THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama, the US president, has strongly criticised censorship in his first public appearance in China, veering directly into one of the most sensitive areas of Communist party policy.
Mr Obama told an audience of 400 Chinese students that freedom of "expression, and worship, of access to information and political participation" were "universal rights".
He said: "They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities, whether they are in the United States, China or any nation".
The Chinese government did its best to carefully choreograph Mr Obama's maiden tour, going as far as to hand-pick each student in the auditorium.
Mr Obama was allowed to open the floor to questions, but at least two of the four students he called upon were later discovered to be members of the Communist Youth League, the university arm of the party.
Nevertheless, a question selected by the US embassy gave the president an opportunity to tackle a more contentious topic. Asked for his opinion of the "Great Firewall of China", a censorship program that strips the internet of any political dissent, Mr Obama said he was a "big believer in openness".
He added: "The more freely information flows, the stronger a society becomes. Citizens can hold their own governments accountable. They can begin to think for themselves. That generates new ideas and encourages creativity. >>> Malcolm Moore in Shanghai | Monday, November 16, 2009
GLOBE AND MAIL: Obama holds town hall in China: Pressing for freedoms on China's own turf, President Barack Obama said Monday that individual expression is not an American ideal but a universal right that should be available to all. >>> AP video | Monday, November 16, 2009
TIMES ONLINE: China rounds up dissidents as President Obama touches down in Beijing: Chinese officials have rounded up dozens of Beijings’s tiny coterie of activists and petitioners in case any dissident tries to approach President Obama, who arrived in the city today.
The arrests continued to gather momentum even as Mr Obama told an unprecedented question-and-answer session with Shanghai students that freedom of information and expression were vital for a stronger, more creative society. >>> Jane Macartney in Beijing | Monday, November 16, 2009
LE TEMPS: En Chine, Barack Obama évoque des «droits universels» : Le président américain Barack Obama a prôné lundi à Shanghai la liberté d’expression, de culte et d’information, y compris sur l’Internet, lors de sa première visite en Chine. Il a ensuite rejoint Pékin pour des entretiens politiques avec son homologue Hu Jinato. >>> ATS | Lundi 16 Novembre 2009