Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=8-9-01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-279176

TITLE= CHINA / JIANG (L)

BYLINE=JIM RANDLE

DATELINE=BEIJING

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: In a rare interview with western journalists this week, China's

President Jiang Zemin said he wants better relations with the United

States, but showed little flexibility on the many disputes between

Washington and Beijing. V-O-A's Jim Randle reports, the head of the U-S

Senate's Foreign Relations Committee says it will take Chinese actions

as well as words to smooth the often-prickly relations between the two

sides.

TEXT: President Jiang Zemin told the New York Times, that China and the United States share a "positive desire" for good relations, even though some members of the Bush administration describe China as a threat.

Mr. Jiang said many of Beijing's disputes with western nations grow out

of foreigners' ignorance of China's goals and culture. He indicated

that outsiders think introducing multiparty parliamentary democracy in

China would bring freedom to the country. He said it is more likely to

spark chaos and hunger for China's one point two billion people.

Mr. Jiang defended Beijing's crackdown on the Falun Gong spiritual

movement that he says has harmed the physical and mental health of its

practitioners. Mr. Jiang's comments did not reveal any new positions on the key disputes with the United States over Taiwan, Tibet, or human rights.

The chairman of the U-S Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Joseph Biden, also met with President Jiang this week. He says the President and other top Chinese officials said China's human rights practices and legal system

need some improvement.

/// BIDEN ACT ///

(They said) give us some time. Well, we are not inclined to give time

in terms of some of the more outrageous, what Americans and Europeans

believe are some of the more outrageous actions.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Biden and three other senators raised concerns about human rights,

religious freedom and the recent detentions of many U-S citizens or U-S

permanent residents in China on allegations of espionage.

But on a visit to a Church near Beijing, Mr. Biden said China allows

more religious expression than it did during his last visit two decades

ago.

Over the next two years President Jiang, Premier Zhu Rongji, and

Parliament chief Li Peng are all scheduled to retire. The uncertainty

following those leadership changes will be compounded by economic

changes growing out of China's entry into the World Trade Organization

The newspaper interview at a Chinese seaside resort was first suggested

by Chinese diplomats, and may be an effort to smooth relations with the

new Bush Administration at a time when China is getting ready to cope

with changes in the country's economy and leadership. (Signed).

NEB/HK/JR/KBK