Meanwhile, some of the strongest condemnations of China are coming from Bush’s fellow Republicans, some of whom are holding nothing back ahead of the president’s historic trip.

“The People’s Republic of China is a police state and we should have no other view,” said Indiana Republican Rep. Mike Pence, calling the awarding of the Olympics to Beijing a “historic error.”

“Massively violated by the state, it is no wonder more women commit suicide in China than anywhere else in the world,” added Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J.

On the Senate side, China critic Sam Brownback, a Republican of Kansas, held a news conference Tuesday to accuse China of plans to spy on hotel guests’ Internet use.

“China is the greatest enabler of human rights abuses in the world,” he said. Brownback said foreign-owned hotels approached him with documents showing that Chinese officials forced them to install software to monitor the Internet use of journalists, athletes and other guests.