DATE=7/1/98 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-40834 TITLE=CLINTON-CHINA / SUMMIT ASSESSMENT BYLINE=STEPHANIE MANN DATELINE=WASHINGTON CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: PRESIDENT CLINTON IS GETTING HIGH MARKS FOR HIS TRIP TO CHINA AND HIS SUMMIT WITH PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN. CORRESPONDENT STEPHANIE MANN REPORTS THE PRAISE IS NOT SO MUCH FOR THE SUBSTANCE OF THE MEETINGS, BUT FOR THE SYMBOLISM AND IMAGES OF THE PRESIDENT'S CHINA TOUR. TEXT: THE CONCRETE RESULTS OF PRESIDENT CLINTON'S TRIP TO CHINA AND HIS MEETING WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN ARE RELATIVELY LIMITED. ALTHOUGH THE TWO COUNTRIES AGREED TO RE-PROGRAM THEIR MISSILES SO THEY ARE NO LONGER AIMED AT EACH OTHER, MANY EXPERTS AGREE THIS HAS MOSTLY SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE, BECAUSE THE MISSILES CAN BE RE-TARGETED WITHIN MINUTES. MOREOVER, CHINA HAS NOT YET AGREED TO JOIN THE MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME, WHICH IS INTENDED TO CURB THE PROLIFERATION OF MISSILES TO OTHER COUNTRIES -- AND THERE WAS NO REAL PROGRESS IN OPENING CHINA'S FINANCIAL SERVICES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS MARKETS, OR MOVING CHINA CLOSER TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION. BUT ANALYSTS SAY MR. CLINTON'S TRIP TO CHINA HAS BEEN A SUCCESS. THE DIRECTOR OF CHINA STUDIES AT THE JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, DAVID LAMPTON, POINTS TO WHAT HE CALLS THE PROCEDURAL SUCCESSES OF THE SUMMIT. // LAMPTON ACT ONE // PROCEDURALLY, I THINK THIS TRIP HAS GONE A LONG WAY TO PUT THE RELATIONSHIP BACK ON A BUSINESSLIKE BASIS -- THAT IS THAT BOTH SIDES WILL MEET REGULARLY AT THE SUMMIT LEVEL, WHETHER OR NOT IT IS VERY CONVENIENT IN TERMS OF DOMESTIC POLITICS. AND ALSO, I THINK IT IS PROCEDURALLY A SUCCESS BECAUSE IT HAS RE-INTRODUCED THE SECURITY RATIONALE INTO THE RELATIONSHIP THAT BECAME MUCH WEAKER AFTER THE SOVIET UNION FELL. THAT IS TO SAY THAT THE TWO SIDES HAVE AGREED THAT THE BASIS FOR THEIR RELATIONSHIP, IMPORTANTLY, IS THE JOINT MANAGEMENT OF SECURITY PROBLEMS, WHETHER IT IS THE KOREAN PENINSULA OR ARMS RACE ON THE (INDIAN) SUBCONTINENT. // END ACT // MR. LAMPTON SAYS BOTH SIDES GOT WHAT THEY NEEDED. MR. CLINTON WAS ABLE TO REFUTE DOMESTIC AMERICAN CRITICISM ABOUT THE TRIP, AND, HE SAYS PRESIDENT JIANG WAS ABLE TO SHOW THAT HE CAN HOLD HIS OWN IN A MEETING WITH THE U-S PRESIDENT. MR. LAMPTON ALSO SAYS MR. JIANG SHOULD BE GIVEN CREDIT FOR ALLOWING THE JOINT NEWS CONFERENCE AND PRESIDENT CLINTON'S SPEECH AT BEIJING UNIVERSITY TO BE BROADCAST LIVE IN CHINA. // LAMPTON ACT TWO // WE OUGHT TO GIVE THE CHINESE CREDIT WHEN THEY DESERVE SOME CREDIT. THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT PRESIDENT CLINTON WAS GOING TO SAY. THEY COULD NOT BE SURE. SO, I THINK THAT PRESIDENT JIANG UNDERTOOK SOME RISK THERE, AS INDEED PRESIDENT CLINTON UNDERTOOK RISK DOMESTICALLY TO GO TO CHINA. // END ACT // CHINESE HISTORY EXPERT MERLE GOLDMAN SAYS THE LIVE BROADCASTS ACTUALLY MAY HAVE FIT INTO WHAT SHE SAYS MAY BE JIANG ZEMIN'S AGENDA -- THAT IS, TO ALLOW MORE PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF POLITICAL REFORM AND HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES. PROFESSOR GOLDMAN, WHO TEACHES AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY, SAYS THE PUBLIC DEBATE BETWEEN MR. JIANG AND MR. CLINTON ABOUT THE 1989 CRACKDOWN IN BEIJING'S TIANANMEN SQUARE AND ABOUT TIBET AND THE DALAI LAMA HAS ACCELERATED THE DISCUSSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA. // GOLDMAN ACT ONE // I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE TRIP WAS THE FACT THAT HE WAS ABLE TO SPEAK OUT FORTHRIGHTLY TO A NATIONWIDE AUDIENCE IN CHINA. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME THE CHINESE HEARD ON THEIR OWN OFFICIAL MEDIA THAT THE MILITARY CRACKDOWN ON THE DEMONSTRATORS IN TIANANMEN SQUARE ON JUNE THE FOURTH, 1989, WAS WHAT CLINTON CALLED -- WRONG AND A TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE. I THINK THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT. // END ACT // MS. GOLDMAN PRAISES PRESIDENT CLINTON FOR OPENLY DISCUSSING HUMAN RIGHTS IN A CONTEXT THE CHINESE PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND -- FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THE UNITED STATES HAS PROBLEMS WITH ECONOMIC RIGHTS IN ITS INNER CITIES. SHE NOTES HE SPOKE POSITIVELY OF CHINA'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN ECONOMIC RIGHTS, BUT THEN ADDED THOSE RIGHTS CAN NOT BE SEPARATED FROM POLITICAL RIGHTS SUCH AS FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION OR WORSHIP. // OPT // MS. GOLDMAN SAYS THE PRESIDENT'S EXTEMPORANEOUS EXCHANGE WITH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IS SOMETHING CHINESE PEOPLE DO NOT USUALLY SEE. // OPT GOLDMAN ACT TWO // I THINK IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN AMERICAN POLITICIAN IN ACTION. IT GIVES THEM AN EXAMPLE OF HOW DEMOCRACY WORKS -- THAT IT IS NOT A POLITICAL SYSTEM IN WHICH THE TOP LEADERSHIP GIVES ORDERS AND PEOPLE CARRY THEM OUT, THAT THE TOP LEADERSHIP ENGAGES IN SOME KIND OF GIVE AND TAKE WITH THE PUBLIC. // END ACT // END OPT // IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER PRESIDENT CLINTON'S SUCCESS ON THE CHINA TRIP WILL MUTE SOME OF THE CRITICISM HE FACES IN WASHINGTON. CRITICS SAY HIS POLICY OF ENGAGEMENT MAY HAVE LED TO UN-AUTHORIZED TRANSFERS OF MISSILE TECHNOLOGY AND MAY HAVE ENCOURAGED ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CHINA. OTHER CRITICS SAY HIS POLICY HAS NOT LED TO ENOUGH PROGRESS ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA. MR. LAMPTON AND PROFESSOR GOLDMAN AGREE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME PEOPLE WHO DO NOT LIKE MR. CLINTON OR HIS APPROACH ON CERTAIN ISSUES. BUT PROFESSOR GOLDMAN SAYS ON THIS TRIP THE PRESIDENT HAS DONE WHAT SHE CALLS -- A CREDIBLE JOB THAT WILL UNDERCUT MUCH OF THE CRITICISM. // GOLDMAN ACT THREE // HIS ARGUMENT THAT -- WE WILL HAVE MUCH GREATER IMPACT ON CHINA BY ENGAGING CHINA AND SETTING UP SOME KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA THAN WE HAVE BY ISOLATING CHINA -- I THINK IS REALLY VALIDATED BY THIS TRIP, BECAUSE IT IS CLEAR THAT HIS ABILITY TO EXPRESS HIS IDEAS AND GET THEM OUT TO THE PUBLIC WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. // END ACT // MR. LAMPTON SAYS OPINION POLLS HAVE SHOWN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT'S POLICY ON CHINA. (SIGNED) NEB/SMN/RAE 01-Jul-98 3:13 PM EDT (1913 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .