DATE=7/1/98
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-40834
TITLE=CLINTON-CHINA / SUMMIT ASSESSMENT
BYLINE=STEPHANIE MANN
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: PRESIDENT CLINTON IS GETTING HIGH MARKS FOR HIS TRIP TO
CHINA AND HIS SUMMIT WITH PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN. CORRESPONDENT
STEPHANIE MANN REPORTS THE PRAISE IS NOT SO MUCH FOR THE
SUBSTANCE OF THE MEETINGS, BUT FOR THE SYMBOLISM AND IMAGES OF
THE PRESIDENT'S CHINA TOUR.
TEXT: THE CONCRETE RESULTS OF PRESIDENT CLINTON'S TRIP TO CHINA
AND HIS MEETING WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN ARE RELATIVELY
LIMITED. ALTHOUGH THE TWO COUNTRIES AGREED TO RE-PROGRAM THEIR
MISSILES SO THEY ARE NO LONGER AIMED AT EACH OTHER, MANY EXPERTS
AGREE THIS HAS MOSTLY SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE, BECAUSE THE MISSILES
CAN BE RE-TARGETED WITHIN MINUTES.
MOREOVER, CHINA HAS NOT YET AGREED TO JOIN THE MISSILE TECHNOLOGY
CONTROL REGIME, WHICH IS INTENDED TO CURB THE PROLIFERATION OF
MISSILES TO OTHER COUNTRIES -- AND THERE WAS NO REAL PROGRESS IN
OPENING CHINA'S FINANCIAL SERVICES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
MARKETS, OR MOVING CHINA CLOSER TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATION.
BUT ANALYSTS SAY MR. CLINTON'S TRIP TO CHINA HAS BEEN A SUCCESS.
THE DIRECTOR OF CHINA STUDIES AT THE JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, DAVID LAMPTON, POINTS TO WHAT HE CALLS THE
PROCEDURAL SUCCESSES OF THE SUMMIT.
// LAMPTON ACT ONE //
PROCEDURALLY, I THINK THIS TRIP HAS GONE A LONG WAY TO
PUT THE RELATIONSHIP BACK ON A BUSINESSLIKE BASIS --
THAT IS THAT BOTH SIDES WILL MEET REGULARLY AT THE
SUMMIT LEVEL, WHETHER OR NOT IT IS VERY CONVENIENT IN
TERMS OF DOMESTIC POLITICS. AND ALSO, I THINK IT IS
PROCEDURALLY A SUCCESS BECAUSE IT HAS RE-INTRODUCED THE
SECURITY RATIONALE INTO THE RELATIONSHIP THAT BECAME
MUCH WEAKER AFTER THE SOVIET UNION FELL. THAT IS TO SAY
THAT THE TWO SIDES HAVE AGREED THAT THE BASIS FOR THEIR
RELATIONSHIP, IMPORTANTLY, IS THE JOINT MANAGEMENT OF
SECURITY PROBLEMS, WHETHER IT IS THE KOREAN PENINSULA OR
ARMS RACE ON THE (INDIAN) SUBCONTINENT.
// END ACT //
MR. LAMPTON SAYS BOTH SIDES GOT WHAT THEY NEEDED. MR. CLINTON
WAS ABLE TO REFUTE DOMESTIC AMERICAN CRITICISM ABOUT THE TRIP,
AND, HE SAYS PRESIDENT JIANG WAS ABLE TO SHOW THAT HE CAN HOLD
HIS OWN IN A MEETING WITH THE U-S PRESIDENT.
MR. LAMPTON ALSO SAYS MR. JIANG SHOULD BE GIVEN CREDIT FOR
ALLOWING THE JOINT NEWS CONFERENCE AND PRESIDENT CLINTON'S SPEECH
AT BEIJING UNIVERSITY TO BE BROADCAST LIVE IN CHINA.
// LAMPTON ACT TWO //
WE OUGHT TO GIVE THE CHINESE CREDIT WHEN THEY DESERVE
SOME CREDIT. THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT PRESIDENT CLINTON
WAS GOING TO SAY. THEY COULD NOT BE SURE. SO, I THINK
THAT PRESIDENT JIANG UNDERTOOK SOME RISK THERE, AS
INDEED PRESIDENT CLINTON UNDERTOOK RISK DOMESTICALLY TO
GO TO CHINA.
// END ACT //
CHINESE HISTORY EXPERT MERLE GOLDMAN SAYS THE LIVE BROADCASTS
ACTUALLY MAY HAVE FIT INTO WHAT SHE SAYS MAY BE JIANG ZEMIN'S
AGENDA -- THAT IS, TO ALLOW MORE PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF POLITICAL
REFORM AND HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES.
