Armaan blog

China's Hu to engage in rare Q&A with media in US

BEIJING – When it comes to public appearances, China's president is no Barack Obama.

Stiff and media-averse, the 67-year-old Hu Jintao will be stepping out of character when he takes questions from reporters after meeting the U.S. president on Wednesday. It's a White House demand that could create some awkward moments, but Hu is willing to take the risk to improve China's image abroad.

Hu also wants to burnish his statesman credentials at home.

"China's rising international status is increasingly a source of legitimacy for the government, and Chinese leaders want to exploit this nationalist sentiment as much as they can," said Joseph Cheng, who heads the Contemporary China Research Center at the City University of Hong Kong.

The news conference isn't China's only bid to influence American public opinion during Hu's visit. A minute-long video featuring Hong Kong action film star Jackie Chan, Houston Rockets center Yao Ming and other Chinese celebrities began running on six outdoor monitors in New York's Times Square on Monday and will continue through the middle of next month. Shorter versions will run on television.

The Chinese president left Beijing on Tuesday for the four-day trip, but even his departure shunned publicity — a stark contrast to the stream of images that accompanies the taking off and touching down of American presidents. The state-run news agency issued a terse dispatch only after Hu's plane left.

While Hu is seen on state TV in China almost daily, his appearances are always set pieces: speeches, attendance at important meetings or carefully scripted interactions with farmers, workers and students. The only high-level news conference of the year is conducted by his premier, the more personable Wen Jiabao.

Hu has taken questions in public before, mostly on overseas visits but also notably at a 2005 news conference with President George W. Bush in Beijing. But he refused to do so when Obama visited in 2009; instead, the two leaders stood stiffly in the Great Hall of the People and read statements to reporters.

On the eve of this trip, Hu responded in writing to questions from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. In addition to publishing news reports from the interview, both posted the Q&A online. But there were questions Hu refused to answer, for instance, one on jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo, who won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Though Hu is purported to have been a skilled ballroom dancer in his university days, he seems to lack the affinity for public displays that his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, was famous for. Jiang held his own against then-President Bill Clinton in a news conference broadcast live in 1998, and he once tried to coax Queen Elizabeth II into singing karaoke.

Hu is known for his photographic memory and meticulous preparation and will likely come well-armed with stock answers to deflect questions on sensitive issues such as human rights. While he may not win the hearts of the American public, he may blunt some of the harsher criticisms, Cheng said.

"He wants to try to do a little public relations and get his message across," he said.

Four questions will be allowed at the news conference, two from Chinese reporters and two from U.S.-based ones.

Tough queries could come on trade and exchange rates, China's growing military, Taiwan, North Korea and Iran.

One sticky issue is China's imprisonment of Liu, the dissident Nobel laureate. If asked about Liu, Hu can be expected to reiterate China's portrayal of him as a dangerous anti-government radical whose call for sweeping political reform amounts to subversion.

Other touchy subjects include the party's brutal suppression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement and support for despots in North Korea, Myanmar and Zimbabwe and the authoritarian government in Sudan.

The Chinese government is likely hoping that questions will revolve mainly around the joint statement, which is not expected to touch on human rights, said Renmin University international relations professor Shi Yinhong.

Wednesday's news conference may be the only spontaneous public moment in the entire visit, which includes a luncheon speech, meetings with congressional leaders, a state dinner and a stop in Chicago on the way home.

The visit begins with a small informal dinner at the White House following his arrival Tuesday night. After a formal welcoming ceremony Wednesday morning, Hu will go into talks, first in a small-group session in the Oval Office and then an expanded meeting in the Cabinet Room and discussions with business leaders.

N.C. State beats Fairleigh Dickinson 77-67

RALEIGH, N.C. – Lorenzo Brown scored 13 points to help North Carolina State defeat Fairleigh Dickinson 77-67 on Saturday.

Scott Wood scored all 12 of his points in the second half for the Wolfpack (4-1), who made six of their first seven 3-point attempts after halftime. DeShawn Painter tied a career high with 12 points for N.C. State.

Wood made four 3-pointers in the first seven minutes of the second half, including three in a four-possession span to douse a rally by the Knights.

