THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100324
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL SIZEMORE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 50 lines
China's ambassador to the United States came to Hampton Roads on Wednesday night with an impassioned plea for a closer U.S.-Chinese bond, which he predicted will be ``one of the most important bilateral relationships in the 21st century.''
Li Daoyu, a veteran diplomat who has worked in the Chinese foreign service since 1952, was politely received by a capacity crowd at Virginia Wesleyan College. The event was sponsored by the college and the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads.
Li's appearance drew about a dozen protesters, mostly Virginia Wesleyan students, who sought to draw attention to China's human rights record and the Tibetan independence movement.
But there was no mention of those topics in Li's remarks or in the question-and-answer period afterward, which was carefully controlled. Questions were screened by organizers of the event before they were posed to Li.
Li reminded the audience of China's phenomenal economic growth in recent years and said the huge country - with about one-quarter of the world's population - offers a lucrative market for U.S. business.
After suffering a half-century of ``foreign invasion, oppression and humiliation'' before 1950, Li said, China has embarked an an irreversible path of ``modernization, industrialization and social progress.''
The country has come a long way in a short time, he said: Real incomes have increased six- to seven-fold in the past 18 years. Average life expectancy has risen from 35 years in 1949 to 74 years in the 1990s.
But there is much more to be done, he said: Per capita income is still only $530 a year, and 65 million Chinese live in poverty.
``Economic development will remain China's top priority for a long time to come,'' he said.
The United States is important to China both as a trading partner and as a geopolitical ally committed to preserving world peace, Li said.
``We need lasting world peace so we can concentrate on our economy,'' he said.
Pointing out that China's military budget, at $7.5 billion, is dwarfed by the United States' at $288 billion, he declared: ``The so-called `China threat' is simply a fantasy, disseminated with no regard for the facts.''
The closest Li came to acknowledging concerns about human rights abuses in China was his insistence that the U.S.-Chinese relationship be based on ``non-interference in each other's internal affairs.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Li Daoyu by CNB