China time

China stole this country’s most precious nuclear secrets. The Chinese prime minister comes to Washington next month. The White House and Congress had better get busy.

This is no time for fixing blame. The theft of multiple warhead technology from the Los Alamos national laboratory occurred during the Reagan and Bush administrations. The Clinton administration learned of the espionage in 1995 but kept quiet about it. Arguing about whether inattention is worse than covering up would be about as productive as teaching another generation of American schoolchildren to duck for atomic cover under their desks.

It’s time to fix this country’s China policy. Or at least, before Zhu Rongji pays his mid-April call, to begin getting a fix on China. The world’s most populous nation may be an unrepentant trampler of human rights, Cold Warrior and arms merchant to renegade regimes or it may be the greatest untapped consumer market in human history, just one trade deal away from joining Sam’s Club. It can’t be both.

The White House and Congress would be exploring uncharted territory should they agree to take a break from bickering about tax cuts, Social Security, education and even Kosovo to engage in focussed talk about China. Decades of tinkering, of making China fit whatever mold is convenient at the time, created this mess. Nonpartisan panel discussions, open Senate debates and even private Oval Office brainstorming sessions may be the only way to begin clearing it up. And, now that we know that China knows how the W-88 multiple warhead works, absolutely necessary.

There’s plenty to sort through, but three major issues stand out. First is technology transfer. Largely at the request of industry, supercomputers and satellites have been exported to China and concerns have been downplayed, as though otherwise clever Chinese scientists would be incapable of adapting those technologies to military use. It now is obvious that cheap Chinese labor and cheap Chinese rockets have come at a high price.

Second is the issue of this country’s commitment to technology. Since the W-88 story broke, many Americans have asked why foreign scientists, Chinese and otherwise, have the keys to some of the most top-secret rooms at Los Alamos. The answer, which has attracted shockingly scant attention, is that America does not produce enough scientists — too many bright young minds find investment banking more rewarding. Why is China receiving the most advanced rocket technology to put U.S. commercial satellites in orbit? Because the United States has not invested in its own commercial rocket programs.

Third: whether the United States will base its China policy on a China that is fundamentally hostile, undemocratic and bent upon superpower status, or on one that is struggling toward reform in a troublesome yet essentially harmless way. If the United States expects trade with China to lead to Chinese democracy, it’s time to set some conditions. Prime Minister Zhu’s visit would be a good time to start.