by Jack Taylor

SYDNEY, Nov 6 (AFP) - Australia will help President Bill Clinton celebrate re-election by hosting his first visit here amid rising anger in Beijing over the growing warmth of the US-Australia alliance.

The first Democrat to win two consecutive presidential elections since 1944 is due in Australia on November 19 on what is supposed to be a four-day working holiday to Sydney, Canberra and the tropical resort city of Cairns, hopping-off point to the Great Barrier Reef.

But before he dons shorts and open-necks, Clinton will meet Australia's conservative Prime Minister John Howard for the first time and is due to address a joint sitting of the two-house national parliament in Canberra.

Analysts say Clinton is certain to discuss in talks with Howard and in his speech to parliament the US-Australia alliance, which the Howard government strengthened after it won the March election and about which China has been fuming ever since.

A subtle realignment of foreign policy including a reinvigoration of already strong ties with Washington was a key plank of Howard's election platform and he moved quickly to honour it.

But he has had to strive ever since to counter a Beijing perception that the enhanced alliance was aimed at containing China, a key trading partner, whose fears were reinforced by other events such as the cancellation of a soft loan program and a visit by the Dalai Lama.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Trade Minister Tim Fischer tried in visits to Beijing to reassure Chinese leaders that no issue reflected any change in policy and Australia had no desire to contain China.

Then came a now notorious speech by independent MP Pauline Hanson calling for a ban on Asian immigration and which has received widespread publicity in Asia.

On October 23 Beijing made clear it still feared that upgraded defence ties with the United States were aimed at containing China and warned the alliance should not be allowed to upset the strategic balance in the region.

"We believe that relations between the two countries should not influence the relations of either of them with third countries and especially not become an additional factor for regional instability," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said.

Australia's chief diplomat, Philip Flood, tried the next day to placate Beijing in a speech in which he stressed the importance Canberra attaches to its relationship with Beijing and said: "We welcome China's opening up."

He said those who saw in China's economic growth a threat that needed to be contained were advocating a "dangerously wrong-headed policy."

But in its most recent salvo, earlier this week, Beijing made clear it was still not convinced.

In a strongly worded commentary, the China Daily accused Canberra of being "unusually eager to ape Uncle Sam at every step" and of creating an atmosphere of distrust towards its Asian neighbours.

It said Australia had given full support to Washington's airstrikes on Iraq in September, adding: "Such parrot-like behaviour can only lead to unpopularity in the international community."

It also accused Howard's administration of turning towards Europe and the United States instead of bolstering ties with Asia.

"What we have seen in Asia is cuts in aid and soft-loan programs in this region and speeches by Australian member of parliament Pauline Hanson full of anti-Asian and anti-immigration sentiment," the commentary said.

"These facts will unavoidably overshadow Australia's Asian policy, making its Asian neighbours hesitant to build further ties with Canberra," it added.