There has been a lot of talk in recent decades about the relationship between the United States and China.

The relationship has varied on the temperature scale. Relations were warm when Richard Nixon was president. It was monumental when he visited China. Under Jimmy Carter, the relations became tense, as Carter attacked human rights violations.

Ronald Reagan took a hard-line stance against communism, China’s form of government. George Bush followed suit, but relations improved. Now, Bill Clinton has his chance.

Today, a summit between two international powerhouses begins.

There are many differences between America and China. We do not agree with their communist structure, human rights violations and some trade and defense policies. And they aren’t particularly keen on democracy.

It’s good that we are trying globally to promote our beliefs. Human rights violations in China are atrocious. This is evident in the 1989 Tiananmen Square tragedy, when students demonstrating for free voices were brutally crushed. China limits child rearing to one child per family, and that unearths a whole score of human rights controversies.

Prison laborers make many Chinese products, including toys, that are sold on the American market. American intellectual property, such as movies and CDs, is pirated by Chinese entrepreneurs, allowing more than one billion potential customers to escape paying licensing fees to American artists.

How tough of a stance Clinton will take with Chinese President Jiang Zemin is under debate. It is not necessarily right for America to expect all nations to copy our government and society; however, it is right for us to encourage the largest nation in the world to grant natural rights all humans deserve —ÿno matter what their culture.

The result of today’s summit will be historic. It may shape American policy toward the Chinese, and vice versa, for decades. Clinton should take a strong stand, but not one that alienates and severely offends China.