Hard New Realities for China

When Secretary of State James A. Baker III visits China later this week, Beijing should not mistakenly believe that his presence alone marks a watershed in U.S.-Sino relations. Baker’s visit marks a symbolic end of U.S. sanctions imposed against China after the bloody 1989 crackdown on demonstrators in Tian An Men Square, but his mission is to confront a number of long-festering problems, including human rights.

It is a long-overdue change in the Bush Administration’s approach to China. “We have some real problems,” Baker said of U.S.-China relations in announcing his visit, which begins Friday. “ . . . Ignoring them will not make the problems go away.” An understatement to say the least, but nevertheless the most forthright assessment to date by the Administration, which until now has appeared to go out of its way to accommodate Beijing with virtually no reciprocal cooperation.

In the two years since the United States cut off official high-level visits to China, Beijing has continued its checkered human rights record, limited access to U.S. imports, used prison labor to produce export goods and widened its arms sales around the world. Most recently China acknowledged selling nuclear equipment to Iran--but insisted it was for “peaceful” purposes.

Baker--the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Beijing since 1989--will take up these issues with Chinese officials. It’s time for Beijing to come to the table and deal, especially since the Bush Administration has backed renewal of China’s “most-favored-nation” trading status. The Chinese people will indeed benefit from keeping the trade doors open--but an uncompromising Beijing may be pushing its luck.

China risks further world contempt as it stubbornly clings to policies condemned by other nations. It is better for the Chinese leaders to be part of a solution than to be left out and suffer the consequences. They can choose to play a constructive role in the new world order or continue to be perceived as a nation that makes up its own rules as it goes along.

Chinese leaders have promised an exchange of views on human rights during Baker’s visit. But so far there’s little hope for positive action. Chinese officials owe their people, and the rest of the world, much more.