A Chinese Slap to Obama

at 5:36 PM Saturday, November 14, 2009
Further evidence that dictatorships are not reasonable, rational or reliable partners.
 
According to the Financial Times:

China detains dissidents ahead of US visit

Chinese police have detained dozens of dissidents and political reform advocates ahead of US President Barack Obama's first visit to China, according to family members and human rights activists.

The crackdown comes as human rights groups worry that Mr Obama, who arrives in China on Sunday, will play down China's poor human rights record in order to get cooperation from Beijing on issues such as climate change, trade and the economy.

The Financial Times has independently confirmed the cases of four Chinese activists who have been detained over the past two days in preparation for Mr Obama's visit.

At least 30 other activists who were expected to join one dissident in applying for the right to protest have also likely been detained, according to activists. They provided more than a dozen names of people whom they said had been detained.