Human rights issue casts shadow over talks

Mr Cameron infuriated supporters of the dissident academic when he failed to mention him by name when raising human rights in talks with Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday.

Downing Street officials refused to confirm whether he planned to do so later in his two-day visit.

But it was thought likely he would take the opportunity of a banquet hosted by Mr Wen last night or private talks today with President Hu Jintao to express his concern.

Mr Cameron is the first Western leader to visit China since Mr Liu was awarded the Nobel prize on October 8 and has come under increasing pressure to raise the case with the Chinese leadership during a trip that he had intended to focus predominantly on trade.

Mr Liu was jailed for 11 years last December for subversion after launching a petition for democratic reforms. His case was forced up the agenda when Chinese security agents prevented his lawyer boarding a plane for London at Beijing airport yesterday morning.

Mr Cameron insisted that he would not fight shy of human rights issues in talks with Mr Wen and President Hu.

But he said there would be no "lecturing or hectoring" of his Chinese hosts and he would approach the subject "with respect and mutual understanding, acknowledging our different histories".

It was regarded as a positive and significant development that the Chinese Premier responded to Mr Cameron's mention of human rights by saying that he welcomed dialogue with the UK on this and other subjects.

Aides sought to draw a veil over comments made last year by Education Secretary Michael Gove, who is travelling with the Prime Minister, when he said that China remains "a police state, with thousands executed by government fiat every year". Mr Gove was in opposition when he made the remarks on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, they pointed out.

During the day, Mr Cameron played down suggestions that support for Mr Liu could jeopardise trade deals, insisting that the UK's relations with China were strong enough to withstand disagreement over political systems.