by Jack Taylor

SYDNEY, Nov 17 (AFP) - US President Bill Clinton will celebrate re-election with a working holiday in Australia this week amid rising anger from one of its key trading partners, China, about the growing warmth of the US-Australia alliance.

The new conservative government in Canberra is flattered that the first Democrat to be re-elected president since 1944 has picked Australia as the country to be visited first in his new term of office, officials say.

Clinton arrives Tuesday with a 400-strong entourage on a four-day trip to Sydney, Canberra and the tropical resort of Port Douglas, departure point for the Great Barrier Reef where he intends to indulge a passion for water sports.

Before he dons his scuba gear, he will meet Prime Minister John Howard for the first time and will become the second US president after George Bush to address a joint sitting of parliament in Canberra.

Reports from Washington say Clinton plans to laud Australia's leading role in global affairs like nuclear non-proliferation and the Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) as well as the key role it plays in the US security strategy.

But analysts believe the focal points of his talks with Howard will be the alliance, which Howard moved quickly to "reinvigorate" after his March election victory during a visit by the highest-powered US delegation here for years.

Beijing has warned in a stream of statements and media commentaries that it fears upgraded Australian-US defence ties are aimed at shackling China and said the alliance should not be allowed to upset the strategic balance in the region.

Four Australian ministers have gone to Beijing to try to placate the government saying they welcome China's economic growth and that they do not see it as a threat to be contained.

Foreign affairs department chief Philip Flood left for Beijing last week on what was viewed here as a rescue mission following the latest salvos from Beijing indicating an unexpected fragility in bilateral relationship.

The China Daily summed up what appears to be Beijing's view by accusing Canberra of being "unusually eager to ape Uncle Sam at every step" and of creating an atmosphere of distrust towards its Asian neighbours.

The Chinese media has also cited cuts in aid, the recent visit to Australia by the Dalai Lama and the continuing row over an anti-Asian speech by indepent MP Pauline Hanson to accuse Howard's administration of turning towards Europe and the States instead of bolstering ties with Asia.

Another shadow overhanging Clinton's visit is trade, although Howard's office says he is anxious not to spoil the goodwill of the occasion by raising niggling complaints about bilateral trade disputes.

He has been advised instead to stick to broad policy discussion on major strategic issues.

But sources in Canberra say the deficit in trade with Australia's second largest trading partner is such that Howard cannot afford to miss the chance of raising in his talks with Clinton the burning issue of market access.

The US surplus blew out last year to 12.1 billion dollars (8.5 billion US) in two-way trade totalling 21.3 billion dollars. Australia exported 4.6 billion dollars worth to the United States but imported 16.7 billion dollars worth.

It dwarfs in relative terms the US deficit in its trade with Japan about which Washington has protested so vigorously to Tokyo.

US Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, Winston Lord, said the leaders would discuss some trade "irritants" but described them as "miniscule compared to the tremendous co-operative relationship we have with our very good friend Australia."