``For us, it really is new to see two presidents speaking face-to-face on taboo subjects on live television,'' journalists from State-run media organisations said after Saturday's joint news conference by Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

The news conference was transformed into a gripping debate between Jiang and Clinton on a range of taboo subjects like human rights, Tiananmen Square, freedom, Tibet and Dalai Lama which was beamed not only around the globe but also to hundreds of millions of homes across China.

``I think President Clinton is a strong defender of the American interest, and I am a strong defender of the Chinese interest,'' Jiang said as they debated on the sensitive issue of human rights.

``But despite that, we still can have veryfriendly exchanges of views and discussion,'' Jiang said adding that ``and I think that is democracy.''Reiterating his stand on question of human rights as taken during their last joint press conference in October '97 in Washington Clinton said, ``China and the US must go forward on the right side of history for the future sake of the world.''

Sources said China decided to keep the Yankees guessing till the last minute on the issue of agreeing to do a `live' telecast. Clinton came to know about it just before the news conference.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said the live broadcast ``shows we have adopted an open attitude in welcoming Clinton.'' Zhu, however, declined to comment when the Chinese government decided to show the news conference live but went on to say ``Chinese society is more and more open. People have their own opinions and can make their own judgments.''

Dissidents urge Clinton to meet Ziyang

A Group of 125 dissidents in China has urged visiting US PresidentBill Clinton to meet former Chinese Communist party leader Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted during the 1989 student-led protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.``We strongly urge President Clinton to take just one hour of his time in Beijing to meet Zhao Ziyang,'' the group said in a statement faxed to news agencies in Beijing early today by the New York-based group Human Rights in China. Chinese activists have repeatedly urged Clinton to meet with a dissident during his visit to China to underscore his criticism of Beijing's human rights records.

In public remarks since his arrival, Clinton has emphasised his desire to see more freedom permitted by the Chinese government. He sparred with Chinese President Jiang Zemin on the topic during a post-Summit news conference. However, his official schedule has included no meetings with dissidents. Clinton was due to leave Beijing tomorrow for Shanghai. The open letter urged Clinton to pressure Chinese leaders to free Zhao, who has not appeared in public since he spoke tostudent protesters in Tiananmen Square on May 19, 1989, saying tearfully, ``I came too late.''