OPINION 4 Page 6 The Michigan Daily Saturday, May 21, 1983 I The Michigan Daily Vol. XCIII, No. 8-S 93 Years of Editorial Freedom Managed and Edited by students of The University of Michigan Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily Editorial Board U.S. still 'threat' to China School daze, T HE REPORT card has been issued. Public schools in this country rate an 'f'. Now that this sad truth has been exposed by the National Commission on Excellence in Education, the question that must be asked is what can be done to make public schools the quality institutions they once were? The problem is complex, to be sure; and the road to better schools will be long and difficult. Before any change can come about, however, the federal government has to assume the responsibility of leading the way toward im- proved public education. State and local gover- nments in the past few years have not been able to do this, and the federal government must now take over. The Reagan administration, unfortunately, has failed to recognize its responsibility for maintaining a strong public school system. Ap- parently, Reagan's idea of educational reform is giving tax breaks to parents with children enrolled in private schools, and by making sure that the public school-day begins with a moment of prayer. Furthermore, Reagan won't budge on his ridiculously huge defense budget, even though a small cut in it could provide a great deal of revenue for public schools. Indeed, that is what former Vice-President Walter Mondale proposed last week. His plan would increase the Department of Education's $15-billion budget by 73 percent and bring about vast changes in the way that the money is allocated. Specifically, the Mondale plan would design new strategies for raising school achievement, provide attractive incentives for those in- terested in becoming teachers, modernize research laboratories and libraries, expand bilingual education, and provide aid for studen- ts from low and moderate income groups so that they can afford college educations. Mondale said his program could be paid for by cutting, among other things, defense expen- ditures. Cutting the defense budget and redirecting some of that money to the Department of Education will not guarantee quality schools. It is, however, a necessary step in the right direc- tionA CLASS zcF3 Wang You Fen is the Deputy Editor in Chief of the Peing Review, a daily newspaper in the People's Republic of China. The paper is published in eight languages and is one of the primary in- formation sources on China available outside the People's Republic. Wang took time out from his first tour of the United States to speak with Opinion Page Editors Rob Frank and Bill Hanson about China and journalism. Dialogue Daily: Has the defection of Hu Na, the Chinese tennis player, lead to a noticable increase in tension between the U.S. and China? Wang: Of course this created some tension because of the way the affair was handled. She claimed she was being forced to join the Communist Party. In China no one would believe it. It is a great honor to be asked to join the party. Daily: What impact do you think the Hu Na affair will have on Chinese-American relations? Wang: You know China has planned to stop cultural ex- changes for the coming year as well as all intellectual and sports arrangements. Daily: Do you think the gover- nment will change its mind and go back to the exchanges?. Wang: It depends on the situation, how the Reagan ad- ministration behaves toward China. Sinclair Daily: What has been your opinion of the Reagan ad- ministration? Wang: I think it's not very friendly. Daily: So you thought that President Carter, or some of the preceeding presidents, were warmer toward China. Wang: Yes, I think the Reagan administration is going back- ward. Daily: How is Mao Tse Tung viewed in China today? Wang: He is still very much respected but, he is now regarded as a human being, not as a god. He made some serious mistakes toward the end of his life. Daily: Are those mistakes openly talked about? Wang: They are openly discussed. The party congress made a decision passing on the judgements on him for his achievements and his mistakes. Daily: Are people still skep- tical of government since the Cultural Revolution? Wang: I think people are more willing to trust the government During the Cultural Revolution people would not read the newspapers very seriously, sometimes evenrmaking jokes about them. Now that has changed. Daily: How is China's relation- ship with the Soviet Union since Mr. Andropov came to power? Wang: We want to normalize relations with the Soviet Union but, things are not what people expect. China's security is still threatened by the Soviet Union. Wang: In a certain sense, yes. You see because Taiwan is still under a regime which is hostile to the central authority which is supported by the U.S. gover- nment. We want to be friendly to the United States but, you have to establish the relations between the two countries on the five prin- ciples of coexistance. Daily: This is your first trip to the United States. What sticks out most in your mind about our country. Wang: We want to make frien- ds with the American people. We always make a clear distinction between the U.S. government and the American people. I don't think the people of the United States will endorse certain policies which Reagan has adop- ted toward China. On one side, he says there is only one China, while on the other hand he ap- proves more sales of arms to Taiwan. Daily: Would you call him a hypocrit? Wang: You can make your own judgement, I am a guest here so I will not use that word. Daily: Do you think the Chinese are becoming more Americanized with the ap- pearance of American products and firms such as Coca-cola and McDonalds? Wang: No, I don't think so. They (the products) are mainly there for the foreign tourists, the Chinese people are not the ones indulging in that. They must be bought in foreign currency. They are there for those people ac- customed to such things. I 4 4 4 I Daily: Do you view the United Dialogue is a feature of the States as a threat to your Daily's Opinion Page. security? KW L ILL i.. ,-S f . u J 4 I 4