China imposed a massive security crackdown to prevent any attempts to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests.

Popular websites, including Twitter and Hotmail, were blocked in a bid to keep the anniversary’s profile as low as possible.

The ‘Great Firewall of China’ seems to have achieved everything the rulers in Beijing want it to: young people seem much more concerned about their employment prospects than by a pro-democracy demonstration that took place 20 years ago.

“Young Chinese may well want to discover more, but it is difficult for them to do so, and currently they seem to have more pressing needs,” says FRANCE 24’s Henry Morton, reporting from Beijing.

“The younger generation of Chinese has grown up without any information on the event at all. It’s not taught in history lessons in school.

“With the advent of the internet it is obviously easier for young people to find information, but the Chinese government is doing a very successful job of preventing them from finding out any more.

“If you type ‘Tiananmen’ into Google or Yahoo in China it’s very difficult to find any information at all. The ‘Great Firewall of China’ blocks any access to those websites.”

Hundreds, if not thousands, of protesters were killed in the bloody clampdown after the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations.

Actions justified

Beijing has emerged relatively unscathed 20 years after the events, with its authority at home intact and its global clout more powerful than ever before, thanks mainly to its ranking as the world’s third-biggest economy.

The government, brushing away calls for a formal inquiry into the crackdown and a full accounting of the number of people who lost their lives, has remained adamant that its actions were justified.

“As for the political incident that took place in China and all related issues, our party and government have already come to a clear conclusion,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a regular briefing.

Qin soundly rejected US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton call to publish the names of those killed or missing, saying it would help China “learn and heal”.

Tight security

Security was extremely tight on Tiananmen Square early Thursday, as police officers searched bags and even the pockets of Chinese tourists walking onto the giant plaza.

The only major event to take place in China will be in semi-autonomous Hong Hong.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to rally in cities around the world to remember the military’s action on June 4, 1989 against demonstrators and ordinary citizens in the heart of the Chinese capital.

Foreign journalists were barred from entering, and an AFP TV journalist was ordered by police to delete footage from his camera.

Chinese tourists near the square were reluctant to discuss the events two decades ago. “It’s a history issue. I don’t know much about history,” said a 20-year-old man from the southern province of Guangdong.