June 4th will mark the 25th anniversary of the violent crackdown by Chinese troops on student-led protests in Beijing. Those events continue to haunt US-China relations, according to journalist John Pomfret, who was in Beijing when the protests began. June 4th will mark the 25th anniversary of the violent crackdown by Chinese troops on student-led protests in Beijing. Those events continue to haunt US-China relations, according to journalist John Pomfret, who was in Beijing when the protests began.