Bush, at Beijing church, focuses on religious freedom

By Jeremy Pelofsky and Matt Spetalnick

BEIJING, Aug 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush worshipped at a Beijing church on Sunday, highlighting his call for greater religious freedoms in China just hours before talks with the communist leadership.

Saying it had been a "joy and privilege" to attend prayer services while on a visit to the Olympics, Bush declared: "It just goes to show that God is universal, God is love and no state, man or woman should fear the influence of loving religion."

It was part of Bush's delicate balancing act in Beijing, where he has depicted himself as just another sports fan while nudging the Chinese government to improve its internationally criticized record on human rights.

Despite China's rejection of his rebukes, Bush, a frequent churchgoer with a strong base among Christian fundamentalists, has made appeals for greater religious liberties a focus of his efforts to coax China toward democratic reforms.

He spoke briefly outside the Kuanjie Protestant church, a modest building with a plain white cross on the roof. It belongs to network of churches that operate with the blessing of the Communist Party.

Many other Christians, who make up only a small part of China's religious faithful, worship at so-called "underground" churches.

Echoing other statements he has made in recent days, Bush was measured in his remarks -- made while surrounded by a children's choir -- to avoid embarrassing China's leaders.

Rights advocates and leading lawmakers at home, some of whom had urged Bush to boycott the Games, have chided him for not speaking out more forcefully about the human rights situation in China and the crackdown on dissent in the run-up to the Olympics.

CANDID IN PRIVATE

Bush, whose presence at the Games marks a public relations coup for the Chinese, has insisted he can be more effective by speaking candidly in private with China's leadership.

He had a round of talks planned later with Chinese leaders, including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, sandwiched between his attendance at Olympic sporting events.

Many analysts see Bush's handling of China relations as a relative bright spot in a foreign policy record dominated by the unpopular war in Iraq.

He needs China's help to curb North Korean and Iranian nuclear ambitions, thus limiting U.S. leverage to press for rapid political reforms of the one-party state.

Washington is also mindful of Beijing's increasing economic clout and the need for its cooperation to reduce a huge U.S. trade deficit with China.

For their part, Chinese leaders, aware that Bush has less than six months left in office, may hope to get a better fix on what to expect when either his fellow Republican John McCain or Democratic rival Barack Obama succeed him in January. (Editing by Nick Macfie)