China accuses US of 'smear' and distorting facts over Tiananmen Square

A candlelight vigil was held in Taipei's Democracy Square to mark the 37th anniversary of Tiananmen Square. (AP: Chiang Ying-ying)

China has accused the United States of distorting facts after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said censorship could not "erase" the memory of Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Vigils to mark the anniversary were held around the world, including in Taiwan.

But there were no vigils held in Hong Kong or China, where authorities reportedly banned families of those who died in 1989 from visiting their graves.

China has accused the United States of smearing its political system and distorting facts over Beijing's deadly crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square as Taiwan tells China to "face up" to history.

On June 4 1989, the Chinese government sent troops and tanks to crush protests calling for political reform in and around Tiananmen Square.

Hundreds of people, and possibly thousands, were killed as troops advanced through crowds that were trying to stop the military from reaching the protesters on Tiananmen Square, a vast plaza in the centre of the Chinese capital.

The decision by the Communist Party leadership to send in the military was a pivotal moment in China's modern history, determining that the market reform that transformed the country into the world's second largest economy would not be coupled with political liberalisation.

The photo of a man in front of a convoy of tanks became the defining image of the Tiananmen Square massacre. (Reuters)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a news conference on Wednesday that "no amount of censorship can erase the past".

"Those who sacrificed to uphold their unalienable rights of free expression and peaceful assembly will be vindicated some day," he said.

"The Chinese government has long since reached a clear conclusion regarding that political turmoil that occurred in the late 1980s," ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news briefing.

This year, authorities reportedly prevented the families of those who died in 1989 from visiting their graves at Beijing's Wan'an Cemetery.

The relatives from a group called Tiananmen Mothers have visited the graves for more than 30 years, reading memorial statements while police kept watch, according to Amnesty International.

Over seven weeks in 1989, students led peaceful pro-democracy protests centred on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. (AP: Sadayuki Mikami)

Tiananmen Mothers issued a statement, signed by 107 people, demanding full disclosure of what happened, compensation for the victims and their families and the pursu