While calling human rights in China “a very serious issue,” President Obama on Wednesday was still careful to avoid criticizing visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, saying instead that “we come from very different cultures.” China continues to evolve, Obama said, “so what my approach will continue to be is to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of the Chinese people, their extraordinary civilization, [and] the multiple areas in which we have to cooperate.”
Obama, bestowing full state visit honors on Hu, is under fire from both parties at home for so elaborately hosting a leader accused of repression, censorship and disregard for democratic rights and principles in China.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Tuesday called Hu a “dictator” before walking it back and saying it wasn’t a good choice of words. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced he would not attend the state dinner being held in Hu’s honor.
Outside the White House gates, protesters massed for two days of demonstrations against Hu’s visit, his government’s treatment of Tibet, the oppression of minorities and more.
For his part, Obama called on China to engage in talks with Tibet, and said he and Hu were “candid” in their discussion about human rights.
“I reaffirmed America’s fundamental commitment to the universal rights of all people, and that includes basic human rights like freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association and demonstration and of religion — rights that are recognized in the Chinese constitution,” Obama said.
Still, it did not appear that the two leaders’ eighth meeting moved the conversation forward in a substantive way. If Obama raised concerns about Hu of Liu Xiaobo, a jailed dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner, he did so privately.
“The protocol is very, very important to the Chinese,” said Bonnie Glaser, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But if there is anything substantive the Chinese want to accomplish here in the U.S., I think it’s improving China’s image.”
In a joint press conference at the White House, Hu at first ignored a question from a U.S. reporter about human rights, then, when prodded by a follow-up, defended his record.
“China is always committed to the protection and promotion of human rights, and, in the course of human rights, China has also made enormous progress, recognized widely in the world,” Hu said through a translator.
For the most part, economic issues dominated the visit, and there Obama also faced a tricky question — this time from a Chinese journalist asking whether he is truly comfortable with the prospect of China’s economic ascendence.
“I absolutely believe that China’s peaceful rise is good for the world and it’s good for America,” Obama said.
With a smile he added, “We want to sell you all kinds of stuff.”
Obama repeatedly stressed that he is seeking “a level playing field” for U.S. companies doing business with China. The White House has been pressuring China on economic issues that include monetary policy and trade imbalance.
“China is the biggest developing country, and the United States the biggest developed country,” Obama said. “In this context, it is all the more necessary for China and United States to strengthen their cooperation to meet such challenges.”
