| CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: OCTOBER 11, 2000 TOP STORY: TAIWAN SWEARS IN NEW PREMIER FORMER VICE-PREMIER COMES FROM PRESIDENT CHEN�S DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY The Republic of China (a.k.a. Taiwan) saw a partial change in government as Chang Chun-hsiung was officially sworn in as Premier. Chang, a member of President Chen�s Democratic Progressive Party replaced Tang Fei, Chen�s first appointment. Tang, who was a member of the long dominant Nationalist Party, resigned last week. Link: BBC Chang began by bringing in former finance official Lai In-jaw, who is close to the People First Party, as his vice premier and replacing his finance minister. According to the BBC, Chang�s minor re-shuffle eased concerns in the country. Many believe Lai�s appointment was an attempt to reach out the PFP, the second major opposition party in Taiwan, and isolate the Nationalists, who still hold a majority in the legislature. Link: BBC President Chen Shui-bian told the Washington Post last week his government was in fine shape despite the resignation of Premier Tang Fei. Chen did express disappointment at Communist China�s attempt to co-opt a number of Taiwanese politicians, including a few from his own Democratic Progressive Party. Chen, who once supported independence for Taiwan, strongly opposes reunification with a Communist-run mainland. Link: Washington Post More news on Taiwan can be found in the Republic of China (Taiwan) News section further below. IN FOCUS: FALUN GONG�S RELUCTANT WAR AGAINST COMMUNISM COMMUNSTS CALL MOVEMENT A �REACTIONARY POLITICAL FORCE,� KILL ANOTHER MEMBER The Washington Times reported the Communist government has turned up the heat on Falun Gong. The Communist accused the movement of working with political dissidents and independence supporters in Taiwan, Tibet, and Xingjiang, a.k.a. East Turkestan. Falun Gong has repeatedly denied any political ambitions, and their continued survival has clearly shaken the Communists sense of invincibility. Link: Washington Times While the politicians were slamming the movement, the police killed another follower. Wang Bin refused to retract his beliefs during his stay at Dongfeng Reform Through Labor Camp (that�s really the official name). In response, the camp police told other prisoners to beat him. The beatings were so severe that Weng soon died. According to Agence France Presse, Weng is the 53rd Falun Gong member to die in custody. Link: AFP Twenty Falun Gong protestors shouted slogans in Tiananmen Square yesterday before Communist police arrested them. According to AFP, and as reported in previous updates, roughly a thousand followers stunned authorities by protesting in the square on Sunday, the �anniversary� of the Communist victory in 1949. Link: AFP Earlier this week, two members of the Falun Gong movement struck back by suing President Jiang Zemin and two other officials for their role in the crackdown. Although the practitioners, Chu O-ming and Wang Jie were later arrested by police, their action proved Falun Gong refuses to give in to Communism. Link: AFP OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS TWO ZHONG GONG MEMBERS SENT TO PRISON AND LABOR CAMPS While Falun Gong�s resistance to Communist China grabs the headlines, its sister group Zhong Gong is suffering the same repression by the Communists. AFP reported today that two Zhong Gong followers, Li Xiaoning and Cheng Yaqin, were sentenced to three years in prison and two years in a labor camp. They were part of a group of Zhong Gong leaders arrested last year as the Communist crackdown picked up steam. Link: AFP PROTESTORS BLOCK TRAFFIC OVER FORCED RELOCATION AFP, citing Human Rights in China, reported over 500 protestors blocked traffic in Guiyang to protest low compensation given by the Communists when they forcibly relocated the residents. Many residents ran small shops out of their homes, and the excess cost of relocating their business against their will was not taken into account. Forced resettlement is the biggest reason for protests in the PRC; there were over 100,000 last year. AFP OTHER MAINLAND NEWS COMMUNIST CENTRAL COMMITTEE RELEASES FIVE-YEAR PLAN, ADMITS MORE CORRUPTION BBC reported the Communist Party�s Central Committee held meetings this week in western Beijing. The meeting was highly secret, with several topics discussed. Freedom for the Chinese people, not surprisingly, was off the list. Link: BBC The Communist announced an oldie-but-goodie: the next five-year plan. Rural development and economic modernization were the �highlights of the edict. Meanwhile, they also admitted the Vice-Minister for Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense, admitted to illegal stock trades. This is a major ministry for the Communists, so evidence of corruption here came as a major surprise. Link: BBC �PATRIOTIC� CATHOLIC CHURCH SLAMS CANONIZATION AS PRO-TAIWAN PLOT Communist China used its �Patriotic� Catholic Church to slam the Vatican�s canonization of missionaries and natives who died in China before World War II. The Communist Church, in a creative twist, charged the Pope with �catering to the Taiwan authorities,� who apparently manipulated him into the canonization. Nearly 10 million mainland Chinese Catholics reject the �Patriotic Church,� and practice their faith in secret. Link: AFP LOCAL LEGISLATURE CRITICIZES POLICE The Communist legislature in Zhejiang province slammed their police for incompetence and corruption. Such criticism is rare from Communist politicians, but official corruption of outrageous police behavior are becoming to commonplace. As a case in point, the Communist run Xinhua News Agency reported the story. Link: Xinhua AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNS PNTR BILL TO BIPARTISAN CHEERS President Clinton, joined by top Congressional leaders in both parties, signed the bill granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations to Communist China. CNN reported the bill, which clears the way for the PRC to join the World Trade Organization, won glowing praise from Democrats and Republicans, despite the fact that no amendments to stem weapons selling, political repression, or Taiwan threatening were included. Link: CNN HOUSE PASSES BILL TO STOP DEBT RELIEF FOR RUSSIA UNLESS MISSILE SALES TO PRC CEASE Last week, the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation halting all debt relief to Russia if it continues selling SSN-22 Sunburn anti-ship missiles to Communist China, according to the Washington Times. Previous updates have noted the sale of dozens of SSN-22s for the Sovremenny-class destroyer, which is also built by Russia for sale to the PRC. Russia is one of Communist China�s largest arms suppliers. Link: Washington Times INTERNATIONAL NEWS COMMUNIST CHINA BALKS AT AGREEMENT OVER SPRATLY ISLANDS Communist China blocked an agreement with ASEAN on a �code of conduct� for the bitterly contested Spratly islands because they would not take a pledge against seizing any more of them, according to AFP. Vietnam, which also claims the Spratlys, lost 74 soldiers in 1988 with the PRC seized 5 of the islands in dispute. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan also have a claim on the strategic archipelago. Link: AFP COMMUNIST CHINA BARS MILOSEVIC�S SON AFTER BLACKING OUT ACCOUNTS OF HIS FALL According to the BBC, Marko Milosevic, son of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, was unable to enter Communist China. The Communist authorities would not let him into Beijing. Communist China was one of ex-President Milosevic�s strongest supporter, and the last to officially recognize his rival, President Vojislav Kostunica. Link: BBC AFP reported Communist China did their best to ignore the popular uprising in Yugoslavia that toppled former Milosevic last week. State-run media refuse to report, and officials refused to comment, on the internally inspired revolt against a corrupt, torturous Communist dictatorship. Can anyone think of a reason why? Link: AFP RUSSIANS CHARGE SCIENTIST WITH GIVING TECHNOLOGY TO COMMUNIST CHINA AFP reported Russian authorities charged Vladimir Shchurov for �violating state secrets.� The arrest was made last year when Shchurov was about to enter Communist China with underwater listening devices from the Vladivostock Institute of Oceanology. The scientists insisted the technology was for civilian use only, and that the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) had approved the contract with the PRC for the devices. Link: AFP COMMUNIST CHINA HOLDS SUMMIT WITH AFRICAN LEADERS, FORGIVES $1 BILLION IN DEBT Communist China hosted the inaugural China-Africa forum yesterday, according to the BBC. The PRC is hoping to win over the African nations to their point of view on the U.S., and establish itself as the voice of the third world. BBC also reported Communist China plans to cancel over $1 billion in African debt. Links: BBC - Summit, BBC - Debt cancellation COMMUNIST CHINA TO PUSH �ANTI-SMUGGLING� RESOLUTION AT ASIA-EUROPE CONFERENCE Communist China announced they would propose an �anti-smuggling� resolution at a summit of European and Asian leaders next week in Seoul, according to the BBC. The resolution would focus on �human smuggling,� where international criminals charged exorbitant amounts to help emigrants, especially Chinese, escape their homeland. Link: BBC COMMUNIST PRIME MINISTER ZHU RONGJI USING TRIP TO JAPAN TO BOOST IMAGE AT HOME Zhu Rongji, Communist China�s Prime Minister, will visit Japan next week, and the Washington Times reported the trip�s high coverage back home is to boost his profile. Zhu is expected to succeed Li Peng, the butcher of Tiananmen Square, as the number two in the Communist hierarchy. He is best known for threatening Taiwan with war if they voted for ROC President Chen Shui-bian. They call him a reformer. Link: Washington Times REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS PRESIDENT CHEN CALLS ON COMMUNIST CHINA TO RESUME TALKS ON NATIONAL DAY President Chen Shui-bian used the October 10 National Day to again call on Communist China to resume cross-strait talks without reunification conditions. Chen, giving an address in honor of the founding of the Republic of China on October 10, 1911, said that any peace between the PRC and Taiwan �must respect the will of the 23 million people of Taiwan.� Communist China has never been very receptive on that point. Link: BBC COMMUNIST RESPONSE TO CHEN: FACE REALITY Communist China had a curt response to President Chen: your people want reunification, so restart talks in that framework. BBC reported the Communist spokesperson used words to that effect in giving the reaction to Chen�s speech. That hardly anyone in Taiwan wants to reunify with a Communist-controlled mainland is still foreign to the PRC. Link: BBC COMMUNIST HACKERS THREATEN TO ATTACK ROC WEB SITS Hackers from Communist China have threatened to attack several government web sites on or around National Day, slated for yesterday. They also said they would hack into civil sites sympathetic to President Chen Shui-bian. BBC reported Taiwan is more confident they can resist and pulse the cyber-attack. As of noon today, no damage to ROC sites was reported. Link: BBC MINISTER SAYS WTO WILL HELP TAIWAN AND COMMUNIST CHINA RESOLVE DIFFERENCES Chen Ruey-long, ROC Vice-Minister of Economic Affairs, said the World Trade Organization would help bring Taiwan and the PRC closer together. He said the WTO would be a possible mechanism to �eventually lead to a peaceful settlement.� Still, Communist China is blocking Taiwan�s entry, insisting it enter first. Link: AFP HONG KONG NEWS HONG KONG CATHOLIC GROUPS BARRED FROM MAINLAND AFTER CANONIZATION BBC and AFP both report Communist China has blocked two Hong Kong Catholic groups from visiting the mainland. Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen Zekiun told Hong Kong radio that the PRC have banned other Hong Kong Catholic groups from the mainland. Links: AFP, BBC TIBET NEWS PROTEST OF SOUTH KOREAN BAN ON DALAI LAMA VISIT DRAWS 300 Roughly 300 South Koreans marched on the Communist Chinese embassy to protest the government�s decision to ban the Dalai Lama from visiting Seoul before the upcoming Asia-Europe summit (See above). The protestors, all �members of religious groups,� according to AFP also asked the PRC to stop pressuring South Korea. Link: AFP No news from 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]. |