Last minute manoeuvring to keep protesters out of the Chinese president’s way while touring New Zealand failed on Monday.
One News learned that visiting officials tried to persuade the Government to use buses to block demonstrators with coaches.
However the tactic wasn’t taken up and president Hu Jintao faced hundreds of angry people in Auckland on Monday morning.
Protestors demanding freedom for Tibet fought a battle with flags and megaphones against supporters of the Chinese republic.
About 500 people in all were angling for the attention of President Hu, although all they got was a glimpse.
But the battle between Chinese officials and New Zealand police started hours before the protest.
One News learned that after a state banquet finished at 11pm on Sunday night Chinese officials had police and others up until 3am arguing about security and asking for a repeat of the blocking tactics used to shield President Jiang during a New Zealand visit four years ago.
The answer was no but tensions over Tibet were kept off the banquet menu when Green list MP Metiria Turei was stopped from hand-delivering a message to President Hu.
Turei says the message was a plea from the friends of Tibet for the Chinese government to enter into a dialogue with Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
Turei says Chinese and New Zealand officials also refused to accept the letter and pass it on.
China’s leaders seem to be more worried about people passing on SARS and on Monday took a look at work on a possible treatment in a secure lab in South Auckland.
Dr Arie Geursen of Viryonix the firm carrying out the research says, “We’ve been able to get the SARS proteins into New Zealand without compromising our biosecurity. We have started immunising goats and that process will take about 18 months before we have a product that can be used in man.”
