The New York Times

Tuesday, December 9, 1997

Dissident Meets Clinton, Urges Pressure On Beijing

By ERIC SCHMITT

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 - Less than a month ago, Wei Jingsheng was in a Chinese prison, jailed for advocating democracy.

Today Mr. Wei, China's most prominent dissident, had a private, meeting with President Clinton in the White House and urged him to continue pressing Beijing to improve its record on human rights and democracy.

"I told him about some of my experiences in dealing with the Chinese Communists," Mr. Wei told reporters at a briefing later, "and I expressed the hope that in dealing with the Chinese Communists, the United States would not be deceived. My personal feeling is that President Clinton is not someone who is easily deceived."

Mr. Wei's release on Nov. 16 came two weeks after President Jiang Zemin of China made a state visit to the United States, and the release was widely interpreted as a conciliatory gesture in response to criticism of China's human rights record by the Administration and by Congress.

Mr. Clinton had requested the meeting with Mr. Wei. But the White House, sensitive to Beijing's concerns over the meeting and not wanting to jeopardize future releases of prisoners, declined to comment on the 35-minute session, held in Mr. Clinton's private West Wing office. Mr. Wei has said he intended to use his time in the United States to campaign for human rights.

When dealing with the Beijing Government, Mr. Wei said he warned Mr. Clinton, "do not pay before the goods are delivered."

"In the West, you go by credibility, by the rule of law, by rules and regulations," Mr. Wei said, speaking through an interpreter. "That is never the case with the Chinese Communists. They can make any promises, and they can go back on any promises. It is like a sports match, where one side must obey all the rules and the other side doesn't have to. It isn't a very fair game."

In today's meeting, Mr. Wei said Mr. Clinton seemed sincere about his commitment to human rights, but the two men did not have time to delve into any single subject. Mr. Wei said he had "differing views" from Mr. Clinton on certain issues, but declined to say what they were. He also sidestepped a question about whether he endorsed Mr. Clinton's plans to visit China next year.

Mr. Wei, 47, a former electrician at the Beijing Zoo, won fame for an essay in December 1978 suggesting that Deng Xiaopeng should expand his campaign to achieve the "Four Modernizations" - of industry, agriculture, science and technology, and national defense - to include a "fifth modernizations," democracy. He was arrested, and since 1979 he spent all but six months in prison.

Ostensibly released for poor health, Mr. Wei appeared fit today, although he said he had "a number" of problems that were not life-threatening. He has suffered from heart disease, high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat.

Mr. Clinton has retreated from the campaign of trade pressure on China that he advocated at the beginning of his Administration, arguing that "engagement," not confrontation, was more likely to yield improved human rights conditions in China. When asked today if he believed that the strategy had made China a freer society, Mr. Wei said, "In my own personal view, no such thing has happened."