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Gore:
China
relations
improving
Dialogue continues on
human rights
violations
BEIJING - Wrapping up discus-
sions with top Chinese leaders, Vice
President Al Gore said here yesterday
he had a "more receptive response" this
week than in the past on the subject of
human rights - one that has long
bedeviled U.S.-Sino relations.
"I think we are finding ways to com-
municate more effectively with China's
leaders on this topic," Gore said in a
news conference following a meeting
with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
He said the discussions "provided an
opportunity to develop the broad strate-
gic dialogue between our two countries."
Jiang also offered an upbeat assess-
ment of the meetings, telling Gore ear-
lier in the day: "The past two days have
also been very productive, and this 1
believe (means) we can actually have a
chat in a light atmosphere today."
The vice president's trip to the
Chinese capital set the groundwork for
a state visit to Washington next autumn
by Jiang and a reciprocal visit to China
by Clinton next year.
This week's trip is viewed as particu-
larly important in Washington and
Beijing, because the vice president is
the highest-level official to visit China
since U.S.-Sino relations soured in
1989. In June of that year, the Chinese
military cracked down on peaceful
demonstrators in and around
Tiananmen Square, killing at least sev-
eral hundred people.
Disagreements between the United
States and China over human rights
since then have been destructive to
overall ties, and yesterday Gore steered
clear of provocative rhetoric.
He told reporters he "made clear the
seriousness of our commitment to the
advancement of human rights, includ-
ing in the areas of freedom of expres-
sion, association and religion." But he
chose not to outline publicly Beijing's
human rights abuses or even to be gen-
erally critical of them.
When asked to highlight specific
human rights cases that he raised during
the talks, he declined. Nor did he pin-

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AP PHOTO
Vice President Al Core and his wife, Tipper, walk along the Badaling section of the
[;r at Wallo f Chi na t dvous u

area Yan or %nna yuser a,
point any new agreements or other con-
crete progress in human rights - or in
the two sides' other areas of discussion,
including trade, non-proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, and the
environment.
"Specific cases were raised during
the course of my visit," Gore said. "I'm
not going to specify individual names
to you, because I believe that the accu-
mulated experience that we've had in
the United States dealing with this issue
shows very clearly that our prospects
for success are enhanced by taking the
approach I'm taking here."
The State Department's annual
human rights report, released earlier
this year, gave a grim assessment of
"widespread and well-documented"
abuses in China last year.
"All public dissent against the party
and government was effectively
silenced by intimidation, exile, the
imposition of prison terms, administra-
tive detention or house arrest. No dissi-
dents were known to be active at year's
end," the report said.
Just before Gore left for China, he

received a letter from several senior sen-
ators, including Alfonse D'Amato (R-
N.Y.) and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-
N.Y.) urging him to press China for spe-
cific practical measures to improve its
record, including allowihg international >
humanitarian agencies into China's pris-
ons, releasing a significant number of
political prisoners and ratifying twa
international human rights conventions.
Although Gore's talks with Chinese
leaders ended yesterday, he remains in
the country for two more days, visiting
the cities of Xian and Shanghai. Human
rights watchers said they hope he will"
use the opportunity to press China'
harder on human rights.
They urged him to state publicly spe-
cific U.S. concerns and put the Chinese
government on notice that failure to
progress could hinder preparations for
the higher-level visits and perhaps U.S!
support for China's tid: to join t-e
World Trade Organization. And they, k
said if he fails to do sk, he will be sig-
naling to China that it no longer has to
worry about human rights to improve
its relationship with the United States.

________________________________________ .1

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