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                    US First Lady Promotes Freedoms in China

   U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has told students at Beijing`s Stanford
   Center of the prestigious Peking University that access to information
   - especially online - and freedom of speech are universal rights.
   On her second day of a five-day trip to China, Mrs. Obama told American
   and other students on Saturday that freedom of expression and worship,
   and having open access to information are universal rights that are the
   "birthright of every person on this planet."
   The first lady stopped short of calling on China`s ruling Communist
   Party to loosen constraints on those very rights.
   China is among the most repressive nations in the world concerning free
   speech, cracking down on dissent, blocking many news and online sites,
   and censoring Internet news that Beijing considers objectionable.
   White House officials have said Mrs. Obama`s trip will focus on
   education and will steer clear of more contentious issues between the
   United States and China, such as human rights and trade.
   Both of Mrs. Obama`s most recent predecessors have addressed
   contentious matters while visiting China.
   During a 2008 trip, Laura Bush urged China to put more pressure on the
   military government of Burma. And in 1995, Hillary Clinton attended the
   U.N. Women`s Conference in Beijing and gave a high-profile speech
   urging China to improve its human rights record.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-first-lady-promotes-freedoms-in-ch
   ina/1876864.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-first-lady-promotes-freedoms-in-china/1876864.html