Beijing, China - China on Wednesday said it considered comments made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown an "attack."

Chinese troops and tanks forcibly cleared protesters from Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms.

The exact toll is unknown, but hundreds died, with some estimates exceeding 1,000 people. The Chinese Communist Party has since sought to suppress memorialization of the event.

"The erroneous statements by the US side maliciously distort historical facts, deliberately attack China's political system and developmental path, and seriously interfere in China's internal affairs," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on the 36th anniversary of the crackdown.

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"The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it. We have lodged a solemn protest with the US side."

Rubio struck a notably different tone Tuesday, having spent most of his time in office actively attacking the rights of immigrants, protesters, international students in the US. He said the "world will never forget" what happened on June 4, 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 events of June 4, 1989," Rubio said in a statement.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Lin hit back on Wednesday, telling a regular news conference: "As for the political turmoil that happened in the late 1980s, the Chinese government has long had a clear conclusion."