| Sign the Boycott Petition: In reaction to the 2008 Olympic Games being awarded to Beijing, the China e-Lobby has begun a petition for an American boycott of those games. Miss an Update, Weekly Links, or a North Korea Report? Find it on our web site. CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: DECEMBER 4, 2002 TOP STORY: PUTIN VISITS BEIJING; TALKS TOUCH ON KOREA, IRAQ, AND ARMS DEALS PUTIN AND JIANG CALL FOR �NON-NUCLEAR� KOREA, WANT U.S. TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH STALINISTS, AND CALL FOR �PEACEFUL SOLUTION� ON IRAQ Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing this week to meet with the two powers in Communist China: General Secretary Hu Jintao and Central Military Commission Chairman Jiang Zemin. Putin met with Jiang first. The two issued a joint statement calling for a �non-nuclear� North Korea � using boilerplate the People�s Republic has been using for years. Report: CNN 12/1/02, BBC 12/1/02 In addition, Putin and Jiang called for the U.S. to establish diplomatic relations with the Stalinist regime (for North Korea Report subscribers, the headline for a similar story on this summit may have been less than clear on that point � apologies for any confusion caused). The two also called for a �peaceful solution� on Iraq (Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN 12/4/02). Putin also discussed oil exports and arms sales to the People�s Republic, his biggest arms customer, according to an earlier report by Lam. Newsmax.com lists in detail the arms contracts Russia and Communist China either have inked or are looking to ink. NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA, EAST TURKESTAN, AND THE TERRORIST WAR U.S. HOPES PRC CAN BE AN �INTERLOCUTOR� WITH IRAQ Will they never learn? In its effort to convince Iraq �that the U.N. Security Council would not tolerate efforts by Iraq to impede the work of the weapons inspectors� (Washington Post), the Bush Administration is looking to Communist China as an �interlocutor� with Saddam Hussein. The fact that the Communists built a fiber optic network to integrate Saddam Hussein�s air defense system (see 2/21/01, 2/28/01, 3/7/01, 3/14/01, 3/21/01, and 9/18/02 updates), and may have sold Ukrainian radar systems to Saddam (see last update) was no apparent impediment to this idea. RUSSIA AND COMMUNIST CHINA LOOK TO COOPERATE ON CHECHNYA, EAST TURKESTAN Russian and Communist Chinese intelligence agents �held a secret meeting in the Siberian city of Chita earlier this week to discuss joint efforts� (Newsmax.com) against Muslim rebels in Chechnya and East Turkestan. While the Chechens have been more than willing to employ terror against Russia, claims of terrorism by the Uighur Muslims of East Turkestan are based entirely on Communist propaganda. The PRC has repeatedly claimed that the anti-Communist resistance to Communism in East Turkestan (called �Xinjiang� by Communist China) is linked to Osama bin Laden, without any substantial evidence to back up its claims. Those who reported from the region have found the Uighurs to be one of the most pro-American Muslim groups on Earth (see 10/17/01, 12/12/01, and 10/23/02 updates). CONCERN ABOUT MISSILE LAUNCHES FROM TERRORISTS FOCUS ON PRC, NK MISSILES The U.S. is growing increasingly worried about �rogue states or proxy terrorist groups� (Newsmax.com) launching a short-range ballistic or cruise missile attack against the U.S. The concern is focused upon North Korean Nodong missiles and Communist Chinese C-800s (Silkworms), both of which are eagerly sought by Libya, Iraq, and Iran: all weapons customers of the PRC. Check out these stories and more on the Communist China and the Terrorist War page. OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS U.S. MISSED PART OF COMMUNIST CHINESE MILITARY EXERCISE Communist China �succeeded in hiding their war games by conducting beach-landing exercises in bad weather, so that U.S. spy satellites and aircraft were unable to monitor them,� according to the Washington Times. Making matters worse, U.S. policy �limits conducting human spying operations in China to avoid upsetting Beijing.� How nice. HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS HONG KONG: BUSINESSES, CATHOLICS, AND FALUN GONG FIGHT �ANTI-SUBVERSION� LAW Human rights and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong are winning over new allies against the �anti-subversion� law proposed by the city�s Communist-appointed government, and likely to be approved by the majority-Communist-appointed Legislative Council. The worries of the financial sector � usually much nicer to the Communists than the pro-democracy activists � are a �surprise,� (BBC 12/2/02). The financial sector�s concern is �that rules restricting government contractors and public servants' ability to release "state secrets" could be interpreted to include almost any information the government, either in Hong Kong or Beijing, finds embarrassing.