President and Mrs. Bush to Travel to the Republic of Korea, Kingdom of Thailand, and People’s Republic of ChinaIn South Korea,
President Bush and President Lee will discuss regional and global security issues as well as their commitment to getting their respective legislatures to ratify the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement, which will bring important benefits to workers, farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs in both the United States and Korea.
The President will then travel to Thailand to celebrate 175 years of the U.S.-Thailand relationship and to discuss bilateral and regional issues with Prime Minister Samak.
In China, the President looks forward to seeing President Hu and other senior Chinese leaders for discussions on a wide range of issues including the way ahead on North Korean denuclearization.
The President and Mrs. Bush will attend the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games on August 8.
Trip to Thailand will include border visit for Mrs. Bush
Mr. Bush’s reception in Thailand is likely to be much more sedate. Officially, he is going to Bangkok to mark the 175th anniversary of U.S.-Thai relations, and to deliver a speech that will be, in essence, an assessment of his Asia policies.
But going to Thailand also provides an opportunity to highlight conditions in neighboring Burma. It will also give First Lady Laura Bush, who has made Burma a personal cause, a chance to tour a refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border and meet face to face with some of the victims of Burma’s military regime.
While the official stated reason for his visit is to celebrate the 175th anniversary of U.S.-Thai relations,
“I will be speaking to activists to let them know that the United States of America hears their voices,” he said.
But most media attention is likely to be focused on First Lady Laura Bush. She will travel to the Thai-Burmese border to visit a refugee center, and a clinic.
“The more I’ve seen, the more critical I see the need is for the people in Burma to be for the world to pay attention to the people of Burma, and for the world to put pressure on the military regime,” she said.
From Thailand, the president and Mrs. Bush will go to Beijing, where he will be playing two roles: leader of the United States and sports fan.
They will arrive together in Bejing on the eve of the Olympic opening ceremonies.
Bush looking forward to Beijing Olympics, despite criticism over human rights
He says he will raise concerns about human rights and other issues with Chinese leaders in private, but will not use the Olympics to make a political statement.
“I am looking forward to cheering the athletes,” said President Bush. “I think it will be – I think it would be good for these athletes who have worked so hard to see their president waving the flag.”
During an interview with The Washington Post newspaper, conducted during the flight from Washington to Seoul, the president talked about the evolution of U.S.-China relations during his years in office.
He praised China’s efforts to curb the nuclear ambitions of both North Korea and Iran. But he acknowledged it is very difficult to determine if there has been any improvement in human rights in China over the last eight years. And he expressed disappointment that Chinese actions helped scuttle the latest round of world trade talks.
The president has said he will bring up issues such as human rights in China just not at the Olympics. He met with a group of Chinese democracy advocates at the White House last week, and he plans on attending church while in Beijing to reinforce calls for greater religious freedom.
Source: Whitehouse and VOA
