Bush meets Jiang plus joint presser

(24 Feb 2002)

1. Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Bush entering Great Hall of the People
2. Jiang and Bush stepping onto podium
3. Various of Bush listening to US anthem being played
4. Various of Jiang listening to Chinese anthem
5. Various of Bush and Jiang walking past guard of honour
6. Wide shot of Sino-US bilateral meeting in Great Hall
7. Chinese officials, zooms in on Jiang welcoming Bush, Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen on Jiang's left
8. Wide of US delegation with US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Bush's left
9. Close-up of Bush thanking Jiang for his support during September 11
10. Wide side shot of press conference
11. SOUNDBITE: (English with Mandarin translation) (Part Overlaid) George W Bush, US President:
"China's future is for the Chinese people to decide, yet no nation is exempt from the demands of human dignity. All the world's people including the people of China should be free to choose how they live, how they worship and how they work."
12. Close-up of Bush listening to Jiang
13. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Jiang Zemin, Chinese President:
"Whatever religion people believe in they have to abide by the law, so some of the law breakers have been detained because of their violation of law, not because of their religious beliefs, although I am the president of this country I have no right interfering in the judicial affairs because of judicial independence."
14. Laura Bush walking up steps towards camera and throne of Chinese emperor
15. Wide shot of Forbidden City
16. Laura Bush being shown to table beside cooking chefs
17. Cutaway cameras
18. Laura Bush attempting to making noodles, with applause from others

STORYLINE:

On the last leg of his three-nation Asian tour, U-S President George W. Bush had hoped to broaden America's often sticky relationship with China, but instead he met with stonewalling from President Jiang Zemin regarding China's record on human rights and repression of religion.

Jiang insisted on Thursday that his people are free to worship as they choose, and said Roman Catholic bishops detained there must have broken the law.

U-S President George W. Bush prodded Jiang on the issue, saying, "All the world's people, including the people of China, should be free to choose how they live, how they worship and how they work."

Jiang defended China's handling of the matter and said "Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, all our constitutions, various versions, have provided for the freedom of religious belief."

Last week, the Vatican's missionary news agency released the names of 33 bishops and priests it said were either detained in China or being kept under strict police surveillance and forbidden to worship.

It said about 20 more priests, their names not known, were also being detained.

"Whatever religion people believe in, they have to abide by the law, so some of the lawbreakers have been detained because of their violation of law, not because of their religious belief," Jiang said, apparently referring to the bishops.

Meanwhile, First lady Laura Bush donned an apron to make Chinese noodles on Thursday and toured plazas and gilded throne rooms where China's emperors once held court.

Laura Bush nodded as a curator described the elaborate ceremonies and long processions of eunuchs and court officials who, in ancient times, filled the Forbidden City, the imperial palace in the heart of Beijing.

Later, at the U-S ambassador's residence, she met students of a Chinese culinary school that teaches cooking skills to laid-off workers.

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