China’s President Jiang Zemin, accompanied by his wife Wang Yeping arrived in Dresden among some of the tightest security ever seen here. Almost 200 politicians, representatives of commerce and industry and security personnel are accompanying him on his travels. The area around the “Zwinger” (Dresden’s Zoo) was virtually sealed off. Mr. Kurt Biedenkopf (CDU) welcomed Jiang Zemin at Dresden-Klotzsche Airport under cloudy skies.
A convoy of automobiles brought everyone downtown. The state president’s limousine stopped directly in front of the Semperoper (the opera house) at the entrance to the zoo.
Several dignitaries from the art community welcomed the president at 10:25 a.m. A viewing of old Italian, Dutch and German masterworks in Dresden’s art gallery was followed by Jiang’s stroll through the zoo, accompanied by his delegation.
Photo Gallery
Several of his Chinese countrymen who live in Dresden waved at him. After a look at the Glockenspiel (an elaborate clock works with moving figures at the stroke of the hours) and the presentation of the Chinese national anthem, the convoy moved on, from Theaterplatz (Theater Square) to Taschenberg Palais (Taschenberg Palace), where a cheering group of Chinese nationals greeted him. They had unfurled a banner and waved Chinese flags. Suddenly, a woman bolted through the crowd and called out the name of the Falun Gong movement, which is banned in China. Security personnel appeared immediately and arrested the woman. This did not deter her from calling out further in the direction of Jiang Zemin. Representatives of the press who had rushed over were pushed aside.
A team of Reuters media representatives who were successful to take a close-up photo of the woman were detained and had to show their identity papers. The Chinese delegation moved, as planned, to Hotel Kempinski for a noon dinner.
In the afternoon, a tour of the national Meissen Porcelain Works is planned, then in the evening a dialogue with Mr. Biedenkopf, Minister of the State of Brueggen, as well as Parliamentary-and-Europe minister, Mr. Tillich.
Jiang Zemin then signed the Saxonian Golden Guest Book. The Westin Hotel Bellevue will be the site of an evening banquet honoring Jiang Zemin. He won’t have much time to relax, because Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. be will board a special ICE (Inter City Express) train bringing him from Dresden’s Main Station via Leipzig to the City of Wolfsburg.
Article from German newspaper Saxonian News, April 11, 2002
(Original text in German)
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