Washington Post
Sen. John McCain urged President Bush yesterday to avoid saying anything "confrontational" to his Chinese hosts when he visits Beijing this week for the opening of the Olympics, lest he damage prospects for cooperation between the United States and China.
In an interview with The Washington Post at his Arlington headquarters, the prospective Republican presidential nominee advocated a cautious course for Bush, despite U.S. unhappiness with the Chinese crackdown on Tibet, complaints of harsh repression of domestic dissidents and strained relations stemming from last week's breakdown of global trade talks in Geneva.
McCain, who harshly condemned Russian behavior in the same interview, said some of China's actions are "also regrettable, but I don't think China is regressing the way that Russia is. We have a greater opportunity to work in a cooperative way with China."
Saying he does not contemplate "a return to the Cold War" or a military confrontation with either country, McCain said he hopes Bush will tell the Chinese leadership that "we understand, as the Dalai Lama does, that Tibet is part of China but we hope Tibetans are not repressed or oppressed." McCain met recently with the Dalai Lama in Colorado............
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