Chinese President Modifies His U.S. Schedule

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday postponed his official visit to Washington this week because of Hurricane Katrina, but he and President Bush agreed to meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York this month.

The move upset Hu’s plans to try to polish Beijing’s image in Washington. The countries’ relations have been strained over the textile trade, China’s growing economic and military power, human rights and other issues. It would have been Hu’s first U.S. visit since becoming president in 2003.

Hu talked with Bush by phone, and the two leaders agreed to postpone Wednesday’s planned meeting “due to the special condition faced with the U.S. government in handling the serious disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina,” China’s Foreign Ministry said. The White House confirmed the cancellation.

Chinese authorities also said that Hu was postponing other parts of his U.S. itinerary, including a two-day stopover in Seattle and a speech Thursday at Yale University -- Bush’s alma mater. Hu also planned to visit Canada and Mexico, and those visits are still on the schedule.

The summit between Bush and Hu was not planned as a full state visit, but it was to have included such formalities as an arrival ceremony on the White House lawn and a 21-gun salute.

Derek Mitchell, a former Pentagon official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that the Chinese had pressed for a full state visit that would have included an official dinner. They “might actually be relieved” at the change, he said, considering recent events.

Textile trade talks in Beijing aimed at hammering out a deal before Hu’s visit ended in failure, and Washington slapped extra restrictions on shipments of clothing from China.

The fourth round of six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, involving the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, Japan and host China, is scheduled to resume the week of Sept. 12 in Beijing after a five-week recess.

“There was a lot that made this visit look anti-climactic,” Mitchell said, adding that the visit could have posed political problems for Bush.

“The White House didn’t want to have the visual of this pomp and circumstance when there’s national tragedy going on,” he said.

Hu’s government on Saturday offered $5 million in aid to Katrina victims and said it would send medical personnel if necessary.