Bush’s criticism of country’s human rights record doesn’t endear him to nation’s leaders
US president’s trip to China starts off on a frosty note
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President George Bush arrived in Beijing yesterday amid an atmosphere of tension with China’s leaders over his high-profile criticism of the country’s human rights record.
The president, his wife Laura and their daughter, Barbara left Air Force One together, where they received a red-carpet greeting.
Mr Bush has said he wants to enjoy the 2008 Summer Olympics, but also will talk to President Hu Jintao about human rights and a host of other bilateral issues.
Before he arrived, China’s foreign ministry released a terse statement saying that no one should interfere with China’s internal affairs.
Mr Bush plans to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics today and go to a series of sporting events up to Monday, including US basketball and baseball games against China. Although he exhorted Beijing to improve human rights, Mr Bush, who is an avid sports fan, has said he is intent on making his Olympics visit about sports, not politics.
In a speech outlining America’s achievements and challenges in Asia on Wednesday, Mr Bush pushed for a free press, free assembly and workers’ rights in China, and spoke out sharply against its detentions of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. He said he was not trying to antagonise China, but he upset them anyway, setting the stage for an interesting reception when he attends the opening ceremonies.
In response to Mr Bush’s speech China’s foreign ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said yesterday: “The Chinese government puts people first, and is dedicated to maintaining and promoting its citizens’ basic rights and freedom. Chinese citizens have freedom of religion. These are indisputable facts.”
He said China advocated discussions on differing views on human rights and religions on “a basis of mutual respect and equality”, then indicated it did not see Mr Bush’s criticism in that light. He added: “We firmly oppose any words or acts that interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, using human rights and religion and other issues.”
Mr Bush’s address containing the criticism of China was delivered outside the country, in Thailand. The White House took the unusual step of releasing the text of it even earlier, about 18 hours before he spoke. The speech was followed by a string of events yesterday, by both the president and his wife, that were clearly aimed at shifting the focus to the repressive military regime in Burma which marks the 20th anniversary of a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists today.
