When meeting with U.S. President George H.W. Bush in Beijing, Deng Xiaoping stated that the overriding issue for China's problems is the need for stability; without a stable environment, nothing can be accomplished.
U.S. President George Bush visited Beijing, and his plan to invite dissident Fang Lizhi and his wife to a dinner was intercepted by Chinese police.
On the morning of February 7, 1989, the Snow Lion flag symbolizing Tibetan independence was raised in the main hall of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. More than 200 Lhasa police tried to force their way in to seize the flag but were driven out by the crowd. When the armed police returned the next day, the flag had already been hidden by Tibetans; the armed police took away more than 20 people and seized belongings to use as evidence.