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Bush Accepts Chinese Invitation To Summer Olympics

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By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG, The New York Times

Published: September 7, 2007

SYDNEY, Australia - President Bush said Thursday that he has accepted an invitation from President Hu Jintao of China to attend the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, a move that is likely to inflame China's critics who are calling for a boycott of the games to protest human rights abuses in that country.

Hu extended the invitation - reiterating an offer he has made before - during a 90-minute private session with Bush here on the eve of an economic summit meeting of Asian nations.

Their talk touched on a range of topics, from climate change to Iran's nuclear ambitions and the recall of Chinese-made toys.

'It was a constructive and cordial conversation,' Bush said. 'And once again he extended an invitation to me and Laura and our family to come to the Olympics. And of course, I was anxious to accept.'

Bush had told aides privately that he would like to attend the 2008 games, but Thursday was the first time he said so publicly. Aides said the president would attend as a sports fan, not to make any political statement.

At a time when relations between the United States and China are delicate, however, the move carries great symbolic significance, said Michael Green, an Asia expert and former Asia director at the National Security Council under Bush.

'For the Chinese, that's a public vote of confidence that President Hu and the Chinese people will undoubtedly appreciate,' Green said.

He said that because China worries about criticism of its human rights policies, Bush's decision to attend the games 'in subtle ways raises pressure on the Chinese to perform.'

The president has said repeatedly that the United States and China have a 'complex relationship,' a phrase he reiterated earlier this week during a news conference with Prime Minister John Howard of Australia. Those complexities were readily apparent after Thursday's session with Hu, where Bush pressed the Chinese leader on two thorny issues: climate change and the buildup of the Chinese military.

In a speech early today, Bush urged Asia-Pacific nations to lead the way toward a worldwide trade agreement and a plan to combat global warming while also banding together against terrorism.

He appealed for international pressure against the military government in Myanmar to stop its crackdown on pro-democracy activists in the Southeast Asian nation.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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