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This past week, Chairman Hu Jintao came to Washington, DC and was given a most lavish welcome by president Obama. This excerpt from an article outlines the stark contrast between two presidential receptions: The lavish black-tie dinner at the White House on Wednesday night contrasts with George Bush’s workmanlike lunch in 2006. According to Chinese media reports at the time, Hu, saw Bush’s arrangements as insulting. Bush was unwilling to host a state dinner in part because he was conscious of US public concern over China’s human rights record. The picture below also shows the Chinese flag at the same...

Your morning fashion and beauty report: Michelle Obama's Alexander McQueen gown might not have been politically correct Oscar de la Renta is fretting over the red and black Alexander McQueen gown Michelle Obama wore to this week's state dinner for People's Republic of China President Hu Jintao. Not that the frock by McQueen creative director Sarah Burton wasn't lovely. But it should have been made by an American or Chinese designer, not a Brit, de la Renta says. Who knew fashion was so political? [WWD]

Pelosi presses Hu on commitment to human rights, climate changeThe Hill [Friday, January 21, 2011 18:07] By Mike Lillis House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday urged Chinese President Hu Jintao to bolster his commitment to human rights and climate-change prevention, the California Democrat said after a meeting with him Thursday. "I had the opportunity to relay the concerns by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle that Chinese human-rights activist Liu Xiaobo was not permitted to travel to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in December, and about the continued detention of Liu and his wife...

Chinese President Hu Jintao sought to assure U.S. business leaders on Thursday that his country is an economic partner and not a military threat to America or anyone else. But he rejected foreign interference on issues such as Tibet and Taiwan. "We will remain committed to the path of peaceful development," Hu told a U.S.-China Business Council luncheon. "We do not engage in an arms race, we are not a military threat to any country. China will never seek to dominate or pursue an expansionist policy."

Limbaugh has made a career out of offending as many people as he possibly can – but 1.35 billion people in one day could be a record............ American right-wing shock jock Rush Limbaugh is in trouble again – this time for outraging the Chinese community by mocking the speech of Hu Jintao on his talk radio show. The presenter was complaining about how Fox News had not provided an on-screen translation when the Chinese president was speaking during TV coverage of his visit to Washington. He then launched into a 16-second long impression of Hu, which consisted almost entirely of...

Obama, Hu toast 'strategic mutual trust' at state dinnerBy Christina Wilkie - 01/19/11 10:30 PM ET President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao toasted U.S. and Chinese collaboration and mutual interests on Wednesday night at a festive state dinner for 225 guests at the White House. Their toasts marked the high point of an evening notable for its strict adherence to the protocol and symbolism valued in Chinese culture, but which, at the same time, managed to fulfill the Chinese delegation's request for a thoroughly American dinner party. Guests dined on a meal of pear salad, lobster, ribeye steak and...

WASHINGTON: The Obama White House on Wednesday rolled out the red carpet for Chinese President Hu Jintao months after the US President met Tibetan leader Dalai Lama sans fanfare and photo-ops and showed him out through a side door past garbage bags. The contrasting receptions, recalled vividly by commentators, pretty much summed up the US approach and priorities at a time when China struts the world stage like an economic colossus with military ambitions to match. It would be a stretch to say China owns the US, but it is no great secret that President Hu is being courted, coddled...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Eager to soothe tensions, President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao shared an unusual and intimate dinner Tuesday night to discuss the strains and common goals that define the complicated relations between the two rival powers.

U.S.President Barack Obama (R) welcomes Chinese President Hu Jintao during an official South Lawn arrival ceremony for Hu at the White House in Washington January 19, 2011. U.S. President Barack Obama looks on as Chinese President Hu Jintao shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) during an official South Lawn arrival ceremony at the White House in Washington January 19, 2011. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (2nd L), Defense Secretary Robert Gates (3rd L), Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner (4th L) and Washington Mayor Vince Gray are also pictured.

Republican US House Speaker John Boehner has turned down a White House invitation to attend a state dinner this week in honor of Chinese President Hu Jintao, his office confirmed Tuesday. Asked why Boehner had opted to skip the glitzy and highly symbolic Wednesday event, Boehner spokesman Michael Steel replied: "Speaker Boehner will have a substantive meeting with President Hu later this week." Steel declined to elaborate, but Republicans have been critical of President Barack Obama's decision to hold a state dinner for Hu at a time when Washington has been sharply critical of Beijing's record on human rights. White...

The big message in Hu Jintao's interview with the WSJ is that China is ready for the yuan to play a larger role in the global economy. But the interview just caps what was already a big week for the Chinese currency. For example, China said for the first time that it will low foreign investors to participate in yuan-denominated private equity vehicles.

