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June 29, 1998 Monday, EVENING UPDATE EDITION

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 1; ZONE: C

LENGTH: 251 words

HEADLINE: CHINESE DETAIN DISSIDENT TRYING TO REGISTER PARTY

BYLINE: Associated Press.

DATELINE: BEIJING

BODY:
Chinese police on Monday detained a democracy activist who was trying to set up an opposition political party--the latest dissident rounded up during President Clinton's visit to China.

Plainclothes police showed up at Wang Youcai's home in eastern Hangzhou city Monday afternoon and took him away three hours later, according to dissident groups in the United States and Hong Kong.

Having been turned away by officials Friday, Wang had planned to try again Monday to register his China Democracy Party with provincial authorities, the Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement said.

The application marked the first time Chinese dissidents have openly tried to gain government approval for an opposition party, the Washington-based Free China Movement reported.

Wang, a student leader in the democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, was at least the sixth dissident taken into custody since Wednesday.

His detention came as Clinton left Beijing for Shanghai. Clinton took up the previous arrests with President Jiang Zemin, but Jiang afterward defended the police action as important for security.

In China, Clinton has emphasized the need for the government to allow more freedom. Addressing students and faculty at Peking University Monday, he called a freer society necessary to maintaining economic prosperity.

However, Clinton has refused appeals by Chinese democracy and human rights campaigners to meet with a dissident.

GRAPHIC: PHOTOPHOTO (color): Waving American flags, students at Beijing University cheer President Clinton Monday during a ceremony where he presented 500 books to the university library. After the appearance, Clinton left Beijing for Shanghai, the next stop on his visit. Reuters photo.

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: June 30, 1998