When Chinese President Jiang Zemin delivered his long-awaited speech in Sanders Theatre Saturday morning, he used the occasion to remind his American audience that China has achieved much during its 5,000-year history.

For nearly 30 minutes, Jiang out-lined his country's scientific, cultural and economic advances and called for a stronger partnership between China and the United States. It was only during the brief question-and-answer session that followed his address that Jiang admitted that the policies of the People's Republic may leave some room for improvement.

"The people are very satisfied with the reforms we have scored under the reform and opening-up program of China," Jiang said through a translator, in response to a question submitted by the coalition protesting his visit to Harvard.

"The policy of the government is to serve the people, and therefore we have to reflect the people's requests do everything that will meet the people's requests," Jiang said. "It goes without saying that, naturally, we may have shortcomings and even make mistakes in our work. However, we have been working on a constant basis to further improve our work."

Jiang reiterated his country's need to change when responding to a question posed by Carroll R. Bogert '83, a journalist with Newsweek magazine who asked the only question Jiang fielded directly from the audience. Bogart asked the president if he has learned anything about democracy during his state visit to the United States and from the mass protests that seem to have accompanied him on every leg of his journey.

"During my current trip to the United States, starting from Hawaii, I got a more specific understanding of the American democracy, more specific than I learned from books," Jiang said, addressing the audience of University faculty and administrators, foreign and national press and a few hundred undergraduates and graduates.

But Jiang said it was difficult to ignore the protesters just outside Sanders, whose loud shouts translated into a dull roar inside the packed theater.

"Although I am already 71 years old, my ears still work very well, so when I was delivering my speech I did hear sounds from the loudspeaker outside. However, I believe the only approach for me is to speak even louder than it," he said.

But while Jiang said throughout his speech that his country was well on its way to becoming a "modern democratic nation" whose socialist democracy would allow it to "ensure the full exercise of the rights of people," Jiang did not completely abandon the party line.

On the issue of Tibet and his refusal to meet with the 14th Dalai Lama--a question submitted by Eric D. Mortensen, a fifth-year graduate student in Tibetan and Himalayan studies--Jiang said that China's policy was "a very clear-cut one."

The light-heartedness with which Jiang had only moments before displayed, when inviting President Neil L. Rudenstine to join him in Beijing or Shanghai next year, disappeared. Instead, Jiang leafed through his papers, quietly coughed and answered the question, making eye contact with only his translator, not batting an eye.

"[The Dalai Lama] must state and recognize publicly that Tibet is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China," Jiang said. "He must state publicly to give up Tibetan independence, and he must stop all activities aimed at splitting the motherland."

Mortensen said in an interview yesterday that he was not entirely satisfied with Jiang's response.

"He gave a firm stance, but I was hoping he would break it down and explain it more," Mortensen said. "It was predictable."

Still, the questions Jiang answered brought the president closer to addressing the political concerns shouted by protesters coast-to-coast than have any other utterances during his trip. He spent the rest of his appearance on Saturday advocating a stronger partnership between the United States and China based on a greater mutual understanding of each country's culture.

Jiang abandoned his native Mandarin and the use of his translator midway through his speech to praise the American people in fairly fluent English.