Embassy Attack Fallout

Henry C.K. Liu hliu at mindspring.com
Tue May 11 07:40:15 PDT 1999


My view is that Sasser is over-optimistic, but that is an ambassador's job. The violence will subside, because China realizes it would not be in its interest to project a picture of losing control over domestic order, but the demonstrations will continue until the US/NATO accedes to China's 4 demands of apology, open investigation, public release of findings and punishment of those responsible. China has downgraded the official visit of the German Chancellor from one week to one day. Chinese foreign and defense policies will face fundamental review with long range consequences. To China, its policies of the past decades has gradually led to the US treatment of China as a weak nation with no consequence. US judgment that the growing Chinese trade surplus with the US entitles the US to bully China is deeply resented by China. The China leadership cannot afford to allow the US to downgrade its hard earned status as a legitimate major power, and cannot afford to appear to the Chinese people as betraying the interest of the nation, regardless of sophisticated logic of realpolitik and economic considerations. This undeniable development will tilt in favor of forces within China that pressure for a change in policy.

On the other side, US Congressional pressure to deny in June China MFN (Most Favored Nation) trading status has gained momentum. The anti-China and anti-Clinton's China Policy manuveours will not subside until after the yr 2k election, by which time Chinese review of its pro-US policy would have been solidified.

Henry C.K. Liu

Envoy Says China Dispute Won't Last

By GEORGE GEDDA Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Holed up in the U.S.

Embassy in China as a virtual prisoner for four

days, Ambassador James Sasser nonetheless

believes the flap over the mistaken U.S. bombing of

the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade is an aberration

that the two sides will overcome.

``I think wiser heads will prevail on both sides, and

both sides will move forward and continue to build a

partnership,'' Sasser said Monday night on CNN's

``Larry King Live'' program.

Sasser said he is encouraged by signs of a Chinese

willingness for the first time to permit the media to

publish U.S. expressions of condolences over the

loss of life in Belgrade and the apologies of

President Clinton and other senior officials.

But Chinese President Jiang Zemin has yet to accept

a telephone call from Clinton, and other Chinese

officials are continuing to cast doubt on the

American claim that last week's bombing was an

accident.

In the first direct fallout on the fragile U.S.-Chinese

military relationship, Beijing canceled a planned visit

next week by Gen. Charles Krulak, commandant of

the Marine Corps, and ``put on hold'' virtually all

military-to-military cooperation with the United

States, U.S. defense officials said today.

Defense Secretary William Cohen's planned trip to

China in June now appears unlikely, officials said,

although Cohen said Monday, ``Much will depend

upon whether the Chinese government wishes to

have me travel there.'' He said he wanted to

strengthen defense ties, ``but that depends upon the

Chinese government.''

China's ambassador to the United States, Li Zhao

Xing, said on CNN: ``Some people are saying this is

a mistake. ... How could they make such an error?''

He demanded a ``thoroughgoing investigation'' into

the incident.

The situation improved today, Sasser said. ``We are

not getting nearly as many rocks thrown at us and

the crowds are much smaller,'' he said on NBC's

``Today.''

``I think it is clear that we have to move rapidly to

give China a clear and cogent explanation'' how the

bombing mistake occurred, Sasser said.

Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering,

interviewed immediately after Sasser, was asked

when the United States would provide that

explanation.

``Yesterday,'' he replied, referring to Defense

Secretary William Cohen's statement Monday. ``We

responded with great speed and made clear to the

Chinese that this was a tragic mistake,'' Pickering

said. He would not rule out further explanations,

adding, ``We are continuing our review.''

Sasser, a former Democratic senator from

Tennessee, said he has remained at the embassy

because the Chinese police were unable to guarantee

his safety. He said his wife and son were moved to

safety in a hotel.

One reason for his optimism, Sasser said, was that

the Chinese government, after initially condoning the

mass demonstrations at the embassy and at U.S.

consulates, is now making a strong effort to contain

them.

There was little doubt, though, that the bombing in

Belgrade, which killed three Chinese and seriously

wounded six, left Sino-American relations at a low

ebb.

Among the early casualties were high-level military

ties as well as talks on arms control, international

security and human rights. China suspended

contacts in all these areas Monday.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a candidate for

president, said he would take a tough line with

China, asking officials to use their security forces to

prevent attacks on the U.S. Embassy.

``I would call up the premier of China and say,

`Stop it and stop it right now,''' he said. ``We have

apologized, it's tragic, now it's over.''

McCain said he would not threaten China, but

would ``certainly make it clear there are a whole lot

of issues we need to work together on,'' such as

trade.

Another Republican presidential candidate,

commentator Pat Buchanan, said China's response

to the accident was not that of a friend but rather of

``an antagonistic and hostile regime spoiling for a

quarrel.''

The incident placed a fresh burden on a relationship

already straining under the weight of U.S. allegations

of Chinese nuclear spying, illegal campaign

contributions, a widening trade deficit in China's

favor and American complaints about China's

human rights performance.

Clinton has said his efforts to reach out to China

have paid dividends.

Among other advances, Clinton says U.S. ties with

China helped his administration negotiate a nuclear

freeze with North Korea five years ago and

persuade China to stop selling weapons-related

nuclear materials to Pakistan and Iran.

While deeply disturbed by the bombing of a building

erroneously thought to be a Yugoslav military

installation, U.S. officials said they were displeased

with aspects of the Chinese government's response.

State Department spokesman James Rubin said the

administration was troubled by what he described as

clear Chinese government sponsorship of the

demonstrations, in which bricks and concrete were

heaved at embassy buildings and cars.

Rubin also said it was ``extremely unfortunate'' that

China's government-controlled media have kept

information from the Chinese people about the

expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Kosovo

Albanians from Yugoslavia while focusing instead

on NATO mishaps that have led to the unintentional

killing of civilians.

AP-NY-05-11-99 0914EDT

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