Chinese President Hu Jintao says Beijing has no intention of reversing its view of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Mr. Hu made the comment Saturday in Beijing at a news conference with French President Jacques Chirac.
When asked about the Tiananmen events, President Hu said there has been no consideration of re-classifying the official view that they were a subversive riot. He said the government's decision to put down the protests led to China's later economic growth.
The statements were Mr. Hu's first public comments on the Tiananmen protests since he became head of the Chinese military last month.
Hundreds of people were killed on June 4, 1989, as troops moved into the square to break up the pro-democracy protests.