Jiang Zemin

* Many Americans watched on TV or read about the beaming Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, at the APEC in Seattle last month. They saw his perceived willingness to establish good terms with the U.S. and were somewhat convinced by Jiang’s smile that his brutal Communist regime is no longer the same as the butchers in Tian An Men Square back in 1989.

The Chinese government not only talks tough in regards to human rights but also continues to pursue its oppressive policies against religious and political dissidents. A week after Beijing lost its bid to host the Olympics in 2000, it celebrated its 44th National Day by mass arrests and executions. The regime reportedly arrested more than 3,000 people and executed more than 700 prisoners in Hunan province alone.

China has taken the place of the defunct Soviet Union in supplying arms to troubled regions. Witnesses testified in Congress that it provided the Serbs with more than half-a-billion dollars worth of weaponry to fuel the Balkan conflict. IGNATIUS Y. DING

Cupertino

* I want to congratulate you on your editorial “U.S. Relations With China: Push but Don’t Shove” (Nov. 23), a fair and insightful appraisal of Sino-American affairs. Cutting off China’s most-favored-nation trade status may lead to a trade war between the two great nations, an outcome which certainly will not be in either’s best interest. The U.S. will not only lose market share in China, but will also lose its overall influence on the Chinese people. Quiet diplomacy with a personal touch will accomplish much more than open criticism in our attempt to improve China’s human rights.

THOMAS FANN, Director

Institute of Sino Strategic Studies

Temple City