DATE=04/05/99
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-11225
TITLE=CHINA'S PRIME MINISTER COMES TO TOWN
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: THE PRIME MINISTER OF CHINA, ZHU RONGJI, ARRIVES IN
WASHINGTON LATER THIS WEEK FOR TALKS WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON ON A
WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES.
THE VISIT TAKES PLACE AS SINO-U-S RELATIONS HAVE SUNK TO A
RELATIVE LOW, DUE TO A SERIES OF DEVELOPMENTS, INCLUDING:
ALLEGATIONS OF CHINESE PAYMENTS TO THE CLINTON REELECTION
CAMPAIGN, ALLEGATIONS OF SYSTEMATIC THEFT OF NUCLEAR ARMS SECRETS
FROM U-S LABS, AND THE REPRESSION OF DEMOCRATIC DISSIDENTS IN
CHINA. THE ONGOING NATO STRIKES AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA ARE ANOTHER
POINT OF CONTENTION.
ON THE EVE OF THE VISIT, THERE IS A GOOD DEAL OF COMMENT IN THE
U-S PRESS, AND WE GET A SAMPLING NOW FROM ___________ IN TODAY'S
U-S OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: A HEADLINE IN SUNDAY'S "LOS ANGELES TIMES" GIVES SOME
INDICATION OF THE PROBLEMS PRESIDENT CLINTON WILL BE FACING AS HE
TRIES TO MAKE SOME PROGRESS WITH THE CHINESE LEADER, AMID GROWING
HOSTILITY TOWARD CHINA IN CONGRESS AND ELSEWHERE.
THE CALIFORNIA PAPER IS REPORTING THAT FORMER DEMOCRATIC
FUND-RAISER JOHNNY CHUNG HAS TOLD OFFICIALS HE ACCEPTED
300-THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE CHIEF OF CHINA'S MILITARY
INTELLIGENCE DESTINED FOR PRESIDENT CLINTON'S 1996 RE-ELECTION
CAMPAIGN. IT IS THE FIRST TIME A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN CHINA AND
THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN REPORTED.
BEIJING HAS EMPHATICALLY DENIED ANY ATTEMPT TO PUT MONEY INTO MR.
CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN, OR TO STEAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS SECRETS FROM U-S
LABS. HOWEVER BOTH DEVELOPMENTS HAVE HELPED BRING RELATIONS WITH
CHINA TO A RAW EDGE.
WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING OF EDITORIAL COMMENT WITH "THE SAN
FRANCISCO CHRONICLE" WHICH SEES THE TALKS AHEAD AS "ROUGH."
VOICE: NEITHER THE UNITED STATES NOR CHINA IS GOING INTO THIS
WEEK'S MEETING ... WITH EYES CLOSED. RELATIONS BETWEEN
THE TWO COUNTRIES ARE AT A LOW EBB - - FAR FROM THE
SPIRIT OF OPTIMISM THAT CULMINATED PRESIDENT CLINTON'S
TRIP TO CHINA LAST SUMMER - - AND NO ONE IS PRETENDING
OTHERWISE. THERE'S NO DOUBT RELATIONS ARE AS BAD AS
THEY HAVE BEEN IN YEARS. STATE-RUN CHINESE NEWSPAPERS
ARE EQUATING AMERICAN BOMBING OF THE SERBS WITH THE NAZI
BOMBING OF YUGOSLAVIA IN WORLD WAR TWO AND USING WORDS
LIKE "RAPE" TO DESCRIBE THE NATO ATTACKS. CRACKDOWNS ON
DISSIDENTS HAVE ESCALATED, AND THE REPRESSION IS BOUND
TO GROW THE CLOSER IT GETS TO THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY IN
JUNE OF THE TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE. CHINA ALSO IS
FURIOUS THAT UNDER PRESSURE FROM CONGRESS, [MR.] CLINTON
AGREED TO SPONSOR A RESOLUTION CRITICAL OF CHINA'S HUMAN
RIGHTS RECORD AT THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS
CONVENTION IN GENEVA. ... THERE ARE PLENTY OF SUBJECTS
AVAILABLE FOR DISCUSSION WHEN THE TWO LEADERS MEET ON
THURSDAY. THE ISSUE IS HOW [PRESIDENT] CLINTON WILL
HANDLE THEM. 'CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT' DOES NOT MEAN
CAPITULATION. ... WITH [MR.] ZHU'S TRIP ... [MR.]
CLINTON HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO STAND UP TO CHINA ON A
HOST OF THESE ISSUES, ESPECIALLY HUMAN RIGHTS. ... THE
TALKS WILL BE ROUGH, BUT THEY CAN BE A LEVER FOR CHANGE.
TEXT: "THE NEW YORK TIMES" IS ALSO CALLING FOR A TOUGHER STANCE
ON THE PART OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION, ESPECIALLY ON THE
TOPICS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND PROTECTION OF SENSITIVE MILITARY
SECRETS.
