-Caveat Lector-
"Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., chairman of the House Government Reform and
Oversight Committee, called on Clinton to insist that China provide U.S.
investigators bank records that ``would demonstrate the origins of the
MILLIONS of dollars that flowed'' from China to the Democratic Party."
How much is peace on earth worth to the infinitely-greedy NWO
accountants?
U.S. Wants China To Open Market
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. and Chinese negotiators went back to work today in
their down-to-the-wire push for an agreement to open China's vast market to
American exports. While Chinese officials portrayed an agreement as close,
U.S. officials insisted substantial differences remain.
Both countries are struggling to strike a deal that would pave the way for
China to gain entry into the World Trade Organization, hoping an agreement
can be announced on Thursday when Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji will meet with
President Clinton at the White House.
In an indication that progress is being made, the discussions were extended
into Wednesday. Chinese Vice Trade Minister Long Yongtu, the head of the
Chinese delegation, told reporters late Monday that both sides were ``very
close'' to a deal.
But Jay Ziegler, chief spokesman for U.S. Trade Representative Charlene
Barshefsky, was less optimistic, saying substantial differences remain in a
number of areas.
Zhu, the first Chinese premier to visit the United States in 15 years, was
scheduled to arrive later today in Los Angeles for the start of a nine-day
American visit.
While he would like to return home with an agreement on WTO membership, the
administration has continued to insist it will not accept an agreement that
does not open Chinese markets to U.S. manufacturers and farmers.
In addition to the economic concerns, the administration faces a tough sales
campaign in a Congress upset over allegations of Chinese nuclear espionage
and a new crackdown on human rights.
Zhu, in an interview with Wall Street Journal executives distributed Monday,
accused President Clinton of caving in to Congress and changing the standards
for China's entry into the WTO.
He told the newspaper that Chinese concessions had brought a WTO agreement
within reach, but ``due to pressure from the U.S. Congress, the U.S.
government has shown a change in attitude.'' He called Washington's new
demands ``unreasonable'' and said China is not inclined to make further
concessions. ``Make no mistake,'' he said. ``China is not begging for
accession to the WTO.''
But administration officials insisted Monday the priority is to get an
agreement that will open China's vast market, not one that simply meets the
Thursday deadline.
``Rather than looking at a calendar, we're going to look at the details of a
deal and we're not going to take anything but a good deal,'' presidential
spokesman Joe Lockhart told reporters.
The administration sees China's barriers to American exports as the chief
cause for a record $57 billion trade deficit last year with China.
Robert Cassidy, America's top negotiator on Chinese trade issues, was
scheduled to resume discussions today with Long Yongtu, China's vice minister
for trade. U.S. officials said Monday's opening session was devoted to a
review of the gaps still existing between the two countries.
China has made a number of concessions in recent weeks in hopes of overcoming
U.S. objections to its membership in the Geneva-based World Trade
Organization which sets the rules for world trade. But that effort is coming
at a time of serious strains in U.S.-Chinese relations.
Greg Mastel, an economist at the Economic Strategy Institute, a Washington
think tank, said tensions between the two countries are so great that China
may achieve only a ``framework'' agreement where both sides would spell out
areas of agreement and differences, and set a deadline for resolving those
issues.
``It would in large part be a face-saving move ... if they can't finish the
full package,'' said Mastel.
Zhu's visit comes at a time when the United States is upset over a Communist
Party-ordered crackdown on Chinese trying to form a democratic party and
allegations of Chinese espionage at U.S. nuclear labs. For their part, the
Chinese are troubled by NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia, which China's
government has condemned as a dangerous attack on international security.
Lockhart refused comment Monday on a published report that the chief of
China's military intelligence secretly directed $300,000 to Clinton's
re-election campaign in 1996. He said the allegations were ``the subject of
an on-going investigation at the Justice Department.''
The Los Angeles Times said that former Democratic fund-raiser Johnny Chung
had given an account to federal investigators of payments of $300,000 to the
re-election campaign.
Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., chairman of the House Government Reform and
Oversight Committee, called on Clinton to insist China provide U.S.
investigators bank records that ``would demonstrate the origins of the
millions of dollars that flowed'' from China to the Democratic Party.
And Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes declared: ``If China
continues to choose the path toward confrontation, instead of a fair and
honest relationship, it must realize that everything, including trade, is at
stake.''
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