CHINA IN TURMOIL : 2 China Envoys Unsure on Asylum; Can Stay for a Year

Two Chinese diplomats who announced Saturday night that they were defecting to the United States have not yet decided whether to seek political asylum but will be allowed to stay in this country for at least a year, federal authorities said Monday.

The diplomats, Zhou Liming, 26, vice consul for cultural affairs, and Zhang Limin, 25, a staff member, both attached to the Chinese Consulate here, met with Immigration and Naturalization Service officials and are staying at an undisclosed location.

The two appeared unannounced Saturday at an outdoor vigil here, attended by about 5,000 people, for those killed in military violence against Chinese civilians in Beijing’s Tian An Men Square on June 4. Both addressed the crowd, saying they were defecting because they could no longer support their government’s actions, then were escorted away by FBI agents.

David Ilchert, INS district director, said Monday that the pair had not yet decided on their future.

According to Ilchert, Zhou and Zhang can remain in the United States until June, 1990, under a special order recently enacted by the U.S. attorney general. Under the order, Chinese nationals who have been in this country since June, 1989, can stay here for a year.

Ilchert said the order was enacted because Chinese nationals might fear returning home due to the recent political turmoil in China. “All you have to do in essence is say, ‘I don’t want to go home at this time,’ ” Ilchert said. “It provides a cooling-off period until that situation can be analyzed.”

If the two decide to seek political asylum, they must then prove that they would be persecuted based on their race, nationality, religion or membership in a political group, Ilchert said. He also said that they could remain in the United States under a special provision of the Immigration Act that permits foreign government officials to stay if they can show compelling reasons why they should not return home.

Officials at the Chinese Consulate issued a brief statement Monday calling the pair’s actions “utterly unjustifiable” and said they will contact U.S. officials regarding the case.

The diplomats, who have been in this country for about two years, said in a report published in Monday’s issue of the San Francisco-based Chinese Times that they had planned to defect for days because they felt “deep pain and sadness” over the Beijing massacre.

According to an English translation of the article, Zhou said he always supported the cause of the pro-democracy demonstrators in his heart but kept his views secret because “there were too many eyes and too many ears within the consulate.”

The diplomats said they heard about plans for the San Francisco vigil from protesters gathered in front of the consulate and decided to sneak out after dinner Saturday night, when consulate security was not as heavy as usual. The two walked to City Hall, approached organizers of the candlelight vigil and showed them their business cards.

In an emotional speech to the crowd, Zhou and Zhang said they could no longer support their government’s actions or lie to their people.