China has denounced Mike Pompeo for paying tribute to the Tiananmen Square protesters, dismissing the US secretary of state’s remarks as “lunatic ravings and babbling nonsense”.

Mr Pompeo praised the “heroic protest movement” in a statement published on Monday, ahead of the 30th anniversary of the massacre.

Around 200,000 troops were sent to suppress pro-democracy rallies in the square on 4 June 1989.

Estimates vary on how many people died, but it is thought between 1,000 and 4,000 demonstrators were killed and 10,000 wounded.

Beijing has never released an official death toll and continues to ignore the event.

Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Show all 12 1 /12 Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Man blocks tank A tank driving down a road nearby Tiananmen Square is blocked by an unidentified man on 5 June. The picture is seen around the globe as a protest against the previous days events, when tensions that had been building for months came to a head... Bettmann Archive via Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Hu Yaobang dies - 15 April Former general secretary of the Communist Party Hu Yaobang dies aged 73 of a heart attack. He was a leading reformer of the Chinese system who the public saw to be unfairly removed from government. Citizens flock to Tiananmen Square to mourn him. Mourning soon turns to anger as they dwell on the state of China. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Protests spread - 17 April In the days after Hu's death, university students around China are organising. On 17 April, thousands of students march on Tiananmen Square to demand democracy and greater freedoms. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events "We must a clear stand against disturbances" - 26 April So begins the editorial on the front page of the People's Daily, the Chinese state newspaper, on 26 April. The editorial goes on to attack the protesters as anti-party and anti-government. Protesters read a clear message that the government is against them and call for the editorial to be retracted. Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Protests spread further - 4 May Thousands more students in five cities across China join the protests. Head of the Communist Party Zhao Ziyang tells a meeting of bankers that the protests are sure to subside. Pictured are journalists from the China Daily newspaper showing support in Tiananmen Square. Protesters were calling for freedom of the press, among other rights common to democracies Reuters Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Hunger strikes begin - 13 May Hundreds of students begin hunger strikes, upping the stakes of the protests. Pictured: Paramedics remove a student protester who has been on hunger strike on 17 May 1989 AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Zhao visits Tiananmen Square - 19 May Now doubting that the strikes will subside without intervention from the government, party head Zhao Ziyang visits Tiananmen Square and urges students to end the hunger strike. Chinese premier Li Peng briefly joins Zhao but leaves soon after arriving. Zhao was removed from office later in the day. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Martial law declared - 20 May Chinese premier Li Peng declares martial law. Soldiers move in on Tiananmen Square but many are held up by protesters. Soldiers are ordered not to fire on civilians. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Protests continue - 22 May to 1 June On 22 May, a military helicopter drops leaflets above Tiananmen Square that instruct protesters to leave immediately. Despite this, protests continue while the army withdraws. Reuters Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Soldiers move in to clear the square - 3 June On the evening of 3 June, soldiers advance with force. Protesters are warned that the troops have the right to use any methods necessary to clear the square. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Soldiers open fire - 4 June In the early hours of the morning, some troops begin to shoot dead protesters who defy their efforts to clear the square. Pictured: A man is covered in blood after the People's Liberation Army open fire on protesters in Tiananmen Square Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Man blocks tank - 5 June A tank driving down a road nearby Tiananmen Square is blocked by an unidentified man. The picture is seen around the globe as a protest against the previous days events. Bettmann Archive via Getty

Information about the massacre is heavily censored in mainland China and police detain dozens of activists, journalists and critics in the run-up to the anniversary each year.

“The hundreds of thousands of protesters who gathered in Beijing and in other cities around China suffered grievously in pursuit of a better future for their country,” Mr Pompeo said.

“The number of dead is still unknown. We express our deep sorrow to the families still grieving their lost loved ones.”

Mr Pompeo also called on Beijing to “make a full, public accounting of those killed or missing”.

The Chinese foreign ministry responded angrily to the statement.

“These lunatic ravings and babbling nonsense will only end up in the trash can of history,” a ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“[Mr Pompeo] denigrates the state of China’s human rights and religious affairs, wantonly criticises China’s Xinjiang policy and severely interferes in China’s domestic affairs.”

Although information about the massacre is heavily restricted in China, about 180,000 people gathered at a 30th-anniversary vigil in Hong Kong.

The crowds held candles in Victoria Park and stood listening to music and speeches about the massacre.

Video montages of the pro-democracy protest movement and its victims were also played.

“They [were] the hope of China,” Henry Leung, one of the attendees, told The Independent.

“This [protest] is a very special experience to me because of what happened in Beijing.”

Hong Kong and Macau are the only places in Chinese territory where the massacre can be commemorated.

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Wei Fenghe, China’s defence minister, attempted to justify the massacre during a speech in Singapore.

“Do you think the government was wrong with the handling of 4 June? There was a conclusion to that incident,” he said on Sunday.

“The government was decisive in stopping the turbulence.”