DATE=5/29/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=JIANG-CLINTON (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-262918
BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON
DATELINE=BEIJING
CONTENT=

VOICED AT:


INTRO:  China's official news agency says Chinese 
President Jiang Zemin called President Clinton Sunday 
night to thank him for shepherding crucial trade 
legislation through the U-S House of Representatives 
last week.  VOA correspondent Roger Wilkison reports 
the bill grants Beijing's exports permanent low-tariff 
access to the US market, an action Mr. Jiang says will 
improve Sino-U-S relations.


TEXT:  China's Xinhua news agency says Mr. Jiang spoke 
with Mr. Clinton over the Beijing-to-Washington "hot 
line" through which the two men occasionally 
communicate.  Xinhua says Mr. Jiang told Mr. Clinton 
he appreciates the efforts to get the bill passed, 
made by what he called "people of insight", including 
the U-S President and legislators from both the 
Democratic and Republican parties.  But Xinhua also 
quotes Mr. Jiang as saying that the legislation 
contains some articles that China cannot accept, a 
reference to provisions establishing a commission to 
examine human rights violations in China.

The Clinton Administration says including those 
provisions in the bill was necessary to obtain the 
support of wavering House Democrats, who were 
reluctant to give up an annual debate on renewing 
China's trade privileges.  The legislation now moves 
to the Senate, where it is expected to pass without 
the controversy that surrounded the House vote.

Xinhua says Mr. Clinton told the Chinese leader that 
his administration will work to secure Senate approval 
as quickly as possible.  The news agency says Mr. 
Clinton agreed with Mr. Jiang that allowing Chinese 
goods permanent low-tariff access to the U-S market 
will strengthen the relationship between the two 
countries.

Xinhua quotes Mr. Jiang as saying that Sino-U-S 
relations have experienced ups and downs over the past 
eight years but that, on the whole, they have been 
steadily improving.  Still, the Chinese president 
emphasized that the key to even better relations is 
what he called the proper handling of the Taiwan 
issue.

Even though the United States recognizes China's claim 
to Taiwan, it is also committed by law to help the 
island defend itself against a Chinese attack.  China 
has long insisted that Washington should not interfere 
in what Beijing views as a purely domestic matter and 
demands that the United States halt all arms sales to 
Taiwan.  (SIGNED) 


NEB/RW/FC/PLM



29-May-2000 05:15 AM EDT (29-May-2000 0915 UTC)
NNNN

Source: Voice of America
.