As China roars toward becoming an economic superpower, it is mindful of the political paths taken by Western countries but has no plans to simply copy them wholesale, President Hu Jintao (
Hu sought to quell fears about the effects of China's rapid development on the environment and the world's energy supply. But when asked whether his country's restrictions on political expression would hinder its economic growth, he said China would make those decisions for itself.
"On one hand, we are ready and willing to draw on the useful experience of foreign countries in political involvement," he said on Friday. "On the other hand, we will not simply copy the political models of other countries."
Hu pledged Chinese cooperation with the US and said differences between the two countries, which include disagreements over monetary policy and human rights, can be overcome by their shared desire for peace.
Several blocks away, hundreds of protesters, including members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which is banned in China, waved signs and shouted anti-communist and anti-government slogans in Chinese.
"Hu Jintao is not telling the truthful story of China," said Sarah Liang, a US citizen living in Hong Kong who said her mother and brother are imprisoned in China for their Falun Gong membership. "He speaks of very positive things, but the real story of China is not being told."
Pro-government demonstrators also waved signs, some reading: "Warmly Welcome Chairman Hu Jintao to the United States" and "Bring China-US relations closer."
Yale President Richard Levin, who has helped establish dozens of collaborative programs with China, welcomed Hu and said the future of the 21st century relied on a good relationship between the US and China. Hu credited Yale, which in 1854 became the first US university to graduate a Chinese student, with being a steward of that relationship.
Like the Chinese leader's earlier welcome in Washington, not everything went as planned.
A CNN reporter was thrown out of the welcoming ceremony after shouting a question about whether Hu had seen the protesters nearby. A Yale spokeswoman said the reporter was thrown out because he was invited "to cover an event, not to hold a press conference."
Hu appeared unusually relaxed before the crowd of academics, joking that he would like to have been a student at Yale and suggesting he might stay on as a professor.
Hu met with US President George W. Bush on Thursday, and the two leaders said it was a productive summit meeting. The two leaders pledged cooperation but did not break new ground on resolving the economic issues, including the big US trade deficit with China.
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