Bush dedicates Beijing's new U.S. Embassy

BEIJING — President Bush dedicated the massive new $434 million U.S. Embassy in Beijing today, calling it a symbol of deepening ties between the two trading partners and sometimes political rivals.

Bush, in Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and cheer on U.S. athletes, said the eight-story structure represented the "solid foundation underpinning" relations between the two countries and a commitment to strengthen that foundation for years to come.

"To me it speaks of the importance of our relations with China," Bush said.

Bush's Olympic odyssey, however, started with a game of political one-upmanship, as his blunt critique of the host country prompted China to warn the U.S. president to stop meddling in its business. The dustup over human rights unfolded just as Bush arrived in Beijing with hopes that the Summer Games would be all he has ever expected from them: a spirited sporting event devoid of politics.

Yet the White House also knew it would draw China's ire by challenging its crackdown on human rights. The rhetorical barbs were likely to recede quickly as the Games began. He lauded China at the embassy dedication ceremony.

"The Olympic torch will light the home of an ancient civilization with a grand history," Bush said. "Thousands of years ago the Chinese people developed a common language and unified a great nation. China became the center for art and literature and commerce and philosophy. China advanced the frontiers of knowledge in medicine, astronomy, navigation, engineering and many other fields."

The new American embassy in Beijing is the second largest in the world, after the heavily fortified compound in Baghdad. The 500,000-square-foot structure, situated on 10 acres in a new diplomatic zone, is wrapped in freestanding transparent and opaque glass.

The dedication follows China's unveiling of its own imposing new embassy in Washington last week. The 250,000-square-foot glass and limestone compound is the largest foreign embassy in the U.S. capital.

The president attended the dedication of the embassy with his father, former President George H.W. Bush, who in the 1970s served as chief of the U.S. liaison office during a critical period when the United States was renewing ties with China. Also in attendance was Henry Kissinger, who was secretary of state during the Nixon presidency when the U.S. began a relationship with China.