Bush presses China to back extended war on terrorism

Associated Press

SHANGHAI, China — President Bush, halfway around the world from home, sought Thursday to secure China’s position in his fragile anti-terrorism coalition and stem concern throughout Asia about U.S. military strikes in Afghanistan.

Some nations gathering for the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation summit said they hoped the U.S. attacks would end soon, exposing a possible split with Bush, who says the strikes could last one or two years.

The president arrived in this gleaming port city Thursday evening and was greeted briefly at the airport by Chinese officials. A young girl gave him a bouquet of yellow roses and bluebonnets, symbols of his Texas roots.

The presidential motorcade whipped along clean, empty streets, past brightly lit skyscrapers and Western retail outlets, to his hotel, where Bush immediately retired for the night.

On the 13-hour flight to China, Bush met at length with aides aboard Air Force One to prepare for his meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin today. Already well versed on the terrorism situation, Bush talked mostly about trade and economics, according to participants.

China condemned the Sept. 11 attacks and quickly offered anti-terrorism intelligence to the United States. But the Chinese have cautioned Bush that their support of the bombing campaign depends on the United States limiting casualties to only terrorists.

Beijing’s leaders are reluctant to back military intervention in other nations, concerned about setting a precedent for outside action over China’s own restive regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.

Advisers said Bush, in his meeting with Jiang, would discuss the terrorism campaign as well as China’s human rights record and history of selling sensitive nuclear technology to other countries.