Asia needs good U.S.-Sino ties

Not least of the achievements of Richard Nixon, America's most accomplished foreign-policy president since World War II, was the rapprochement with China, so it is gratifying to observe that Bill Clinton is beginning to see the importance of renewing and reinvigorating the relationship.

In recent months, and especially now the election is behind him, Mr. Clinton has been demonstrating he is no longer indifferent to foreign policy. This has been especially apparent with regard to the relationship with China.

The new secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, is likely to build on what has been achieved and aim for a broader engagement and a healthier relationship with the world's largest emerging market.

Relations between the two countries have been strained on a number of issues. The present and future status of the U.S.- backed province of Taiwan is one. The question of labor rights and labor standards, often serving as a pretext for the exclusion of China from key European and North American markets, is another.

Then there is the question of human rights. For the Chinese, with some justification, the "rights" being referred to are those of the Americans to interfere with China's domestic security and legal apparatus.

Despite these difficulties, the recent meeting between Mr. Clinton and Jiang Zemin in Manila -- the cordiality and frankness of which was noteworthy -- gives cause for optimism. Any hint of the terminology of confrontation was absent from Mr. Clinton's speech, and in fact he went further than this in making clear that he had "no interest in containing China."

That is quite unlike some of his pronouncements four years ago, when he distressingly and inaccurately accused his predecessor, George Bush, of coddling dictators.

The importance of engaging China, especially at the commercial level, and of fostering a climate of responsible cooperation with Beijing's politburo, army and police, cannot be overstated. This is especially so from the vantage point of Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia.

Does Mr. Clinton want to go down in history as a president who mishandled the single most important bilateral relationship, and a vital one for the world community, out of respect for outdated anti-China dogma? Or does he want to go down as a peacemaker who bolstered security and allowed one of the world's poorest and most populous countries to develop without interference?

Good relations between the U.S. and China are, and will increasingly be seen to be, an indispensable factor promoting stability and peace in the Pacific Rim.

-- The Bangkok Post