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		______Cap in hand PRESIDENT CLINTON GOES TO CHINA, A COUNTRY THE U.S. NEEDS MORE THAN EVER. - - - - - - - - - - - - BY JONATHAN BRODER | WASHINGTON -- Against the backdrop of a deepening economic crisis in Asia, and with the specter of a nuclear arms race in the region, President Clinton goes to China next week, a momentous foreign trip seriously burdened by domestic controversy over U.S. technology transfers and illegal campaign donations involving the communist giant. White House officials say the nine-day visit, the first by a U.S. president since the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, underscores the Clinton administration's determination to stay engaged with the world's most populous nation. Despite what these officials acknowledge as "serious and significant differences" with Beijing over issues ranging from human rights to copyrights, Clinton and his advisors believe it is more important than ever that the U.S.-Sino relationship be nurtured. All eyes will be on the official welcoming ceremony next Thursday in Tiananmen Square, where Chinese soldiers butchered hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators and seared the issue of human and political rights in China into the American consciousness. Human rights advocates and Clinton critics -- Republicans and Democrats -- expect him to address what happened there nine years ago this month -- even if it means offending his Chinese hosts. National Security Advisor Samuel Berger says Clinton will raise the human rights issue, although he won't say if that will happen during the Tiananmen ceremony. Berger was also careful to mention that China's human rights record had improved somewhat, noting that the administration's continuing engagement with China had helped bring about the release of dissidents Wei Jingsheng and Wang Dan earlier this year. Peter Rodman, a National Security Council member during the Reagan administration, says Clinton's decision to be welcomed in Tiananmen Square, with all of its negative symbolism for Americans, only confirms how inept the administration is when it comes to handling foreign policy. "They're tone-deaf," says Rodman, now a foreign policy analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Strategic and International Studies. The summit, which was arranged months ago, also comes at an awkward moment for Clinton -- just as Republicans in Congress are investigating his administration's missile technology transfers to China and the impact of the transfers on U.S. national security. Congress also is probing the possibility that those transfers were influenced by illegal Chinese contributions to Clinton's 1996 presidential campaign -- a charge the administration vehemently denies. Some critics argue the issue was so serious that Clinton should have canceled the summit altogether. White House officials scorned the suggestion, particularly in light of the strategic and economic developments that have rocked the region recently. Earlier this month, India and Pakistan detonated nuclear test devices, plunging the volatile Asian subcontinent into a potential nuclear arms race. As justification for its tests, India singled out China, accusing it of helping rival Pakistan develop its own nuclear weapons and the long-range missiles to deliver them. China denies it played any role in helping Pakistan develop its nuclear and missile capabilities. National Security Advisor Berger says Clinton will use the summit to press Chinese President Jiang Zemin on nuclear nonproliferation and missile control issues -- not only with regard to Pakistan but also Iran. China reportedly is still discussing the sale of missile test equipment to Teheran, an act that would violate pledges the Chinese leader made to Clinton during his visit to Washington last fall. While noting improvements in China's behavior, Berger says Clinton will "seek further steps by the Chinese to bring itself wholly in line with international [arms technology transfer] regimes." N E X T+P A G E+| China's new clout