19 November 2005
Bush urges dialogue with Dalai Lama
American President George W. Bush said in Beijing that he has urged the Chinese government to meet with the Dalai Lama so that they can hear directly from him his commitment to seeking genuine autonomy for Tibetans, under his Middle Way Approach, within the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Mr Bush made the comments in Beijing after meeting the Chinese leader Hu Jintao. Mr Bush addressed Chinese leaders about the value of liberty and the need for China to loosen currency controls, strengthen intellectual property protection, and close its trade gap with the United States. Mr Bush is on a trip to Asia that includes Japan, South Korea, China and Mongolia. However, Mr Hu said that the US had reiterated, on many occasions, that it will stick to the one-China policy, abide by the three Sino-US joint communiqués and “oppose Taiwan independence”. Mr Hu repeated that China is a "peacefully developing country whose rising wealth and influence need not threaten other countries". Reacting to Mr Bush's appeal to China to expand religious, political and social freedom, Mr Hu said, "China will continue to build up democracy with its own characteristics and improve its people's human rights based on the actual situation and the aspirations of the people".