Chinese president meets the press in Beijing
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Chinese President Hu Jintao said today that athletic competition and enhanced friendship among nations, not political disputes, will determine whether the Beijing Games are a success.
During a rare news conference with foreign journalists, Hu repeatedly said that Beijing was hosting the Olympics to underscore his country’s desire for peaceful, friendly interaction with the rest of the world.
Here is part of the New China News Agency’s report:
It is inevitable that people hold divergent views on issues, but politicizing the Olympics will not address those issues. Instead, those issues can be resolved on the basis of mutual respect, by narrowing the differences and expanding common ground.The Chinese share one wish -- making the Beijing Olympics a great success, enabling people to enjoy themselves at the Games and carrying forward the Olympic spirit.
Later on, the Associated Press reports, he said: “We hope that foreign reporters while in China will respect our laws and rules, report objectively and help communication and understanding between China and the peoples of the world.”
Reporters from about two dozen countries were required to submit questions in advance, and a Foreign Ministry official called on them. When Georg Blume of the German newspaper Die Zeit tried to pose a question on human rights at the end of the 70-minute meeting, Hu ignored him.
-- Greg Johnson