Bush: Olympics Are Not About Politics

WASHINGTON — China's crackdown in Tibet will not cause President Bush to cancel his planned trip to the Beijing Olympics, the White House said yesterday.

At the same time, the administration interceded on behalf of Tibetan protesters and requested a firsthand look at how Chinese police were dealing with them.

Secretary of State Rice spoke to Foreign Minister Jiechi of China Wednesday night for about 20 minutes, urging restraint and also Chinese talks with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetans' spiritual leader.

To underscore American disapproval of the crackdown, Ms. Rice then told reporters on yesterday that "We are certainly concerned about the situation in Tibet" and that she hoped China would exercise restraint.

The Dalai Lama, she said, is "an authoritative figure" who stands not for independence but for Tibetan cultural autonomy.

Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said Mr. Bush's position is that the Olympics "should be about the athletes and not necessarily about politics."

She said that Mr. Bush, in accepting the invitation last year from President Hu to attend the Olympics, told him the games would "shine a spotlight on all things Chinese."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Ms. Perino added.