BEIJING, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Chinese officials have denied that criticism of U.S. President George W. Bush published in state media Monday reflected the official government position.
China Daily had quoted Qian Qichen, former vice premier and foreign minister, describing Bush as arrogant and criticizing him for trying to rule the world by force.
Published one day before the U.S. election, the article was widely seen as the government's official view, and an effort to win favor with Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Tuesday that Qian had not been interviewed by the English-language paper, or approved publication of his remarks. She said the ministry had clarified the situation for the U.S. State Department.
Mainland diplomats and analysts said the article did not signal a policy change toward the United States and was not intended to be provocative, the South China Morning Post reported Wednesday.
"The article was aimed at a domestic audience," a retired diplomat told the paper. It had originally been printed on Oct. 18 in a weekly under the Central Communist Party School.
