By DPA
Beijing : US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Wednesday expressed concern over the recent violence in Tibetan areas and urged Chinese leaders to resolve the conflict through dialogue.
“I expressed our concern about the violence and urged a peaceful resolution through dialogue,” said Paulson, who travelled to China mainly for economic talks but also as an envoy of US President George W. Bush.
“I made that point (about Tibet), I felt, in a very appropriate way to the appropriate people,” Paulson told reporters.
Rights groups and Tibetan exiles have criticized China for using troops and armed police to suppress the recent unrest, which has left at least 19 people dead, according to the government, but exile groups claim 140 were killed.
Paulson was the first US official to hold talks in China since Tibetans began pro-independence protests March 10.
He held his main economic talks with Vice-Premier Wang Qishan and met President Hu Jintao later Wednesday.
The main purpose of his two-day visit was to prepare for a US-China strategic economic dialogue in June.
Paulson said he also told Chinese officials that the US was “making progress” in reinforcing credit markets during a “period of turmoil” in the economy.
“I continue to think there will be some more bumps in the road,” he said.
Paulson, who was also scheduled to meet Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing, was expected to push China again to allow faster appreciation of its renminbi currency (yuan) against the dollar.
US critics say the undervalued currency gives China an unfair economic advantage by making its exports cheaper and fuelling its large trade surplus with the US.