Li Peng seeking limelight from European trip<\/p>\n
By Philippe Massonnet<\/p>\n
BEIJING (AFP): Prime Minister Li Peng will be looking to
\nreinforce China's economic miracle and win back control of the
\ncountry's foreign policy when he goes to Europe this week.<\/p>\n
Li starts the two-week tour when he heads for Austria on
\nTuesday. From there he will go on to Germany for a week and then
\non to China's former main European ally, Rumania.<\/p>\n
Because of his serious heart problems, this will only be the
\n65-year-old prime minister's second trip abroad in two and a half
\nyears.<\/p>\n
President Jiang Zemin has instead taken the lead in foreign
\naffairs. In the past year, Jiang has been building up air miles
\non foreign travel.<\/p>\n
The president, a rival to Li in any battle for power in the
\npost-Deng Xiaoping era, has earned political prestige from
\nappearances with world leaders, such as his meeting with
\nPresident Bill Clinton at last year's Asia-Pacific Economic
\nCooperation forum.<\/p>\n
\"Li Peng is determined to retake control of foreign policy
\nthat he lost in 1993 and match the good image Jiang Zemin has in
\nthe West,\" said one European diplomat in Beijing.<\/p>\n
Li will be concentrating diplomatic efforts on Germany,
\nChina's main trading partner in Europe, where he will arrive on
\nSunday.<\/p>\n
Zhao Ziyang, the man replaced as premier, was the last head of
\ngovernment to visit Germany, back in 1985.<\/p>\n
Relations between the two countries are good, even though
\nBeijing protested the visit last month to Germany by Tibetan
\nspiritual leader the Dalai Lama. It was also unhappy at German
\nForeign Minister Klaus Kinkel's meeting with Chinese dissident
\nWang Juntao.<\/p>\n
According to German figures, two-way trade is growing. Chinese
\nexports grew 18.25 percent and German exports 67 percent over the
\nprevious year.<\/p>\n
German firms are very active in China and Chancellor Helmut
\nKohl harvested an impressive array of new contracts on a visit to
\nBeijing last November.<\/p>\n
Talks will concentrate on economic issues, according to German
\nsources in Beijing. To help him, Li will be accompanied by 150
\ntrade experts and senior Chinese business leaders.<\/p>\n
Several contracts are to be signed, some first discussed when
\nKohl was in Beijing.<\/p>\n
The first stage of the tour in Austria will also concentrate
\non trade. But in Rumania, where Li will be from July 9 to July
\n12, he will renew an old friendship. When Nicolae Ceausescu was
\npresident of Rumania he made his country China's number one ally
\nin communist eastern Europe.<\/p>\n
Li would have liked to visit France on the tour, following the
\nnormalization of ties between the two countries when Edouard
\nBalladur, the French premier, was in Beijing in April, analysts
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
But he was not invited. President Jiang Zemin, however, was
\nasked by President Francois Mitterrand and should go to France in
\nSeptember. \"Li Peng considers that to be an affront,\" a Chinese
\ndiplomat said. \"Each time the problem is discussed it makes him
\nangry.\"<\/p>\n
Britain is also not on the list. But a visit there is unlikely
\nwhile the dispute continues on how Hong Kong should be run after
\nthe return to Chinese rule in 1997.<\/p>",
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