admin
The United States has had no role in the ongoing pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, US President Barack Obama has said. Responding to a question at a joint news conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Obama said: “On the issue of Hong Kong, which did come up in our conversations, I was unequivocal in saying to President Xi that the United States had no involvement in fostering the protests that took place there.”
“These issues are ultimately for the people of Hong Kong and people of China to decide,” the US president said.
“But I did describe for him that the United States – as a matter of foreign policy but also as a matter of our values – are gonna consistently to speak out on the right of the people to express themselves and encouraged that the elections that take place in Hong Kong are transparent and fair and reflective of the opinion of the people there.”
Hong Kong police have been grappling with pro-democracy demonstrations that have lasted for weeks.
The two leaders were addressing reporters following two days of discussions on economic and security issues. Beijing has been this year’s host of the APEC summit, which Obama attended with world leaders.
Al Jazeera’s Scott Heidler, reporting from Beijing, said the two nations discussed everything from Ebola to climate change.
“It would be interesting to see how things go forward after these meetings,” our correspondent said.
The US president said that even as the two countries compete, the world’s largest economies can work together on areas of agreement to advance the security of their people.
Major areas of tension exist between the two countries, including cybersecurity and China’s fears that the US is seeking to contain its rise. But Obama said that the conversation he had with Xi gave him the “opportunity to debunk the notion . . . that out pivot to Asia is about containing China”. – AP
Online Reporter