
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, August 26, 1995                   TAG: 9508280058
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGOTN                                 LENGTH: Medium

1ST LADY WILL GO TO CHINA

Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend a U.N.-sponsored women's conference in China early next month now that China has removed what had been the major obstacle to her trip, the White House said Friday.

Clinton was to spend two days in China and speak at the conference in Beijing. She is the honorary chairwoman of the U.S. delegation.

``The conference presents a significant opportunity to chart further gains in the status of women,'' said a statement released by the White House press office.

Expressing particular interest in protecting human rights of women, strengthening families and improving health care, the statement said, ``The first lady's attendance reflects the profound commitment of the United States to ensure that the conference endorses all of these goals.''

Clinton, talking to a tourist near Old Faithful said, ``There are some important things to talk about there.'' She will attend the conference Sept. 5-6, the statement said.

Tentative plans for her to visit Mongolia during her trip to Asia have been scrapped because of lack of planning time, officials said.

U.S. policy-makers had struggled for weeks over whether Clinton should go to Beijing. China's freeing of Chinese-American human-rights activist Harry Wu on Thursday tipped the scales in the trip's favor, the officials said.

The White House was seeking to keep the announcement of the trip decision as low-key as possible to deflect suggestions that a deal had been struck with China. Administration officials insisted none had.

Deep differences still remain with Beijing over human rights, trade, nuclear testing and other issues. Even so, China's decision to expel Wu rather than keep him in prison was seen here as a clear goodwill gesture on the part of a Beijing government eager to repair deteriorating U.S.-Chinese relations.

by CNB