BEIJING—Chinese President Hu Jintao emphasized the need for cooperation with the U.S. in areas from new energy to space ahead of his visit to Washington this week, but he called the present U.S. dollar-dominated currency system a "product of the past" and highlighted moves to turn the yuan into a global currency. "We both stand to gain from a sound China-U.S. relationship, and lose from confrontation," Mr. Hu said in written answers to questions from The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Mr. Hu acknowledged "some differences and sensitive issues between us," but his tone was generally compromising, and...

Hu’s China, Whose Army? Jan. 12 2011 - 9:34 am Maybe my question, “Is Hu Jintao really the most powerful person in the world?” was the wrong one to ask. Today, with reports that his military may have tested a new stealth fighter without his knowledge, the better question is, “How much power does Hu Jintao really have?” It is a relevant question for the U.S. to ponder, especially with Hu visiting President Obama at the White House next week, and the answer is not so straightforward. The story of China’s first test flight of its stealth fighter is a...

President Obama is planning to refocus attention on China's record of suppressing free speech and political freedom in the coming weeks, despite the risk of further destabilizing an important relationship after a contentious year. Since elevating human rights as a guiding principle of his foreign policy at the United Nations last fall, Obama has been looking for ways to engage China's leaders on the issue without undermining his efforts to enlist their help in dealing with Iran and North Korea, and in reviving the world economy. Senior administration officials say he is exploring ways to better reach Chinese citizens directly,...

At least someone's laughing at the state of our economy. On SNL this weekend, the hilarious opening skit used the G20 summit, gold, and US debt, and Glenn Beck for a laugh. Glenn Beck "doesn't know what he's talking about." China wants to buy gold, but all of its assets are tied up in US treasuries. And Obama is getting tired of Hu Jintao asking him to "do sex to him" with the lights off - not on. It's great - watch it below. Where did this all start? At the G20 summit, where Obama and Hu Jintao did not...

Recent discourse concerning the Chinese People’s Liberation Army's (PLA) modernization has principally focused on technological advances and less on the human dimension of PLA force transformation. In particular, a review of these discussions revealed the absence of a publicly available database of Chinese military leaders with the rank of full general (shangjiang). Against the backdrop of the PLA’s stated intention to reorient the armed forces as part of its modernization efforts, an analysis of promotion patterns of the 118 PLA generals (1981 - 2009) may yield important insights into the foci of PLA force transformation. PLA to Build Up Navy...

Shanghai HIV cases on the increase Cai Wenjun SHANGHAI reported 886 new HIV carriers and 392 AIDA patients, with 25 fatalities, from January to November 20 this year, the city's Health Bureau said yesterday. The release of statistics yesterday comes ahead of World AIDS Day today. Cases positive to HIV tests were 26.5 percent more than for the same period last year. People from outside Shanghai accounted for 72 percent of this year's new HIV cases, while Shanghainese covered 60.5 percent of the new AIDS patients. People younger than 45 and men covered the majority of HIV/AIDS cases registered this...

Hmm, did anyone notice the complete absence of mention of this story by the MSM? Times of India BEIJING: Describing Tibet as part of China, US President Barack Obama today supported the early resumption of talks between Beijing and representatives of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama. ( Watch Video ) "We did note that while we recognise that Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China, the United States supports the early resumption of dialogue" between the Dalai Lama's representatives and Beijing," Obama said after his meeting with Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao. Chinese President Hu Jintao hailed...

Listening to President Obama and his Chinese counterpart this week, it was hard to tell who was Hu. One is the leader of a great democracy. The other is the head of a repressive regime. But as the two men faced reporters in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Obama deferred to the wishes of President Hu Jintao: They would not take questions. In lieu of this rite of freedom, the two leaders exchanged platitudes. "We reached agreement in many important fields," the communist leader assured everybody. "Our two governments have continued to move forward in a way that can...

Obama In China Faces Currency Strains And A Great Wall Caren Bohan and Patricia Zengerle BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama will continue efforts to court China on Wednesday while cajoling it on economic and currency strains, with the final day of his visit featuring talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Obama's first visit to China has been a mix of goodwill displays toward its sometimes wary people and leaders and closed-door discussions focused on the two big powers' vast and increasingly complex relationship. Wednesday will be no different. Obama will visit the Great Wall -- for Chinese people...