Terence Grier scored a career-high 23 points to lead Fairleigh Dickinson (0-3). Mathias Seilund had 13 points and Mike Scott added 11 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Knights.

Fairleigh Dickinson opened the second half with a 9-3 run to cut N.C. State's lead to 42-38 with 16:25 remaining, but the Wolfpack answered with a 10-0 run that included the start of Wood's 3-point flurry.

Wood made back-to-back 3s from the top of the key, then followed a free throw by Painter with a 3-pointer from the left wing to put the Wolfpack ahead 52-38 with 13:15 left.

Javier Gonzalez delivered consecutive 3-pointers a few minutes later to give N.C. State its biggest lead at 60-44 with nine minutes to play. The Wolfpack did not make anything inside the arc in the second half until C.J. Williams converted a left-handed reverse layup with 5:56 remaining.

N.C. State led 39-29 at halftime, pulling away with a 12-2 run midway through the first half. Painter scored eight points during that stretch, igniting the spurt with a three-point play and a transition layup that caused Fairleigh Dickinson to take a timeout.

The Wolfpack remained efficient after the brief stoppage, getting into the lane against Fairleigh Dickinson's zone defense. N.C. State scored on 11 of 13 possessions to take its biggest lead of the first half at 35-20 on a driving layup by Brown with 3:01 remaining in the period.

Hummer, hot-shooting Princeton top Lafayette 82-64

EASTON, Pa. – Ian Hummer scored 22 points and Princeton shot 75 percent from the field in the second half to pull away from Lafayette 82-64 on Tuesday night.

Hummer made 10 of 12 field goals and also had six rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

The Tigers (4-3) shot 15 of 20 from the field in the second half and 61.2 percent for the game (30 of 49), winning back-to-back games in the series for the first time since 2001-02.

Dan Mavraides added 15 of his 17 points in the first half for Princeton en route to a 40-31 halftime lead.

The Tigers, who hit 9 of 17 3-pointers, have scored at least 60 points in seven straight games in a single season for the first time since February 1998.

The Leopards (1-6) closed to 52-43 with 12:46 left, but the Tigers answered with a 7-1 run.

Jared Mintz and Jim Mower scored 17 each to lead the Leopards, who shot 40 percent (22 of 55).

Japan economic growth accelerates in Q3

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan's economy grew 0.9 percent in July-September from the previous quarter, more than market expectations, as consumption got a last-minute boost from expiring government stimulus measures.

But net external demand made no contribution to overall economic growth, boding ill for the export-reliant economy.

The expansion in gross domestic product (GDP) translates into an annualized increase of 3.9 percent, the Cabinet Office said on Monday, above a median market forecast of 2.5 percent.

The fourth straight quarter of expansion was bigger than a revised 1.8 percent annualized growth in April-June and exceeded U.S. growth of 2 percent during the same period.

Private consumption, which makes up about 60 percent of the economy, rose 1.1 percent as government subsidies for low-emission cars gave a last-minute boost to spending before expiring in September.

Many analysts expect economic growth to slow sharply or even shift to contraction in the final quarter of this year as weakening overseas demand and the strong yen hurt exports and factory output.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara and Rie Ishiguro; Editing by Michael Watson)

Blues' T.J. Oshie breaks left ankle

ST. LOUIS – T.J. Oshie, one of the St. Louis Blues' top forwards, will be out indefinitely with a broken left ankle.

General manager Doug Armstrong says he will be evaluated again in three months. Oshie had surgery on the ankle Thursday.

Oshie was injured in an 8-1 loss Wednesday night at Columbus when he and another player fell to the ice and his leg got caught. Oshie leads the Blues with 10 points, scoring one goal.

"He certainly started out having a good season and he's certainly going to be missed," Armstrong said. "The depth of our team is going to be tested right now. This is a great opportunity for some players, not only on our roster but others to play a bigger role."

The Blues recalled forward Nick Drazenovic and Chris Porter From Peoria, Ill., of the AHL in time for Thursday night's game against Nashville. Drazenovic leads Peoria with six goals.