Radio infomeriacls are airing during drive time in major us cities 128K/10 sec. AIFF or WAV sound CNN's Kyoko Altman reports VXtreme streaming video (1:52)

From Correspondent Kyoko Altman

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With the bloody 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square freeze-framed in Americans' minds, the Chinese government knows it has an image problem. And now, it is taking steps to fix it.

Susan Larson, an ex-Peace Corps volunteer, is in charge of a million-dollar media campaign with sponsors such as Air China, the Bank of China and other commercial entities run by the Chinese government.

Radio infomercials, called "China Update," are airing during drive time in major U.S. cities, portraying a modern, almost hip China.

"I think propaganda is a word that obviously is very, very loaded," Larson says of her efforts. "I don't have a political agenda... I call it a peace agenda."

In addition to the public relations effort by the Chinese government, television documentaries sympathetic to China have also been produced, sponsored by U.S. companies with big financial stakes in China, such as Boeing Co.

And while the radio and TV campaigns may be limited in scope, President Clinton's upcoming visit to China will provide the ultimate chance to beam a whole new image of China to the world.

The country's leaders are orchestrating a grand tour for the president and his entourage that would compete with any of Madison Avenue's shrewdest advertising campaigns. They hope to show off their very best, such as $20 billion in infrastructure improvements in Shanghai.

Though China's negative perception in the United States won't be easy to overcome, Chinese leaders seem determined to present images they hope will crowd out the troubling snapshots from China's past.

related reading	book search