Cord Byrd: “an official of the People's Republic of China, who many say will be the next leader of China when the scheduled…”

“an official of the People's Republic of China, who many say will be the next leader of China when the scheduled leadership succession occurs next fall, is making his first visit to the United States this week. Mr. H.E. Hu Jintao, the current Vice President of China, will be getting his first up-front taste of official Washington. This is an opportunity to make it clear how we feel about certain Chinese policies, most particularly in the area of Chinese proliferation practices. Let's hope he takes back with him the right impressions. President Bush made a summit visit to China, and met with President Jiang Zemin this past February. I liked the tone that he set in the meeting with Chinese leaders. He was serious and businesslike, and eschewed what had been a practice of overly positive glad-handing which runs the risk of communicating the wrong message. President Bush's approach, it would appear, did seem to be somewhat productive with the Chinese leadership. For example, during a speech at Tsinghua University in Beijing, the President made a strong case for American values and religious freedom. The speech was broadcast live and unedited throughout China, an unprecedented event for an American President. So that is a small step forward, and I commend the President on his speech, which I hope received wide attention in China.”