Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

CLINTON IN CHINA: THE OVERVIEW

CLINTON IN CHINA: THE OVERVIEW; Clinton and Jiang Debate Views Live on TV, Clashing on Rights

See the article in its original context from
June 28, 1998, Section 1, Page 8Buy Reprints
TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.

The United States-China summit meeting ended tonight with a formal state dinner after an extraordinary live televised exchange between President Clinton and Jiang Zemin, the Chinese President, over human rights, Tibet and China's path to the future.

The two leaders announced a number of agreements, including a pledge to retarget their ballistic missiles quickly so that neither side is aiming nuclear weapons at the other.

The two nations also announced modest progress toward China's adherence to an international missile proliferation agreement and steps toward China's entry into the World Trade Organization.

But the drama of the meeting came in a remarkable 70-minute news conference, carried live on nationwide Chinese television, in which the two Presidents differed sharply on the nature of personal freedom, the role of the state and the meaning of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations that were violently suppressed by the Chinese Government in June 1989.

Some American officials expressed concern after today's exchange that the Chinese might not permit the broadcast of Mr. Clinton's speech on Monday to students at Beijing University, the rhetorical centerpiece of the President's nine-day visit to China. But they said the President had made his point in unvarnished terms before a potentially huge audience.

Because few Chinese knew that the news conference would be televised live, it was unclear how many had actually seen it, although by the evening news of the debate appeared to have spread widely. .

The meeting was the first time a foreign leader had squarely confronted the painful legacy of Tiananmen Square on Chinese soil -- and on Chinese airwaves.

American officials were jubilant because the news conference allowed Mr. Clinton to speak without filters to the Chinese people of American concerns about China's human rights record. It was also, in their view, a powerful response to critics in the United States who said that Mr. Clinton should not have rewarded the Chinese Government with a high-profile summit meeting even as its Communist leaders continued to suppress political speech and the free exercise of religion.

American officials said they did not signal to the Chinese in advance of the news conference that Mr. Clinton planned to speak out forcefully on the Tiananmen Square tragedy. They said they did not want to force Mr. Jiang into a defensive posture, or, more importantly, cause the Chinese to pull the plug on the live broadcast of the event.

The spirited exchange recalled earlier confrontations between top American officials and Communist leaders, including the ''kitchen debate'' between Richard M. Nixon, then Vice President, and Nikita S. Khrushchev and an early meeting between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev. It also echoed a similar debate on human rights when President Jiang was in Washington last October. But at today's news conference, the back and forth was more forceful and animated.

Mr. Clinton flatly told the Chinese leader that his Government had been ''wrong'' to use force to end the peaceful demonstrations of the spring of 1989 and that broad personal freedom and political expression were the price of admission to the world community of the 21st century.

''For all of our agreements, we still disagree about the meaning of what happened then,'' Mr. Clinton said in his opening statement, referring to the violent crackdown on Tiananmen Square the night of June 3-4, 1989, that left hundreds of protesters dead.

''I believe, and the American people believe, that the use of force and the tragic loss of life was wrong,'' the President said as a stone-faced Mr. Jiang looked on. ''I believe, and the American people believe, that freedom of speech, association and religion are, as recognized by the U.N. Charter, the right of people everywhere and should be protected by their governments.''

When asked by a reporter about Mr. Clinton's remarks on Tiananmen Square, Mr. Jiang appeared ready with an answer. He defended the use of the army to end what he called the ''disturbances'' of 1989 as essential to maintaining order.

He said the United States and China had different social systems, ideologies, histories and cultures. ''So it's nothing strange that we may have some difference of views over some issues,'' Mr. Jiang said.

Becoming more emphatic in his expression and gestures, he added, ''I have stated our position that with regard to the political disturbances in 1989, had the Chinese Government not taken the resolute measures, then we could not have enjoyed the stability that we are enjoying today.'' He then offered Mr. Clinton an opportunity to reply.

Mr. Clinton said that the American system was based on a delicate balance between personal liberty and central authority, with liberty the paramount value.

''So the question for all societies going forward into the 21st century is, which is the better gamble?'' Mr. Clinton said. ''If you have a lot of personal freedom, some people may abuse it. But if you are so afraid of personal freedom because of the abuse that you limit people's freedom too much, then you pay, I believe, an even greater price.''

On Tibet, Mr. Clinton urged Mr. Jiang to initiate a direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the mountain region's religious leader, in return for recognition that Tibet is part of China. He also urged Mr. Jiang to respect the ''unique cultural and religious heritage'' of Tibet.

Mr. Jiang insisted that religious freedom was protected in Tibet and said Beijing had invested millions of dollars in the economic development of Tibet and restoration of historic shrines.

But he expressed bewilderment that many educated Americans and Europeans would believe in Lamaism and blindly support the Dalai Lama's calls for greater autonomy.

Mr. Clinton, permitted the last word, said: ''Let me say something that will perhaps be unpopular with everyone. I have spent time with the Dalai Lama. I believe him to be an honest man, and I believe if he had a conversation with President Jiang, they would like each other very much.'' The audience, both Chinese and American, laughed.

At the state dinner in the Great Hall of the People, the leaders wore business suits and Hillary Rodham Clinton a bright yellow pants suit.

In toasting Mr. Clinton, Mr. Jiang noted that the relationship between China and the United States had seen ''some twists and turns'' but was nevertheless moving forward. He acknowledged differences on some fundamental issues, but added, ''What is important is that the common interests between the two sides far outweigh their differences.''

In his toast, Mr. Clinton said, ''We Americans appreciate the mutual respect of our relationship -- a relationship based on cooperation, candor and recognition of each other's values and traditions.''

The agreements announced today offered no breakthroughs in United States-China relations. Rather, they were incremental steps across a broad range of issues.

The two nations will work more closely on fighting disease and environmental health problems, on combating drugs and on clean energy programs. They will cooperate on legal reforms, including the use of the legal system to insure the observance of human rights.

They agreed to work together to reduce and eventually eliminate the global use of antipersonnel land mines. And they pledged to jointly press India and Pakistan to walk back from the nuclear brink by halting all nuclear tests.

''I think this has been quite an extraordinary day in the evolution of U.S.-China relations,'' said Samuel R. Berger, the White House national security adviser. ''This is a summit that produced substantial results that will make life more secure and improve lives in other ways for the American people and for the Chinese people.

''We also saw today a truly historic press conference that for the first time witnessed the leader of the United States and the leader of China discussing and debating a range of issues, but most particularly human rights, to a live audience across China and the United States.''

On Sunday morning, President and Mrs. Clinton attended services at Chongwenmen Church, the largest officially-sanctioned church in Beijing, with nearly 3,000 members.

The congregation presented Mr. Clinton with a bilingual Bible and invited him to speak to the overflow crowd.

''We celebrate with you the growth of the practice of our faith in China,'' Mr. Clinton said in remarks that lasted less than five minutes. ''I believe our faith calls upon us to seek unity with people across the world with different backgrounds and races and creeds.''

The President added, ''I believe Chinese and Americans are brothers and sisters as children of God. We come here in that spirit today.''

The President's schedule for Sunday included a tour of the Forbidden City palace in Beijing and a trip to the Great Wall. In the evening, Mr. Clinton and Mr. Jiang were to hold a private dinner at the Zhongnanhai government compound.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section 1, Page 8 of the National edition with the headline: CLINTON IN CHINA: THE OVERVIEW; Clinton and Jiang Debate Views Live on TV, Clashing on Rights. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT