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The sourest notes of the conclave were probably struck during closed-door meetings between Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin. The two met for one hour in what was later described as a "vivid and animated" discussion. Among other things, Clinton requested progress on human rights for dissidents and Tibetans and an end to Chinese sales of missile technology to nations like Pakistan and Iran. Without "overall significant progress" on human rights, Clinton has promised he will not renew China's most-favored-natio n trading status next spring. The discussion grew so vigorous that at one point, according to a White House official, Jiang delivered a 15-minute lecture "on the importance of non-intervention in China's internal affairs."
Behind the tough talk, however, both sides knew that neither wants a showdown. Jiang needs the MFN trade status. Clinton was working to preserve % U.S. access to one of the most important markets of the 21st century. In what officials described as a humanitarian gesture, the U.S. last week offered to sell China an $8 million Cray supercomputer designed to help prepare against weather-related disasters. In the past, such hardware has been embargoed on national security grounds. In addition, there is talk that Westinghouse and General Electric may be allowed to sell China turbines for nuclear power plants. The message: a balance must be struck between human rights and commerce.
APEC as a whole shied away from a suggestion that it monitor regional human- rights abuses, along with any notion that it should move toward trade-bloc status. The group even rejected a change in its awkward name -- Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans calls it "four adjectives in search of a noun" -- rather than label itself a "community." Reason: the term suggests the kind of integration that Asian nations say they want to avoid. And besides, said Hong Kong Financial Secretary Hamish Macleod, "People are a little wary of possibly being dominated by the U.S. I think the majority view is don't try to move too fast." For all that caution, the group decided to meet again next year in Indonesia.