692 { China’s Quest
There was strong opposition to Zhu’s proceeding as planned. Li Peng rep-
resented the views of many on the Politburo when he spoke out against a
visit by Zhu:
The Kosovo incident is bound to result in new change in the world’s stra-
tegic set-up. I maintain that it is inappropriate for comrade Zhu Rongji
to go to the United States at this time. [His visit] should be deferred.
I have always maintained that the United States bullies the faint hearted
but fears the stouthearted. Going now will reveal our hand. Others will
see our bottom line, leaving us with hardly any room for maneuver.^35
According to Zong Hairen, the center conducted a survey of the views of
leading cadres in relevant “departments.” Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed
felt that Zhu’s visit should be postponed. The decision to go ahead with the
visit was made by Jiang Zemin, supported by Hu Jintao, Li Lanqing, and Zeng
Qinghong, Politburo member and head of the powerful CCP Organizational
Department. Jiang told the Politburo:
Everything you comrades have said is quite to the point. ... [Ye t]
I maintain that, proceeding from the overall situation of our national
interests, the visit should proceed as planned.... We must continue
to deal with the United States, and there is no need to arouse various
misunderstandings on the part of the West, and especially the United
States, by terminating this visit ... I believe that the Clinton adminis-
tration is looking forward with eager expectancy to Comrade Rongji’s
visit ... On the WTO issue, we have already made substantial conces-
sions ... In sum, there will be no change of plan for this visit to the
United States ... we should continue to put our efforts into building
a constructive strategic partnership between China and the United
States.^36
Clinton had sent Jiang letters early in 1999 that led him to expect a US will-
ingness to bring the WTO issue to closure. Zhu arrived in the United States
on April 6—thirteen days into the NATO bombing campaign against Serbia.
Zhu found that the stance of the Clinton administration was not as positive
as he had expected. A number of issues had erupted to sour the US mood
on China and cause Clinton to shift with the pressure. A month before Zhu
arrived in the United States, an ethnic Chinese immigrant scientist employed
at the nuclear weapons research facility at Los Alamos, New Mexico, was
fired from his job, and information was leaked to the media asserting that
he had been involved in spying for China. In the Senate, a special committee
set up the previous year was investigating alleged Chinese financial involve-
ment in the 1996 US presidential election. In the House of Representatives,
movement was underway to set up a select committee to investigate Chinese