Hu wraps up U.S. tour at Yale

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – China will make its own decisions on political freedom and human rights and not simply copy the model of Western countries, President Hu Jintao said Friday as he wound up his U.S. tour.

With protesters against his Communist rule kept several blocks away, Hu told students and faculty at Yale University that differences between China and the United States can be overcome by cooperation and their shared desire for peace.

But when asked whether his country’s restrictions on political expression would cause unrest and hinder its economic growth, he said China was committed to democracy but had no plans to simply import other countries’ policies.

“On one hand, we are ready and willing to draw on the useful experience of foreign countries into political involvement,” he said. “On the other hand, we will not simply copy the political models of other countries.” The question was one of a couple that Hu answered from among those submitted in advance in writing.

It was the last appearance by Hu on his four-day tour of the United States. On Thursday, he had met with President Bush in the White House.

Several blocks away, hundreds of protesters on the City Green waved signs and shouted anti-government slogans.

Yale President Richard Levin met privately Friday morning with Hu. Yale, President Bush’s alma mater, has long had ties to China. In the 1800s, it was the first U.S. university to graduate a Chinese student, and it now has more than 80 academic collaborations with Chinese institutions and offers 26 study sites in China.