ACCESSION NUMBER:313536
FILE ID:ECO506
DATE:11/19/93
TITLE:CLINTON RAISES DISPUTES DIRECTLY WITH JAPAN, CHINA LEADERS (11/19/93)
TEXT:*93111906.ECO ECBILALD TRADE GEN ODESSEY /te
CLINTON RAISES DISPUTES DIRECTLY WITH JAPAN, CHINA LEADERS
(February meeting set on trade issues) (700)
By Bruce Odessey
USIA Staff Writer
Seattle -- President Clinton discussed the sensitive subjects of rice
imports with the leader of Japan and human rights with the leader of China
during a Pacific-region conference here, but received no promises on either
issue.
Clinton held bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro
Hosokawa and Chinese President Jiang Zemin November 19 during the annual
ministerial meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group.
U.S. officials did not seem surprised or disappointed by the lack of
progress on those specific issues, and attached importance, especially in
the Chinese case, to the willingness simply to discuss sensitive problems
at all.
Japan has been under pressure for years to lift its prohibition against rice
imports as a contribution to the long-stalled Uruguay Round of multilateral
trade negotiations.
Walter Mondale, U.S. ambassador to Japan, told reporters that Hosokawa
viewed any change in rice policy as especially risky right now in the
middle of a fight over political reform.
Rice imports is only one of many U.S. trade issues with Japan, of course.
To reduce the persistent $50,000-million annual U.S. trade deficit with
Japan, Clinton and former Prime Minister Miyazawa agreed in July on a
series of what they called framework negotiations for establishing new
trade relations.
At their November 19 meeting, Clinton invited Hosokawa to meet February 11
to review progress in the framework negotiations on procurement issues --
namely Japanese government purchases of U.S. telecommunications and medical
equipment and supercomputers -- as well as autos and auto parts, and life
insurance.
A senior administration official who asked not to be identified said the
February meeting would fulfill part of the original agreement stipulating
twice-a-year meetings between the U.S. and Japanese leaders on the
framework.
"The February 11 meeting is the point...at which we need to begin to come to
concrete results," he said.
In his meeting with Chinese President Jiang, President Clinton told
reporters later, the two agreed to improve their countries' relations.
"We also discussed very frankly areas of disagreement," Clinton said,
mentioning human rights, unfair trade barriers and weapons proliferation.
Specifically on human rights, Clinton pressed China to allow Red Cross
inspections of its prisons; to release political prisoners, especially sick
ones; to invite the Dalai Lama to discuss Tibetan issues, and to allow U.S.
Customs officials to monitor the U.S.-China prison labor agreement.
Jiang was reported to have expressed some irritation about interference by
foreign countries in what he viewed as internal problems.
1
"I would remind you these two countries have been somewhat estranged ever
since Tiananmen Square," Clinton said. "And the very fact that we talked
today, I think, is a positive sign."
Clinton administration officials reasserted that China must demonstrate
human rights progress in order to get another one-year extension of U.S.
most-favored-nation status for imports from China next June.
Their statements, however, came one day after Commerce Department officials
in Washington disclosed administration approval of sale to China of an
$8-million supercomputer by Cray Research Incorporated, which is subject to
U.S. export controls.
Later, Secretary of State Warren Christopher defended the sale as legal and
proper.
U.S. safeguards would assure that the supercomputer be used only for the
intended purpose, weather prediction, Christopher said. The United States
has imposed sanctions on China for alleged violation of another
export-control agreement by exporting M-11 missile technology to Pakistan.
"It's worthwhile remembering that if we're going to correct the
$20,000-million (a year) trade deficit we have with China," Christopher
said, "we have to sell to China goods that are not in any way prevented by
our various laws and regulations."
Also November 19, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown announced in Seattle a new
export-promotion program, the Pacific Partnership Trade Initiative.
"This initiative encompasses an aggressive series of trade missions to the
region focusing on key sectors of export importance to the United States,"
Brown said, mentioning specifically aviation, telecommunications,
electrical power, transportation, tourism and environmental technology.
NNNN
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