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Nov

20

PROC:Bush’s Visit is a Symbolic Visit

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It really is a blessing to be able to access the news from all over the world so easily via the internet. ChinaView has the PROC’s spin on the visit that looks like it is rather authoritative.

It begins by listing the topics on the agenda:Anti-terrorism co-operation, nuclear stand-off on the Korean Peninsula and Iran, the Taiwan question, trade deficit, intellectual property rights protection, and bird flu. This conveniently leaves out issues of human rights and the freedom of religion in the PROC.

“The Bush visit is largely symbolic, but it will be of real significance to developing bilateral relations,” said Li Xiaogang, a researcher with the Institute of American Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

“It will help build the personal rapport between Bush and Hu, strengthen mutual trust at the highest level and stabilize the overall situation of Sino-US ties.”

US Deputy Secretary of State Bob Zoellick made a keynote speech on China policy on September 21, stating the critical need for America to co-operate effectively with an emerging China to safeguard many common interests shared by the two powers.

Zoellick’s speech shows that the BushAdmin’s policy is likely to be “pragmatic and balanced”. In other words, we need them too much to press them to change very much on the issues of human rights and the freedom of religion within PROC.

This is not good news for Amnesty International nor Christian Aid nor the members of the South China Church that wrote a letter for President Bush in anticipation of his coming.

It appears Bush’s grandstanding did not avail of much and that maybe why he was off his game in his press conference earlier this morning and so easily flustered.

On the positive side, I am glad that Bush has relaxed the stridency in tone on Iraq some. This is definitely a show of some more of the wisdom that I’ve been praying for him for quite some time…

dlw

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