October 24: ``A victory lap around the United States after Tiananmen Square,'' is how one waspish commentator corrosively described Chinese President Jiang Zemin's forthcoming visit to the United States beginning Sunday. Even if that isn't entirely true, the Chinese leader will discover that in the land of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, there will be plenty of hecklers and catcalls even during a lap of honour.On the face of it, both US and Chinese officials are describing Jiang's trip as a ``summit of reconciliation''. But it may well turn out to be a taunt-filled trip. Although mandarins from both sides are working feverishly to sweep disagreements under the carpet and mute dissenting views about one another's policy, the one thing they cannot stifle is the foghorn of free speech that is so precious to the American public. As Jiang traverses the US, he will face more protests than any other leader visiting the land of free speech.The issues are many: Tibet, Taiwan, human rights, organ transplant, China's alleged attempt to buy political influence in the US. In a country loaded with more than a fair share of bleeding hearts and barrackers, anything is good for a placard-waving demo and a byte on the evening news. Almost as good as the main story about the summit meeting between Jiang and Clinton on Wednesday will be the side stories about protests.Tibet, of course, tops the list of causes. For reasons few have been able to fathom, the issue has become a perennial Hollywood favourite, canvassed by such luminaries as Richard Gere, Harrison Ford, Steven Seagal and Uma Thurman. With an unerring eye on publicity-generating controversy, producers of Seven Years in Tibet released the film earlier this month close to Jiang's visit. But the critics were lukewarm and the movie has done relatively poorly. Red Corner, another Gere starrer about an American caught in the Chinese legal system, is also due this week.Gere himself will lead a demonstration in front of the White House on Wednesday, even as Clinton toasts Jiang at a banquet. Many other Hollywood and Congress types are expected to lend their lungs to the effort. Says Buchung Tsering, a spokesman for the International Campaign for Tibet: ``We''ll follow him everywhere. We want to remind him that the Tibetan movement is alive and well and we are working for the survival of Tibetan culture''.Hollywood will get a fair share of help from the Hill, where there are several supporters of theTibetan cause. Prominent among them is Jesse Helms, the powerful chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Never one to lose a chance to tweak the nose of the administration, Helms last week dashed off a letter to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, reminding her of a commitment to appoint a special coordinator for Tibet by November 1, a pledge Albright made long before the Jiang visit was finalised.US lawmakers also plan to question the Chinese leader about sensitive subject like Taiwan (another pet Congressional hobby horse) and China's alleged attempt to funnel money into the American electoral process, a charge Beijing hotly denies. Also raining a ruckus in Washington during his visit will be Wei Shanshan, sister of the jailed dissident Wei Jingshen.The protest will not end with Tibet or Washington. Jiang is also scheduled to visit Harvard, the bastion of liberal values, where he will face an open Q&A. He will also visit Drexel University in Philadelphia, where his son Mian earned an engineering degree in 1991. Everywhere he goes, there will be questions.So far, at least, the Chinese have played it cool, although they have bluntly told the Clinton administration that they will not countenance questions about ``internal affairs'' like Tibet. But the American Congress and the public may be more of a handful than the clay-foot administration. Asked how they planned to handle the public scrutiny and possible uncomfortable situation, Chinese spokesman Yu Shuning said they were guests of the US Government and the onus was on the hosts to protect them.Fat chance, if the preparations underway in the protest lobbies are any indication. Says Congressman Henry Hyde: ``Every opportunity should be availed to demonstrate to the Chinese leaders, to express our resentment about the abuse of civil rights and human rights in that country, and what an obstacle they are in normalising healthy relationships between our countries.'' Amid such a mood, it promises to be a week of colourful pictures and headlines.
