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CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: AUGUST 12, 2004
Dragon in the Dark: How and Why Communist China Helps Our Enemies in the War on Terror is now available: here, at Amazon, or call 1-888-280-7715.
TOP STORY: ROC VICE PRESIDENT LU: PRC FIGHTING �QUASI-WAR�
COMMUNIST MISSILES POINTED AT TAIWAN TO HIT 800 BY NEXT YEAR
Annette Lu � Taiwan�s fiery, tell-it-like-it-is Vice President � said Communist China �will have 800 missiles aimed at Taiwan by 2005� (Daily Times, Pakistan), and labeled the state of affairs between the People�s Republic and the island democracy as a �quasi-war.� Communist China already has 500 missiles pointed at Taiwan.
OTHER REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
ADMIRAL FARGO TOLD PRC U.S. READY TO DEFEND TAIWAN
During his visit to Beijing (see 7/28 Update), Admiral Thomas Fargo privately, but bluntly, told his Communist hosts that "his command was prepared to use armed force to help defend Taiwan if the president so ordered� (Taipei Times). He also told them �that US Pacific sea and air forces maintain a high state of readiness.�
CUSTOMS AGENT FORCES ROC OFFICIAL TO BE FINGERPRINTED; U.S. APOLOGIZES
Customs officials in Washington forced Taiwan�s de facto Ambassador David Lee to be �fingerprinted and photographed� (Taipei Times via Epoch Times), over the objection of an American official who was with Lee. The State Department has since apologized. Of course, if the U.S. gave Taiwan diplomatic recognition, none of this would have happened.
BEIJING FORCES TAIWAN ADS IN ATHENS PULLED, BUT ROC FLAG WILL BE DISPLAYED
An advertising campaign in Athens by Taiwan has come under a Communist cloud of pressure. Hectoring by Beijing has led to the Athens Olympic Committee remove all Taiwan�s posters from luggage carts of electric trains. Report: Cybercast News
However, the island democracy, which already competes under the name �Chinese Taipei� to keep the Communists from trying to lock them out completely, has refused to be cowed. The Olympic team for Taiwan will �raise the island's flag in a ceremony at the Olympic village in Athens.�
THE VELVET CRACKDOWN (HONG KONG NEWS)
THREATENED RADIO HOST RUNNING FOR LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Albert Cheng, the Hong Kong radio host who was forced out after Communists threats (see 5/19 Update) has filed to run for the Legislative Council as an independent. Cheng, a longtime supporter of freedom in Hong Kong, is running because in order �to stay and keep on fighting, I need another platform� (Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times).
HSBC INVESTS IN MAINLAND BANK
HSBC, one of Hong Kong�s best known banks, is buying just under a fifth of Shanghai�s Bank of Communications, a Communist-run bank larger than any other in the PRC outside of the �Big Four,� which includes the scandal-ridden Bank of China (see 1/23/02, 3/20/02, 7/10/02, 11/6/02, 6/4/03, 9/10/03, 12/10/03, 2/25, 5/5, and last Updates). Report: BBC
NORTH KOREA NEWS
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JAPAN AND NORTH KOREA DISCUSS FATE OF �DEAD� ABDUCTEES IN BEIJING
Japanese officials in talks with North Korea, in Beijing, about �10 missing Japanese nationals Pyongyang is suspected of having kidnapped� (BBC). Eight are from the 13 the North has admitted kidnapping; Japan suspects that the Stalinists kidnapped the other two as well. The other five abductees returned to Japan in 2002.
The North insists the aforementioned eight have died � despite presenting no evidence to prove it. In fact, the one piece of �evidence� it gave Japan was proved to be a forgery, leading many in Japan � especially the abductees� relatives � to believe they are still alive.
North Korea promised to �investigate� the issue last May; according to the leader of the Stalinist delegation at the talks �said the investigation is �still going on�� (Voice of America via Epoch Times).
OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
Check out the latest on the Communist China and the Terrorist War page.
Sign the petition for an American boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
U.S. ANGRY ABOUT COMMUNIST CHINA�S DETENTION OF AMERICAN CITIZEN
The Bush Administration �is protesting China's treatment of a Chinese-born university professor who was detained for two weeks on espionage charges� (Voice of America via Epoch Times). Dr. Wang Feiling was arrested on July 25; American officials were not told until August 4; he was released to the U.S. on Sunday.
NEWS ON THE FALUN GONG WAR
THREE PRACTITIONERS SEEK ASYLUM IN JAPAN
Three Falun Gong practitioners are hoping to escape further persecution by winning asylum in Japan. While over 30 practitioners have applied for Japanese asylum, nearly half have been rejected. Report: United Press International via Epoch Times
WUHAN BROADCASTING CADRE APPEARS IN COURT
The man behind Wuhan Broadcasting�s incendiary anti-Falun Gong rhetoric asked for a continuance in the lawsuit filed against him by practitioners. Zhao Zhizhen ran the Communist-owned Wuhan and �produced a film about Mr. Li . . . later used as a tool to convince CCP leaders to persecute Falun Gong� (Epoch Times, see also 7/21 Update).
TORTURE EXHIBIT REACHES NEW YORK
Manhattan Island in New York City witnessed �an exhibit demonstrating the tortures used on practitioners of Falun Gong in China� (Epoch Times) recently. As in every other city where it has gone, the exhibit stunned locals previously unaware of the viciousness of the five-year-plus Communist crackdown against the spiritual movement.
OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS
THREE CHRISTIANS SENT TO JAIL FOR PASSING INFORMATION TO U.S.
