US, China review steps to deal
with Indo-Pak nuclear rivalry
C K Arora in Washington
United States President Bill Clinton and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji yesterday reviewed their efforts to deal with the danger of nuclear rivalry between India and Pakistan.
Though this was a peripheral issue in their bilateral agenda, Clinton referred to it at a joint press conference at the White House after meeting the Chinese politician.
"We reviewed our ongoing efforts to enhance the security of both our nations, and to build world peace and stability -- in our efforts to seek peace on the Korean peninsula, to work with India and Pakistan to curb their nuclear competition and to join in adherence to international agreements limiting the spread of weapons of mass destruction," said Clinton.
"In that regard, let me say I hope that both our nations soon will ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to end all nuclear testing."
Zhu did not make any reference to the issue.
Clinton had touched upon the issue in his foreign policy speech at the Institute of Peace in Washington on Wednesday. "We have convinced China to halt assistance to the unsafeguarded nuclear facilities in Pakistan," he had said.
At the joint press conference, Clinton said the US and China had made significant progress in bringing Beijing into the World Trade Organisation on fair commercial terms.
But the two politicians clashed, predictably, on human rights. The President admitted he and Zhu disagreed on the "meaning and reach" of the rights. "It is troubling that in the past year, China has taken some steps backwards on human rights and arresting people basically for seeking to express their political views. I also regret that more progress has not been made to open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama."
Zhu, in reply to a question, said there was room for improvement in human rights in China, but objected to a US decision to sponsor a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Commission, condemning the abuses in his country.
"I not only regard that as unfair, but also take it as an interference in China's internal affairs," he remarked.
Clinton said he raised with Zhu the allegations that China stole US nuclear secrets in the 1980s and 1990s and sought to influence the 1996 US presidential election through campaign contributions.
The Chinese leader parried the issue, saying he had "no knowledge" of any such activities. He said it would be impossible for Beijing to pierce US security and ridiculous to try to buy an election with a few hundred thousand dollars.
He also said he had no knowledge whatsoever of any allegation of espionage or theft of US nuclear technology. "I don't believe such stories. It is not the policy of China to steal so-called military secrets from the United States."
The premier, however, offered to co-operate with the US investigation into the allegations.
UNI
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