Bush, Rudd urge role for Dalai Lama

WASHINGTON – President Bush and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Friday urged China’s leaders to meet with the Dalai Lama over unrest in Tibet.

Speaking at a news conference at the White House, they called for Beijing to use restraint in dealing with Tibetans protesting Chinese rule. “It is absolutely clear that there are human rights abuses in Tibet,” said Rudd, a Chinese-speaking former diplomat in Beijing. “It’s clear-cut; we need to be upfront and absolutely straight about what’s going on.”

Bush said he told Chinese President Hu Jintao this week that “it’s in his country’s interest” that top Chinese leaders meet with representatives of the Dalai Lama.

Bush urged restraint; he said he appreciated Rudd’s “view and advice on dealing with this issue.”

Rudd, who wants stronger economic ties with Beijing, said leaders should not “shilly-shally” in their assessment of abuse by China in Tibet and surrounding regions. He said he would raise the matter during his visit to China next month.

Both Rudd and Bush recognize that they need China, a growing military and economic powerhouse in Asia and a veto-holding member of the U.N. Security Council. Rudd is eager to conclude a free trade agreement with Australia’s most important trading partner, while Bush is counting on China for help in dealing with North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs.

Rudd is seen in Washington as a “solidly pro-U.S. alliance figure,” said Michael Green, Bush’s former senior adviser on Asia.

“The one area where people have raised eyebrows about Rudd is on China policy,” said Green, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. “When he’s here, he’s going to want to make it clear that the U.S. alliance remains the bedrock and Australia is not going wobbly on China.”