For the first time, a sitting US President met a group of Chinese House Church intellectuals at his private residence in the White House today. Mr. Bush, along with Vice-President Dick Cheney, Mr. Bush’s National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, Mr. Josh Bolton, the White House Chief of Staff and the President’s senior Advisor Mr. Michael Gerson as well as the White House press secretary Tony Snow were informed about the true situation in China on the latest development of religious freedom in China. The three individuals include Mr. Yu Jie who is the best-seller author and Elder of Beijing Ark House Church, Mr. Wang Yi who is a religious freedom defender and professor of law at Chengdu University, Sichuan province and Dr. Li Baiguang who is one of the “Person of the Year” in Asia in 2005 for his brave civil education work for the rule of law among the farmers and religious minority groups.
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Church intellectuals at his private residence in the White House today.
Mr. Bush, along with Vice-President Dick Cheney, Mr. Bush’s National
Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, Mr. Josh Bolton, the White House Chief
of Staff and the President’s senior Advisor Mr. Michael Gerson as
well as the White House press secretary Tony Snow were informed about
the true situation in China on the latest development of religious
freedom in China. The three individuals include Mr. Yu Jie who is the
best-seller author and Elder of Beijing Ark House Church, Mr. Wang Yi
who is a religious freedom defender and professor of law at Chengdu
University, Sichuan province and Dr. Li Baiguang who is one of the
“Person of the Year” in Asia in 2005 for his brave civil education
work for the rule of law among the farmers and religious minority
groups.
The Chinese delegates express their thanks with the President on his
personal commitment to promote religious freedom and human rights in
China and share their vision for a peaceful transition of China towards
freedom and democratization, their love for their country and hopes for
good relations between the U.S. and China and the central role that
religious freedom in China in such relations. Each of the three
expressed their belief that Chinese Christians should follow the
example of Dr. Martin Luther King to pray for their government leaders
and volunteer their service to meet the growing social needs in China
and denounce violent uprisings in all forms. The three Chinese
individuals shared their personal testimonies with the President. Mr.
Bush also shared how his faith helps him in his life. The meeting
lasted for one hour, 30 minutes longer than previously scheduled. The
meeting ended with President Bush’s prayer for the Chinese guests and
the Chinese people.
“We deeply appreciate the commitment by President Bush to advance
religious freedom in China with this historical meeting,” said Rev.
Bob Fu, “ it shows the freedom-loving American people are determined
to stand firmly with millions of their fellow persecuted brothers and
sisters in China.”
Issued by CAA on May 11, 2006
Short biography of the Chinese guests:
Yu Jie
Author
Mr. Yu is the author of several works in Chinese, including Fire and
Ice, a collection of essays which first launched him into the spotlight
in 1998, sold over one million copies by 2000, and garnered high
acclaim from Chinese intellectuals. Since, he has earned international
renown as a bold voice openly criticizing the Chinese government and
fearlessly raising controversial issues. In 2002, he was awarded the
Chan Foundation of Journalism and Culture Award. In 2003, he visited
the U.S. at the invitation of the State Department to participate in an
academic exchange program. In 2004, he visited France to attend a
cultural exchange at the invitation of the French Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. Currently, Mr. Yu’s work includes international speaking
engagements, activism, and his responsibilities as a founding member of
the Independent Chinese PEN Center, in addition to his writing
endeavors. His books have been banned from publication in China and his
most recent work, A Son of Tiananmen Square, was published in Hong Kong
in 2005.
“From this moment on, the one who lives in fear will not be me—it
will be those fellows who hide in the dark corners. From this moment
on, I will live out in the sunlight. I will live a fuller and happier
life.”
-------------------
Wang Yi, Esq.
Professor of Law
Chengdu University
The censorship of pro-democracy writer Wang Yi by the Chinese
government has been widely publicized and criticized since Mr. Yi’s
web log was closed down in the Fall of 2005, just days after being
nominated for two awards sponsored by the German radio station,
Deutsche Welle, and Reporters Without Borders. In 2003, he was banned
by the Chinese government from teaching for 18 months, and then
reinstated in March of 2005 because, he posits, the Chinese government
“…can control you better if you remain in the system.” Mr. Yi
constantly battles the internet filters the government uses to block
access to his web log on Chinese sites and struggles to find
international internet spaces that will allow his log to exist. First
created to display a full collection of his work, his web log gradually
developed into a “microphone” in which he voices his opinions on
current events through critical, eloquent essays and commentaries. Mr.
Yi’s essays are banned from publication in China. He is a member of
the Independent Chinese PEN Center and lends his legal expertise to the
defense of Chinese Christians experiencing persecution, including the
case of Pastor Cai.
“Of course it matters that the microphone has been taken away. But
vocal chords are part of one’s body. And the right to speak is an
inalienable one; one which is laid down in black and white in China’s
constitution.”
-------------------
Dr. Li Baiguang, Esq.
