Vice President Al Gore has wrapped up his visit to the People's Republic of China. He called on Chinese leaders to allow more U.S. access to the huge Chinese market.. Following a background report by Charles Krause, Jim Lehrer leads a discussion with Kenneth Lieberthal, professor of political science at the University of Michigan, and Jim Mann, columnist for The Los Angeles Times.

JIM LEHRER: Vice President Gore goes to China, thus being the highest ranking U.S. official to do so since the Tiannamen Square confrontations in 1989. That is our lead story tonight. Our coverage begins with this report by Charles Krause.

CHARLES KRAUSE: China was the Vice President's second stop on a three-nation Asia trip that had been planned long before the controversy over allegations that the Chinese government was trying to influence the 1996 American election. According to the FBI there's evidence the Chinese had plans to contribute to the Clinton re-election campaign, as well as to members of Congress.

Gore's visit to Beijing this week was meant to symbolize the administration's policy of engagement with China and to serve as a prelude to a likely exchange of visits by President Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin later in the year. The Vice President, accompanied by his wife, Tipper, and three other children, had time for sightseeing yesterday. But most of the trip has been devoted to meetings with high-level Chinese government officials and other official business, including the signing of two major contracts between U.S. corporations and the Chinese government.

The first of the contracts provides that China will buy five Boeing aircraft for $685 million and take an option on five more. The second contract between General Motors and a state-owned Shanghai company creates a $1.75 billion joint venture to build Buicks in China. At the signing ceremony Premier Li proposed a champagne toast. Today the Vice President emphasized the importance of partnership between the two nations as he talked with Chinese university students.

VICE PRESIDENT GORE: Our vision is that we, the United States, and China, as friends and partners will share a prosperous and peaceful future, a future of free minds and free markets, sustained by a new consensus on protecting our environment and nurtured by justice, fair play, and the deepening sense of our responsibilities toward one another as human beings.

CHARLES KRAUSE: This afternoon, after meeting with China's president, Gore held a news conference.

VICE PRESIDENT GORE: I repeated President Clinton's message that we seek real progress on human rights, not confrontation. On these issues America's voice would not and will not be muted. I expressed the need for greater access to China's markets for American goods and services, all the more critical as our annual trade deficit with China has reached $39.5 billion. The Chinese have disputes over our method of accounting, but by any accounting China's surplus with the United States is large and continues to grow.

CHARLES KRAUSE: Despite the intended emphasis on human rights, trade, and other bilateral issues, the allegations of Chinese involvement in last year's American elections kept bubbling to the surface. Today the Vice President essentially confirmed earlier reports of what he told the Chinese in private.

VICE PRESIDENT GORE: The discussion of the controversy now pending the completion of the investigation should not affect the relationship between China and the United States. Should the allegations be proven to be true, then, of course, that would be a different matter, and I made it clear that that would be serious indeed.

CHARLES KRAUSE: The Chinese have continued their vehement denials of any improper meddling in U.S. political affairs.