With the interest in fighting global warming, President Hu Jintao pledged to cooperate with President Obama in making a deal to work together to fight global warming. The plan, to the frustration of the protestors that were gathered en masse around the UN building, lacked specifics over what would be done, while the Secretary General Ban Kai Moon also stated that he felt the talks were moving too slowly. He had convened the day’s meeting, as requested by French President Nicholas Sarkozy. President Hu and Obama will be talking later today. There’s a sense of increasing urgency while poorer countries...

NEW YORK — US President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was looking forward to visiting China in November, as he met Chinese President Hu Jintao and both sides vowed to forge a "comprehensive" relationship. The leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly here and both spoke warmly of improving Sino-US ties during a photo-op, without mentioning a trade dispute sparked by US duties on Chinese tire imports. "I am committed to pursuing a genuinely cooperative and comprehensive relationship with China," Obama said at the meeting at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. "We can make our relationship more...

As the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) marked its 82nd birthday on August 1, the Hu Jintao leadership has taken several major initiatives to raise the quality of its senior personnel. President and Commander-in-chief Hu has also given a big boost to military modernization by pledging unprecedented civilian support for the PLA’s ambitious goals “in the new century and under new historical circumstances.” Yet China’s defense establishment still suffers from enduring problems ranging from an aging leadership to factionalism. Further, Hu’s re-hoisting of the Maoist standard of junmin jiehe, or “the synthesis of the army and the people,” could exacerbate the...

LIMA (AFP) – US President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday discussed the global economic crisis and efforts to speed the process of ending North Korea's nuclear programs, the White House said. > The US president, who steps down January 20, "at the beginning of the meeting expressed how he 'felt a little nostalgic' given this was their last meeting as heads of state," she said. "He said he felt very comfortable in their personal relationship and that he believes the relationship between our two countries is on solid ground" and passed Hu "warm regards" from...

China's President Hu Jintao made a landmark visit to Cuba Tuesday, bearing millions of dollars in aid and promises of closer future trade ties. The Chinese leader brought 4.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid for victims of three hurricanes that battered Cuba this year, which was handed over late Monday after Hu's arrival at the Jose Marti International Airport. Receiving the gift, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Rodrigo Malmierca said that Cuba "deeply appreciates the visit of President Hu Jintao, at the exact moment the country is struggling to recover and continue its development." It was the third...

BEIJING - CHINA and the United States should 'accommodate each other's concerns,' Chinese President Hu Jintao told US president-elect Barack Obama Saturday in a telephone conversation, state media reported. Mr Hu and Mr Obama spoke on a range of issues including the current global financial turmoil, Xinhua news agency reported on early Sunday, in what is thought to be the first conversation between the pair since Mr Obama's election victory. 'Mr Hu pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries 30 years ago, bilateral relations have generally kept developing despite setbacks,' the report said. <A...

China's Hu stronger, but no strongman Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:11AM EDT By Benjamin Kang Lim - Analysis BEIJING (Reuters) - Almost five years in power, Chinese President Hu Jintao has grown in strength but a failed attempt to retire the chief official bodyguard illustrates a behind-the-scenes struggle as he seeks to consolidate power. At 68, General You Xigui was past the compulsory retirement age, but long-time patron Jiang Zemin used his residual influence as the previous party chief to force Hu to keep You on as director of the Communist Party's Bodyguards Bureau. "Jiang lost his temper ... He...

For at least 150 years, people have been trying to solve the pronoun dilemma. That would be the dilemma that causes odd word formations out of fairness to both genders: "he or she," "him or her," or "s/he." Some avoid the gender question altogether by speaking in the plural, as in "If anyone asks, tell them what they need to know." Some people have taken the more extreme approach of devising entirely new pronouns that specify no gender. "Ne," "hizer," "thon," "shem" and "herm" are just a few that came along and faded quickly. They're known as gender-neutral, or epicene,...

Hu urges "common but differentiated responsibilities" to tackle climate change BERLIN, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday called for upholding the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" for developing countries in tackling climate change. "We should work together to make sure the international community upholds the goals and framework established in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities," Hu said while addressing a meeting of the leaders of five developing countries -- China, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa. The leaders met...

BEIJING (AFP) - A Chinese cartoonist has been suspended for one month after drawing an image of a weeping President Hu Jintao, Hong Kong media said. Kuang Biao, a 40-year-old artist working for the New Express based in south China's Guangzhou city, said he received the order to temporarily lay down his pen on Wednesday, the South China Morning Post reported. The measure was taken two days after the paper printed the depiction of Hu, shedding tears while replying to a letter from the daughter of a university professor who recently died from overwork at the age of 48. "President...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President and First Lady are in Russia for the G8 summit, which will conclude tomorrow. In addition to attending the group sessions, President Bush held a series of bilateral meetings with key leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and French President Jacques Chirac. Significantly, the President also had a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, which was characterized as "on the sidelines" of the G8 summit. (China is not a member of the G8.) Here is a link to the White House transcript of their joint press conference...

