China calls Marco Rubio's remarks on Tiananmen Square crackdown an 'attack'

China on Wednesday called statements by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio a deliberate "attack" after he said the world will "never forget" the bloody 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square.

Rubio's "erroneous" statements "maliciously distort historical facts, deliberately attack China's political system and developmental path, and seriously interfere in China's internal affairs," a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lin Jian, said during a news conference.

"The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it. We have lodged a solemn protest with the U.S. side," he added.

On June 4, 1989, after several weeks of demonstrations calling for more political freedoms, Chinese military troops and tanks cracked down on protesters peacefully occupying Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

The exact death toll remains unknown, but hundreds of people died and some estimates indicate the number is perhaps in the thousands.

Since then, the Chinese Communist Party has tried to delete any public mention of this crackdown.

Rubio said Tuesday that "the world will never forget" what happened on June 4, 1989, even as Beijing "actively tries to censor the facts."

"Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice" for the Tiananmen Square events, he said in a statement.

In the same vein, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed Wednesday to preserve the memory of the victims of the massacre and asked not to forget "those who have contributed to the ideal of human rights."

According to the Chinese ministry spokesman, "The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the choice of history and the people, and is wholeheartedly supported by the Chinese people and widely recognized by international society."