Just hours before flying to Beijing for the Olympics yesterday, US President George W. Bush used some of his bluntest language yet in publicly pressing China to improve its human rights record.
In a speech in Bangkok on the eve of the Games’ opening ceremony, when the eyes of the world will be on Beijing, Bush voiced “firm opposition” to China’s detention of dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists.
“The United States believes the people of China deserve the fundamental liberty that is the natural right of all human beings,” he said in comments likely to anger China’s communist leadership.
PHOTO: EPA
“We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly and labor rights not to antagonize China’s leaders, but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential,” he said.
Beijing is accused of cracking down on dissent ahead of the Games instead of granting more freedoms, as originally promised.
Bush had faced criticism from rights groups not only for attending the Games but also for not speaking out more forcefully against Beijing’s crackdown in the run-up to the showpiece event.
He has chided China on human rights before, focusing especially on restrictions on religious freedom, and drew the Chinese government’s ire by meeting dissidents at the White House ahead of his week-long farewell trip to East Asia.
Bush made it clear in Seoul on Wednesday that he had no intention of using the Olympics as a platform for lecturing China on human rights, though he intends to discuss such matters privately with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
While acknowledging China’s growing economic clout, he also said Beijing should wake up to the wider responsibilities that it entails.
“We are making clear to China that being a global economic leader carries with it the duty to act responsibly on matters from energy to the environment to development in places like Africa,” he said.
In response, Beijing said it opposed any interference in its internal affairs.
“We firmly oppose any words and deeds that use human rights and religion to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) said.
“The Chinese people enjoy religious freedom according to law. That’s a basic fact evident to all,” Qin said in the ministry’s Web site.
“With regards to differences between China and the United States on rights and religious issues, we have always advocated that the two sides should carry out dialogue and exchanges on the basis of equality and mutual respect,” Qin said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft