DATE=04/05/99 TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP NUMBER=6-11225 TITLE=CHINA'S PRIME MINISTER COMES TO TOWN BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE TELEPHONE=619-3335 DATELINE=WASHINGTON EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS CONTENT= INTRO: THE PRIME MINISTER OF CHINA, ZHU RONGJI, ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON LATER THIS WEEK FOR TALKS WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON ON A WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES. THE VISIT TAKES PLACE AS SINO-U-S RELATIONS HAVE SUNK TO A RELATIVE LOW, DUE TO A SERIES OF DEVELOPMENTS, INCLUDING: ALLEGATIONS OF CHINESE PAYMENTS TO THE CLINTON REELECTION CAMPAIGN, ALLEGATIONS OF SYSTEMATIC THEFT OF NUCLEAR ARMS SECRETS FROM U-S LABS, AND THE REPRESSION OF DEMOCRATIC DISSIDENTS IN CHINA. THE ONGOING NATO STRIKES AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA ARE ANOTHER POINT OF CONTENTION. ON THE EVE OF THE VISIT, THERE IS A GOOD DEAL OF COMMENT IN THE U-S PRESS, AND WE GET A SAMPLING NOW FROM ___________ IN TODAY'S U-S OPINION ROUNDUP. TEXT: A HEADLINE IN SUNDAY'S "LOS ANGELES TIMES" GIVES SOME INDICATION OF THE PROBLEMS PRESIDENT CLINTON WILL BE FACING AS HE TRIES TO MAKE SOME PROGRESS WITH THE CHINESE LEADER, AMID GROWING HOSTILITY TOWARD CHINA IN CONGRESS AND ELSEWHERE. THE CALIFORNIA PAPER IS REPORTING THAT FORMER DEMOCRATIC FUND-RAISER JOHNNY CHUNG HAS TOLD OFFICIALS HE ACCEPTED 300-THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE CHIEF OF CHINA'S MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DESTINED FOR PRESIDENT CLINTON'S 1996 RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN. IT IS THE FIRST TIME A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN CHINA AND THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN REPORTED. BEIJING HAS EMPHATICALLY DENIED ANY ATTEMPT TO PUT MONEY INTO MR. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN, OR TO STEAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS SECRETS FROM U-S LABS. HOWEVER BOTH DEVELOPMENTS HAVE HELPED BRING RELATIONS WITH CHINA TO A RAW EDGE. WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING OF EDITORIAL COMMENT WITH "THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE" WHICH SEES THE TALKS AHEAD AS "ROUGH." VOICE: NEITHER THE UNITED STATES NOR CHINA IS GOING INTO THIS WEEK'S MEETING ... WITH EYES CLOSED. RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES ARE AT A LOW EBB - - FAR FROM THE SPIRIT OF OPTIMISM THAT CULMINATED PRESIDENT CLINTON'S TRIP TO CHINA LAST SUMMER - - AND NO ONE IS PRETENDING OTHERWISE. THERE'S NO DOUBT RELATIONS ARE AS BAD AS THEY HAVE BEEN IN YEARS. STATE-RUN CHINESE NEWSPAPERS ARE EQUATING AMERICAN BOMBING OF THE SERBS WITH THE NAZI BOMBING OF YUGOSLAVIA IN WORLD WAR TWO AND USING WORDS LIKE "RAPE" TO DESCRIBE THE NATO ATTACKS. CRACKDOWNS ON DISSIDENTS HAVE ESCALATED, AND THE REPRESSION IS BOUND TO GROW THE CLOSER IT GETS TO THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY IN JUNE OF THE TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE. CHINA ALSO IS FURIOUS THAT UNDER PRESSURE FROM CONGRESS, [MR.] CLINTON AGREED TO SPONSOR A RESOLUTION CRITICAL OF CHINA'S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD AT THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS CONVENTION IN GENEVA. ... THERE ARE PLENTY OF SUBJECTS AVAILABLE FOR DISCUSSION WHEN THE TWO LEADERS MEET ON THURSDAY. THE ISSUE IS HOW [PRESIDENT] CLINTON WILL HANDLE THEM. 'CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT' DOES NOT MEAN CAPITULATION. ... WITH [MR.] ZHU'S TRIP ... [MR.] CLINTON HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO STAND UP TO CHINA ON A HOST OF THESE ISSUES, ESPECIALLY HUMAN RIGHTS. ... THE TALKS WILL BE ROUGH, BUT THEY CAN BE A LEVER FOR CHANGE. TEXT: "THE NEW YORK TIMES" IS ALSO CALLING FOR A TOUGHER STANCE ON THE PART OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION, ESPECIALLY ON THE TOPICS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND PROTECTION OF SENSITIVE MILITARY SECRETS. VOICE: THE TIMING OF MR. ZHU'S VISIT ... SHOULD BE CONDUCIVE TO A SOBER EXCHANGE OF VIEWS. CHINA STRONGLY OPPOSED NATO'S AIR STRIKES ON SERBIA. WASHINGTON IS CHALLENGING BEIJING'S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD AT UNITED NATIONS MEETINGS IN GENEVA. MEANWHILE, EFFORTS TO FINALIZE AGREEMENT ON CHINA'S ADMISSION TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, ONCE PLANNED AS THE VISIT'S CENTERPIECE, HAVE HIT A SNAG OVER BEIJING'S RELUCTANCE TO OPEN SOME OF ITS MARKETS. THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION SHOULD USE THE WASHINGTON SEGMENT OF THE TRIP FOR A CANDID DISCUSSION OF CURRENT DIFFERENCES. THE WHITE HOUSE OUGHT TO MAKE CLEAR THAT ITS ACTIONS IN GENEVA COME IN RESPONSE TO BEIJING'S CRACKDOWN ON DISSENT, WHICH BEGAN AFTER PRESIDENT CLINTON VISITED CHINA LAST SUMMER. TEXT: "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES" PRESENTS READERS WITH THE CHINESE PERSPECTIVE, IN THIS COLUMN BY WANG JISI, DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN STUDIES IN BEIJING, WHO SEES THE AMERICAN MEDIA AS THE MAIN CULPRIT, NOT THE ADMINISTRATION. VOICE: KNOWLEDGEABLE POLICY ANALYSTS [IN CHINA] UNDERSTAND THAT THE ACCUSATIONS, ESPECIALLY THE RECENT 'SECURITY LEAK' TALES, ARE AIMED AS MUCH AT PRESIDENT CLINTON AS AT CHINA. IN THE POST-MONICA WORLD, 'CATCHING CHINA REDHANDED' MIGHT MAKE A GOOD CASE FOR HARASSING A WHITE HOUSE THAT PURSUES A POLICY OF ENGAGING CHINA. THE ANTI-CHINA DRUMBEAT, HOWEVER, HAS A POISONOUS SIDE EFFECT. IT BRINGS SHAME ON THE U-S AS A BENIGN AND RESPONSIBLE WORLD POWER. IT ALIENATES AMERICANS FROM PEOPLE IN CHINA, INCLUDING FUTURE LEADERS AND YOUNG, LIBERAL-MINDED INTELLECTUALS ... A NEW COLD WAR BETWEEN CHINA AND THE U-S CAN BE AVOIDED IF THEY WORK TOGETHER TO KEEP THE MONENTUM SET UP BY PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN AND [MR.] CLINTON IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. ... PREMIER ZHU, ONE OF THE ABLEST AND MOST RESPECTED LEADERS CHINA HAS EVER HAD, IS READY TO REACH OUT HIS HAND. IT IS UP TO THE AMERICANS TO SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY. TEXT: CALIFORNIA'S SAN JOSE "MERCURY NEWS" SAYS IN PART: VOICE: A CRITICAL JUNCTURE LIES AHEAD, WITH PREMIER [ZHU'S] TRIP ... IN ADVANCE OF THAT, THE UNITED STATES IS STRONGLY CRITICIZING CHINA IN PUBLIC OVER HUMAN RIGHTS WHILE INTENSELY NEGOTIATING TRADE ISSUES IN PRIVATE. PRESIDENT CLINTON SEES PROSPECTS FOR PARALLEL PROGRESS ON BOTH ISSUES, BY TREATING THEM SEPARATELY. BUT MANY IN CONGRESS WOULD LINK THEM, TAMPERING WITH TRADE TO EXPRESS FRUSTRATION WITH CHINESE OPPRESSION OR SUSPICION OF NUCLEAR SPYING. ENTANGLING THESE ISSUES IS DANGEROUS DIPLOMACY THAT COULD FRACTURE ALREADY FRAGILE RELATIONS. TEXT: "THE WASHINGTON POST" ADDS THIS SUMMATION ON THE VISIT'S ISSUES. VOICE: ... TOO OFTEN, MR. CLINTON HAS SEEMED TO CONSIDER FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH CHINA'S LEADERS A SUCCESS IN ITSELF. BUT AMERICA'S NATURAL ALLIES IN THE REGION ARE ASIA'S DEMOCRACIES -- JAPAN, TAIWAN, SOUTH KOREA, AND THE REST. AND ITS NATURAL ALLIES INSIDE CHINA ARE THOSE PUSHING FOR MORE DEMOCRACY ... THE TEST OF A SUCCESSFUL SUMMIT WILL BE HOW WELL IT ADVANCES THE CAUSE OF [PRO DEMOCRACY OFFICIALS LIKE RECENTLY PURGED] BAO TONG AND HIS ASSOCIATES, NOT WHETHER MR. ZHU GOES HOME HAPPY. TEXT: WITH THAT, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF U-S PRESS REACTION TO THIS WEEK'S VISIT OF CHINESE PRIME MINISTER ZHU RONGJI. NEB/ANG/WFR 05-Apr-99 1:53 PM EDT (1753 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .