Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was one of six GOP candidates to address the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington Wednesday. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain on Wednesday continued a Republican assault on Clinton-Gore policy toward Russia and China, saying that if elected president he would sternly outline U.S. expectations for the once and current Communist states.

Delivering one of a series of speeches by Republican candidates at a Jewish conference, McCain echoed themes sounded two weeks ago by Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.

A McCain administration would "not turn a blind eye while Moscow supports proto-fascist agents of ethnic cleansing and regional instability in Serbia and Belarus," the Arizona senator told the Republican Jewish Coalition with respect to Russia.

It also would not "allow Russian extremists to escape the consequences of the carnage they cause in Chechnya," he added.

Turning to China, McCain said any attempts by Beijing to force a reunification with Taiwan -- which it considers a rogue province -- would face U.S. consequences.

"I do not think it useful to publicly identify the means by which we would oppose such aggression, but China must be made to understand the use of force would be a very serious mistake in judgment, a serious mistake with grave consequences," he said.

In his own remarks, Bush said a safe Israel is in the United States' economic interest and that he would begin the process of moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem the day he is sworn into office, if he wins the presidency.

Such a move is source of dispute not only among Jews, but between Jews and Palestinians.

The Republican Jewish Coalition, a lobbying group, was celebrating its 15th anniversary with speechmaking, a luncheon and dinner. It hoped the presence of the six Republican presidential candidates and likely candidates in four hotly contested Senate races signaled a new prominence for Republican Jews.

Besides McCain and Bush, others attending were conservative activist Gary Bauer, publisher Steve Forbes, Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah and radio talk show host Alan Keyes.

Also on the program was New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who is expected to challenge first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton for the U.S. Senate.

"The Jewish vote has traditionally been thought of as a Democratic vote, but more Republicans are getting more of the Jewish vote," said Matt Brooks, the coalition's executive director.

During his speech, Hatch accused the Clinton-Gore administration of forcing a peace process on the Israeli people.

He also chastised Mrs. Clinton for her recent silence as the wife of Yasser Arafat accused the Israelis of secretly poisoning Palestinian children.

"I assure you that if an official of the Hatch administration ever sat silent in the face of such lies, they'd be buying their own ticket home," Hatch said to applause.

During his remarks, McCain accused the administration of squandering an important "strategic asset" -- America's credibility around the world -- by making threats or promises and then not following through.

"Allies are as quick to lose faith in uncertain leadership as enemies are to challenge it," he said. "Credibility is a strategic asset. The world's only superpower should never give its word insincerely, we should never make idle threats."

McCain did not name names, but campaign aides said he was referring to situations such as the United States pledging support to Kurdish rebels during their uprisings in northern Iraq, yet not stopping their slaughter by the Iraqi government.

Instead, since shortly after the end of the Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. military has patrolled the skies over much of Iraq to prevent attacks by Baghdad.