Xu Yonghai, Liu Fenggang and Zhang Shengqi, all Christians in Communist China, will spend three years in jail for � surprise! � �leaking state secrets.� In this case, the �secrets� were �information about a court case to US-based Christian organizations� (BBC).
Protestants or Catholics who refuse to worship in Communist-run �churches� are subject to imprisonment and torture if they are caught. �Underground� Catholics who reject the PRC church for the Vatican number 10 million. Protestants who refuse to put the Communist Party between themselves and God �could be as many as 35 million.�
MORE DETAILS ON THE SHIJIAHE VILLAGE SHOOTING
The Epoch Times had more details regarding the shooting in Shijiahe Village (see last Update). The protesters were farmers who lost 40% of their land and received nothing in return when the top village cadre �took land villagers used for farming and sold it to real estate companies.� The farmers demanded justice; they got tear gas and rubber bullets.
MEDIA �REFORMS� DO NOTHING TO LOOSEN COMMUNIST GRIP ON THE PRESS
Recently enacted media �reforms� have led to no change in who controls the press content � the Communist Party. In fact, the reforms are �limited to the scope of management� (Central News Agency, Taiwan via Epoch Times), while �the Party will continue to control the media.�
CORRUPTION NEWS
COMMUNISTS STEAL OVER $24 BILLION A YEAR
A stunning report � stunning because it came from the PRC itself � acknowledges that Communist cadres take �more than 200 billion yuan (US$24.2 billion) of public money each year� (CNA via Epoch Times) for �food, dining and personal use of public vehicles.�
TOP ROAD OFFICIAL IN BEIJING TOOK BRIBES
The cadre responsible for road building in the PRC capital �is being questioned over corruption� (BBC). A Communist-run paper in the city accused the official �of taking huge bribes.� Although there was no number cited, the cadre - Bi Yuxi � had �access to the equivalent of millions of dollars.�
OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
WEN JIABAO HINTS PRIVATE PROPERTY MIGHT BE TEMPORARY . . .
In a Communist conference on �private� property, PRC Premier Wen Jiabao let the cat out of the bag on private ownership�s actual future: �Wen Jiabao stated that a system consisting of mostly public ownership should be fortified and developed. In the mean time non-public ownership should be encouraged, supported and well-guided� (CNA via Epoch Times).
�In the mean time�? Looks like the �private� businessmen in Communist China had better hold on very tightly to their cadre buddies.
. . . AS PRIVATE FIRMS LOSE OUT TO PRC-OWNED COMPETITION IN SLOWDOWN
Speaking of �in the mean time,� that time really has been mean for �private� businessmen in the PRC. The economic slowdown ordered by Wen himself has led to �tightening credit and cracking down on the sort of corrupt financial and land trading that has been an everyday part of doing business during China's period of swift growth� (Washington Post).
Who have been the greatest victims of these actions? Herein lies the answer: �the burden of these new policies appears to be falling disproportionately on private entrepreneurs.� Well, the illusion was fun while it lasted.
FIRM FOUNDER, OUSTED BY COMMUNISTS, SUES TO RECOUP LOSSES
Chen Jinhong used $24,000 � his own $24,000 � to start a �private� decorating firm in 1986. Ten years later, the firm was worth over $7 million, and the cadres in the city of Foshan ousted him and took over. Chen is now suing Foshan for compensation. The case will be tried in a Communist court in Guangdong. Report: BBC
MIGRANT WORKERS STILL OWED OVER $600 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION BACK PAY
The �Chinese construction sector� (CNA via Epoch Times) still owes its migrant laborers over $600 million in unpaid wages. Astonishingly, this is good news; the migrants were originally owed nearly $4 billion.
BEIJING SINKING
The Communist capital is literally falling into the ground, as rampant overdevelopment and �excessive mining of ground water� (Epoch Times) has led to some parts of the city sinking nearly three-quarters of a full meter. Roads in the city have already developed sinkholes. Should this really be where American athletes are in four years?
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BABY FOOD INGRIDIENT ORIGINATING IN PRC HAS DANGEROUS LEAD LEVELS IN NZ
Flour milled from corn New Zealand imported from Communist China �was found to contain more than 100 times the safe level of lead� (Epoch Times). The flour was to be used for baby food. At least 50 babies have died in Communist China due to fake milk (see 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/26, 6/10, and last Updates).
AUSTRALIA DENIES DISSIDENT ASYLUM REQUEST; TRADE MAY HAVE HAD A ROLE
Two law professors from Communist China are in Australia hoping to win asylum. One, Zhao Jing, had her application rejected, despite �her role in helping distribute Yuan's books electronically� (UPI via Washington Times). Yuan Hong-bing, the other professor, �has written about Chinese persecution of Mongolian and Tibetan minorities in the country.�
Speculation has it that a trade deal currently being negotiated between Australia and Communist China led to the rejection.
PRC AND VIETNAM IN TALKS ON BORDER AGREEMENT
Communist China and Vietnam are holding talks �on implementing a border agreement on the Gulf of Tonkin� (UPI via Washington Times). The deal (see 12/12/01 Update) ended one dispute between the two, which had two armed conflicts in the last twenty-five years, and a fought proxy war in Cambodia (the PRC backed the murderous Khmer Rouge).
JAPANESE VICTORY ENDS PRC�S ROLE AS ANGRY HOST OF ASIAN SOCCER TOURNAMENT
The Asian Cup soccer tournament ended in Beijing with a 3-1 Japanese victory over the hosts, whose fans �used the games to vent their frustration at events in the past and years of perceived political slights� (BBC). It should be noted that anti-Japanese sentiment is one of the few things the average Chinese person can freely express in the PRC.
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