DATE=4/5/99 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-43023 TITLE=CHINA/U-S RELATIONS BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO DATELINE=BEIJING CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: ON THE EVE OF CHINESE PREMIER ZHU RONGJI'S TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES, THE SPOTLIGHT IS ONCE AGAIN SHINING ON TIES BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND BEIJING. V-O-A'S STEPHANIE HO REPORTS, THE U-S-CHINA RELATIONSHIP IS CURRENTLY SUFFERING FROM DIFFERENCES OVER A HOST OF ISSUES. TEXT: AT A NEWS CONFERENCE LAST MONTH, CHINESE PREMIER ZHU ACKNOWLEDGED THAT RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES ARE FAR FROM PERFECT. // ZHU AND INTERPRETER ACT // (CHINESE) DUE TO VARIOUS REASONS, WHICH I DON'T SEE THE NEED TO MENTION HERE, THERE HAS EMERGED AN ANTI-CHINA WAVE IN THE UNITED STATES, WHICH HAS CAUSED CONCERN FROM OUR SIDE. // END ACT // AMERICAN POLICYMAKERS DISAGREE WITH THE CHINESE PREMIER THAT THE CURRENT DIFFERENCES AMOUNT TO MERE CHINA-BASHING, AS OPPOSED TO SERIOUS DIFFERENCES OVER MAJOR POLICY ISSUES. BUT WHATEVER THE PERSPECTIVE, PROFESSOR DAVID SHAMBAUGH -- GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY'S DIRECTOR OF CHINA POLICY STUDIES -- AGREES MR. ZHU FACES AN INHOSPITABLE ATMOSPHERE IN THE UNITED STATES. // SHAMBAUGH ACT // THE U-S POLITICAL CLIMATE IS SO HOSTILE RIGHT NOW TO CHINA THAT HE IS WALKING INTO A SNAKE PIT. // END ACT // PROFESSOR SHAMBAUGH SAYS INSTEAD OF BEING STRATEGIC PARTNERS, THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA ARE MORE LIKE COMPETITORS ON THE WORLD STAGE. // SHAMBAUGH ACT // I SEE THE TWO AS DIVERGING RATHER THAN GROWING CLOSER. THERE'S NO STRATEGIC GLUE IN THE RELATIONSHIP. // END ACT // HE ADDS THAT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC VIEWS CHINA WITH DEEP SUSPICION FOR A HOST OF REASONS. U-S MEDIA IN RECENT WEEKS HAVE BEEN FULL OF REPORTS OF ALLEGED CHINESE THEFT OF U-S NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY FROM A LABORATORY IN LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO. ALSO, WASHINGTON HAS DECIDED TO SPONSOR A RESOLUTION CRITICAL OF CHINA AT THE ANNUAL UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS MEETING IN GENEVA. ALLEGED CHINESE EFFORTS TO INFLUENCE AMERICAN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS IS ALSO AN ISSUE THAT HAS NOT GONE AWAY. ON SUNDAY, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES NEWSPAPER REPORTED THAT CHINA'S HEAD OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE, GENERAL JI SHENGDE, GAVE 300-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO JOHNNY CHUNG TO SUBSIDIZE CAMPAIGN DONATIONS FOR PRESIDENT CLINTON. TRADE IS ANOTHER SORE SPOT, ALTHOUGH BUSINESS BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES CONTINUES. U-S COMMERCE SECRETARY WILLIAM DALEY WAS IN CHINA LAST WEEK TO PRESIDE OVER THE SIGNING OF SEVERAL BUSINESS DEALS. // DALEY ACT // I'M VERY HAPPY TO REPORT THAT MY THIRD VISIT TO BEIJING AS COMMERCE SECRETARY HAS BEEN MOST PRODUCTIVE. // END ACT // BUT MR. DALEY STRESSED THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH MORE FROM THE CHINESE SIDE THAN A FEW DEALS TO NARROW A 57-BILLION DOLLAR U-S TRADE DEFICIT WITH CHINA. FOR ITS PART, BEIJING HAS STRONGLY CRITICIZED THE NATO AIR STRIKES AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA. ON SUNDAY, THE STATE-RUN YANGCHENG EVENING NEWS CALLED YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC A FOLK HERO. AT THE SAME TIME, THE NEWSPAPER RAN A COLOR PICTURE OF PRESIDENT CLINTON, WITH A HITLER MUSTACHE SUPERIMPOSED ON HIS FACE. DESPITE BEIJING'S DIFFERENCES WITH WASHINGTON, THOUGH, CHINESE PREMIER ZHU SAYS HE STILL MUST MAKE HIS U-S TRIP. // ZHU AND INTERPRETER ACT // (CHINESE) MY VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES IS DESIGNED TO LET ME TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. AND ALSO TO LET YOU VENT YOUR ANGER OR LET YOU VENT YOUR COMPLAINTS. AND ALSO TO RESUME THE GOOD MOMENTUM OF BUILDING TOWARDS CONSTRUCTIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES. // END ACT // MR. ZHU SAYS HE KNOWS THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE UNITED STATES WILL NOT BE SO GOOD, BECAUSE OF RECENT EVENTS. BUT HE SAYS HE HOPES HE WILL NOT BE WALKING INTO A MINEFIELD. (SIGNED) NEB/HO/FC 05-Apr-99 6:08 AM EDT (1008 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .