Daily World Buzz: Hu Jintao in Obama's triumph but the struggle for human rights is

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Hu Jintao in Obama's triumph but the struggle for human rights is

WASHINGTON - "Human rights are a universal value, America must speak in their defense." In the summit meeting between the two most powerful leaders of the world, Barack Obama is generous attention to protocol his Chinese counterpart, but his tone hardens on the most sensitive. "We support the need for dialogue with the Dalai Lama, to protect the cultural and religious identity of the Tibetan people": The U.S.

president says in press conference looking into the eyes Hu Jintao, the emperor of ice that can not even wince when he was named the "number one enemy", who was forced into exile by Beijing 1959. "Freedom of speech, freedom of religion - Obama urges him - these values are also written in your Constitution.

Respect, China would still have more prosperity and success." It 's the price we must pay for Hu Jintao's an honor with few precedents: This is only the third time in history that a Chinese president to the ceremonial law of the "state visit" in full regalia, complete with a gala reception at White House, preceded by a private dinner Tuesday night, souvenir photo with the First Lady and girls on the lawn of the White House, Vice President Joe Biden sent to the base at Fort Andrews to welcome Hu from the aircraft steps.

George Bush's imperial denied this treatment in 2006, downgrading the previous visit by Hu to a lower rank, because of the embarrassment on human rights. For Obama the discomfort is even stronger: he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, shares the same recognition by the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo languishing in a prison.

Sentenced to 11 years for one fault: he defended the same theoretical principles that are written into the Constitution of the PRC. The terrible treatment meted out to Liu Xiaobo hanging over the White House press conference. Only the Chinese guest does everything possible to ignore it.

He can even impose consecutive translation - very slow, unusual in these cases - that allows him to take time to reflect, wander in front of an Obama a bit 'irritated a bit' shocked (but how? We did not have simultaneous translation? "). Hu blatantly ignores the question on human rights made by the Associated Press.

Have to wait a second round, and Mr Bloomberg has insisted that Hu's answer to the previous question. "China - replies the president - has always been committed to the promotion of human rights, as we are recognized by the world. But these rights must be seen in the light of national conditions.

We are still a developing country with a huge population with large social and economic challenges to be faced. We can do more for human rights, and we will continue our efforts to improve the standard of living, democracy and the rule of law. "No specific answer on Tibet, but the issue raised by Obama alone.

You can not say that Hu has raised an effort to charm the Americans. meticulous care of their lack of expression - according to a saying famous: the Tussaud's waxwork museum that portrays more emotion than he betrays - Hu has acted on a script that tested for human rights, that makes up her mind to combat poverty and promote self-Chinese regime for the benefits of development that have improved the living standards of hundreds of millions of people.

Obama has acknowledged him, the rest: "The peaceful rise of China has a clear humanitarian value, for the Chinese and the whole world. "But the controversy over the freedom to check out every event of the summit. The Congress is even more combative Obama. On the eve of Hu Jintao will present with two parliamentary delegations from the Democratic and Republican, the climate is tense.

The President of the Senate, Harry Reid, the second authority after Obama among the Democrats, describes the Chinese leader a "dictator." The chairman of the House, Rep. John Boehner, refuses' invitation to a gala dinner at the White House. s'intrufola An indicator of distress even in the business world.

In the mega-VIP delegation of American capitalism that has a working session with Hu, there are two absences can be discerned: Google and Facebook. The two symbols of the Internet economy are excluded from the Chinese market, Google is due out after the tug of war on industrial espionage and censorship, Facebook has never been allowed to operate from Beijing.

The other great absence in the panel discussion between Hu and the world economy are the unions, although they would have something to say about the issue of relocation. Gone are the days when the first U.S. ambassador to China after the reconnection of diplomatic relations, it was a trade unionist: sent to Beijing by Jimmy Carter in 1979, Leonard Woodcock was the leader of the United Auto Workers, the Confederation of Metalworkers.