PROFESSOR GOLDMAN, WHO TEACHES AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY, SAYS THE
PUBLIC DEBATE BETWEEN MR. JIANG AND MR. CLINTON ABOUT THE 1989
CRACKDOWN IN BEIJING'S TIANANMEN SQUARE AND ABOUT TIBET AND THE
DALAI LAMA HAS ACCELERATED THE DISCUSSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN
CHINA.
// GOLDMAN ACT ONE //
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE TRIP WAS THE FACT
THAT HE WAS ABLE TO SPEAK OUT FORTHRIGHTLY TO A
NATIONWIDE AUDIENCE IN CHINA. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME
THE CHINESE HEARD ON THEIR OWN OFFICIAL MEDIA THAT THE
MILITARY CRACKDOWN ON THE DEMONSTRATORS IN TIANANMEN
SQUARE ON JUNE THE FOURTH, 1989, WAS WHAT CLINTON CALLED
-- WRONG AND A TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE. I THINK THAT WAS SO
IMPORTANT.
// END ACT //
MS. GOLDMAN PRAISES PRESIDENT CLINTON FOR OPENLY DISCUSSING HUMAN
RIGHTS IN A CONTEXT THE CHINESE PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND -- FOR
ACKNOWLEDGING THE UNITED STATES HAS PROBLEMS WITH ECONOMIC RIGHTS
IN ITS INNER CITIES. SHE NOTES HE SPOKE POSITIVELY OF CHINA'S
ACHIEVEMENTS IN ECONOMIC RIGHTS, BUT THEN ADDED THOSE RIGHTS CAN
NOT BE SEPARATED FROM POLITICAL RIGHTS SUCH AS FREEDOM OF
ASSOCIATION OR WORSHIP.
// OPT // MS. GOLDMAN SAYS THE PRESIDENT'S EXTEMPORANEOUS
EXCHANGE WITH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IS SOMETHING CHINESE PEOPLE DO
NOT USUALLY SEE.
// OPT GOLDMAN ACT TWO //
I THINK IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN AMERICAN POLITICIAN IN
ACTION. IT GIVES THEM AN EXAMPLE OF HOW DEMOCRACY WORKS
-- THAT IT IS NOT A POLITICAL SYSTEM IN WHICH THE TOP
LEADERSHIP GIVES ORDERS AND PEOPLE CARRY THEM OUT, THAT
THE TOP LEADERSHIP ENGAGES IN SOME KIND OF GIVE AND TAKE
WITH THE PUBLIC.
// END ACT // END OPT //
IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER PRESIDENT CLINTON'S SUCCESS ON THE
CHINA TRIP WILL MUTE SOME OF THE CRITICISM HE FACES IN
WASHINGTON. CRITICS SAY HIS POLICY OF ENGAGEMENT MAY HAVE LED TO
UN-AUTHORIZED TRANSFERS OF MISSILE TECHNOLOGY AND MAY HAVE
ENCOURAGED ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CHINA. OTHER
CRITICS SAY HIS POLICY HAS NOT LED TO ENOUGH PROGRESS ON HUMAN
RIGHTS IN CHINA.
MR. LAMPTON AND PROFESSOR GOLDMAN AGREE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME
PEOPLE WHO DO NOT LIKE MR. CLINTON OR HIS APPROACH ON CERTAIN
ISSUES. BUT PROFESSOR GOLDMAN SAYS ON THIS TRIP THE PRESIDENT
HAS DONE WHAT SHE CALLS -- A CREDIBLE JOB THAT WILL UNDERCUT MUCH
OF THE CRITICISM.
// GOLDMAN ACT THREE //
HIS ARGUMENT THAT -- WE WILL HAVE MUCH GREATER IMPACT ON
CHINA BY ENGAGING CHINA AND SETTING UP SOME KIND OF
RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA THAN WE HAVE BY ISOLATING CHINA
-- I THINK IS REALLY VALIDATED BY THIS TRIP, BECAUSE IT
IS CLEAR THAT HIS ABILITY TO EXPRESS HIS IDEAS AND GET
THEM OUT TO THE PUBLIC WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL.
// END ACT //
MR. LAMPTON SAYS OPINION POLLS HAVE SHOWN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT'S POLICY ON CHINA. (SIGNED)
NEB/SMN/RAE
01-Jul-98 3:13 PM EDT (1913 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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