Beijing Aims at Its Own Foot : China again seems to be sabotaging its image in the global community

Eight weeks after the arrest of activist Harry Wu, and less than a month before thousands of women will converge on Beijing for a conference of the United Nations, Chinese authorities have started a new roundup of dissidents. As if that was not troubling enough, Beijing said Thursday that it will begin a second series of guided missile and artillery tests in the East China Sea north of Taiwan.

These actions are worrisome and self-wounding, bringing into question China’s sincerity in mending strained U.S.-Sino relations. They also undermine the prospects for a meeting of the countries’ top leaders, recently discussed in Brunei by Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen and Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

Relations have not been so strained since 1989, when the Chinese army turned its guns on citizens during the Tian An Men demonstrations. Beijing has been upset since May, when Washington approved an unofficial visit to the United States by Taiwan’s President Lee Teng-hui. Beijing recalled its ambassador because it was so offended by this action--which Washington made clear involved no change in its “one-China” policy. A few weeks later China test-fired a ballistic missile toward Taiwan.

On June 19, Wu, a Chinese-born U.S. citizen who has publicized human rights abuses in his native country, was arrested in China. He is being held in a prison, accused of espionage. The State Department reports he is well.

U.S. officials are pressing Beijing to release Wu. In the Brunei talks, Christopher said it would be “very difficult . . . to envision” a summit until after Wu’s release. Meanwhile, there have been reports of other dissidents being arrested. Tong Zeng, held 24 hours, was released with a warning not to give news conferences until after the U.N. conference on women, which ends Sept. 15.

A big question is whether First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend. President Clinton said on Thursday that no decision had been made but the United States would send a strong delegation whether or not Mrs. Clinton goes. Under current circumstances, neither a summit nor a visit by Mrs. Clinton seems a sound idea.