US/CHINA: A row has broken out between the US and China over whether a keynote speech to be delivered by President George Bush during his visit next month to Beijing will be broadcast live.
Washington is insisting that the speech, to be delivered in Tsinghua University, is transmitted to enable him to speak directly to the Chinese nation.
But the Chinese authorities, who control TV and media strictly, want to be able to edit or remove parts of the speech that may be critical of Chinese policies, such as human rights or religious freedom, according to Western diplomats.
Last week Chinese state media were ordered to carry no reports of the discovery of 27 electronic bugs on board the new aircraft of the Chinese President. The plane had been delivered from the United States where it had been purchased and customised.
It was several hours before official media carried news of the attacks on Washington and New York of September 11th.
During the 1998 visit of then-President Clinton to Beijing state television did not broadcast live a speech he delivered at Beijing University. Instead it was broadcast later in the day with no advance notice.
A press conference he gave jointly with President Jiang Zemin was broadcast live, but also without telling viewers in advance.
Similarly state television removed parts of a speech by the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, in Beijing last July dealing with China's human rights record.
Mr Bush arrives in China on February 21st for a two-day visit, 30 years to the day after the historic visit of Richard Nixon that began the process of normalising relations between the two countries after years of hostility.
While the US embassy in Beijing says no final decision has been made on Mr Bush's schedule, he will certainly meet the Chinese President, Mr Jiang Zemin, and the Premier, Mr Zhu Rongji.
It is expected he will visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall and there is speculation that a walkabout in the city's main commercial street, Wangfujing, is being discussed.