Jiang waves to supporters before boarding a plane on his way from England to France

October 22, 1999
Web posted at: 6:42 p.m. EDT (2242 GMT)

In this story: 'It's a scandal' 'Rights to subsistence and development' RELATED STORIES, SITES

From wire reports

LYON, France -- After wrapping up a protest-ridden visit to Britain, Chinese President Jiang Zemin arrived in France on Friday to face more protests from human rights activists.

Some 100 supporters welcomed the Chinese leader at Lyon airport, where Jiang pledged that his trip to France offered the chance to "deepen mutual understanding, reinforce confidence and expand on common points."

In central Lyon, however, about 200 demonstrators protested both Jiang's arrival and China's human rights record. Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders organized the protest and several others for this weekend.

French officials classified Jiang's four-day visit to France as a "state visit," which calls for the highest level of diplomatic welcome. President Jacques Chirac invited him to spend the weekend at his private chateau in Sarran, which sparked controversy as Jiang would be the first diplomatic guest to visit the chateau.

'It's a scandal'

"The French president welcomes Jiang Zemin and (his second in command) Li Peng with open arms, even though they are butchers with blood on their hands. It's a scandal," said Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, who was imprisoned in China for 18 years.

Jack Lang, president of the foreign affairs commission in the National Assembly, defended Chirac, saying: "He's the one who decides how he'll greet his guests."

Former prime minister and Mayor of Lyon Raymond Barre is to host a gala evening in Jiang's honor Friday night, but the event is being boycotted by some right-wing French politicians.

Earlier Friday, Jiang, who is on a 17-day tour of Europe and the Middle East, spoke at Britain's Cambridge University, rejecting demands for China to change its policies on human rights and Tibet. He said his nation was concentrating on economic development as a keystone to human rights.

'Rights to subsistence and development'

"In today's China, which is a large and developing country with a population of over 1.2 billion, top priority should be given to ensuring the greatest possible majority of its people the rights to subsistence and development. Otherwise there would be no other right to speak of," Jiang told a selected audience of academics and students.

"To ensure our people these rights is in itself a major contribution to the progress of the world human rights cause," Jiang said.

As Jiang arrived at the university library, Cambridgeshire police parked three vans between the protest and Jiang's route. That partially blocked the president's view of several dozen demonstrators who jeered and waved placards demanding that China relinquish Tibet.

In answer to calls for Tibetan and Taiwanese independence, Jiang said Chinese of all ethnic groups were "firmly opposed to any attempt to split Chinese territory and sovereignty."

For once he ran into more supporters than protesters at the university, which is attended by a number of students on scholarships from mainland China.

About 250 students, mainly Chinese, cheered his arrival while about 150 protested loudly over human rights and Tibet. "Tibet is like Northern Ireland. Britain, like China on Tibet, won't give them independence either," said student Deng Yuan.

Protesters have complained repeatedly about being kept at a distance from the Chinese leader as he toured London with his hostess, Queen Elizabeth II, or other dignitaries.

The Daily Telegraph reported Friday that the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, had "shown his contempt for China's human rights record" by boycotting a banquet held by Jiang on Thursday night in honor of the queen.

But a spokeswoman for Charles' office at St. James' Palace said the prince had met the president at a banquet thrown by the queen on Tuesday and had not been expected at Thursday's feast as he had a private engagement.

"It was not a snub," the spokeswoman said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Jiang wrapped up his British visit with a tour of Cambridge University's East Asian Reading Room and the Faculty of Oriental Studies.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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