Suharto’s Visit Highlights Easing of China’s Isolation : Diplomacy: Beijing also greets a delegation of U.S. lawmakers as it shakes off impact of last year’s massacre.

Indonesian President Suharto arrived in Beijing on Wednesday on a visit that highlights recent gains by China in breaking out of the diplomatic isolation it fell into last year.

The visit by Suharto, who brought along an entourage of more than 100, coincides with visits by Thai Prime Minister Chatchai Choonhavan, Argentine President Carlos Menem and five U.S. congressmen.

The U.S. group, headed by Rep. Michael G. Oxley (R-Ohio), is the first congressional delegation to visit China since last year’s massacre of pro-democracy protesters in Beijing. In the 17 months since the crackdown, which prompted Western economic and political sanctions, there had been just two visits to China by individual members of Congress.

At a news conference Wednesday, the congressmen said the key purpose of their trip is to urge Chinese leaders to take steps--primarily the release of political prisoners--that could defuse congressional sentiment critical of Beijing and thereby ensure the preservation of strong trade ties. Otherwise, Congress may vote next year to end China’s most-favored-nation trade status, they said.

Suharto’s visit, the first by an Indonesian leader since 1964, is important partly for marking the full resumption of close ties between the two nations after 23 years of estrangement. Indonesia suspended diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1967, two years after an attempted Communist coup in Jakarta that Indonesia alleged was backed by China. The two nations restored ties only last August, and Suharto’s six-day visit is now expected to promote expanded trade.

The flurry of diplomatic activity in Beijing comes just one day after Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen returned from a high-profile Middle East tour that included talks in Baghdad with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and in Saudi Arabia with King Fahd.

China’s support for efforts to reverse Iraq’s conquest of Kuwait has contributed to the easing of Beijing’s isolation in Western capitals. The European Community ended most of its sanctions against China last month, while Japan began taking steps this summer toward restoring normal ties.

The U.S. congressmen visiting Beijing said there is no linkage between China’s stand on Iraq and Sino-U.S. trade issues. But they expressed appreciation for Beijing’s stance in the gulf crisis.