� This could get to �analysts, economists and corporate researchers� in trouble for what they reveal about PRC-owned firms. Meanwhile, Bishop Joseph Zen, leader of Hong Kong Roman Catholics, also took aim at the new law, noting it could be used against nearly any opposition groups including Falun Gong � the first time the spiritual movement suffering a brutal crackdown on the mainland won support from another faith. Of course, the Church itself could also be a target (BBC 12/4/02). Also reporting: Newsmax.com For more on the former British colony, see Hong Kong News. COMMUNIST CHINA BLOCKING NEARLY 10% OF ALL INTERNET SITES A study by Harvard University revealed that Communist China is currently blocking �as much as 10 percent of the Internet from the nation's estimated 45 million users� (CNN), including several news sites and sites �on sensitive topics such as Tibet, Taiwan, and dissident activity� (BBC 12/4/02 � 1). Communist China has said its blocking of web sites, part of the �Great Red Firewall,� is aimed mainly at pornography, and some sites � Playboy and Penthouse among them � are on the blocked list. However, �well-known sites of Hustler Magazine and whitehouse.com were consistently accessible� (BBC 12/4/02 � 2), blowing the lid off the Communist assertion that their battle against the web is all about porn. OTHER MAINLAND NEWS SUICIDE IS HIGHEST KILLER AMONG YOUNG CHINESE; MORE PREVALAENT WITH WOMEN Communist China is now admitting that suicide has become �the biggest single killer among young Chinese people� (BBC) and the fifth leading killer throughout the PRC. Over 250,000 commit suicide in Communist China, where more women kill themselves than men. Wonder if the hideous �one China� policy � with its forced abortions and sterilizations � have anything to do with it? HU JINTAO LOOKING PAST JIANG ZEMIN . . . Communist General Secretary Hu Jintao, in talks with Finnish President Tarja Halonen, �for the first time in several years . . . did not mention the need to study or carry out Jiang's teachings� (Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN). Hu took over the party leadership from Jiang Zemin, but Jiang maintained the critical and powerful post of Chairman of the Central Military Commission. . . .BUT JIANG MAY KEEP PRESIDENT�S POST A UPI report in the Washington Times provides the first comments that Jiang, expected to give up the title of PRC President to Hu next year, may keep the post instead. The report never mentions Jiang�s CMC Chair, which Deng Xiaoping used to wield power in the 1980s without the PRC Presidency. HU JINTAO�S PLAN FOR COMMUNIST CHINA: PROSPERITY IN, DEMOCRACY OUT Hu Jintao is looking to build the middle class in the hope that the newly prosperous will reward the Communist Party he leads and �indefinitely prolong its mandate of heaven,� according to Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN. Of course, things such as democracy and other political rights will not be part of the plan � which, as Lam also notes, could lead to serious trouble for the Communists down the road. COMMUNIST CHINA PUSHES ANTI-AIDS PUBLICITY, KEEPS QUIET ON 1980S BLOOD DRIVE Communist China is putting a spotlight on AIDS, which is ravaging the interior of the PRC, through various publicity stunts (BBC 12/1/02), including lifting a ban on condom ads (CNN, BBC 12/2/02). One fact that the Communists did not bring up, of course, was the blood drive they started in the 1980s which hygienics so poor it led to the infection of 1 million in Henan province alone (see 9/4/02 update). SHANGHAI WINS 2010 WORLDS FAIR The Communist Chinese port of Shanghai has won the rights to the 2010 Worlds Fair. Report: BBC INTERNATIONAL NEWS COMMUNIST CHINA SAYS IT KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT NORTH KOREA�S NUCLEAR WEAPONS Communist China, the oldest and strongest ally of Stalinist North Korea, says it know nothing about the Stalinists� nuclear weapons program, outside of �media reports� (CNN). The Communist spokesperson making that assertion also repeated the Communist boilerplate calling for a �de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.� NORTH KOREAN REFUGEE ADVOCATES RETHINKING STRATEGY AFTER PRC CRACKDOWN In light of the Communist clampdown on democratic embassies in the PRC to stop North Korean refugees from using them to get to South Korea, advocates for the refugees are looking at other avenues, according to the Washington Post. Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans are forced to hide in Communist China, which sends any refugee it finds back to the Stalinist regime from which they escaped. Sign up for the North Korea Report, sent every Monday. REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS TAIWAN APPOINTS NEW FOREIGN MINISTER Lin Chuan, the chief statistician in the ROC government, won the post of Finance Minister over the weekend. Lin, who has �a reputation for plain speaking and direct action� (BBC), was given the job due to his firm support for reform the Taiwanese economy. HONG KONG NEWS ECONOMY POSTS BEST PERFORMANCE IN TWO YEARS The Hong Kong economy grew at a rate of 3.3% in the third quarter of this year, its best performance in two years. However, it was largely fueled by export growth � domestic consumption and investment fell in the third quarter. Report: CNN No news was reported on Tibet this week. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving it Anyonewho wishes to join can send his/her name and e-mail address to [email protected]. Please feel free to send any news on Communist China you happen to find to the same address. |