CNN19980112.2130.0084 NEWS CAPTION first, the latest on the economic situation in asia. after tumbling nearly 9% in its last session, stocks in hong kong are rebounding in early trading at this hour. at last report, the hang seng index was up more than 3%. u.s. officials are urging investors to remain calm. president clinton says the underlying strength of the struggling asian economies is solid, provided asian governments take steps to restore investor confidence. the white house is defending u.s. participation in international financial aid for the affected asian countries. we think the case for active involvement by the united states is a very good one. we have a longstanding and deeply held interest in that region that we have pursued very actively for many, many years now, and we're not about to give up what we think is the important sense of presence and sta teejic interest that we have in that region. the u.s. deputy treasury secretary is meeting with leaders of asian countries to push for full compliance with requirements of the international monetary fund rescue plan.