Dianne Feinstein: “today I am joined by a bipartisan group of my colleagues in submitting a resolution that expresses support for the…”

“today I am joined by a bipartisan group of my colleagues in submitting a resolution that expresses support for the agreements reached at the recent summit between President Clinton and President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China. As the resolution makes clear, the United States and China did not come to agreement on every issue that divides us during the summit. Significant, even fundamental differences remain in some areas, particularly in the area of human rights. But there is no question that the summit was a positive step forward in building a cooperative partnership between the largest developed country and the largest developing country on earth. The summit has, of course, occasioned a vigorous debate on the United States' policy toward China. It seems to me that the key to a successful China policy is to be able to encourage this large nation to take its place in the world as a stable, responsible leader that can help ensure peace and stability in Asia and the world. The question is how to do this? Our choices seem to boil down to two: Some say we should contain China, prevent its rise, and isolate it from the world community. We should recognize it as an adversary. Others--myself and the cosponsors of this resolution included--say we should engage China, understand that our relationship is complex, develop a strategic partnership where we have like interests, and through intensive communication try to achieve common ground.”