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CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: APRIL 9, 2003
Tell Gay Hartwell Sills of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to kill the Global Crossing sale to Hutchison Whampoa (see American-Related News and the 3/19 and 3/26 Updates for more on this).
TOP STORY: COMMUNIST MILITARY DOCTOR HITS HEALTH MINISTRY ON SARS
MEDIC SAYS OUTBREAK IN BEIJING IS WORSE THAN REPORTED; U.S. ADDS SARS TO QUARANTINE LIST; CANADIAN VICTIMS OVER 150; HU�S �REFORM�MANTLE IN DOUBT
This is getting really ugly. Jiang Yanyong, a �Chinese military doctor� according to the BBC 4/9, publicly contradicted the Communist Health Ministry�s figures on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the capital of the so-called People�s Republic. Jiang insists that �at least nine people had died in Beijing's four military hospitals alone,� more than twice the number of Beijing dead claimed by Health.
Health also says only 19 have been infected in Beijing, but unnamed health officials put the figure at 100. This was typical of the Communist secrecy surrounding SARS, which actually began in Guangdong province last November, and was kept a secret for months. That appalling, yet typical, lack of openness in Communist China allowed the disease to spread around the world (see 3/19, 3/26 and last Updates).
In Canada, authorities acknowledged �187 probable and suspected cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, including 149 cases in Ontario and three probable cases in British Columbia� (Washington Post 4/5-1). Meanwhile, President Bush added SARS to the list of diseases to which the U.S. can respond with quarantine measures (Washington Post 4/5-2).
Back in Communist China, the disease has hit two housing complexes in Hong Kong (CNN), and infected the lead doctor at the Prince of Wales Hospital, according to Cybercast News. Over 1,200 have fallen ill, and over 50 have died, and that�s taking the Communists at their word on the level of the outbreak, something apparently not even its military doctors are willing to do anymore.
While, the PRC�s Center for Disease Control acknowledged a lack of �enough close co-operation with the media� (BBC 4/5, Newsmax) on the disease, it has already spilled over into the political realm, leading many to wonder if the clampdown on the press is a sign of the lack of power � or real intentions � of new PRC President and supposed �reformer� Hu Jintao, according to Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN.
Hu has long billed a �reformer� within Communist China, but little is known about him, and his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, still holds the critical and powerful Central Military Commission Chair. For more on SARS and the Communist secrecy surrounding it, see Other Mainland News below. Also Reporting: Washington Post 4/9
NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA, EAST TURKESTAN, AND THE TERRORIST WAR
COMMUNIST CHINA WANTS MORE U.S. HELP AGAINST EAST TURKESTAN
Communist China has once again called for the United States to �provide more substantial cooperation in helping China to crack down on the East Turkestan terrorist force� (Washington Times, third paragraph). They were obviously upset at getting nothing besides the U.S. agreement to call the (likely defunct) East Turkestan Islamic Movement a terrorist group (see 8/28/02, 9/18/02, and 12/18/02 Updates).
Ever since 9/11/01, the PRC has tried to play the terrorist card to justify its brutal crackdown in East Turkestan (called �Xinjiang� by the Communists). The native people, known as Uighurs, have suffered political executions, mosques razed, and everything else one can imagine in the crackdown.
This has led to two developments. An anti-Communist independence movement has flourished despite � and most likely because of � the Communist brutality. Meanwhile, the Uighurs, hearing the continuous anti-American Communist propaganda, have become arguably the most pro-American Muslims on Earth (see 10/17/01, 12/12/01, and 10/23/02 Updates).
A-10 PLANE SHOT DOWN BY IRAQI AIR DEFENSES
An Iraqi surface-to-air missile hit an American A-10 �tankbuster� (Irish Examiner) plane yesterday. It is the first time an American or allied plane was taken down by Iraq�s air defenses, the very same defenses Communist Chinese firm Huawei Technologies helped integrate with a fiber-optic network (see 2/21/01, 2/28/01, 3/7/01, 3/14/01, and 3/21/01 Updates).
