The recent nuclear bomb tests in India and Pakistan came just as a wave of China-bashing seemed to be cresting again in the United States -- pushed forward relentlessly by left and right with the help of the media. Indeed, India's readiness to call the tests a response to a perceived threat from China could be a ploy designed to take advantage of anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S. PNS commentator Ling Chi Wang is head of ethnic studies at University of California Berkeley and an expert on Asian-American affairs. PART II OF IV OF A SPECIAL CHINA SERIES.

One unexpected piece of fallout from the India/Pakistan nuclear tests is an attempt to blame China for these tests and link them to questions about Clinton campaign financing.

On the surface, this sounds like a crackpot idea, but it comes from the Republican mainstream and from China-bashers on the left and the right -- who have been mounting a campaign to demonize China for over a year, much as their predecessors did in the 1950s and 1960s.

This latest incarnation began with William Safire's Jan. 2, 1997 column in the New York Times. Since then, the right-wing in American politics has been trying very hard to link Clinton and the Democratic National Committee with China's threat to U.S. national security.

In February of 1997, Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, reportedly relying on a leak from FBI counter-intelligence, linked Democratic fund raising with China's attempt to influence and subvert American democracy, by pointing to $2 million from an unnamed source in China, "laundered" through a third party. This attracted the attention not only of Republicans but also such anti-China constituencies as the religious right, pro-life groups, anti-communists, and isolationists -- as well as the AFL-CIO, human rights and environmental groups, supporters of the Dalai Lama and liberal Democrats.

Several books and numerous articles appeared on "the threat of China." Clinton was repeatedly accused of trading foreign policy for campaign contributions from China. The Senate Committee investigating campaign finance decided to focus on the idea that China attempted to subvert American democracy with illegal contributions. Republicans hoped this would expose Clinton's unscrupulous fundraising tactics. The highly publicized hearings failed to prove this but succeeded in two ways -- demonizing China and diverting public attention from the need for campaign finance reform.

News about the president's alleged liaisons with Paula Jones or Monica Lewinsky diverted the media for a few months, but on May 15, a strategic leak to the New York Times ignited another anti-China frenzy. This alleged that about $100,000 from a Chinese-American fund-raiser, Johnny Chung, had actually come from China's military and may have resulted in an illegal technology transfer.

This linked the campaign finance scandal directly to national security for the first time. Republican leaders virtually accused Clinton of treason and the media, led by the New York Times, joined the Republicans in demanding the appointment of an independent counsel to investigate the China connection.

Since Clinton had announced he was going to China to solidify his new policy of "strategic cooperation," an atmosphere of national crisis and emergency was quickly generated. Like earlier allegations of Chinese conspiracy and subversion, no credible evidence thus far has surfaced. Nevertheless, the new allegations reinforced anti-China sentiment. The House passed an amendment banning sales of satellite technology to China and 150 law-makers signed a letter urging Clinton to cancel his trip.

It was in the midst of this climate that India and Pakistan tested their nuclear weapons. The U.S. and its allies promptly denounced the tests. India then announced that the tests were necessary because China threatened India's national security.

This is most peculiar in light of the improving relations between India and China since the end of the Cold War. It is quite possible that India is exploiting anti-China sentiment in the U.S. If so, it is a very clever and effective strategy. The success of Clinton's trip is now very much in doubt, given the strong anti-China sentiment across the entire political spectrum. Soured relations between China and the U.S. could have chilling implications for global peace and prosperity. It is possible the latest round of the partisan struggle between Clinton and Republican leaders could create a new Cold War between the U.S. and China. This is no way to usher in the 21st century.