In his opening remarks welcoming Chinese President Hu Jintao to the White House on April 20, President George W. Bush said: "The United States and China are two nations divided by a vast ocean -- yet connected through a global economy that has created opportunity for both our peoples. The United States welcomes the emergence of a China that is peaceful and prosperous, and that supports international institutions. As stakeholders in the international system, our two nations share many strategic interests. President Hu and I will discuss how to advance those interests, and how China and the United States can...

Microsoft Corp disclosed the details of a deal signed with China's top economic planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Wednesday. Microsoft's vice president and chief technology officer Craig Mundie arrived in Beijing to disclose the details of the MOU signed on Apr 18, according to which, Microsoft Corp will invest $100 million in setting up cooperation with China-based software enterprises and their subsidiaries, joint ventures outside China. It will place orders worth $100 million to software enterprises in China. Microsoft will place a 700-million-U.S.-dollar hardware export order with Chinese companies in each of the next...

As a responsible citizen I'm supposed to be outraged at the actions of Wenyi Wang, the Chinese woman who disrupted ceremonies honoring Chinese President Hu at the White House last week. To be sure, I do generally have a position against such outbursts at least in those places where a constitution guarantees the right to free speech and freedom to assemble. But when it comes to people who live under brutal regimes that suppress free expression, I find myself rooting for the shouters. One of Ronald Reagan's favorite stories went like this: a Russian and an American were talking about...

Issue Date: April 24-30, 2006, Posted On: 4/24/2006 China Briefing: Another China on another planetCommentary by Kin-ming Liu A summit between the president of the proudest democracy and the leader of the largest dictatorship took place in Washington last Thursday.  Listening to some of the things being uttered in public, however, one can be forgiven for mistakenly thinking that the visitor must have come from another China on another planet. Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, told the gathering on the South Lawn at the White House that the Chinese are “firmly committed to the path of peaceful development.”  Later,...

Bush slammed for charging Hu protester Pastors: Administration 'hypocritical' for throwing book at woman Posted: April 25, 20065:00 p.m. Eastern © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com Some Christian leaders are protesting the Bush administration decision to seek up to six months in federal prison for Wenyi Wang, the woman who shouted at the president and Chinese leader Hu Jintao at the White House last week. At the event, Wang, who got access to the White House grounds as a media representative with a Chinese opposition paper, shouted, "President Bush, stop him (President Hu) from persecuting Falun Gong" and "President Bush, stop him from killing." In...

Did I miss something? Have we already been conquered by Communist China? Did Chinese President Hu Jintao blow into Washington last week as a triumphant victor, inspecting his vanquished foe? That's how it felt. Because of the ringing silence about China's horrid, ongoing abuse of human rights. Because of President Bush, who once reiterated our nation's pledge to defend democratic Taiwan, now stressing how we do not support official independence for that already independent nation. Because our pleas for economic relief were ignored. Because Bush not only apologized for the momentary interruption of a Falun Gong protester at the big...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: For a change, a pleasant, even delightful and funny story from the Associated Press about President Bush. An AP reporter accompanied GWB on what the reporter described as a "lung-busting" mountain bike ride this morning in Northern California, and later filed this report (unfortunately no photos were up on Yahoo as of 1:00pm Pacific time): Bush Takes Muddy Bike Ride on Earth Day By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer LAS POSADAS STATE FOREST, Calif. - President Bush marked Earth Day with a lung-busting mountain bike ride high above Napa County wine country, dodging ruts that...

CHINESE President Hu Jintao has defended China's slow political reforms overnight, at the end of a US tour, as hundreds of protestors tried to drown out his speech at Yale University. Mr Hu has been dogged by the Falun gong movement and human rights protesters throughout his four days in the United States. More than 200 protestors, mainly from Falun gong, pounded drums and shouted into bullhorns the auditorium where Mr Hu spoke at the prestigious university. "Falun Dafa is good!" the protestors screamed. Other protestors demanded the release of dissidents including a jailed New York Times researcher, Zhao Yan....

<p>Bush apologized to Hu JinTao over a disruption by Wenyi Wang, a Fan Lun Gong protestor.</p> <p>The protester who disrupted a White House ceremony for Chinese President Hu Jintao remained defiant yesterday, even after prosecutors charged her with a federal crime punishable by up to six months in jail.</p>

In remarks certain to please visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday told a gathering of Chinese-American business and cultural leaders in San Francisco that the United States has no obligation to defend Taiwan if it provokes China into a military confrontation. Feinstein's comments came on a day when Hu and President Bush sat down together in Washington to discuss a range of issues -- including Taiwan, which China regards as the No. 1 issue in U.S.-China relations. Before his first U.S. visit this week, Hu urged Taiwanese leaders to resume talks with China and called...

