Clinton arrives in Beijing for summit

Clinton is greeted by Chinese officials in Beijing, Friday

In this story:

• Dissidents released in Xian as Clinton leaves
• American flags adorn Tiananmen Square
• Clinton visits 7,000 terra cotta soldiers

BEIJING (CNN) -- President Clinton arrived in China's capital late Friday where he is scheduled to attend a ceremony near Tiananmen Square and inspect Chinese troops. The ceremony, planned for Saturday, sparked controversy well before Clinton left the United States because of its proximity to the site where Chinese soldiers gunned down pro-democracy demonstrators in 1989.

Critics have said Clinton's presence near Tiananmen Square sends the wrong message to China's leaders about human rights.

Tiananmen Square has been prepared for Clinton's visit

Clinton will meet Saturday with President Jiang Zemin for the official summit, and Clinton's aides say he will discuss American concerns about how political dissidents are treated in China.

Dissidents released in Xian as Clinton leaves

CNN has learned that three of four dissidents detained this week by police in Xian have been released.

One man, Yang Hai, said he was "kidnapped" by police to keep him from meeting with American journalists. Yang said he was kept overnight at a guest house near the city of Xian, where Clinton and his entourage spent the first full day of their visit. Yang said police released him around 6:10 p.m., as Clinton was scheduled to leave town.

News: • Clinton takes tall agenda to China • Visit fuels debate over Sino-U.S. policy Background: • The politics of engagement: U.S. and China since 1949 • China's challenge: Shaking the 'Asian flu' Interactive Features: • Who's Who in U.S.-China relations • President Clinton's Itinerary Streaming Video: •Clinton explains why he’s going to China • A CNN Special Event: The Legacy of Tiananmen

The releases follow angry remarks by White House National Security Adviser Sandy Berger. "People are not debris, to be swept up for a visitor," he said. In the strongest American statement so far he added, "I think China's human rights record is terrible."

U.S. Ambassador to China James Sasser officially protested the detentions to the Chinese government. But Berger said, "Their response so far has not been terribly satisfactory. We have seen that China has many faces, and we have seen several of them over the past 24 hours."

President Clinton's comments were softer. He said he was disturbed by the reports of detentions and declared, "If true, they represent not China at its best and not China looking forward, but looking backward."

American flags adorn Tiananmen Square

A blanket of security and scores of American flags now cover Beijing's Tiananmen Square in preparation for the official welcoming ceremony that will take place nearby on Saturday.

Security is tight in Beijing

Tiananmen is frozen in the minds of many Americans as the place where a democratic demonstration was brutally crushed in 1989, but in China it has other historic significance. The esplanade was laid out by the father of Chinese communism, Mao Tse-tung, soon after he proclaimed the People's Republic of China in 1949.

The name Tiananmen is taken from the "Gate of Heavenly peace" at the north end of the square, where Mao made his historic proclamation.

A giant portrait of Mao sill adorns the 15th century buildings which lead from the square to the Forbidden City, once the home of China's emperors.

Clinton views Xian's terra cotta figures

After carefully studying protocol, U.S. officials concluded Clinton had no choice but to take part in the welcoming ceremony at the side of the square rather than risk offending Chinese leaders.

Clinton visits 7,000 terra cotta soldiers

Clinton's first day in China included viewing one of the world's most spectacular archeological finds. The president visited the excavations of the terra cotta warriors, an army of more than 7,000 pottery soldiers and horses, created and buried 2,200 years ago to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.

They were unearthed beginning in 1974 outside of Xian when villagers found one while digging a well.

Related stories:

• Clinton calls reports of dissident arrests 'disturbing' - June 26, 1998
• Extravagant welcome for Clinton in Xian - June 25, 1998
• China experiments with rural democracy - June 25, 1998
• Clinton leaves for China - June 24, 1998
• China to Clinton: Taiwan is key issue - June 23, 1998
• Allpolitics - GOP senators delay anti-China amendments until after Clinton trip - June 23, 1998