From Tom Rhodes in Washington

The Times - London, 15 September 1995

THE Peking Government is exerting pressure on America to end months of animosity between the two nations by declaring formally that Taiwan is pan of China. It is using as leverage a possible summit between Presidents Clinton and Jiang Zemin.

The Chinese have suggested that the prospective summit should culminate in a declaration known as the Fourth Joint Communique. This would lead on from three earlier documents that form the basis of modern Sino American relations and reaffirms that Washington should have no official diplomatic links with Taipei. Although no formal request has been made, the State Department is balking at the idea of any joint declaration without substantial progress from the Chinese on the contentious issues of human rights, missile sales to Pakistan, and nuclear shipments to Iran.

Relations between America and China reached their lowest ebb since the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre when Mr Clinton granted a visa for a private visit to President Lee Teng-hui of Taiwan earlier this year.