IF ONE thing is clear about President-elect Mr Bill Clinton's foreign policy intentions, it is his resolve to overhaul Sino-US relations and bring Beijing to heel on a host of issues ranging from treatment of dissidents to missile sales in the Middle East.
If one thing remains vague, however, it is how he intends to do it.
Whatever course Mr Clinton pursues on China, the road between principle and practice will be strewn with obstacles, and perhaps a landmine or two.
The President-elect's ''new diplomacy'' for the post-Cold War world has taken shape, with shifting emphasis, over the course of several months.
But it was outlined anew during the Senate confirmation hearings for Mr Warren Christopher, the incoming Secretary of State. In his prepared comments, Mr Christopher described three general foreign policy objectives: the expansion of free and fair trade, re-tooling the US military and halting the proliferation of weapons, and safeguarding human rights and boosting democracy.
During the hearings, China enjoyed the distinction of being the only country subjected to sharp criticism, both by Mr Christopher and the Foreign Affairs Committee members questioning him, in all three areas.
