Harry Wu

Harry Wu is out of China (Aug. 25), but U.S.-China relations are still in dire straits. Many thorny issues still remain between these two powers. During his visit to Beijing, U.S. Undersecretary of State Peter Tarnoff will face China’s tougher demands; for instance, not allowing U.S. visits of any senior leaders of R.O.C. (Taiwan); asking U.S. support of China’s membership in the World Trade Organization, etc. But what about American grievances? Just to mention a few: human rights, nuclear proliferation, illegal arms sales, illegal trade practices and many more.

We urge a strong and steadfast U.S. stand on all issues concerning the free world, especially the thorny issue of human rights. As long as Beijing continues to arrest and illegally detain freedom fighters like Wei Jingsheng, Chen Ziming, Wang Dan and hundreds of others in China; as long as Beijing continues to suppress religious and political and other basic freedoms, Hillary Clinton should refrain from participating in the U.N. World Conference on Women and the Clinton Administration should treat Beijing as “butcher” of the “evil empire.”

DAVID MA

Federation for a Democratic China

Arcadia

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* Have you noticed that there was a blackout on Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s visit to China last week? Only after she popped up in front of news cameras on Aug. 24 in San Francisco did we learn that she was in Beijing and talked to the Chinese government about Wu’s release.

Her trip is just as historic as the one made by Henry Kissinger when he dodged the media and secretly landed in Beijing. I definitely think she, and not Wu, deserves the Nobel Prize for avoiding a cold war which was inevitable if we allowed the situation to deteriorate further.

LESTER H. LEE

Sunnyvale