Beijing, May 10:

China’s president is making a rare personal lobbying effort for upcoming trade talks with Washington, expressing hopes for ‘positive results’ in a phone call with president George W Bush amid rising US anger at China’s ballooning trade surplus.

“We believe that with the common effort of both sides, this round of the dialogue can achieve positive results,” president Hu Jintao told Bush on Wednesday evening.

The report made no mention of possible Chinese initiatives for the May 23-24 talks, part of a ‘strategic economic dialogue’ on Beijing’s trade surpluses, currency policy and other contentious issues. But Hu rarely speaks publicly on trade, and his comments to Bush reflect the importance of the talks to Beijing, which is eager to avert damage to a major economic relationship.

The Bush administration is hoping the dialogue, launched last year, will help to mollify congressio-nal critics who are calling for punitive tariffs and other measures.

US treasury secretary Henry Paulson, Washington’s envoy, has tried to downplay expectations for breakthroughs, saying this month the two sides are ‘focused on long-term goa-ls.’ The Chinese side is led by vice-premier Wu Yi. But Paulson has warned that it has to produce short-term results to preserve support for free trade.

Beijing park, Disney row

BEIJING: That round-eared mouse dancing with kids? Not a copy of Disney’s Mickey Mouse, the Shijingsh-an Amusement Park insists. And that raven-haired woman with seven men in elf suits? Not Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

In a country awash in pirated music, mo-vies and other goods, the Shijingshan park stands out. “We do not have any agreements with Disney,” its DG, Yin Zhiqiang, said. “The characters in our park just look a little bit similar to theirs.”