By GEORGE GEDDA

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON, July 15, 1995 (AP) -- Newt Gingrich wants to recognize Taiwan. Jesse Helms wants to strip China of trade benefits. The House voted last week to send an ambassador to Tibet, which China considers part of its territory.

Staking out stridently anti-Chinese positions is becoming more common these days now that the anti-Soviet glue that used to bind Beijing and Washington together is no longer there. The prior need to confront the Soviets produced a culture of caution in the two capitals, with both acting to ensure the relationship remained stable. "There isn't that strategic convergence that we had when the Soviets were around," says Helmut Sonnenfeldt, of the Brookings Institution.

Treating Sino-American ties with disdain is not limited to members of Congress. President Clinton, not wanting to stray too far from the pro-Taiwan congressional consensus, reversed longstanding policy in May when he granted a visa to Taiwanese President Lee Teng-Hui to visit Cornell University, his alma mater. The Chinese, in turn, have shown their defiance on a whole host of issues, ranging from the arrest of a prominent Chinese-American dissident to its suspected secret missile deals with Iran and Pakistan.

"At the moment, Sino-American relations are in a free fall," former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger said Thursday.

Nancy Bernkopf Tucker, history professor at Georgetown University, says China is an inviting target for newly empowered congressional Republicans who enjoy spouting anti-communist rhetoric, making life uncomfortable for Clinton. She believes anti-Americanism is back in style in Beijing as part of an ongoing leadership struggle. China's senior leader, Deng Xiaoping, 90, architect of China's economic reforms, has not been seen in public for well over a year, and his health is the subject of constant rumors. "In the midst of a power struggle, it's hard to be seen as soft on anyone," said Tucker. Clinton administration officials are hopeful that the relationship will stabilize once the leadership question is resolved.

Meanwhile, the Chinese seem prepared to believe the worst about the United States. Several analysts said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., fed paranoia in Beijing by saying that the U.S. decision last week to normalize relation with Vietnam will help counter Chinese power in Asia. The administration insists the decision was motivated by other factors, such an obtaining an accounting of American servicemen still missing from the Vietnam War.

In hopes of easing strains, the administration has appealed repeatedly for high-level talks with China. The next opportunity will occur when Secretary of State Warren Christopher will be in Brunei two weeks from now at the same time as Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Quichen. Qian has yet to reply to Christopher's invitation for a meeting. From China's viewpoint, the biggest irritant was Clinton's decision to grant a visa to Taiwanese President Lee, defying Chinese efforts to isolate the leadership on what Beijing considers to be a renegade province.

The administration has stressed repeatedly that the visa decision does not alter the U.S. view that Taiwan is part of China. Privately, officials say it is doubtful that Lee will be given a visa for a return visit even though he has invitations from several members of Congress. If Clinton's decision in May to issue a visa to Lee angered China, it flabbergasted members of his administration. "We were all stunned," an official said, recalling all the prior statements that the visa would not be issued because of concern over the reaction in Beijing.

Less than two weeks after Lee made his visit, China arrested Harry Wu, a naturalized American citizen who spent 19 years in a Chinese prison for his "rightist" views. He was taken into custody as he crossed the border into western China and has since been charged with illegally obtaining state secrets and other crimes. The administration, mindful that Lee has influential admirers in Congress and elsewhere, has been demanding his release.

China has not done so but a Foreign Ministry spokesman hinted Thursday at the possibility of leniency when he urged the United States to "adopt a patient attitude and wait to see the result of investigations."