China-US to forge strategic nuclear alliance

C K Arora in Washington

Chinese President Jiang Zemin is expected to forge a strategic partnership during his summit with US President Bill Clinton in Washington next week.

He is expected to do so through a series of non-proliferation initiatives which include China's apparent willingness to stop Cruise missile sales to Iran and stop all nuclear support to Iran and Pakistan.

Through Jiang avoided the use of term "strategic partnership" in his interview which appeared in the Washington Post on Sunday, he said he hoped to raise Chinese-American relations to a new level.

He urged Americans to tolerate the political system in China and "seek common ground, despite differences." China and the United States "share the responsibility for preserving world peace and stability," he added.

The daily, quoting American and Chinese sources, said the two countries would sign an accord pledging co-ordination to avoid naval incidents at sea and would, probably, agree to implement a 1985 agreement on nuclear co-operation. This would allow US companies to sell China nuclear power plants and equipment.

However, that would follow only after China had agreed to discontinue its assistance to Iran and Pakistan in their nuclear and missile programmes.

More broadly, the Chinese are pressing a reluctant Clinton administration to make a joint declaration affirming the common strategic interests of the two nations and pledging to work together to guarantee "stability" in the 21st century, the daily adds.

The Chinese would like such a statement to reiterate US support for "one China", reaffirming the principle that Taiwan should someday rejoin the mainland.

"I will meet President Clinton to discuss with him the guiding principles governing China-US relations toward the 21st century," said Jiang.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council, he pointed out, "Both China and the United States share the responsibility for preserving world peace and stability."

Acknowledging "some differences on some issues" between his country and the US, the Chinese president said "the common ground between us outweighs the differences. And we should proceed in the spirit of seeking common ground despite differences and work together to promote peace and stability in the region and the world at large."

UNI