Beijing Rebuffs Computer Charges

China dismissed U.S. charges that it had diverted purchases of U.S.-made supercomputers for military use, saying they were used for scientific research. Washington said this week that it was reviewing the sales and investigating possible Chinese diversions of U.S.-made supercomputers. The New York Times reported that the U.S. Commerce Department was investigating a 1996 sale of a supercomputer to a Chinese science academy. Nuclear experts said the academy had other functions, such as helping China to develop long-range missiles.