World Tibet Network News Wednesday, June 3, 1998

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans kicked off a broad probe on Tuesday of Beijing's political connections to the White House with requests for detailed information on the possible transfer of sensitive rocket technology to China.

As President Bill Clinton prepared for his visit to China at the end of the month, lawmakers jumped at the chance to bring up punitive measures including limits on trade and sanctions in response to reported religious persecution and human rights abuses in China.

"We are deeply troubled about the national security implications of satellite exports and related technology transfer," Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said in a letter to Clinton. They asked for White House documents and for information from the departments of State, Defence and Commerce and the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

"In particular, we are concerned that Chinese ballistic missile capabilities may have been enhanced, either directly or indirectly, by these exchanges," wrote Lott, a Republican of Mississippi.

Lott's China Task Force, which includes the chairmen of committees with responsibility for intelligence, foreign affairs, the military and the investigation into the 1996 presidential campaign, was to hold its initial meeting Tuesday. Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said he will set up a parallel group in his own party.

The Senate committees will hold separate hearings in June with the first, the Intelligence Committee, to gather on Thursday. Next week, the Foreign Relations Committee is expected to look into proliferation of nuclear weapons technology by China.

In China, domestic politics and national security issues converged in what may be Clinton's most serious problem with Congress yet. Their concern is that campaign contributions influenced the White House decision to allow U.S. firms to launch satellites from Chinese rockets, and in doing so, allowed the transfer of technology to improve the accuracy of Chinese missiles.

The tussle between the Republican-led Congress and the Democratic White House could make more difficult the annual renewal of China's Most Favoured Nation trade status, worth billions of dollars in imports of Chinese goods.

Chinese leaders have urged U.S. lawmakers to improve bilateral ties and congressional leaders acknowledge that the sheer number of hearings, bills and activities surrounding U.S.-Sino relations could be considered an attack on Beijing. "I want China to become an ally," Assistant Senate Republican Leader Don Nickles said as he told reporters a package of China bills is likely to come before the Senate this month.

"They may think it is piling on," House International Relations Asia subcommittee chairman Doug Bereuter said. "Republicans need to be focused on things that are important and not make it look like (they are) exploiting real concerns for partisanship," the Nebraska Republican said in an interview.

Senate leaders have not committed to pass measures aimed at halting the flow of satellite and missile technology to Beijing although they expect some China-related legislation will be offered as part of defence legislation this month.

House Republicans moved their China investigation on a separate track after passing with lightning speed a package of anti-China export measures as part of next year's defence package.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Republican of Georgia, named his party's Representative Christopher Cox of California to head a special committee to investigate allegations that the administration allowed China access to sensitive technology in return for campaign contributions.

Cox has campaigned for rights for Tibet and was again refused a visa for travel to the area by Beijing.

The House must still approve the new committee and its funding as well as the names of those to be appointed. Bereuter confirmed that he has been asked to serve on the special China investigative committee.

But the House will go into other areas of U.S.-China relations as well. The House International Relations Committee called Chinese dissidents Harry Wu and Wei Jingsheng to testify Thursday on reports that China harvested organs from prisoners for sale as transplants.

And, the panel called top administration officials to talk Wednesday about whether economic and political sanctions are useful foreign policy tools.