Director
Beijing Qimin Research Center
Dr. Li represented the first farmer to bring an administrative suit
against China’s State Council and has since brought legal action
against the government oh behalf of over 100,000 peasants. A former
university professor, freelance writer, legal professional, peasants’
right advocate and legal scholar, he has been imprisoned three times
and intimidated on numerous occasions. The most recent instance of
wrongful imprisonment occurred in late 2005 when Dr. Li was arrested
and imprisoned for 37 days in Fu’an for providing farmers with legal
advice in their battle against illicit land seizures carried out by the
government. Mr. Li focuses on legal education and empowerment of the
economically disadvantaged to foster reliance on the rule of law and
promote democracy. He is also one of the founding members of the
Association of Human Rights Attorneys for Chinese Christians and one of
Asia Newsweek’s “Persons of the Year” of 2005
5/11/06
对华援助协会新闻稿
美国总统布什于5月11日会见中国家庭教会基督徒访问团
Contact: Bob Fu
267-205-5210(English)
432-230-5174(Mandarin)
in...@ChinaAid.org
华盛顿（对华援助协会2006年５月１1日）
美国总统布什今天在白宫私邸客厅会见了来自中国大陆的家庭教会成员余杰、王怡和李柏光。会见时，副总统切尼，白宫国家安全事务助理Stephen
Hadley, 白宫办公厅主任 Josh
Bolton，总统特别顾问首席撰稿人Michael
Gerson和白宫新闻主任Tony
Snow。会见持续了一个小时，比原定时间多出半个小时。会见结束前，布什总统和他的幕僚们与中国来宾携手祷告。这三位基督教徒是不久前应美国对华援助协会和中国法律与宗教研究所邀请来美参加在华盛顿举行的中国自由状况高峰会议的。
他们首先对布什总统本人为推动中国的宗教自由所作出的不懈努力表示感谢。代表团向布什总统通报了近年来中国宗教自由受到侵犯的问题和以及中国家庭教会基督徒为实现宗教自由和法制所作出的努力。
北京异见作家余杰、成都大学法律学者王怡及中国法学专家李柏光博士三人都是中国家庭教会成员。会见时，余杰将他的一本有关他访问美国感想的散文集“光与影”签名送给布什总统。该书已在中国被禁。中国客人也将一套反映中国家庭教会历史的题为“十字架-耶稣在中国“的DVD送给布什总统。
针对此次史无前例的会见，参加会见的本会会长傅希秋牧师指出：“我们并不是想祈求美国政府来保护中国的信仰自由，因为宗教自由不是政府给予的施舍，也不是美国或中共政权给予或保护就能够得到，那是上帝所赐的一个人生本来不可分割的利物。我们只希望透过这个会见，把中国宗教自由的真实情况跟布什总统作一个简报。”
众所周知，宗教自由是所有自由的基石，布什总统以往曾多次在私下场合与中国前领导人江泽民和现任国家主席胡锦涛，分享他个人信仰基督的见证，并在公开场合呼吁中国领导人放弃对宗教人士和团体的偏见和歧视乃至惧怕态度，停止宗教迫害。但可惜的是，中国过去几年宗教自由的状况不但没有改善，反而更为恶化。
本会会长傅希秋牧师特别指出，布什总统今天的接见向中共政权发出一个讯号，在美国对中国贸易的同时，不会把良心也贸易掉。希望中共政权不要低估美国政治领袖和美国民众对宗教自由议题的关怀和他们的国际承诺。也希望透过这个会见，让中国的人民，尤其是上亿的因为信仰而受迫害的民众了解到，信奉宗教自由的亿万美国人民还是坚定的和他们站在一起的。
对华援助协会2006年５月１1日首发
余杰：作家，1973年10月3日生于成都平原一个山青水秀的小镇。
13岁开始发表作品。
1992年：考入北京大学中文系；2000年获文学硕士学位。
1998年：出版散文随笔集《火与冰》，在知识界和广大读者中引起巨大反响。同年出版《铁屋中的呐喊》，他的作品曾因触及各方面利益而难以发表，固作者自称为“抽屉文学”。此后三年间，先后出版了《文明的创痛》、《说，还是不说》、《尴尬时代》、《想飞的翅膀》、《爱与痛的边缘》和《老鼠爱大米》等著作。如今已是出版界的热点;
王怡：自由撰稿人，成都大学法学讲师。1973年生于四川三台。毕业于四川大学法学院。2000年底开始在网上从事思想与学术批评，先后主持数家思想论坛，迅速成为中文网络世界的著名作者。同时进入传统媒体，在《21世纪经济报道》、《南方周末》、《东方》等多家报刊开设专栏。主要著作《民商与经济法：权利和程序》、随笔集《载满鹅的火车》、《秋天的乌托邦》（即出）。写作领域广泛，强调私法领域与民主宪政制度的沟通研究。是当代自由主义思潮在70年代年轻学人中的代表人物;
李柏光：李柏光，北京大學法學碩士、博士，現為北京安平城律師事務所高級顧問。李柏光是法學博士、曾當過大學教師、法律工作者北京啟民研究中心的負責人，近年來一直以法律為武器，幫助農民維護自己的權益，曾幫助失去土地的福建、河北等地農民狀告地方貪官.
荣登香港《亚洲周刊》2005年风云人物榜。