But behind the clash on human rights, Mr Bush and China's President Hu Jintao took pains to emphasise the prospects of a huge trade partnership, currently in China's favour with its bilateral surplus likely to hit $US200 billion ($273 billion) this year, by American calculation.
China announced a big order for 70 Boeing 737 aircraft worth about $US4 billion by its state-owned airlines, and Mr Hu directly addressed key American economic grievances in a joint press conference after the presidents' meeting at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
Mr Hu said he and Mr Bush had declared their willingness to "join hands" to work on the trade imbalance and that China would fight piracy of American-made goods and keep making its currency more flexible.
"The Chinese side is willing to step up its protection for intellectual property rights, enhance its efforts in fighting crimes involving the violations of IPRs and stands ready to further increase its co-operation with the United States in this regard," he said.
"We will follow the principle of benefiting not only China but also the world at large and unswervingly press ahead with the reform of the formation mechanism of the renminbi [yuan] exchange rate."
China facilitated Mr Bush's early-morning visit to worship at an officially sanctioned Protestant Church in a Beijing suburb.
"May God bless the Christians of China," Mr Bush wrote in the church guest book. His wife, Laura, added: "With love and respect." The pastor gave them Chinese Bibles. Outside, the church choir treated the Bushes to a chorus of "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" in Chinese.
Later, Mr Bush's hosts helped re-create the city atmosphere of 1975 when Mr Bush stayed with his parents during George Bush snr's two-year assignment here as US liaison chief.
A section of Beijing's western suburbs was barred to vehicles while Mr Bush rode a bike for a two-kilometre circuit, attended by six Chinese cyclists, in the carless conditions that prevailed in the city 30 years ago. US officials said the bike ride was a gesture to show Mr Bush's friendly attitude towards the people of China.
But the President's speech last Wednesday in Kyoto, Japan, urging China to follow the democratic example of Taiwan was suppressed in Chinese-language reports in the Communist Party-controlled domestic media.
So far, Beijing has not followed the precedent of earlier high-level American visits and released any prominent political prisoners. In fact, it has stepped up its repression of political and religious figures. A Protestant pastor, Cai Zhouhua, was sentenced to three years' jail this month for printing Bibles without government permits.
Cai's lawyer, Zhang Xingshui, was among numerous dissidents and potential critics who were either told to leave the city during Mr Bush's visit or were put under house arrest. Arrests of underground Protestant and Catholic church leaders were reported up to Saturday.
"My hope is that the Government of China will not fear Christians who gather to worship openly," Mr Bush told reporters.
