China Reform Monitor, No. 86, June 22,
1998
American Foreign Policy Council, Washington, D.C.
57
Chinese dissidents urge Clinton to meet democracy advocate
in Beijing;
On eve of Beijing departure, Clinton urges permanent MFN
for China
- June 14
-
Emphasizing the importance of
appearances in Chinese culture, a New York Times
article compares the upcoming Clinton Chinese visit to
an old Chinese proverb that describes donkey dung:
"Shiny on the outside, smelly within." The
fact that the US and China are far apart on issues
such as human rights and Taiwan," writes Seth
Faison, "is fine with China's leaders, who care
about appearances above all... the first visit by a US
president since the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy
demonstrators in Tiananmen Square is tremendously
important to Communist Party bosses in Beijing.
Largely for the way it symbolizes approval of their
rule."
- June 16
-
In a response to the rock concert for
Tibetan freedom, Chinese embassy official Yu Shuning,
writes to editors of the Washington Post
that the West has several misconceptions.
"Misconception 1: Tibet is occupied by China. The
region was liberated peacefully," he writes.
"The question of China's occupation of Tibet does
not exist... Misconception 2: Great numbers of Han
ethnic group have immigrated to Tibet... Misconception
3: Tibetan religion and culture are being destroyed...
Tibet has enjoyed autonomy for four decades..."
- June 19
-
In an open letter received by the US
embassy and international news agencies in Beijing , a
group of 57 Chinese dissidents residing in 14
provinces appealed to President Clinton to
"clearly state your concerns for democracy and
human rights," during his unprecedented nine day
visit to China. "If not," they wrote,
"we would be incapable of believing your Beijing
trip has any significance other than helping the
Chinese government cast off the diplomatic shadows
from June 4 [Tiananmen Square massacre] in exchange
for your own political gains." The dissidents
also requested that Clinton meet with Beijing-based
dissident Xu Wenli, the AP and Reuters report. White
House officials had previously stated that Clinton
would not meet with dissidents during his China visit.
- June 21
Preparing to depart for China, President
Clinton stated that he supports giving China permanent
Most Favored Nation trade status rather than Congress
annually reviewing Beijing's trade privileges, the Washington
Post reports. "I don't think this debate
every year serves a particularly useful purpose,"
Clinton said, fully reversing the vows he made while
running for president in 1992, when he linked China's
trade status to human rights.
The Post adds, Clinton stated
he wants to avoid the fractious debate in Congress over
China's MFN status which many members of Congress
oppose because of China's widespread abuses of human
rights [as well as weapons of mass destruction
proliferation, unfair trade practices].
"Clinton's trip to China is
scripted on a set of fictions," writes Jim Hoagland
in the Post, ". . . the agenda is to change
the way the United States thinks about a Chinese
leadership that still refuses to change the way it thinks
about the United States and democracy. The president errs
in being a political stage prop for this regime."
--Al Santoli
-
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© 2000, American Foreign Policy Council.
All Rights Reserved.
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