Getting Along With China

China and the United States continue to look at the world through different eyes, but the interests of the two countries have undergone a certain convergence in recent years. The warm welcome accorded Chinese President Li Xiannian in Washington this week reflects the fact that the U.S.-Chinese relationship is of enormous importance, in strategic as well as commercial terms, and there-fore merits careful nurturing.

Li’s visit to Washington, the first ever by a Chinese Communist chief of state, comes at a time when there are some points of friction between Washington and Peking. A bill that is now before Congress to cut textile imports could hurt China badly. As Li made plain before leaving home, Peking is incensed by congressional criticism of China for forced-abortion and -sterilization policies. Taiwan is, as usual, an irritant. And Washington is carefully watching the improving relations between China and the Soviet Union.

Both sides, however, were inclined to accentuate the positive during Li’s visit. Toward this end they signed four agreements: a cultural-exchange protocol, a student-exchange pact, a fishing agreement and, most important, a nuclear-cooperation agreement.

The nuclear agreement, which establishes a legal framework for U.S. commercial participation in China’s civilian nuclear-power program, was initialed during President Reagan’s visit to China 14 months ago. The pact allows U.S. companies to compete with French, West German and other foreign firms for nuclear contracts whose value is expected to exceed $5 billion over the next few years. In keeping with U.S. law, however, the agreement would be ended if China was found to be helping another country to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.

Before the agreement could be completed, U.S. intelligence learned that two Chinese nuclear specialists had been working at a site in Pakistan where nuclear-bomb development is believed to be under way. The Administration thought it best not to submit the nuclear-cooperation agreement to Congress until the matter could be clarified.

The formal signing of the agreement this week follows an Administration finding that it is now satisfied with China’s assurances that it will not contribute to the spread of nuclear weapons in the world. Chinese technicians in Pakistan are said to have been withdrawn. China has moved to join the International Atomic Energy Agency and to apply the agency’s safeguards to nuclear exports.

Although the question is admittedly a close call, the Administration decision is correct under the circumstances. As Indian nuclear specialists told Times correspondent Rone Tempest a few days ago, the United States apparently lacks the lever-age to stop the Pakistani nuclear-bomb program, whatever the Chinese role may have been. By holding back on peaceful nuclear cooperation with China, Washington would accomplish nothing except to give the business to the French and the West Germans, who already have a head start because of the U.S. hesitation.

Congress still has the power of veto over the nuclear agreement, but the overall U.S. national interest will be best served by allowing the pact to take effect at the end of the statutory 90-day waiting period.