CHINA: US SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT VISIT

(1 Mar 1999) Mandarin/Eng/Nat The U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has deplored China's crackdown on dissidents, but said the U-S would not punish Beijing by holding up trade negotiations. Albright's kicked off her two-day visit on Monday by holding a breakfast meeting with Chinese intellectuals. This meeting highlights the importance the visit is placing on Chinese academia. But despite a recent U-S State report condemning China's human rights situation, the meeting did not include any dissidents or members of the China Democracy Party. U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is in Beijing to prepare for Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's visit to the United States next April, where he will meet U-S President Clinton. Controversial subjects crowd the planned agenda - the United States' growing trade deficit with China; U-S plans to develop a missile defence system in Asia and a fresh crackdown on dissidents in China. Albright began the trip by meeting a group of Chinese intellectuals at Ambassador James Sasser's residence in Beijing. The round table discussion also included various American academics. In an effort to gauge the temperature among Chinese academics, Albright spent over an hour discussing various issues which permeate Sino-U-S bilateral relations. The Chinese intellectuals present at the discussion included researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, professors from Beijing University and one journalist from a Chinese magazine. But the meeting was notably devoid of dissidents or intellectuals who are not sanctioned by the government. Veteran dissident Ren Wanding -- who has spent a total of 18 years in jail for his participation in various democracy movements -- commented earlier on the state of intellectuals in China. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) "China's long history of dictatorship has put pressure on human reason, has smothered human reason and this has extended to intellectuals and has caused many intellectuals to lose their conscience. All they can do is serve the ruling party. They only say things that won't endanger their lives. This is a phenomenon we must accept." SUPER CAPTION: Ren Wanding, Chinese dissident With the U-S not supporting the move to criticise China at the annual U-N meeting on human rights in Geneva last year, many dissidents feel that Western governments are no longer paying close enough attention to the human rights situation in China. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) "So, this has given us the sign that the solicitude of Western countries towards China's human rights situation has taken a great step backwards." SUPER CAPTION: Ren Wanding, Chinese dissident Officials were not available to discuss the confidential details of the content of the discussion between Albright and the Chinese intellectuals. After that meeting Albright spoke to Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jia Xuan. They were due to discuss the possibility of China's entry to the World Trade Organisation (W-T-O) and relations between America and the renegade Chinese province of Taiwan. But the meeting was expected to be dominated by American misgivings over China's human right record. SOUNDBITE: (English) "We have deplored the actions that have taken place recently and I will raise those with the Foreign Minister." SUPER CAPTION: Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State Tang retaliated that the United States should not meddle in the affairs of other countries. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) SUPER CAPTION: Tang Jia Xuan, Chinese Foreign Minister SOUNDBITE: (English) SUPER CAPTION: Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...