Bush vows to press China on human rights at Olympics

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 Kyodo

U.S. President George W. Bush vowed Thursday to raise concerns about China's human rights record with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, during his planned visit to Beijing for the Beijing Olympics in August.

''I'm looking forward to seeing the athletic competition...But that will not preclude me from meeting with the Chinese president, expressing my deep concerns about a variety of issues, just like I do every time I meet with the president,'' Bush said during a White House news conference.

''I am not the least bit shy bringing up the concerns,'' Bush said. ''And I believe that I'll have an opportunity to do so with the president.''

Bush's comments came a day after U.S. lawmakers reportedly said China should be held accountable for promises to protect human rights that it made when it was awarded the Olympics.

Beijing, which hopes the Olympics will be a springboard for it to become a global power, has said its citizens' human rights are protected under the Chinese Constitution.

Bush said that during talks with Hu, he will broach other issues on which the United States and China have differences, such as Darfur, Iran and Myanmar.

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