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Obama meets Chinese President Hu Jintao | Visiting US President Barack Obama has met his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in the Great Hall of the People here and both are due to address the media shortly. Obama arrived in the Chinese capital this morning from Shanghai
and according to reports, is expected to continue what he called "a meeting of
the minds" about how their nations can lead on global issues. After his meeting
with Hu, Obama will take a tour of the Forbidden City. So far, Obama has struck
a mostly conciliatory tone toward China during the first half of his eight-day
Asian trip. In Shanghai yesterday, he told his student audience that the US is
not seeking to contain China's rise. "On the contrary, we welcome China as a strong
and prosperous and successful member of the community of nations --a China that
draws on the rights, strengths, and creativity of individual Chinese like you,"
he said. The American president used the same forum to prod China on human rights
and freedom. In addition to speaking to and taking questions from a group of about
400 students selected by their universities, Obama also answered queries submitted
via the Internet. He also called for unfettered Internet access a source of strength
for any nation. China, with more than 330 million Internet users, blocks access
to Web sites such as the Facebook social network and those dealing with sensitive
political issues such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising. "Unrestricted Internet
access is a source of strength, and I think, should be encouraged," Obama said,
adding that the criticism he receives in the U.S. "makes me a better leader because
it forces me to hear opinions that I don't want to hear." Obama focused primarily
on areas of cooperation during the hour-long forum and will seek to strengthen
those ties in his meetings today, administration officials have said. Climate
change was one prominent area in which Obama said the U.S. and China have an
opportunity
to lead the world together. Obama also said he sees no need to change Washington's
"one-China" policy, which acknowledges China's position that Taiwan is part of
its territory. "I have been clear in the past that my administration fully supports
a one-China policy. We don't want to change that policy and that approach," Obama
said Monday. Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing threatens
to attack if Taiwan moves to formalize its de facto independence. Trade and the
global economy are other top issues for Obama while in China, the third stop on
a four-nation trip to Asia. He told his audience yesterday that trade between
the U.S. and China has driven economic growth in both countries and that a more
balanced relationship will provide greater prosperity. The administration estimates
that every percentage point of increase in U.S. exports to Asia could create 250,000
U.S. jobs. |
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