By Lisa Ou & Jason Loftus, Epoch Times
U.S. President George W. Bush plans to use his upcoming visit to the Beijing Olympic Games to embarrass Beijing by talking publicly about his concerns over human rights abuses in China, says a Chinese dissident who met the president Tuesday. He says Beijing has embarrassed Bush, who long ago announced he would attend the Games' opening ceremonies, because the regime has not followed through on promises to improve human rights ahead of the Games.
Democracy advocate Wei Jingsheng spoke with The Epoch Times after his meeting with President Bush at the White House. He says the president told Chinese dissidents invited for a visit to “rest assured” that he would use “every chance,” including at gatherings and with the media, to speak about Chinese political prisoners and the limits on religious freedom in China.
Mr. Bush has faced criticism over the announcement that he would attend the opening ceremonies of the Games in light of the human rights situation in China.
Mr. Wei says the U.S. government has met privately with Chinese officials in the run-up to the Olympics, pressing the regime to make concessions in areas of human rights, but that the regime has refused to fulfill promises made in these areas.
Dissidents and Falun Gong believers have been arrested in large numbers this year, in an apparent effort to avoid any public displays this August.
In Beijing, foreign reporters covering the Games have had their internet access restricted. And rights groups such as Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International have said the overall human rights situation in China has worsened as the Games draw near.
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By Lisa Ou & Jason Loftus, Epoch Times
U.S. President George W. Bush plans to use his upcoming visit to the Beijing Olympic Games to embarrass Beijing by talking publicly about his concerns over human rights abuses in China, says a Chinese dissident who met the president Tuesday. He says Beijing has embarrassed Bush, who long ago announced he would attend the Games' opening ceremonies, because the regime has not followed through on promises to improve human rights ahead of the Games.
