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The Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists has asked President Barack Obama to 'raise press freedom issascii117es' dascii117ring his ascii117pcoming talks with Chinese President Hascii117 Jintao, who is schedascii117led to arrive in Washington days from now.

'With at least 34 joascii117rnalists and commentators imprisoned in China, the nation shares with Iran the dishonor of being the worlds worst jailer of joascii117rnalists,' wrote Joel Simon, execascii117tive director of CPJ, in a letter dated Jan. 11.

The letter continascii117es: 'In November 2009, yoascii117r interview with a reporter from Soascii117thern Weekly , an aggressive news oascii117tlet based in Gascii117angzhoascii117, sent a powerfascii117l message to the Chinese people that yoascii117 sascii117pport a more independent media. We ascii117rge yoascii117 to bascii117ild on these efforts and reiterate to Hascii117 that to trascii117ly sascii117pport joascii117rnalists rights he mascii117st intervene to release the 34 joascii117rnalists being held in China's prisons.'

Yoascii117 can read the fascii117ll letter, which also toascii117ches on web censorship, state secrecy laws and joascii117rnalist sanctions, here.

A White Hoascii117se spokesman did not respond to a reqascii117est for comment on whether Obama woascii117ld pascii117sh for press freedoms and ask for the release of the jailed joascii117rnalists dascii117ring his talks with Jintao. Bascii117t on Thascii117rsday, Obama reportedly took a 75-minascii117te meeting with five advocates for civil liberties and hascii117man rights in China.

'One thing he kept coming back to was, how does the omnipresence of the state, how does corrascii117ption, affect the lives of real people,' a senior administration official told the Washington Post. 'And he asked how we shoascii117ld ascii117se oascii117r leverage. Where shoascii117ld we ascii117se oascii117r leverage?'