VOICE: THE TIMING OF MR. ZHU'S VISIT ... SHOULD BE CONDUCIVE TO
A SOBER EXCHANGE OF VIEWS. CHINA STRONGLY OPPOSED
NATO'S AIR STRIKES ON SERBIA. WASHINGTON IS CHALLENGING
BEIJING'S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD AT UNITED NATIONS MEETINGS
IN GENEVA. MEANWHILE, EFFORTS TO FINALIZE AGREEMENT ON
CHINA'S ADMISSION TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, ONCE
PLANNED AS THE VISIT'S CENTERPIECE, HAVE HIT A SNAG OVER
BEIJING'S RELUCTANCE TO OPEN SOME OF ITS MARKETS. THE
CLINTON ADMINISTRATION SHOULD USE THE WASHINGTON SEGMENT
OF THE TRIP FOR A CANDID DISCUSSION OF CURRENT
DIFFERENCES. THE WHITE HOUSE OUGHT TO MAKE CLEAR THAT
ITS ACTIONS IN GENEVA COME IN RESPONSE TO BEIJING'S
CRACKDOWN ON DISSENT, WHICH BEGAN AFTER PRESIDENT
CLINTON VISITED CHINA LAST SUMMER.
TEXT: "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES" PRESENTS READERS WITH THE CHINESE
PERSPECTIVE, IN THIS COLUMN BY WANG JISI, DIRECTOR OF THE
INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN STUDIES IN BEIJING, WHO SEES THE AMERICAN
MEDIA AS THE MAIN CULPRIT, NOT THE ADMINISTRATION.
VOICE: KNOWLEDGEABLE POLICY ANALYSTS [IN CHINA] UNDERSTAND THAT
THE ACCUSATIONS, ESPECIALLY THE RECENT 'SECURITY LEAK'
TALES, ARE AIMED AS MUCH AT PRESIDENT CLINTON AS AT
CHINA. IN THE POST-MONICA WORLD, 'CATCHING CHINA
REDHANDED' MIGHT MAKE A GOOD CASE FOR HARASSING A WHITE
HOUSE THAT PURSUES A POLICY OF ENGAGING CHINA. THE
ANTI-CHINA DRUMBEAT, HOWEVER, HAS A POISONOUS SIDE
EFFECT. IT BRINGS SHAME ON THE U-S AS A BENIGN AND
RESPONSIBLE WORLD POWER. IT ALIENATES AMERICANS FROM
PEOPLE IN CHINA, INCLUDING FUTURE LEADERS AND YOUNG,
LIBERAL-MINDED INTELLECTUALS ... A NEW COLD WAR BETWEEN
CHINA AND THE U-S CAN BE AVOIDED IF THEY WORK TOGETHER
TO KEEP THE MONENTUM SET UP BY PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN AND
[MR.] CLINTON IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. ... PREMIER ZHU,
ONE OF THE ABLEST AND MOST RESPECTED LEADERS CHINA HAS
EVER HAD, IS READY TO REACH OUT HIS HAND. IT IS UP TO
THE AMERICANS TO SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY.
TEXT: CALIFORNIA'S SAN JOSE "MERCURY NEWS" SAYS IN PART:
VOICE: A CRITICAL JUNCTURE LIES AHEAD, WITH PREMIER [ZHU'S]
TRIP ... IN ADVANCE OF THAT, THE UNITED STATES IS
STRONGLY CRITICIZING CHINA IN PUBLIC OVER HUMAN RIGHTS
WHILE INTENSELY NEGOTIATING TRADE ISSUES IN PRIVATE.
PRESIDENT CLINTON SEES PROSPECTS FOR PARALLEL PROGRESS
ON BOTH ISSUES, BY TREATING THEM SEPARATELY. BUT MANY
IN CONGRESS WOULD LINK THEM, TAMPERING WITH TRADE TO
EXPRESS FRUSTRATION WITH CHINESE OPPRESSION OR SUSPICION
OF NUCLEAR SPYING. ENTANGLING THESE ISSUES IS DANGEROUS
DIPLOMACY THAT COULD FRACTURE ALREADY FRAGILE RELATIONS.
TEXT: "THE WASHINGTON POST" ADDS THIS SUMMATION ON THE VISIT'S
ISSUES.
VOICE: ... TOO OFTEN, MR. CLINTON HAS SEEMED TO CONSIDER
FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH CHINA'S LEADERS A SUCCESS IN
ITSELF. BUT AMERICA'S NATURAL ALLIES IN THE REGION ARE
ASIA'S DEMOCRACIES -- JAPAN, TAIWAN, SOUTH KOREA, AND
THE REST. AND ITS NATURAL ALLIES INSIDE CHINA ARE THOSE
PUSHING FOR MORE DEMOCRACY ... THE TEST OF A SUCCESSFUL
SUMMIT WILL BE HOW WELL IT ADVANCES THE CAUSE OF [PRO
DEMOCRACY OFFICIALS LIKE RECENTLY PURGED] BAO TONG AND
HIS ASSOCIATES, NOT WHETHER MR. ZHU GOES HOME HAPPY.
TEXT: WITH THAT, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF U-S PRESS REACTION
TO THIS WEEK'S VISIT OF CHINESE PRIME MINISTER ZHU RONGJI.
NEB/ANG/WFR
05-Apr-99 1:53 PM EDT (1753 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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