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CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: OCTOBER 1, 2003
TOP STORY: HU JINTAO TRIES ANOTHER PUSH FOR �INTRA-PARTY DEMOCRACY�
PREVIOUS EFFORT STYMIED BY CMC CHAIR JIANG ZEMIN; PRESS OVERBLOWS SPEECH
In a speech to the Communist Politburo, People�s Republic President Hu Jintao called for �efforts to expand citizens' orderly participation in political affairs and guarantee the people's rights to carry out democratic election, decision making, management and supervision according to law,� (PTI via the Hindu).
Several reports, including the Associated Press and PTI, held out the prospect of multi-party elections from Hu�s speech, apparently not noticing �according to law.� Communist China�s �law� mandates Party control. Hu himself pointed to that elsewhere in the speech, emphasizing the need to �expand socialist democracy� (Donga.com, emphasis added).
What Hu is actually pushing is his pet �intra-party democracy� project, which would move the selection of several Communist posts away from various factions within the party and, in theory, more towards party members and lower-level party committees. While that may empower a few party members, to call this �democracy� is a joke.
Whether or not Hu even has the power to bring about �intra-party democracy� remains to be seen. Hu�s predecessor, Jiang Zemin, has used his post of Chairman as Central Military Commission � and his pull as leader of �Shanghai� faction � to shoot the idea down earlier this year (see 6/25, 7/23, and 8/27 Updates).
If the speech is any indication, Hu will try again at the next meeting of the Communist Party Central Committee, which begins on October 11.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS
COMMUNISTS SHUT DOWN TOWNSHIP ELECTION, ARREST LOCAL OFFICIAL WHO HELD IT
Speaking of �democracy,� Wei Shengduo, the Communist party boss in the township of Pingba, decided to open the post of Pingba mayor to a vote of the people. For this stunning move toward reform, Wei was rewarded with a stint in jail and the loss of his job and his party membership. His superior also cancelled the election. Report: Washington Post
OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
COMMUNISTS MARK PRC �ANNIVERSARY;� UNEMPLOYED MAN SETS HIMSELF ON FIRE
Communist China marked the 54th �anniversary� of the founding of the People�s Republic by loosening rules on marriage. Meanwhile, an angry unemployed man marked the day very differently � he set himself ablaze to protest his predicament. Report: BBC
COMMUNIST CHINA WORRIED ABOUT ANGRY URBAN POOR
Communist China is so afraid of �outbreaks of urban violence perpetrated by disgruntled workers and peasants� (Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN) that they conducted mass �anti-terrorist� exercises recently. The increasing desperation and poverty in Communist China, especially outside the glittering Pacific cities, has left tens of millions enraged at the Communist Party.
PRC SUCCEEDS IN QUEST FOR SOLID-FUEL ROCKET
Communist China �successfully test-fired its first four-stage solid-fuel rocket capable of putting small satellites into space on short notice,� according to the Communist Xinhua news agency (cited by Agence France Presse). The solid-fuel success is a major step forward in the Communist space program, and the military uses therein.
MANNED LAUNCH APPEARS IMMINENT
Meanwhile, Communist China appears to be rapidly approaching the day of its first manned space flight (Cybercast News). The PRC has previously said its manned space launch would be sometime this year. It is also planning a moon landing by 2010 (see 5/22/02, 9/17, and last Updates). Also reporting: Los Angeles Times via Houston Chronicle).
�DISGUSTING� COMMERCIALS BANNED DURING MEALTIME
Communist China�s censors have now taken aim at advertising. The Communists banned all ads �for feminine hygiene products, hemorrhoid ointments and other such items during mealtimes� (BBC). The Communist Beijing Times ripped the ads as �likely to disgust audiences.� Haven�t the censors heard of the �off� switch?
Check out the Communist China and the Terrorist War page.
NORTH KOREA NEWS
RICE GIVES PRC HIGH PRAISE ON NORTH KOREA
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice called Communist China �extremely helpful� (Fox News) regarding North Korea�s nuclear weapons program. She echoed President Bush, who praised what he called the PRC�s �constructive role� on North Korea (see last Update). Communist China hosted two rounds of talks on North Korea�s nuclear weapons program.
What was the Communists� �constructive role� in all of this? They insisted that the U.S. soften its position, while saying nothing publicly about North Korea�s broken promises or its continued intransigence (see 4/30 and 9/3 Updates).
