China dissident release a chip in MFN bargaining
BEIJING (Reuter): China's release of one of its most famous dissidents is one move in the complicated chess game of securing Most Favored Nation trading status from U.S. President Bill Clinton, diplomats and Chinese sources said yesterday.
Wang, 35, sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1991 on charges of masterminding the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing, was greeted on arrival at New York's Kennedy Airport on Saturday by his wife, Hou Xiaotian.
The People's Daily made no mention on Sunday of Wang's release, which was reported by Xinhua's English-language service on Saturday.
"It took a week of discussions with his father to persuade Wang to go," a Chinese source said. "Although his health has not been good, he did not want to leave China. When you go abroad, you lose your influence.
"It is a paradox. In the land of free speech, no one listens to what you say. For some people, agreeing to this is a bargain with the devil -- leaving the country to save your own skin."
He said the initial impetus for Wang's release had come from the United States, and Beijing had agreed to it only on the condition that he leave China.
"The leadership is learning from the former Soviet Union -- neutralize dissidents by sending them abroad. But the move is positive. It is a concession by Beijing and shows it responds to pressure. If the U.S. stopped such pressure, even more dissidents would be in prison," the source said.
'Black hands'
Beijing described Wang as one of the "black hands" or key figures in the 1989 protests.
"The release, which must have been authorized by Deng Xiaoping, was not a simple matter for China in view of the crimes Wang was accused of," a Western diplomat said.
"There are different opinions within the government. Many oppose giving way to what are seen as endless American demands," he said.
"But each dissident release is weighed against the value of the desired reward," he said. "Last September it was Wei Jingsheng, in the hope of getting the Olympics. This time it is another heavyweight, Wang Juntao, to get MFN."
Clinton must decide by June 3 whether to extend China's MFN trade benefits. He can do so under U.S. law only if China makes "significant progress" on human rights.
Last month Wei was detained again. Diplomats say Beijing has accused Wei of breaking the terms of his release by giving interviews and publishing articles.
Beijing's MFN diplomacy is not restricted to releasing dissidents. Chinese leaders miss no opportunity to say the loss of MFN status could cost U.S. companies billions of dollars in business in China.
To hammer home the message, Foreign Trade Minister Wu Yi has for two weeks been leading a 200-member mission in the United States that has signed contracts and agreements China's press said were worth $11 billion.
At one of the contract signing ceremonies in New York, Wu said MFN was a trade issue and the basis of economic relations between the two countries.
She warned it should not be mixed with other issues or "man- made obstacles". Responding to such pressure, many U.S. companies have called on Clinton to extend MFN.