Washington, D.C.: Meeting with President Bush Although the White House has explicitly categorized President Hu's visit as an "official visit" rather than a "state visit," President Hu will meet with President George W. Bush at the White House. Send a letter to President Bush and remind him that human rights must not be undermined by trade issues! Use HRIC's suggested letter, or edit the text below to write a letter of your choice. Fill in your full name and e-mail address, and click the send button! The letter: Dear President Bush: I am writing to you regarding your meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao during his first visit to the United States since becoming President. President Hu's high-level visit provides an important opportunity to raise human rights issues and concerns, and to send a strong message on your commitment to human rights. China continues to face serious human rights challenges, particularly in the areas of free expression, criminal justice and harassment of defense lawyers, freedom of religion, harassment of petitioners and peaceful protesters, and arbitrary detention of political activists and rights defenders. Human rights defenders, including journalists, workers, lawyers, petitioners, religious practitioners and health activists have been imprisoned simply for exercising their human right to free expression, and many remain imprisoned in detention centers, prisons and reeducation through labor camps. These are essential human rights issues that deeply concern me; fundamental human rights are essential in promoting global peace, security, and equitable, sustainable development. I urge you to raise these concerns during your conversations with President Hu and emphasize the importance of working towards a comprehensive implementation of the Chinese government's human rights obligations. Yours respectfully, Your information: Full name: E-mail address:  Sign me up for HRIC's mailing list!	The White House on Hu's visit Condoleeza Rice has laid out a broad agenda, including discussion of trade problems, human rights and religious freedoms, and China's international role. President Bush has remarked, "China needs to make itself more transparent. China needs to enforce intellectual property rights. China needs to take additional steps to address the trade imbalance between our countries. And China needs to move to a flexible market-based currency." Additional Resources The White House Web site HRIC's open letter to President Bush
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