COMMUNIST CHINA TRIES TO HIT BACK AT U.S. ON HUMAN RIGHTS, CITES IRAQ
Communist China, bristling from the detail accounts of its human rights abuses by the State Department (see last Update), tried to hit back at the U.S on the subject. The Communists particularly cited the war against Ba�athist Iraq as a violation of �the purpose and principle of the United Nations Charter� (BBC).
It should be noted that in addition to the helping Saddam Hussein integrate his air defenses (see above), the PRC sold Iraq missile fuel, and tired to sell the regime a shipment of missile-launching patrol boats � the U.S. had buy the entire shipment to keep it out of his hands (see 12/18/02, and 3/19 Updates).
Check out these stories and more on the Communist China and the Terrorist War page.
NORTH KOREA NEWS
PRC BLOCKS UN CONDEMNATION OF NORTH KOREA�S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS
Well, knock me over with a feather. Communist China has blocked all efforts by the United Nations Security Council to condemn North Korea for continuing its nuclear weapons program, which violates numerous pledges and agreements by the Stalinist regime. The UNSC will hold a �discussion� (BBC) on the issue at this hour (1 PM). Also reporting: Cybercast News, Washington Post
PRC STILL PUSHING FOR U.S.-NORTH KOREA TALKS, BUT NOTHING ELSE
Communist China is growing increasingly worried about North Korea�s nuclear antics, but is only pushing Pyongyang and the U.S. to start talks � exactly what the Stalinists want. The Communists are particularly worried the U.S. will, in the words of PRC �academic� Zhang Liangui, �destroy North Korea and destroy the Kim Jong Il regime� (Washington Post) if it moves forward with its nuclear ambitions.
It should surprise no one that Communist China, a Stalinist ally over 50 years, considers the liberation of the people of northern Korea a greater threat than Kim Jong-il acquiring or producing nuclear weapons.
For the latest on Communist China�s Stalinist ally, sign up for Monday�s North Korea Report.
OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
UNFPA SILENT ON STATE DEPARTMENT�S REPORT
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has had no response to State Department accounts of its collaboration with the hideous �one child� policy in Communist China. The UNFPA�s role in helping Communist China�s �birth limitation� (Cybercast News) policy led to the U.S. nixing funds for the organization (see 07/24/02 and last Updates).
OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
COMMUNISTS ALLOWING SARS ON THE AIR, BUT NOT EVERYTHING
The PRC has given up trying to keep all information on SARS from its own people (see Top Story), but the �predictably sanitized (UK sp)� (BBC) coverage includes �no mention of the widespread speculation that authorities are still under-reporting the numbers of people dead and infected.� Also missing is �any word of the World Health Organization's criticism of the government's slow reaction to the outbreak.�
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION WHACKS PRC FOR SARS SECRECY
The leader of the World Health Organization blasted the PRC for not being forthcoming about SARS. Gro Harlem Brundtland issued this advice: �next time something strange and new comes anywhere in the world let us come in as quickly as possible� (BBC). Also reporting: Cybercast News
COMMUNISTS UNHAPPY AT WHO WARNING ON SARS
Meanwhile, the PRC disputed the WHO�s warning to the rest of the world to stay away from Hong Kong and Gaungdong province (see last Update). According to Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN, the Communists have �pulled out all the stops to assure foreign businessmen and tourists that it is safe to visit China.� However, �people had died of the mysterious illness in more of its provinces than previously reported.�
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
JAPANESE FM VISITS COMMUNIST CHINA
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi visited Communist China over the weekend. During the visit, Communist Premier Wen Jiabao called Japan Beijing�s �most important neighbour (UK sp)� (BBC).
REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
ROC GOVERNMENT WANTS ARMS DEALER�S ASSETS FROZEN
The Taiwanese government is looking to �freeze $100 million deposited in bank accounts of an arms broker implicated in a kickback case involving naval frigate purchases� (Washington Times). The arms dealer, Andrew Wang, was involved in the 1991 sale of six French frigates to Taiwan. Most believe the deal is steeped in corruption, especially after the 1993 death of the ROC navy�s head of procurement.
No news was reported from Tibet this week; see Top Story for news from Hong Kong.
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