As the summit approaches, the U.S. nuclear industry is lobbying hard for the Clinton Administration to certify China, and to implement the agreement. Nonproliferation and other critics have similarly stepped up their arguments that China has not met U.S. legal requirements for certification. Presidential certification will not end the controversy. This step will trigger a congressional review period before U.S. companies can bid for contracts. Congress has already held hearings on the issue earlier this month, and may consider legislation late this fall or early in 1998 to block U.S. nuclear sales to China.
China is central to international efforts to control weapons of mass destruction.
The key question for the Clinton administration is whether to reward China now for the steps it has taken, or hold back on certification and push for still more progress. If the United States is perceived to be softening its arms control standards in order to improve political and trade relations with China, the damage could outweigh any commercial benefits. Jennifer Weeks is executive director of the Managing the Atom Project at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.