US President George W Bush defended Sunday
his decision to attend the opening ceremony of next month's Olympic Games in Beijing, saying not to go would mean offending the Chinese people.
"It would be an offence against the Chinese people if I didn't go,"
Bush said in Japan after holding a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime
Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
The US president also vowed to reassure critics by saying he would raise the
issue of human rights violations during his meetings with Chinese officials
while in Beijing.
The White House officially ended months of uncertainty on Thursday by
confirming that Bush planned to attend the August 8 event.
A number of European leaders are refusing to go because of China's treatment of protesters in Tibet during recent demonstrations in the region.
Bush was in Japan to attend a Group of Eight summit due to open on Monday in
the northern island of Hokkaido.
His arrival in the Asian country took place on his 62nd birthday. The president
is understood to have celebrated the event prior to his departure with his
family and a chocolate and vanilla cake, dpa
reported.
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