The first high-level visit by a Chinese official since President George W. Bush took office was clouded by US outrage over China's treatment of a 5-year-old American boy taken from his parents for almost a month in a legal dispute.
Expressions of goodwill came from both sides during the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Qian Qichen (錢其琛), but the boy's fate was intermingled with high policy issues. As Qian made his rounds Wednesday and Thursday, he met with repeated criticism over China's handling of the case involving American University researcher Gao Zhan and her son, Andrew.
Bush raised the issue forcefully with Qian, a senior US official said, and the envoy heard a similar message Wednesday from Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Gao, Andrew and Gao's husband, Xue Donghua, were detained at Beijing's airport several weeks ago, each whisked away in a separate car.
The father and boy were reunited and released after 26 days, and Gao remains held in an undisclosed location.
Gao, 40, is a Chinese-born unpaid faculty fellow at American University in Washington and has done research on women's issues, economic reform in China and Chinese-Taiwan relations. Andrew is a US citizen.
The senior US official, who briefed reporters after the Bush-Qian meeting, said the Chinese official told Bush that Gao may not have been aware that she violated Chinese law.
Officially, China has accused Gao of "activities that undermine state security," a charge leveled against dissidents and activists seeking independence for Tibet and the Muslim region of Xinjiang.
RSS