Falun Gong is a spiritual movement whose members have faced persecution in China.

Hu halted for a moment but continued after Bush told him, "You're OK."

The woman was dragged away by officers and charged with disorderly conduct. Wilder said Bush told Hu "this was unfortunate and I'm sorry it happened." Hu was gracious in accepting the apology, Wilder said.

Chinese officials briefly blacked out television footage of the event when it was interrupted by the woman's shouts, the Associated Press reported, and CNN International said its signal to China was interrupted during the protest and later, when the network reported on the incident.

National Security Council spokesman Fred Jones said the woman was credentialed as a reporter for Epoch Times, a Falun Gong-affiliated newspaper. Stephen Gregory, a spokesman for the newspaper, told The Associated Press the woman was expected to act as a reporter, not a protester.

The shouting was just a hint of the protests and counter-protests on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, where organized supporters of Hu danced and used flags and banners to show their support.

Also on Pennsylvania Avenue, on the other side of 20 Park Patrol officers on horseback, a variety of anti-Hu protesters screamed at the pro-Hu dancers. Included were Falun Gong practitioners, Taiwanese and Tibetans, all of whom view China as an oppressor.

In the Oval Office, Bush and Hu said their talks were candid and did not avoid the topics on which they disagree.

Breaking with his usual custom, Hu agreed to field reporters' questions. The first involved when China would become a democracy with free elections.

"I don't know. What do you mean by a democracy?" Hu said. "But what I can tell you is that we always believe in China that if there is no democracy there will be no modernization."

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E-mail: kherman@coxnews.com