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| Chinese 18 year olds assemble at Tiananmen Square for a government-organised coming-of-age ceremony in Beijing May 4, 2005. REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV |
Photo: Reuters
Posted on 05/04/2005 6:38:25 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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Photo: Reuters |
China has been nervous about a possible resurgence of anti-Japanese sentiment after three weekends of nationwide protests last month.
The vast square was closed for a government-organised coming-of-age ceremony for 18 year olds, state media reported, an apparent attempt to thwart any anti-Japanese protests.
Riot police guarded the Japanese embassy and the ambassador's residence, but there were no signs of protests.
Wednesday marks the 86th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement of 1919, the first mass protest in modern Chinese history and there had been speculation that protesters would gather in the Chinese capital.
Tiananmen Square, imbued with historic symbolism as the centre of May Fourth and other movements such as the ill-fated 1989 student-led demonstrations for democracy, was closed until 11:30 a.m. (0330 GMT), state radio said.
In April, thousands of people took to the streets in a wave of anti-Japanese demonstrations across China, some of which turned violent, sparking a diplomatic crisis with Tokyo.
Protesters angry at what they saw as Japan's refusal to own up to its wartime past and by Tokyo's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council pelted the Japanese embassy and ambassador's residence with rocks and eggs and vandalised Japanese restaurants.
Relations improved after Chinese President Hu Jintao met Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the sidelines of an Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta last month but analysts said bitter historical memories and rivalry for influence would keep ties fragile.
China has clamped down on Web sites spreading calls for new protests, sent blanket messages to mobile phone users urging them not to participate in illegal protests and arrested dozens of suspected protest leaders.
The May Fourth Movement, named for the day major protest erupted in 1919 against the Versailles Treaty after World War One that handed German territorial concessions in China to Japan, is credited with giving birth to modern Chinese nationalism.
Ping!
It seems the Chinese people march when the government tells them to, and stop marching when the government tells them to.
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