic crisis that we currently face, China is arguably the most important player (the U.S. is a bigger player, but it has less control of its own fate), and one that would be imprudent to overly offend. Just look at how quiet the U.S. has been in bringing up Tiananmen compared to years past.

Originally Posted by Shadow Minato

Regardless of all this, why does China always have extra rights when it comes to interfering other nations' internal issues. China had complained that lawmakers in Japan visited a shrine to pay respects to the dead as that it serves as glorifying the military nature of the Imperial Army back during WWII. China complained against the British government for inviting the Dalai Lama over out of honor yet they claimed that the guy is a terrorist. China complained about Canada not visiting their nation enough of times to build ties over the economy, bringing out the issues of the head-taxes and calling it off as racism. China complained against the United States over their war on Iraq as that it was oil stealing and massacre. In the end, whenever people complain about North Korea and their human rights' issue, they always counter with the "mind your own business" or "keep a calm approach to the issue" attitude which makes them the biggest hypocrite in the entire world, am I not correct?

Shadow Minato, you are not correct. Here's a newsflash: all countries are hypocritical when it comes to acting in their own interest. Moreover, almost none of your examples are purely interal issues.

Originally Posted by Komari

Speaking of which, did they ever find out who Tankman is?

No. And we might never find out until and unless the PRC changes its tune.