| CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: JULY 11, 2001 TOP STORY: PRC TO TRY U.S. CITIZEN FOR SPYING; BUSH-JIANG SUMMIT STILL ON LI SHAOMIN TO BE TRIED ON SATURDAY; NO INFORMATION ON GAO ZHAN The People�s Republican of China announced that Li Shoamin, an American citizen and visiting professor at a Hong Kong University arrested by Communist China in February, is scheduled to be tried for spying on Saturday. The Communists pointedly refused to provide any information on the possible trial of Gao Zhan. An American resident one step shy of citizenship, Gao is also languishing in a PRC jail on �spying� charges. Link: CNN After holding both Gao and Li for 4� months, The PRC has refused to release them despite President George Bush asking Jiang Zemin � his Communist Chinese counterpart � for their release. Despite this outrageous treatment of two Americans, a summit between President Bush and Communist President Jiang Zemin is still on. Link: Washington Post, Washington Times Li, an American citizen and visiting professor at a Hong Kong University, is scheduled to be �tried� for espionage on Saturday; no trial date has been set for Gao. Both were taken without explanation. Gao�s husband and son were also arrested and held for one month before they were released. The U.S. was never informed of the seizure, despite the fact that Gao�s son is an American-born citizen. Links: Washington Post, BBC Secretary of State Colin Powell, due in Beijing later this month to prepare for the October Bush-Jiang summit, will focus on two contradictory goals. One is an emphasis on human rights, particularly those of the Americans held by the PRC, and the other is an attempt �to put an end to strained relations between Beijing and China over the last few months.� If the last few weeks are any indication, expect the latter to win out. Link: CNN Two other Americans, citizen Wu Jianmin and permanent resident Tan Guangguang are also being held. State Department spokesperson Rick Boucher also criticized the Communists� treatment of Falun Gong, calling the reports of torture and beatings in the Harbin labor camp where up to 16 practitioners died � no is sure how � �chilling.� Link: Washington Times SPECIAL SECTION: OLYMPIC NEWS OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TO DECIDE ON BEIJING BID FRIDAY; ACTIVIST BLOCKED FROM MOSCOW The International Olympic Committee will decide on Friday where the 2008 Olympic Games will be held. Beijing is still considered the favorite, particularly in light of U.S. refusal to oppose the bid. In another blow, Wei Jingsheng, a prominent human rights activist exiled from the PRC, has been banned from entering Moscow while the IOC meets. Links: Washington Post, BBC EUPOPEAN PARLIAMENT, SYNDEY OYMPICS DIRECTOR OPPOSE GAMES IN BEIJING Cynics may note that Paris is a contender for the 2008 Olympiad. Still, the European Parliament cited the PRC�s �disastrous record on human rights,� as reason enough to keep the Games out of Beijing. The Washington Times made note of the EP�s action in its July 9 editorial on the IOC�s upcoming decision. Links: Washington Times, Washington Post Editorial on the Games Meanwhile, Rod McGeogh, who ran Sydney�s bid for the 2000 Games also came out against Beijing�s bid. Noting the IOC�s determination to keep South Africa out of the Olympics until it ended apartheid, he said, �If you take that as the stand, I just can't see how you can ignore the human rights issues in China.� Link: BBC MANY IN U.S. WANT 2008 OLYMPICS IN BEIJING TO GET WASHINGTON GAMES IN 2012 A number of Americans, including members of the U.S. Olympic Committee, are quietly �rooting� for Beijing to win the Games, hoping it could lead to a Washington Olympiad in 2012, which would seem less likely if Toronto won the Games in 2008. This begs the question: What does it profit a nation to gain the whole world for two weeks but lose its soul in the interim? Link: Washington Post JIANG SET TO BASK IN AFTERGLOW SHOULD BEIJING WIN Communist President Jiang Zemin may deliver a nationwide address to the mainland if Beijing wins the bid, emphasizing how important he and his leadership were to the decision. He also hopes to exploit the Games in his efforts to isolate the democratically elected government of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian. Link: CNN � Willy Wo-Lap Lam OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS COMMUNNIST CHINESE ARMS BUILDUP WORRIES WASHINGTON The continuing arms buildup by Communist China is worrying officials in Washington, with one publicly saying war is possible in the future, if not imminently. The official, not named by the Washington Times, said there was not a threat of war with the PRC �now,� but that �right now doesn't mean forever.� Link: Washington Times DOWNED EP-3 PLANE BACK IN THE U.S. � IN PIECES � AS PRC BILLS U.S. FOR $1 MILLION The EP3 plane forced to land on Hainan Island on April 1 is back in the U.S., but as reported in the last update, Communist China insisted the plane be taken apart first. It may take all summer to find out just what technological goodies the Communists were able to copy and steal while they had the plane for three months � and the crew for two weeks before letting the go in mid-April. Link: CNS News, BBC To literally add insult to injury, Communist China has sent a bill for $1 million for accommodations for the crew � held for two weeks by the PRC � and for the cost of cutting up the plane (the U.S. had asked to repair and fly the plane out; Beijing said no). The Bush Administration called the bill �highly exaggerated,� but promised to pay for �legitimate expenses.� Why is a number higher than, say, zero even being considered? Links: Washington Post, BBC JIANG BOASTS OF WARMING RELATIONS WITH U.S. Communist President Jiang Zemin told Russian media that relations with the U.S. have undergone �positive changes� and that he was �optimistic about the future.� This despite the holding of several Americans against their will (see above), the Hainan outrage, and the continued bullying of Taiwan. Link: BBC COMMISSION REPORT: CIA IS SOFT OF COMMUNIST CHINA A commission headed by retired Army Gen. John Tilelli has completed an analysis of CIA work on Communist China. Its report is a little scary: the CIA is soft on Beijing. Among other things, the CIA has an � �institutional predisposition� to play down or misinterpret national security problems posed by Beijing's communist regime,� leading to slanted and, in many cases, flat-out wrong analyses and information. Link: Washington Times PROTESTANT THEOLOGIANS TO JOIN COMMUNIST-BACKED PROTESTANT SEMINARY A mainline U.S. Protestant minister and a Presbyterian educator are joining the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, part of the PRC-sanctioned �Protestant� Church. The two theologians are going under the auspices of the National Council of Churches. One critic, Nina Shea, director of religious liberty for Freedom House, said the move was �tied to the (Congressional PRC free-) trade review.� Link: Washington Times SENATE DEMOCRATS SAY DEFENSE BUDGET TOO SMALL As the Senate Armed Services Committee discussed President Bush�s latest budget request for the military, two senators publicly said the $328 billion requested by Bush was not enough for our men and women in uniform. The two quoted by the Washington Post � Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Max Cleland of Georgia � are both Democrats. Link: Washington Post HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS COMMUNIST CHINA �OUT-KILLS THE WORLD� Amnesty International reported that Communist China is on �an execution frenzy,� killing 1,781 people over the last three months � that we know about � including many white-collar criminals and completely innocent people. The rest of the world � combined � haven�t executed that many people over the last three years. Among those slated for execution: corrupt officials, Uighur Muslims and Tibetans who help others escape. Links: CNN, BBC OTHER MAINLAND NEWS JIANG LOOKS TO SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT, ELEVATION FOR PROTEGES AT CONFERENCE A conference of senior Communist �cadres� to be held late this month will be focusing on settling who is to rise in next year�s major reshuffle, and on just how high Communist President Jiang Zemin�s star will be placed in the PRC pantheon. Jiang is hoping his Three Representations theory, which shift the Communists� excuse for unlimited power from pure socialism to a more elitist paradigm, makes him �predominant.� Link: CNN � Lam MICROSOFT TO ALLOW COMMUNIST FIRM TO WRITE ENCRYPTION FOR PRC COMPUTERS In a major concession to the Communists, Microsoft agreed to let the China National Computer Software & Technology Service Corporation, a PRC-run technology firm, to write the encryption program for its mainland Chinese versions of Windows. The move will give the Communists �more control over the encryption.� Link: CNN 10-YEAR-OLD CHILD IN PRC SUES COMMUNISTS FOR GIVING HIM AIDS Li Ning, a 10-year-old child who contracted AIDS in 1996 at age 5 thanks to a transfusion at the local hospital, suffered the typical one-two punch: the disease and the ostracism the PRC engenders towards AIDS victims. His parents sued the state for giving him the virus, winning an unprecedented $47,000 judgement. However, it�s not nearly enough for his care, and the Communists are refusing to pay more than half. Link: Washington Post LEFTISTS WHACK JIANG FOR LETTING BUSINESSMEN IN THE COMMUNIST PARTY CNN�s Willy Wo-Lap Lam reports that the leftists (hard-liners) in the Chines Communist Party have publicly broken with President Jiang Zemin on his decision to let entrepreneurs into the CCP. The leftists are mobilizing to oppose �change that Jiang would propose to the party constitution� later this year to let the �red bosses� in. Link: CNN COMMUNISTS ATTACK DOCTOR WHO LEFT FOR U.S. OVER DEATH-ROW ORGAN EXTRACTIONS It should come as no surprise that Communist China would do this. Reacting to Dr. Wang Guoqi�s accounts of Communist organ extractions from executed prisoners � and one who was still alive � for profit, the PRC has attacked Wang personally. They produced doctor�s statements, schedules, and the like to cast doubt on his story, then went after Wang�s character, calling him �greedy� and his account �despicable lies.