Hu Jintao

Hu Jintao

The White House has announced that Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao will meet Vice President Dick Cheney on May 1, 2002, in Washington, D.C. Tibet is expected to be one of the topics discussed between the Chinese and American leaders.

A White House press statement said Cheney would discuss “a range of bilateral and global issues with Vice President Hu.”

Hu will also visit Honolulu, New York, and San Francisco.

Prior to President Bush’s China trip in February, Columnist William Safire wrote in the New York Times (February 14, 2002) that Bush would get a chance to know Hu Jintao, the man mostly likely to succeed Jiang.

Safire said one of the messages that Bush should convey to the Chinese leaders in Beijing was, “Why don’t you see the Dalai Lama and make life bearable for Buddhists in Tibet?”

Safire continued, “Bush should make this pitch while looking only at Jiang. But we will know Hu’s on first.”

The White House said the United States and China both have a strong interest in maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.