``On this issue, we must continue to speak with clarity,'' she said in a speech at Tokyo's Sophia University on the opening day of a week-long visit to Asia that also takes her to China, Mongolia and South Korea.

``For while some Chinese dissidents have been released into exile in recent months, the Chinese government's repression of dissent and religious freedom has not ceased,'' she added.

Albright's comments appear to signal her intention to vigorously pursue human rights as an issue when she meets with Chinese leaders in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday. She is preparing the ground for a summit in Beijing in late June between US President Bill Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

China in recent months released two prominent dissidents from jail -- Wei Jingsheng and Wang Dan, sending them into US exile.

While the releasehave been welcomed by human rights advocates, they have cautioned the United States not to become complacent and believe the problem of repression in China has been alleviated.