"I enjoy the man," Bush said in an interview with The Post and other Asian press at the White House before his trip to the Beijing Olympics next week.

"I find him to be a straightforward guy. I'm very comfortable in his presence and we will talk about the kind of issues we always talk about."

Bush said he found Hu "very open" about both his own concerns and the internal pressures he faced and that they could have relaxed conversations about their families.

"It's important to be able to have those kind of relations, because he's got to tell me what's on his mind in order to be able to deal with problems," the US leader said.

"And I think when people study my presidency and find out how Bush conducted foreign policy, they'll see I don't shy away from things. I am not a shy person."

Bush, who will hold talks with Hu during the Olympics, stressed he would not "politicise" the visit.