PRESIDENT BUSH began a week-long tour of Asia yesterday with an appeal for greater freedom in the remaining dictatorships in the region and a warning to China that its democratic reforms cannot be reversed.

In remarks that were irritably rejected by the Chinese leadership, Mr Bush unfavourably compared their one-party State with democratic Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own.

His speech, delivered in Kyoto after a meeting with Junichiro Koizumi, the Japanese Prime Minister, was an attempt to counter criticisms that he has done too little to support human rights in China.

“As China reforms its economy, its leaders are finding that once the door to freedom is opened even a crack, it cannot be closed,” Mr Bush said. “As the people of China grow in prosperity, their demands for political freedom will grow as well. Modern Taiwan is free and democratic and prosperous. By embracing freedom at all levels, Taiwan has delivered prosperity to its people and created a free and democratic Chinese society. What I say to the Chinese, as well as to others, is that a free society is in your interest.”

Mr Bush was even more critical of North Korea and the “tyranny” of Burma. His advice was rejected by Li Zhaoxing, the Chinese Foreign Minister, at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum in the South Korean city of Pusan. The President flew there from Japan last night to attend the 21-member Apec summit tomorrow before travelling to Beijing over the weekend.

Mr Li said: “We have to work hard and not pay attention to those people who talk about this or that, trying to shake our conviction, especially when it comes to our love of the motherland. Everything we do is for improving the people’s livelihood. That includes guaranteeing the people’s material rights, political rights and cultural and education rights and democratic development rights.”

Mr Bush began his presidency with a cool attitude towards China but, in the past five years, he has moved closer to the country, where his father once served as US Ambassador. This is partly because of America’s changed priorities after the September 11 terrorist attacks and partly because of China’s important role in pressuring North Korea to give up its nuclear programme. But it is also about business and the $230 billion (£134 billion) two-way trade between China and the US. In contrast with North Korea, Iran, Syria or the Iraq of Saddam Hussein, Mr Bush has been reticent in criticising human rights violations in China.

Even yesterday he was careful to emphasise US opposition to any formal declaration of independence by Taiwan, which has governed itself since nationalist Chinese leaders fled there after their defeat in 1949. Last week Mr Bush welcomed the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader and bête noire of China, in the Oval Office, but the White House was careful to give the meeting little publicity.

In his meeting with the President, Mr Koizumi hinted that Japan would extend its deployment of 500 troops to the southern Iraqi town of Samawah and lift a ban on the import of American beef.

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