DATE=4/12/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CHINA-ISRAEL (L)
NUMBER=2-261204
BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON
DATELINE=BEIJING
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Chinese President Jiang Zemin begins a visit
to Israel Wednesday that will include discussions of
military sales strongly opposed by the United States.
VOA correspondent Roger Wilkison reports China is
billing Mr. Jiang's trip to the Middle East as a
chance to enhance Beijing's presence in the regional
peace process.
TEXT: Mr. Jiang has embarked on a 15-day trip that
will take him to Egypt, Turkey, Greece and South
Africa as well as Israel and the Palestinian
Authority. But the Jewish state is the centerpiece of
his trip. Although he will spend one day and one
night in a Palestinian-controlled area of the West
Bank and another day in Alexandria, Egypt, Israel
dominates his Middle Eastern agenda.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi--
speaking through an interpreter -- says Mr. Jiang's
trip offers Beijing an opportunity to involve itself
in Middle East peacemaking.
/////INTERPRETER ACTUALITY/////
President Jiang Zemin will visit the region at an
important period of historical change in the region.
During the visit, he will have an in-depth exchange of
views with leaders in the region on the Middle East
peace process.
/////END ACTUALITY/////
Mr. Jiang's trip is the first ever to Israel and the
Palestinian Authority by a Chinese head of state. It
underscores how sturdy Sino-Israeli ties have grown
despite Beijing's steadfast support for a Palestinian
homeland. Mr. Sun, the Chinese spokesman, says
solving the Palestinian question is still the key to
regional peace.
/////INTERPRETER ACTUALITY/////
We maintain that to help and assist the Palestinian
people to resume their legitimate interests, including
returning to their homeland, is the responsibility of
the international community. We hope that both sides
can adopt a flexible and pragmatic attitude so as to
solve the question of Palestine at an early date.
/////END ACTUALITY/////
A Palestinian diplomat in Beijing says China can play
a vital role in pushing the peace process forward
because of Beijing's close ties with both sides. But
western diplomats say they doubt Mr. Jiang has any
concrete proposals up his sleeve. They also say they
do not believe he will try to upstage Washington's
role as the main peace broker in the Middle East.
China's blossoming ties with Israel rely heavily on
the sale by the Jewish state of tens of millions of
dollars worth of military hardware to Beijing. Mr.
Jiang now has his eye on a 250-million dollar airborne
command center. Israel has installed an advanced
radar system which can track and shoot down enemy
planes aboard a Russian-built aircraft. The aircraft
is ready for delivery to China, and Israel says
Beijing wants to buy two more such planes. But the
United States has been lobbying Israel to scrap the
sale because it fears China could use the plane
against Taiwanese and even U-S aircraft if war were to
break out in the Taiwan Strait.
During a visit to Israel earlier this month, U-S
Defense Secretary William Cohen pressed Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Barak to kill the deal. Mr. Barak said
he would consider U-S objections to the sale, but he
would not promise to stop it. (SIGNED)
NEB/RW/FC
12-Apr-2000 06:00 AM EDT (12-Apr-2000 1000 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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