Clinton raises human rights, Korea with President Jiang

Clinton raises human rights, Korea with President Jiang

JAKARTA (Reuter): U.S. President Bill Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin are in broad agreement over keeping the Korean peninsula nuclear free but old differences over human rights remain, U.S. officials said yesterday.

They said Korea was the main topic as the two presidents met on the eve of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, expected to form the world's largest free-trade zone.

Jiang said the Chinese "welcomed strongly" the U.S. agreement with North Korea to halt Pyongyang's fledgling nuclear program, and declared there is "no difference between the United States and the Chinese" on implementing it, one American official said.

Briefers said Jiang was less forthcoming over human rights.

"The Chinese responded in general terms as they have before," one said.

"They say they are trying to extend human rights within their society, but stability is very important and the sovereignty of China is very important," he added.

Earlier this year, Clinton separated the issue of human rights from renewal of China's Most Favored Nation (MFN) trading status, but said he would continue to press for improvements.

Although it loomed as the most sensitive subject in his meeting with Jiang, it clearly was secondary to other topics.

U.S. officials who briefed reporters on the one-hour meeting said Clinton and Jiang also discussed bilateral trade issues and the main aim of the APEC forum, the creation of a free trade zone throughout the Pacific by the year 2020.

Clinton also raised in general terms a compromise Washington has offered Beijing to resolve a highly contentious arms issue that one U.S. official said is a "potential time bomb" for relations.

The proposal would absolve China of penalties if it disclosed its sale of M-11 missiles to Pakistan, the officials said.

But if China does not make a full disclosure and the United States later finds concrete proof of the deal, the United States will impose sanctions that will cost the communist government billions of dollars in lost trade, said the officials, who declined to be identified.

China, which says its arms sales are tiny compared to those of the United States, denies violating the Missile Technology Control Regime.