Published by: World Tibet Network News Issue ID: 97/10/24

China News Agency (Taiwan based news agency)

Washington, Oct. 22 (CNA) The White House said Wednesday that Washington would not silence protests during mainland Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit here next week, noting that it considers it a positive thing for "leaders of a totalitarian system" to see a healthy debate on controversial issues.

"It's welcome to democracy," White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry told a regular press briefing when asked to comment on remarks by a mainland Chinese embassy official earlier in the day urging the US government to silence demonstrators. "That's not going to happen," McCurry added.

McCurry said that Washington has tried to help the Beijing leadership understand the vibrant political culture that the American people have, the way in which Americans freely express their ideas, and the importance they, as a free people, attach to the right of dissent, the right of expression, and the freedom to openly express one's views.

The press secretary said that Washington has made it clear to Beijing that "they can anticipate seeing that reflected in the very healthy debate about China that will occur during the state visit."

"They will be able to read in our newspapers, see in our streets, encounter anecdotally the way in which Americans deal with controversial issues," he said.

"And we think that will be a positive and good thing for leaders of a totalitarian system to see that healthy debate should not be feared," he went on.

In fact, he said, Washington believes Beijing should embrace such debates because mainland China's move toward a market economy requires the political freedoms that are associated with a democratic system.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Bader, director of Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, said at a Foreign Press Center briefing here that a state visit involves first-class treatment of the visitor, and there are certain perquisites and certain protocol arrangements associated with it.

At the same time, Bader pointed out, there are Americans who have strong feelings about one or another aspect of Beijing's policy -- whether in the area of human rights or Tibet or something else -- and that the US Bill of Rights guarantees the right to demonstrate.

"We are not going to abrogate the US Constitution in order to provide the right atmosphere for this visit," he said. (By Bill Wang)