China may be nothing more than a handy enemy for many Americans -- an attitude that has been exploited by a number of individuals opposed to any relationship with that country and unaware of its true course over the last 25 years. While there are serious areas of disagreement between the two countries, writes PNS commentator Sanford Gottlieb, there are important reasons to treat China as anything but an enemy. PNS commentator Sanford Gottlieb is author of "Defense Addiction: Can America Kick the Habit?" published by Westview Press, and has worked for over 30 years for private organizations in the field of international arms control. PART IV OF IV OF A SPECIAL CHINA SERIES.

Some Americans are desperately looking for a new enemy to replace the former Soviet Union.

And their enemy of choice is China, I learned as a "guest" on several radio call-in shows recently. They would like to roll back U.S.-China relations to the 1950s, which is to say no diplomatic relations, no trade, no contacts -- except, for a time, on the battlefields of Korea.

As President Clinton prepares for his China trip, he faces a chorus of critical voices -- less extreme than those radio callers but more influential.

In the House of Representatives, 305 members of congress from both parties voted to suggest that the president not visit Tienamen Square until China "pledges such atrocities will never happen again" and agrees to release political prisoners. Some Republicans urged him to cancel the trip outright.

Denunciations of the Chinese government come from left and right. One segment of organized labor has called for protection against Chinese goods. And columnist Charles Krauthammer sees China as "a potential rival, a notorious proliferator, and a potential destabilizer."

All this animosity suggests that "constructive engagement" is the wrong approach.

But much in China has changed for the better since 1967, when Richard Nixon wrote of the need for reconciliation. Later, as president, he initiated the policy Clinton pursues today.

China is now a complex country, trying to juggle authoritarian Communist Party rule and a growing market economy. It has loosened the leash on newspaper commentary and is accessible on the Internet. The government does hold 2,000 political prisoners, but tolerates calls for expanded local elections and encourages home ownership in the cities.

The Chinese government "has been shrinking itself," in the words of Theresa Gusman, an investment analyst specializing in Asia.

Gigantic problems still afflict the world's most populous country. The huge peasant majority continues to live in poverty. Millions are jobless in the bustling cities.

China's defiance of American values and policies makes headlines, but cooperative relations between the two have advanced quietly on several fronts. Major U.S. universities and pharmaceutical firms have hundreds of research projects in China exploring cancer, diet and obesity, environmental pollution and energy. Yale Law School has an exchange program -- even the military establishments have exchanged visits.

The Chinese government, which did supply nuclear technology to Pakistan in the past, is now cooperating in efforts to cool tensions on the Indian subcontinent. It has also helped curb North Korea's demands for nuclear weapons.

Trade between our two countries now totals $75 billion. Some 175,000 U.S. jobs can be traced to that commerce.

In short, China and the United States have arrived at a fragile state of interdependence since Nixon's trip.

There are continuing, and serious, problems but common sense suggests that diplomacy, pressure, and assisting those working for reform is a wiser approach than reducing contacts. And this takes time.

Perhaps the Alliance of Christian ministries in China put it best. "Trade, commerce and cultural exchange are exposing the Chinese people to the values of faith and freedom."

I don't want new enemies. I doubt most Americans do. I wish the Chinese people well -- all 1.2 billion of them -- and hope President Clinton succeeds in keeping the door open.