Bush trip to Asia a mix of sports and politics
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, (Alaska), August 5 (AFP): US President George W. Bush made a stopover here on his way to South Korea and Thailand, before attending the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony clouded by concerns over China's human rights record.
Bush was headed first to South Korea and Thailand, and will go to the Olympics' opening ceremony on August 8 after rejecting repeated calls by activists to boycott the Games over human rights concerns.
On the way to Seoul, Bush stopped at Eielson Air Force Base where he talked to US troops, thanking them for their service to the country.
"I made a decision not to politicize the Games; this is for athletics," Bush, who will be in China August 7-11 to attend the Beijing Olympics, said Wednesday. "There's plenty of time for politics, and I'm confident I'll have time for politics."
A sports fanatic, Bush will attend a basketball game between the star-studded US team and China. His schedule is unusually flexible, apparently to allow him to follow competitions.
But with the world's eyes watching the Olympics, human rights groups and US lawmakers hope the US president will push Chinese leaders to give more freedom to their people.
Bush has insisted that he raises the human rights question every time he speaks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, and the two are scheduled to hold talks.
During his visit to Beijing, Bush plans to make public remarks on religious freedom after attending a Christian service. The administration has not ruled out the possibility of a meeting with dissidents in China.
Bush, who has acknowledged that US-Chinese relations are complex, treads a delicate diplomatic tightrope with the Asian powerhouse.
The United States is increasingly dependent on China to reduce a 21 billion dollar bilateral trade deficit, take down international trade barriers, convince North Korea to give up nuclear weapons and combat global warming.
Even a visit to South Korea, where Bush will be Tuesday and Wednesday, has not escaped controversy.
The South Korean government of President Lee Myung-Bak had faced mass protests over its decision to lift an embargo on US beef imports introduced in 2003 following cases of mad cow disease in the United States.
Bush was headed first to South Korea and Thailand, and will go to the Olympics' opening ceremony on August 8 after rejecting repeated calls by activists to boycott the Games over human rights concerns.
On the way to Seoul, Bush stopped at Eielson Air Force Base where he talked to US troops, thanking them for their service to the country.
"I made a decision not to politicize the Games; this is for athletics," Bush, who will be in China August 7-11 to attend the Beijing Olympics, said Wednesday. "There's plenty of time for politics, and I'm confident I'll have time for politics."
A sports fanatic, Bush will attend a basketball game between the star-studded US team and China. His schedule is unusually flexible, apparently to allow him to follow competitions.
But with the world's eyes watching the Olympics, human rights groups and US lawmakers hope the US president will push Chinese leaders to give more freedom to their people.
Bush has insisted that he raises the human rights question every time he speaks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, and the two are scheduled to hold talks.
During his visit to Beijing, Bush plans to make public remarks on religious freedom after attending a Christian service. The administration has not ruled out the possibility of a meeting with dissidents in China.
Bush, who has acknowledged that US-Chinese relations are complex, treads a delicate diplomatic tightrope with the Asian powerhouse.
The United States is increasingly dependent on China to reduce a 21 billion dollar bilateral trade deficit, take down international trade barriers, convince North Korea to give up nuclear weapons and combat global warming.
Even a visit to South Korea, where Bush will be Tuesday and Wednesday, has not escaped controversy.
The South Korean government of President Lee Myung-Bak had faced mass protests over its decision to lift an embargo on US beef imports introduced in 2003 following cases of mad cow disease in the United States.