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BEIJING: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday pressed
China’s leaders on sensitive human rights issues, but said she was
encouraged by their decision to hold talks with the Dalai Lama’s
envoys.
In meetings with President Hu Jintao and Premier
Wen Jiabao in Beijing, Rice said she raised the cases of several
dissidents detained by China as well as the ruling Communist
Party’s controls on the Internet.
“I think that is one of the brewing issues,”
Rice said as she summarized their discussions on Internet freedoms.
“The Internet is becoming so ubiquitous. It
shouldn’t be something used to constrain and limit political
speech.”
Differences over the international response to
the political crisis in Zimbabwe were also discussed; with Rice
insisting the United Nations Security Council had a key role to play
despite China’s preference for a mainly African solution.
Rice said the talks also covered the recent
progress in the long-running campaign to end North Korea’s nuclear
weapons programs, problems in the international economy, and climate
change.
In brief comments at the start of their meeting,
Hu thanked Rice for visiting China’s earthquake-hit Sichuan
province on Sunday as well as US assistance following the disaster
in May that left nearly 90,000 people dead.
“This has fully demonstrated the warm feeling
of the American people towards the Chinese people,” Hu said.
Rice told reporters the recent unrest in Tibet
was also discussed, with the top US diplomat expressing cautious
optimism over Beijing’s decision to hold further talks with envoys
of the region’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
“I am encouraged that there at least will be a
second round of talks,” she said. “I hope that there will be
some positive developments and some momentum behind the talks.”
Rice, however, repeated that the United States
did not accept China’s accusations that the Dalai Lama was bent on
achieving independence for his Himalayan homeland, which has been
ruled by China for nearly 60 years.
“The Dalai Lama is a figure of considerable
moral authority. He is a figure who has rejected violence. He is a
figure who talks about cultural and religious historical
autonomy,” she said.
“He doesn’t push for political
independence.”
Her comments came as the Tibetan
government-in-exile said envoys of the Dalai Lama were expected to
arrive in Beijing later Monday for two days of talks with Chinese
officials.
Rice would not reveal the names of the
dissidents jailed by China that she had raised with Wen and Hu,
saying she preferred to wait until there had been some action from
the Chinese side on their cases.
-- AFP
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