American, Chinese officials to meet

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON -- American and Chinese officials are resuming a high-level "strategic dialogue" here today, but State Department officials acknowledged that senior administration officials are not expected to voice any concern over the detention and harassment of scores of activists targeted as a direct result of President Bush's recent visit to China.
The Washington talks, the second phase of what the Bush administration has said is an important effort to engage the Communist Chinese government, are expected to focus primarily on economic concerns, administration officials have said. They will include meetings with senior officials from China's National Development and Reform Commission, a powerful economic policy-making body.
Silence on issue
But Adam Ereli, the State Department's deputy spokesman, suggested Tuesday the hundreds of dissidents and government critics rounded up specifically because of Bush's mission to China would not be on the agenda when Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick convenes the talks.
"I don't want to make any detailed sort of predictions about specific issues to be discussed," Ereli told reporters at the State Department when asked specifically about the Chinese crackdown, adding that the scope of the talks is "very broad and strategic."
Ereli declined to explain the administration's public silence on the issue since Bush's visit ended Nov. 20.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, now traveling in Europe, briefly addressed the issue when she was in China accompanying Bush.
In response to a question from a reporter, Rice said the administration was aware of reports about the crackdown and that U.S. officials would raise concerns about it "quite vociferously" with the Chinese government.