> What practical consequences did Tiananmen Square have? It began the process of deterioration of relations between the PRC and the Western democracies, a proc

> What practical consequences did Tiananmen Square have? It began the process of deterioration of relations between the PRC and the Western democracies, a process that has continued to the present day. People began to realize that China may not liberalize on its own the way Taiwan did—that the government of the PRC is often hostile to liberal democracy. One of the consequences of this realization is in fact these Hong Kong protests. There are numerous other consequences of this cooling in relations too—for example, protectionist tariffs against a country seen as hostile to Western values are easier to sell politically in the West. Tariffs obviously impact China. Tiananmen didn't achieve what the protestors wanted, but it's clearly a significant historical event.