For more on Communist China�s Stalinist ally, sign up for Monday�s North Korea Report.
OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
SCHUMER TARIFF BILL WINS MORE SPONSORS, BUT IS STUCK IN FINANCE COMMITTEE
The conditional 27.5% tariff bill sponsored by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Jim Bunning (R-KY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (see 9/17 Update), has won more co-sponsors despite being �buried� in the Senate Finance Committee. Report: William Hawkins, U.S. Business and Industry Council, via TradeAlert.org.
Those Senators who have added their names to the bill are as follows: Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Mark Dayton (D-MN), Michael Enzi (R-WY), Herb Kohl, Herb (D-WI), Arlen Specter (R-PA), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
COMMUNISTS SAY THEY HAD �NO TIME� TO GET CLINTON�S APPROVAL ON CENSORING
Speaking of Senator Clinton, Communist-owned Yilin Press told Simon & Schuster � the American publisher of Clinton�s Living History � that it would have tried for an agreement over its censoring of her book (see last Update), but had to �make up for lost time against the pirated editions� (BBC). Simon & Schuster was not happy with the explanation.
THEN-PRESIDENT CLINTON APPROVED EXPORT OF RADIATION-PROOF CHIPS TO PRC
Meanwhile, newly declassified documents revealed, �President Bill Clinton personally approved . . . the export of radiation hardened chip sets to China� (Newsmax). The chips �are designed to function while being bombarded by intense radiation . . . and are required by advanced nuclear tipped missiles.�
COMPANIES FALLING OVER THEMSELVES TO GET TO BEIJING OLYMPIC CASH
Communist China�s 2008 Olympics has already held its first event: the corporate dash. The PRC is looking to spend $26 billion, according to MSNBC, and some of America�s biggest firms are following the money.
Sign the petition for an American boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NINTENDO TO INTRODUCE GAMECUBE TO COMMUNIST CHINA
Nintendo has decided to risk �product piracy� (BBC) and introduce its GameCube to Communist China. The piracy problem has kept Microsoft and Sony away from bringing their game systems to the PRC � one report put the percentage of software that was counterfeit at 90%.
REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
CHEN WANTS NEW CONSTITUTION IN 2006; U.S. NERVOUS
President Chen Shui-bian wants �to rewrite Taiwan's constitution in 2006� (BBC), assuming he wins re-election next spring. The U.S. is worried that �his planned revisions could move Taiwan closer to independence.� Chen, a member of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, has never suggested any such provisions in the new national charter.
The U.S. recently expressed more concern for Communist Chinese reaction to possible Taiwanese referenda than to the wishes of the island democracy (see 6/25 Update). Sadly, that hypersensitivity to Beijing has extended to this issue. Also reporting: World Net Daily
COMMUNISTS EASE VISA RULES, INVITE TAIWANESE INTO SPACE
Communist China �plans to simplify visa procedures for visitors from Taiwan and has invited the island to participate in experiments aboard Beijing's first manned space flight, moves that are part of efforts to woo its neighbor� (Washington Times). This is part of the �soft-sell� side of the PRC�s effort to swallow up the island democracy.
HONG KONG NEWS
HK GOVERNMENT BREAKING ITS OWN LAWS ON HARBOR RECLAMATION
The Communist-appointed government of Hong Kong has acquired its sponsor�s taste for rampant development at all costs. The city regime was so determined to �reclaim� harbor land in the city that it broke its own harbor protection laws in the process. Report: BBC
TIBET NEWS
SURPRISE! NEWLY-APPROVED DAM RAISES ECOLOGICAL, CORRUPTION CONCERNS
Call it the Tibetan Three Gorges Dam. Communist China has approved a new dam to be built on a Tibetan lake. The dam would �ruin the lake and threaten endangered animals and plants� (London Sunday Telegraph via Washington Times). The firm building the dam is the China Huaneng Group, a firm run by none other than the son of Li Peng.
Li Peng was the driving force behind the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. He also dreamed up the disastrous Three Gorges Dam, which was shot through with corruption, displaced millions of people, and has cracks in it (see 9/20/00, 12/5/01, 6/18, and 7/16 Updates). All of these concerns have now come to the forefront regarding this new project.
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