Gore’s Visit to China, Trade Deals

* Re “China Greets Gore With Deals for Boeing, GM,” March 25:

How easy it is to please readers by saying “a grateful China thanked the United States by signing two major deals,” instead of “a grateful United States thanked China for two major deals.”

S.P. LI

San Dimas

* The U.S. has sold and continues to sell the Chinese invaluable military technology, often at bargain prices. Does anyone remember the U.S. selling scrap iron to the Japanese until Pearl Harbor?

FRED NEWMAN

Marina del Rey

* Pat Buchanan suggests we impose a 35% tariff on Chinese goods (Column Right, March 26). The Chinese would pay that tariff with American currency that comes from the American economy. Assuming we bought $60 billion in Chinese goods, that would be a $21 billion tax increase on the American economy. This is a 1.5% federal tax increase, because Washington would get the money.

It is small tax increases like this that have taken our nation from earning 33 times the amount Washington spends in 1929 to 4.72 times that number today, simply because Washington gets and spends the money. A 1.5% federal tax increase causes the economy to shrink by 1.5%. If you discuss trade policy you should understand the overall effects of your actions.

If Buchanan is concerned about jobs, he should look at the true cause of the problem, slow growth. As long as this problem is not addressed, our nation will be stuck with present and growing problems and have a large federal deficit.

STEVEN GIBSON

Mission Hills

* Why all the fuss and furor over China’s efforts to influence U.S. policy? In international circles, it is done all the time.

“U.S. Learns How to Anger Friends While Failing to Influence Enemies” (March 24) gives proof positive of U.S. efforts to use economic sanctions to fight terrorism, protect marine life and to influence policy decisions in more than 35 countries. But economic sanctions are not the only ways our government tries to influence policy. Remember that the CIA overthrew Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran and replaced him with the shah. We also helped overthrow Salvador Allende in Chile. Or how about U.S. outright support of the Contras in Nicaragua. There are various fund-raising campaigns in the U.S. to support one side or the other in the conflict in the Middle East or Ireland. So it seems to me that China is simply following the example the U.S. has set.

ROBERT S. VOGEL

Pasadena