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China, US are 'not adversaries' Obama discusses rights in China
(about 1 hour later)
US President Barack Obama has told China that the two countries are not predestined to be adversaries. US President Barack Obama has told China that individual rights and freedoms should be available to all.
President Obama made the comments during a speech in Shanghai, shortly before holding a question and answer session with Chinese students. He told an audience of Chinese students that certain freedoms were universal - and not just limited to Americans.
In the speech, he also reminded his Chinese hosts that all people, including Chinese citizens, deserved to be given basic rights. President Obama added that China and the United States were not predestined to be adversaries.
President Obama is on a four-day visit to China. He was speaking at a question and answer session in Shanghai, before travelling to Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders.
'Freedom of expression' Freedom of expression
In his speech at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, the US president praised China's efforts in lifting millions of people out of poverty. In his speech at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, the US president praised China's efforts in lifting millions of people out of poverty, saying it was "unparalleled" in human history.
He also addressed the relationship between the two nations. But according to a BBC correspondent in Beijing, Michael Bristow, Mr Obama also made comments that his hosts would have been less pleased to hear.
"We have known setbacks and challenges over the last 30 years. Our relationship has not been without disagreement and difficulty," said President Obama. Although he was careful not to attack the Chinese government directly, he declared that certain rights and freedoms were universal.
OBAMA ASIA TOUR 1. Friday 13: Arrived in Japan2. Saturday 14: Joined Apec summit in Singapore3. Sunday 15: Had talks with Russia's President Medvedev before leaving for China4. Tuesday 17: Summit in Beijing with Chinese President Hu Jintao5. Wednesday 18: Ends tour in South Korea Apec seeks new balance of power Obama seeks to reassure Asia alliesOBAMA ASIA TOUR 1. Friday 13: Arrived in Japan2. Saturday 14: Joined Apec summit in Singapore3. Sunday 15: Had talks with Russia's President Medvedev before leaving for China4. Tuesday 17: Summit in Beijing with Chinese President Hu Jintao5. Wednesday 18: Ends tour in South Korea Apec seeks new balance of power Obama seeks to reassure Asia allies
"But the notion that we must be adversaries is not predestined, not when we consider the past," he added. "We do not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation, but we also don't believe that the principles we stand for are unique to our nation," he said.
Mr Obama then turned to human rights, saying they were not unique to the United States. "These freedoms of expression and worship, of access to information and political participation - we believe are universal rights."
"These freedoms of expression and worship, of access to information and political participation we believe are universal rights. They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities," he said Mr Obama added: "They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities, whether they are in the United States, China or any nation."
Mr Obama then began a question and answer session with students in the audience. After his main speech, he addressed the issue again in a question and answer session with Chinese students - many of whom spoke English.
A few days ago, China's state-run news agency Xinhua asked internet users to send in questions they would like to ask Mr Obama. Mr Obama said freedom of information was important. "That makes our democracy stronger because it forces me to hear opinions that I don't want to hear - it forces me to examine what I'm doing," he said.
They covered issues on economics and politics, as well as more personal questions, such as whether or not the US president's wife, Michelle, paid for her own clothes. He added that the internet was a powerful tool to mobilise people and had helped him win the presidency last year.
Presidential dinner The US president said there was no reason that the United States and China - a "majestic" country - should not cooperate.
President Obama is due to fly to Beijing later on Monday to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao for dinner. "We have known setbacks and challenges over the last 30 years. Our relationship has not been without disagreement and difficulty. But the notion that we must be adversaries is not predestined," he said.
The United States does not want to constrain China's rise, the US president added. He made a similar comment a few days ago in Japan.
Mr Obama's question and answer session included queries about Taiwan, the Nobel Peace Prize and cultural diversity.
The president is due to fly to Beijing later on Monday to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao for dinner.
The two are expected to hold talks on Tuesday on issues such as trade imbalances, the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea, and the effort to tackle climate change.The two are expected to hold talks on Tuesday on issues such as trade imbalances, the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea, and the effort to tackle climate change.
The US president indicated that he would also raise concerns about human rights in China - as many human rights organisations had asked him to do. President Obama is also expected to do some sightseeing while in Beijing, visiting the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City, previously home to China's emperors.
Speaking in Tokyo earlier in the week, Mr Obama said he welcomed a strong China, adding that better US ties with Beijing did not mean a weakening of relations with US allies in the region. Mr Obama is on his first trip to Asia as US president. He has visited Japan and Singapore, and is scheduled to fly to South Korea after leaving China.
But in an online survey on US-China relations, 80% of Chinese respondents said the United States did not want to see their country rise, the Chinese magazine Globe reported.
Are you in China? What do you think of President Obama's comments? Send us your views.Are you in China? What do you think of President Obama's comments? Send us your views.
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