Regrets over Tiananmen massacre

A new book that offers a surprising reassessment of the Tiananmen Square protests through interviews with a disgraced former Beijing Mayor has gone on sale in Hong Kong despite efforts by the Chinese authorities to ban it.

Conversations With Chen Xitong is based on interviews with Mr Chen, who was Mayor of Beijing during the 1989 protests. In it, he says the crackdown was an avoidable tragedy and that he regrets the loss of life, though he denies being directly responsible.

AP