A woman accused of heckling Chinese President Hu Jintao during a White House appearance this week was charged Friday in federal court with a misdemeanor of willfully intimidating, coercing threatening and harassing a foreign official. ADVERTISEMENT Wang Wenyi, 47, had obtained temporary press credentials as a reporter for a Falun Gong newspaper and positioned herself on a camera stand. According to Secret Service translations provided in court documents, she shouted in Chinese: "Stop oppressing the Falun Gong," as well as "Your Time is running out," and "Anything you have done will come back to you in this lifetime." She also...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A heckler from the Falun Gong spiritual movement who disrupted a White House appearance by Chinese President Hu Jintao was charged in federal court on Friday with harassing, intimidating or threatening a foreign official. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington said the misdemeanor charge carries a penalty of up to six months in jail. The woman, who entered the White House grounds as a reporter, interrupted a formal arrival ceremony between Hu and President George W. Bush on Thursday and shouted: "President Hu, your days are numbered. President Bush, make him stop persecuting Falun...

Two sources appear in public for the first time to detail organ-harvesting in China Informants Annie and Peter in Washington DC on April 20. Their speeches were their first public testimony about large-scale organ harvesting atrocities in China. (The Epoch Times)WASHINGTON – Two sources who exposed concentration camps in China told their stories in public for the first time on Thursday afternoon. The two Chinese sources, who go by their aliases Annie and Peter, spoke at a rally at McPherson Square the same day Chinese leader Hu Jintao met with U.S. President George W. Bush, explaining why they felt the...

Yesterday China's president Hu Jintal was heckled by someone who managed to sneak into the press gallery covering a White House event. This is simply not allowed in China. In fact, when the video of Hu's remarks at the White House were shown in China the part involving the heckler was blacked out. We now learn that after the incident President Bush apologized to Hu. Apologized? For what? Did Bush apologize because someone managed to slip by White House security? If so ... probably appropriate. On the other hand, if Bush apologized because someone actually heckled the Chinese president, not...

Critics of China's human rights record say they face a tough battle to keep the issue high on the crowded U.S.-China agenda as President Bush prepares to welcome Chinese President Hu Jintao to the White House tomorrow. Once a prickly centerpiece of the bilateral relationship, Beijing's record on human rights and political freedoms now must compete with a wealth of other pressing issues at the half-day summit, from nuclear crises in Iran and North Korea to energy, trade and the proper value of the Chinese currency. "Certainly, we are using this issue to highlight China's record, which is bad and...

WASHINGTON - Poultry processed in China will be allowed to enter the United States despite outbreaks of deadly bird flu in China, the Bush administration said Thursday. Critics said the imported poultry will put public health at risk. The Agriculture Department said the meat would be fully cooked and perfectly safe. "It will have been processed," said Richard Raymond, the department's undersecretary for food safety. "Cooking will kill the virus, if there is any virus, in poultry meat." The U.S. does not accept live poultry from countries where the virulent flu strain is present. That policy has not changed. The...

A HECKLER from the Falun Gong spiritual movement, who entered White House grounds as a reporter, interrupted a formal arrival ceremony for Chinese President Hu Jintao today, prompting President George W. Bush to apologise to his guest. After being welcomed by Mr Bush, the Chinese president was just beginning his response when a woman, who had been allowed into the press section, started shouting. She was escorted away by a uniformed US guard. "President Hu, your days are numbered. President Bush, make him stop persecuting Falun Gong," the woman yelled. US officials later identified her as Wang Wenyi, 47, a...

CHINA’S President suffered the embarrassment of being heckled for more than a minute on the White House lawn yesterday by a protester who accused him of persecution.The arrival ceremony for Hu Jintao was interrupted by a woman from the banned Falun Gong religious movement. She began shouting from the top of a camera stand directly in front of President Bush and his guest. “President Bush, stop him from killing,” she shouted. “Stop persecuting the Falun Gong. . .President Hu, your days are numbered. No more time for China’s ruling party.” The incident occurred immediately after Mr Bush urged President Hu...

President Bush welomed recipients of the President's Environmental Youth Awards at the White House. He met with China's President Hu at the White House today. Dow Closes at Six Year High, According to CNBC and MSN Money. Welcome to Sanity Island!