The US Senate's leading Democrat on foreign policy warned China on Thursday that without an "iron clad" commitment on nonproliferation every other aspect of the relationship with Washington was being damaged.
In an interview with Reuters, Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware previewed his message as he heads out today for his first overseas trip -- to Taiwan, China and South Korea -- as the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Biden plans to begin a two-day visit Monday to Taiwan, US and Taiwanese officials said yesterday.
The purpose of the trip will be to discuss "strategic issues bearing on US national security," according to a news release issued by the American Institute in Taiwan.
"This trip comes at a crucial time," Biden, was quoted as saying in the AIT news release. "The security issues throughout Asia, including proliferation and missile defense, are of vital importance to the region and global security."
Biden is scheduled to hold a news conference in Taipei on Monday evening, a rare departure from the low profile most US lawmakers maintain on visits to Taiwan.
Biden also said he would tell Taiwanese leaders on his stop in Taipei that he feels President George W. Bush's pledge that the US would "do whatever it takes" to defend Taiwan goes beyond formal US commitments to help Taiwan defend itself.
The trip runs Aug. 4 to Aug. 11 and includes talks with President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) and other senior figures. Also in the delegation are Democratic Senator Paul Sarbanes, head of the Senate Banking Committee, and Republican Senators Arlen Specter and Fred Thompson.
Biden's predecessor as Senate Foreign Relations Committee chief, Republican Jesse Helms, only took one foreign trip, to Mexico, and was seen by critics as an isolationist. Helms is a key advocate of the view that China is rising as an economic and military threat and the US must guard against its transformation into an enemy.
Biden "completely rejects that notion" in favor of engagement, although he firmly criticized China's human rights abuses, lack of press freedoms and arms proliferation practices. He said he was pleased that Secretary of State Colin Powell's trip to Beijing last weekend seemed to have helped to get the rocky American-Sino relationship "back on track."
Still, Biden said proliferation remained a concern.
"The idea that entering into the WTO and continued economic expansion between the US and China can continue in the face of a policy different than curtailing and eliminating proliferation is naive and will not happen," he said."My message to China will be that absent an iron-clad notion that proliferation is not a problem, every other aspect of this relationship is damaged, every other aspect," he said.
Biden said he would urge Chinese leaders to "reaffirm and recalibrate their commitment" to a November 2000 pledge not to assist any country developing ballistic missiles that can be used to deliver nuclear weapons and to abide by a voluntary accord that limits missile exports to unstable regions.
Powell had sought a similar recommitment on his trip, as well as a pledge that Beijing would finally promulgate long-promised export control regulations.
In addition, he had asked Beijing to explain certain transfers of missile technology to Pakistan and other countries that some US officials believe violate the November pledge.
China failed to provide the requested assurances and as a result the Bush administration is expected to delay indefinitely a decision on granting licenses so American firms can export communications satellites to China, US officials have said.
The administration still hopes China will provide the requested information so that proliferation concerns can be allayed by the time of a planned US-China summit in October.
Asked if he felt China adhered to the November 2000 accord, Biden said Beijing's proliferation record has improved. But it could be argued Beijing abided by the "letter" but not the "spirit" of the accord, he said.
He also expressed concern that despite protests to the contrary, the Bush team is sending "mixed signals" about its approach toward China reflecting tensions between those who would engage Beijing and those seeking to contain it.
He said he would tell Chinese leaders the US "badly needs" their help in persuading North Korea to negotiate a deal to end missile production, deployment and exports.
President Clinton came close to such a deal before leaving office in January and now Bush, after a lengthy review, has told Pyongyang he wants to resume negotiations on missiles and other issues, including conventional forces.
"The first step and most important step is for there to be an assurance that they are not proliferating intercontinental ballistic missile technology or developing them," he said.
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