TOP STORY: PRC SOLD MISSILE EQUIPMENT TO NORTH KOREA, NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT TO IRAN
Meanwhile, North Korea was the recipient of �equipment suitable for use in uranium feed and withdrawal systems� and �raw materials and components for missiles� (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). The latter came from �North Korean firms based in China.� The PRC also sold �nuclear-related equipment that will boost Iran's capability to build nuclear weapons.�
OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
COMMUNIST CHINESE AMBASSADOR WARNS U.S. ON TAIWAN
Yang Jiechi, Communist China�s Ambassador to the U.S., said he hoped for �further improvement in the China-U.S. relationship� in 2003, but warned against the U.S. getting too close to Taiwan. Report: Washington Times
HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS
ZHAO CHANGQING CHARGED WITH �SUBVERSION�
Zhao Changqing, one of five dissidents who demanded the release of political prisoners, became one himself as the PRC charged him with subversion. Zhao, with four others, wrote a letter to the Communist regime calling for �the release of political prisoners, the return of political exiles and an end to the house arrest of the former Prime Minister and Communist Party general secretary, Zhao Ziyang� (BBC).
Zhao Ziyang was the last reformist in the Chinese Communist Party. He lost his post as part chief after siding with the student protestors in Tiananmen Square. The Party, led by then-Central Military Commission Chair Deng Xiaoping, replaced him with Jiang Zemin.
HU JINTAO LOOKING TO PUSH �SOCIAL JUSTICE,� BUT LABOR RIGHTS NOT IN THE PICTURE
Communist Party chief Hu Jintao is looking to preserve the Communist Party�s lock on power in the PRC through greater �social justice� (Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN) for laborers and farmers instead of political reform and democracy. However, one part of �social justice� that is not part of the plan is granting labor rights to workers, such as the right to form a non-Communist, independent union.
OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
CITIBANK MAKE ENTR�ES INTO PRC
Will they ever learn? Citibank �has agreed a strategic alliance with a Chinese bank so it can enter China's emerging credit card market� (BBC). Citibank will only have 5% of the venture. The Communist firm � Shanghai Pudong Development Bank � made over $72 million in the deal.
SPACECRAFT LANDS, MANNED LAUNCH STILL PLANNED
Communist China�s Shenzhou IV spacecraft came back to Earth over the weekend, landing �as planned on the central grasslands of the vast Inner Mongolia region� (BBC). The Communists are still planning to send a manned flight into space later this year, as reported in the last update. Also reporting: CNN
COMMUNIST CHINA JAILS 42 FOR �PEOPLE SMUGGLING�
Forty-two people will be jailed for helping 700 escape the PRC � four of them for life. It should be noted that this bunch, like most others helping people desperate to leave Communist China, charged obscene amounts for the privilege. Many escapees are usually forced to choose between indentured servitude and, should they contact police in their new home, being sent back to the PRC. Report: BBC
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
COMMUNIST CHINA TELLS U.S. TO BACK OFF ON NORTH KOREA, UN PRESSURE MAY BE OK
Communist China warned against �escalation of the situation� (Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN) regarding North Korea�s nuclear ambitions. The Communists have repeatedly warned against any punitive action against their Stalinist ally for its drive to acquire nuclear weapons. In a later piece, Lam reports that the PRC �would not raise opposition to the (UN) Secu! rity Council putting pressure on Pyongyang.�
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COMMUNIST CHINA, TAIWAN UPSET AT JAPAN RENTING SENKAKU ISLANDS
Communist China and Taiwan have both protested Japan�s decision to rent three of the Senkaku Islands from their private owner. Both have claims on the islands. Reports: Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN, BBC, see also last update.
COMMUNIST CHINA PLEDGES AID TO MILITARY REGIME IN BURMA
The military regime of Burma � best known for banning a pro-democracy movement after the latter won a landslide in the elections over a decade ago � will receive �$200m in preferential loans to help its economic development� (BBC) from Communist China.
REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
TAIWAN�S FAR EAST AIR WINS COMMUNIST APPROVAL FOR MAINLAND FLIGHTS
Far East Air, a Taiwanese airline, announced that it had won approval for direct cross-straits flights from Communist China � the first flights directly from the mainland to the island democracy. The ROC government confirmed the approval, but the Communists themselves have yet to do so. Report: BBC
HONG KONG NEWS
TUNG CHEE-HWA CALLS FOR TAX INCREASES
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa called for higher taxes to combat the city�s budget deficit. The Communist-appointed Tung said the city�s budget gap �was threatening to damage its economy� (BBC). Hong Kong�s economy has been slow � to say the least � since Tung took the reins when Great Britain ceded Hong Kong to Communist China in 1997
No news was reported on Tibet this week.
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