US President Barack Obama has called for 'universal rights and freedom' in his latest visit to China.Speaking in front of an audience of 400 students at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and streamed live on the White House website, President Obama declared that freedom of expression, and worship, of access to information and political participation are "universal rights", saying that they "should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities, whether they are in the United States, China or any nation".
Despite praising China's economic growth due to rapid industrialisation, calling it "unparalleled" in today's society, and insisting that the US is not looking to constrict China's rise as a world power, Obama's latest comments are sure to rile his hosts as he is set to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing tomorrow to discuss matters such as climate change and nuclear programmes in Iran and North Korea.
In a country where media outlets and content on the internet are heavily censored, Obama's first visit to the People's Republic as President was a choreographed affair. The 400-strong student audience were carefully hand-picked by government officials, and two of the four students he called up on the platform were discovered to be members of the Communist Youth League, the university representatives of the party.
When asked for his opinion on the internet censorship program that is currently blocking websites such as Twitter known as the 'Great Firewall of China', Obama was also careful not to directly attack the Chinese government, declaring that he was a "firm believer in openness" and that criticism created through freedom of expression has helped him with certain decisions and also made him a better president.
Obama should know how much of a powerful tool the internet can be; after all, his 2008 Presidential campaign took advantage of YouTube and Twitter to gain support across the country. However, as he prepares to meet President Jintao for dinner in Beijing, his efforts to completely unify the United States and China have gained attention worldwide not because of the Presidential summit tomorrow, but for his indirect criticism of China's communist, authoritarian rule, something which has been under global scope for the best part of 20 years.
