IN AN important challenge to the Clinton administration's non-proliferation policies, Washington must soon decide how to respond to recently reported transfers by China of nuclear-related technology and advanced conventional weapons that may violate U.S. non-proliferation laws. If the nuclear transfer is confirmed, China may also be in violation of its commitments as a nuclear-weapon state under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Amid growing calls in Congress for the imposition of tough economic sanctions, the administration is seeking to protect extensive U.S. business interests in China and avoid further straining already tenuous Sino-U.S. relations, which could have …