China defends Zhao purge

China on Tuesday defended its treatment of late Communist Party reformer Zhao Ziyang, who was purged for opposing a crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989, saying it made the "right" decision when it placed him under house arrest 15 years ago.

Zhao died at the age of 85 in a Beijing hospital yesterday after suffering multiple strokes last week. He is unlikely to have a state funeral though he was also a former Chinese Premier, sources said.

Responding to questions on Zhao's death, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said he had nothing more to say except the fact that Zhao died due to ill health.

At the same time, Kong stressed that the ruling Communist Party Central Committee had in 1989 and 1992 made a "correct judgement" on the "political turbulence" of the June 3-4, 1989 incident.

He also pointed out that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has clarified that the Communist Party has already made a "final conclusion" on the "political turbulence" in the 1980s and what happened to Zhao, who was under house arrest for the last 15 years.

The day Chinese glasnost died

"Over the past 15 years since the incident, China's development has proved that this final judgement or decision is right," Kong said.

"The Chinese government and Chinese people will firmly stick it its own path and focus on economic development so as to advance overall progress in the country," he said.

"China's stability and development is in the interest of China and also in the interest of the whole world," he said.

He sidestepped the issue when asked whether the government will hold a state funeral for Zhao and whether an official obituary would be published as is the case with the death of senior Chinese leaders.

Meanwhile, China's state-run newspapers relegated Zhao's death to brief reports on inside pages and restricted coverage to a brief statement from the official Xinhua news agency headlined "Comrade Zhao Ziyang Has Died."

Foreign television broadcasts on the subject by CNN and the BBC were blocked, while comments posted on Chinese internet sites were removed.

The muted media coverage reflects concern of the Communist Party and Chinese leaders that the sensitive mourning period could lead to an outpouring of public sentiment and spark protests, analysts said.

Security was stepped up in Tiananmen Square today, with police checking identification papers of suspicious visitors to the site of the 1989 protests.

Kong also urged foreign leaders to respect the choice of the Chinese people and not to make statements which went against them.

This followed a Japanese reporter's query on a statement made by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who apparently called for more democracy in China.