The president did praise the idea of Twitter and other social-networking tools while challenging the Chinese government over the "firewall" it uses to block certain Internet traffic within and beyond its borders.

"My thumbs are too clumsy to type in things on the phone," Obama told a town hall in Shanghai early this morning (Washington, D.C., time). "But I am a big believer in technology and I'm a big believer in openness when it comes to the flow of information."

It's worth noting that statement came in response to a question form Obama's own ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman. The former Utah governor read two questions submitted through the embassy's website.

Said Huntsman: "Not surprisingly, in a country with 350 million Internet users and 60 million bloggers, do you know of the firewall?' And second, should we able to be use Twitter freely?"

Obama basically said yes to both questions.

In response to questions from the Chinese, Obama said he isn't sure if he will be able to attend next year's World's Fair in Shanghai, and that he plans to use this trip to deepen his understanding of the Chinese.

Obama also hailed the United States' diversity as a major strength; praised recent cooperation between China and Taiwan; credited the American people for his Nobel Peace Prize; and said global terrorist networks remain the greatest threat to U.S. security.

On that latter point, Obama added that his goal in Afghanistan is to stabilize the country so that the people there "can protect themselves, but they can also be a partner in reducing the power of these extremist networks."

During his opening statement, Obama said the U.S. does not "seek to contain China's rise."Laurena Gjokaj