Ham said Americans have many misconceptions about China and need to be more educated about the country before they make judgments.

Responding to charges by anti-Jiang demonstrators that the China is responsible for repressive human-rights violations, he said "China is doing far more for human rights than any other country in the world by eradicating poverty."

According to Ham, living in a poverty-and disease-free environment, like the one that the Chinese government is trying to create, is a fundamental human right.

Many of the Chinese citizens added that, although China has committed human-rights violations, they are not, in many cases, more serious than infringements of human rights in the United States and in other democratic countries.

Cui said that in the United States, racial discrimination is equally prevalent, as evidenced by events like the racialized beating of Rodney G. King, which sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots. He added that he believes China's human-rights record is steadily improving.

John Zhang, an MIT student, said the Taiwanese would be worse off without Chinese influence. "They are homeless. We try to take care of them."

Other Jiang supporters had different reactions to the protesters.

Some said they felt the protesters had a right to voice their opinions. They said they were not bothered by the demonstrations.

But others said that the protesters undermined Jiang's visit.

"There are a lot of things China needs to improve but protesting here will not do anything," said Xuehu Zhang, a member of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association and a Boston resident.

None of the Chinese citizens interviewed would comment about Jiang or the effectiveness of his programs.