World Tibet Network News Wednesday, June 24, 1998

WASHINGTON, 06/23/98 (Reuters) - China has withdrawn the visas of three reporters who planned to cover President Clinton's state visit there for Radio Free Asia, a U.S. government-funded radio broadcasting to China over Beijing's objections, the Washington Times reported Tuesday. The decision to bar the reporters took the Clinton administration by surprise, the newspaper said. It said senior administration officials, including National Security Council staff members, met Monday to discuss the administration's response. China critics on Capitol Hill, told of the visa action, reacted angrily, the newspaper said.

It quoted Rep. Benjamin Gilman, a New York Republican who heads the House International Relations Committee, as calling it ``anoutrage'' ahead of Clinton's summit with President Jiang Zemin. ``It will be most unfortunate for this meeting if one of the first steps is(that) Chinese censorship of Radio Free Asia will prevail,'' Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, was quoted as saying in a letter sent to Clinton Monday. Officials at Radio Free Asia could not be reached for comment overnight. Created by Congress as an Asian counterpart to Radio Free Europe, the radio began beaming Mandarin-language programming to China in September 1996. The radio's stated mission is to provide accurate information in countries with authoritarian governments where freedom of expression is curbed. China has condemned it as an attempt to meddle in Chinese domestic affairs. Clinton cited the broadcasts last week as an example of U.S. determination to keep a spotlight on China's human-rights record. The Washington Times, citing

administration officials, said Chinese embassy officials contacted the three Radio Free Asia at their respective homes Saturday with the news that their visas had been ``withdrawn.'' The paper did not make clear whether any visas had ever been issued to the trio,identified as Arin Basu, Patrick Heindman and Feng Xiaoming.