� Link: Washington Post INTERNATIONAL NEWS YET ANOTHER WTO �BREAKTHROUGH� IN NEGOTIATIONS Pierre-Louis Gerard, an official with the World Trade Organization, announced a �major breakthrough on important issues of China�s accession� to the trade body. This comes after several other �breakthroughs� and agreements � such as the one that got the PRC Permanent Normal Trade Relations with the U.S. � that always seem to leave opening for the Communists to exploit in further talks. Links: CNN, BBC In fact, the �breakthrough� did not even mean an agreement to get the Communists to do what is required to join the WTO, despite the granting of PNTR. At present, only Mexico, who has refused to sign any deal with the PRC as of yet, seems not to have fallen for this. One can expect the weight of the world to fall on Mexico�s shoulders if it becomes the last obstacle to the questionable � at best � benefits of Beijing�s entry. PRC-JAPAN TRADE TALKS YIELD NO AGREEMENT Communist China and Japan have ended two days of trade talks with no agreement on tariffs placed on each other�s goods this past spring. Japan�s tariffs affects two or three agricultural products; the PRC responded by hitting several high-profile Japanese consumer goods � such as cars, mobile phones, and air conditioners. Link: CNN MILOSEVIC TRIAL IN THE HAGUE FRIGHTENS, EMBOLDENS CHINESE COMMUNISTS Whatever its merits, the trial of ex-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic in the Hague has left an impression on the Chinese Communist Party. CNN�s Willy Wo-Lap Lam reports that the CCP considers the trial Exhibit A in its rationale for never giving up power. Li Peng, who as Prime Minister oversaw the Tiananmen Square massacre and is now second only to Jiang in the CCP, was particularly spooked by the trial. Link: CNN REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS NATIONALIST PARTY SET TO BACK �CONFEDERATION� WITH COMMUNIST CHINA The once long ruling, now opposition Nationalist Party is set to endorse a plan for �confederation,� with the Communist mainland. The plan, already proposed by party head Lien Chan, is not nearly as binding as �one country, two systems,� but it would still be a dramatic gesture to Beijing, and one sure to upset current President Chen Shui-bian. Links: Washington Times � this piece provides better detail on the proposal, Washington Post Chen, from the Democratic Progressive Party, defeated Lien in last years presidential election, and has been a victim of the Communist-Nationalist political pincer movement ever since. The open warming of the Communists and Nationalists has caused ex-President Lee Teng-hui, a native born Nationalist who introduced democracy to the ROC, to publicly back Chen, and all but openly switch parties. VICE PRESIDENT LU BACKS BEIJING�S OLYMPIC BID; ROC WANTS SOME GAMES FOR ITSELF Lifelong anti-Communist Annette Lu, Vice President of the ROC, has called for Beijing to be chosen for the 2008 Olympiad in the hope that �we will share with their victory,� i.e., Taiwan gets to host some events. ROC President Chen Shui-bian has also backed Beijing�s bid, and some feel it would make the PRC less likely to invade Taiwan � even though the 1980 Olympics didn�t keep the USSR out of Afghanistan. Link: CNN HONG KONG NEWS LEGISLATURE GIVES PRC THE POWER TO FIRE CHIEF EXECUTIVE By a 36-16 vote, the Legislative Council (LegCo) has voted to grant Beijing the power to fire the Chief Executive � who is chosen by a Communist-appointed committee of 800 � at any time. The move brought anger and derision from the prodemocracy legislators (2/3 of the LegCo is appointed, only 1/3 elected) as �kneeling on the ground handing up the high degree of autonomy back to Beijing.� Link: BBC Martin Lee, head of the HK Democratic Party, referred to the bill as �the bill for Tung Chee-hwa's second term.� Tung is the current Chief widely expected to win another term from the committee � thanks in part to his willingness to dance to Beijing�s tune. Over 30,000 signed petitions in protest to the bill, which many believe to be the final nail in the coffin for �one country, two systems.� TWO U.S. WARSHIPS WELCOMED IN HONG KONG Hong Kong set out the welcome mat for two American minesweepers, in another sign that the Bush Administration is in �warming� mode vis a vis the PRC. It�s the first such visit allowed since the Hainan outrage. Up to 60 a year were commonplace during the 1990�s, according to the BBC. This would be part of the Clinton Administration�s �military diplomacy� that came under fire during the latter part of the decade. Link: BBC HONG KONG LEADER VISITS U.S. Tung Chee-Hwa, the Communist-picked leader of Hong Kong, is in the U.S. for talks with President Bush. Link: CNN No news from Tibet or Xinjiang/East Turkestan this week. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving this. Anyone who wishes to join can send his/her name and e-mail address to [email protected]. |