Senators confident of Chinese dissident releases

A group of senior American politicians visiting China say they are confident the Chinese authorities will release several dissidents in advance of President Bush's planned visit to Shanghai in October.

The chairman of the Senate's foreign relations committee, Joseph Biden, said China had previously freed prisoners ahead of visits by foreign dignitaries and that President Bush should press for more releases.

Meanwhile, the Chinese President, Jiang Zemin, has expressed optimism about future relations between China and the United States, despite several recent high-profile disputes between the two countries including the collision between an American surveillance aircraft and a Chinese fighter aircraft earlier this year.

In an interview with the New York Times, Mr Jiang said President Bush seemed to be a man he could do business with.

The Chinese president also said his government's policies on key issues such as Taiwan, Tibet and the suppression of the Falun Gong movement would remain unchanged.

He added that the introduction of western-style parliamentary democracy in China would lead to chaos in such a huge country.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service