Clinton urges China to take action on human rights

April 30, 1998
Web posted at: 3:10 a.m. EDT (0710 GMT)

BEIJING (CNN) -- President Clinton urged Chinese President Jiang Zemin Thursday to move forward on human rights and religious freedom while curbing exports of weapons technology. Clinton also gave assurances his long-term vision was one of "concrete cooperation" between their two countries.

Clinton's views were contained in a message that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright delivered to Jiang as they made preparations for Clinton's state visit in June.

The thrust of Clinton's letter was a desire to build on the momentum toward better ties that were established when Jiang visited Washington last October. He told the Chinese leader he wanted to see "new steps" taken to expand contacts between the two governments and their people.

Along Clinton's suggestions were exchanges of scientists and health and education specialists.

But he did not gloss over "specific areas of concern," according to James P. Rubin, the State Department spokesman. These included a need to conclude arrangements for China to join the World Trade Organization, the international rule-setting body for trade, and coping with energy and environmental problems, the U.S. official said.

"I bring you very warm personal greetings from President Clinton, and he is very much looking forward to his visit in June," Albright said.

When she handed Jiang a large envelope with Clinton's letter the Chinese president laughed and gave her one of his own. "I have a reply, but not to this one," he said.

Jiang conversed with Albright in English and showed her renovations being made for the summit. "I am sure he will like it," Jiang said of the pavilion in which he will talk to Clinton.

Jiang, Albright on a stroll

The Chinese leader, in a good mood, took Albright on a stroll to a pavilion in Beijing's ancient leadership compound.

Albright was on the second day of her visit to Beijing to prepare for a summit in the Chinese capital in late June.

On a warm sunny day, Jiang gave Albright a guided tour of the 600-year-old walled compound known as Zhongnanhai, once home to emperors and now to the ruling Communist elite.

He pointed out renovations under way ahead of the summit, according to Rubin.

In one light-hearted moment, the Chinese president joked that Clinton's visit was a good excuse to pick up the pace of improvements to the ancient compound.

Albright was "struck by the personal gestures she has received during her two days here," Rubin said.

Jiang was philosophical when Albright brought up concerns about religious and cultural freedoms in Tibet during their one-hour meeting, U.S. officials said.

Jiang "launched into a 15-minute soliloquy about the history of religion in civilizations in China," one official said.

He quoted Balzac, the Old Testament and the history of Christianity in China. "It was an interesting intellectual philosophical description of the history of religion," the official added.

Rubin said Albright was delighted with Jiang's guided tour.

Accompanied by his chief builder, Jiang walked with Albright to a lake and a "spectacular" pavilion where some of the summit meetings would be held, Rubin said.

Easing of sanctions broached

Earlier, Albright suggested the administration was prepared to ease some U.S. sanctions imposed on China after the 1989 crackdown on democracy demonstrators at Tiananmen Square.

She made the offer at a meeting with American business executives, whose opportunities for profit in the burgeoning Chinese market are impeded by the suspension in arms trade, export licenses for satellites and restrictions on insuring investments here.

"We understand your concerns," Albright said over breakfast before going on to meetings with Jiang and Premier Zhu Ronji.

Clinton already has decided to sell U.S. nuclear equipment to China and to permit China limited use of its rockets to launch American satellites.

"We will consider future waivers, in the context of progress on China's part" in lowering barriers to American imports, Albright said.

Albright's offer reflected both China's growing power in the world economy and the impact trade barriers have on American sales in China. The deficit in trade grew 26 percent last year to nearly $50 billion.

Alluding to Congress' irritation with China's restrictions, Albright said "deficits of this magnitude create serious political problems back home, particularly when American industrial, agricultural and service exports face significant market barriers here."

The trade imbalance is one of three major concerns Albright is raising in a two-day visit designed to clear the way for Clinton's state visit in June. The others are China's dubious record on human rights and its export of weapons technology to Iran and Pakistan.

But Albright played down these differences while emphasizing a "strategic partnership" with China and setting a mood for Clinton's upcoming visit.

Having released a string of noted dissidents, China still holds some 2,000 political prisoners, by U.S. estimate.

'A strategic partnership'

The Clinton administration is shifting its strategy to push for wholesale releases, especially of so-called counterrevolutionaries, a senior U.S. official said after Albright's three-hour meeting with Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and two-hour dinner conversation with Vice Premier Qian Qichen.

On the other hand, Albright found the Chinese sharing U.S. determination to keep the Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons, eager to maintain peace in the oil-rich Persian Gulf and not challenging the huge U.S. military presence in the Pacific, said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Her stress on common interests resonated with a government whose restrictions on expression are beginning to ease nine years after the brutal crackdown on the pro-democracy movement.

"We shall achieve the objective of building a country and also develop the country according to law," Tang said at a joint news conference.

Both the Chinese official and Albright referred to a "strategic partnership" between their countries, giving their growing closeness far greater emphasis than their differences.

Newsmaker profiles:

• Madeleine Albright - U.S. Secretary of State

Message board:

• Chinese dissident released

Related stories:

• Albright vows to work for stronger ties with China - April 29, 1998
• Albright: China must make more progress on human rights - April 28, 1998
• China's Wang pleads for other dissidents' release - April 20, 1998
• Tiananmen leader Wang Dan arrives in U.S. - April 19, 1998
• Sources: China preparing to release dissident to U.S. - April 8, 1998
• U.S. praises China for stopping chemical transfer to Iran - March 13, 1998
• China's 'boss' being promoted to premier - March 9, 1998
• China, U.S. sign military cooperation agreement - January 19, 1998

Related sites:

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• U.S. Department of State
• China.Com
• China News Services
• Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C.
• Support Democracy in China
• Human Rights in China (HRIC)
• Japanese Ministry of Finance
• Official Residence of the Japanese Prime Minister
• Information about Japan - Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Asahi Newspaper

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