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CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: NOVEMBER 12, 2003
Yours truly has detailed Communist China�s history of aiding terrorist states, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban, and al Qaeda, in my new book, Dragon in the Dark: How and Why Communist China Helps Our Enemies in the War on Terror, soon to be available for order here, and later at Amazon and other online retail sites. - D.J. McGuire
TOP STORY: CHEN SHUI-BIAN DRAWS EVEN WITH LIEN CHAN
STRONG STAND AGAINST COMMUNIST CHINA CLOSED THE GAP FOR TAIWANESE PRESIDENT; PRC LOOKS TO U.S. TO SHUT CHEN UP
ROC President Chen Shui-bian began his campaign for a second term last week (BBC). In his announcement, he referred to Taiwan and Communist China as �one country on each side� (National Post, Cdn.) of the Taiwan Straits. It was an open rejection of the ridiculous �one China� policy, which the PRC uses to claim sovereignty over the island democracy.
The real news, however, came after the announcement. A poll from the China Times, a Taipei paper, had Chen even with his Nationalist opponent Lien Chan (Chen�s one point lead was within the margin of error). As Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN, noted, Lien, who is far cozier with the Communists, �had led Chen by a margin of around 10 percent� until recently.
Chen�s tough stance � he has also called for a new, more assertive constitution by 2006 � and his new strength has the People�s Republic scurrying. Communist PM Wen Jiabao will visit the U.S. in December, and according to Lam, he will loudly link the PRC�s �contribution� to the war on terror to the U.S. �blunting Chen's �creeping independence gambit.�"
Of course, Communist China�s actual �contribution� to the terrorist war is far less than it would like us to believe (another less than subtle book plug from yours truly).
For more on the island democracy, see Republic of China (Taiwan) News.
Check out the Communist China and the Terrorist War page.
NORTH KOREA NEWS
NORTH KOREA TALKS SET FOR DECEMBER 10-13
Stalinist North Korea has agreed to another round of six-party talks on its nuclear weapons program in Beijing, capital of its longtime ally Communist China (Chosun Ilbo, ROK). The first round of talks, involving North Korea, the U.S., Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the PRC, ended with no agreement, despite major American concessions (see 9/3 Update).
COMMUNIST OFFICIAL TO BRIEF U.S. ON NORTH KOREA TRIP
PRC Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Yi �will meet with James Kelly, State Department assistant secretary for East Asian affairs and the lead U.S. representative to the first round of six-nation talks on North Korea� (Washington Times) to brief him and others on Wu Bangguo�s trip to North Korea last week (see last Update).
COMMUNISTS INVITED INTO �COALITION OF THE PEACEFUL�
President Bush christened a little-known �Coalition of the Peaceful� on North Korea. Don�t get too excited; it includes the North�s biggest ally � Communist China (Washington Post).
For more on Communist China�s Stalinist ally, sign up for Monday�s North Korea Report.
OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
PRESIDENT BUSH CITES �FREEDOM DEFICIT� IN COMMUNIST CHINA, NORTH KOREA
In some of his strongest words on Communist China to date, President Bush, in a speech generally aimed at supporting democracy in the Middle East, cited the PRC and its ally North Korea among several other dictatorships as regimes where the U.S. would �stand with these oppressed peoples until the day liberty and freedom finally arrives� (Fox News).
Sadly, the President, again, made no mention of how, or if, the U.S. would take steps to speed up the arrival of that day for the long-suffering peoples of China and northern Korea. Also reporting: Washington Post, New York Post
CLINTON ADDRESSES BEIJING AIDS CONFERENCE; SKIPS MENTION OF BLOOD SCANDAL
Former President Bill Clinton exhorted the PRC to �do more to combat Aids� (BBC 11/10) at a Beijing conference on the subject. He also �praised the government's decision to treat poor Aids patients.� Clinton did not mention the role the Communists played in spreading AIDS through a 1980s unhygienic blood donation scheme (see 9/4 and 9/25 Updates).
The Communists refuse to admit the scheme�s role in spreading the disease to this day. Meanwhile, regions where the disease is rampant are still victim to Communist cover-ups (BBC 11/11). Also reporting: CNN, Washington Post
HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS
ZHANG YINAN BEATEN IN PRISON LABOR CAMP; FELLOW CHRISTIAN DIES IN CUSTODY
Christian activist Zhang Yinan, arrested for writing anti-Communist prayers (see 10/15, 10/29, and last Updates), was sentenced to two years in a prison labor camp. On his first day there, fellow inmates beat him. Meanwhile, fellow Christian Zhang Hongmei died in police custody; her body had several wounds �to her face, hands and leg� (World Net Daily).
Such is the outrageous fate of those who choose to follow their faith, and refuse to worship in PRC-controlled �Patriotic� churches, one for Protestants, the other for Catholics. Over 10 million Catholics, and untold millions of Protestants worship in underground churches.
INTELLECTUALS DEMAND RELEASE OF INTERNET PRISONERS
Du Daobin, a web-based dissident in prison for �subverting the state administration� (Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN), won the support of hundreds of Chinese intellectuals, who wrote the Communists demanding his release. A number of intellectuals also demanded the release of Liu Di, an internet dissident held without charge as the PRC looks for evidence against him.
Among those who supported the prisoners were Liu Xiabao, who himself ran afoul of the Communists police during the last session of the Communist legislature (see 3/12 and last Updates), and �U.S.-based dissidents including Wang Dan and Yan Jiaqi.�
OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
COMMUNISTS PLANNING ANOTHER SPACE FLIGHT WITHIN TWO YEARS
Communist China �plans to send two more astronauts into orbit within the next two years on the country's second manned mission� (Washington Post, fourth item). The PRC is hoping to land on the moon in 2010 (see 5/22/02, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, and 10/15 Update).
�PRIVATE� BUSINESSMEN JOINING COMMUNIST PARTY . . .
The number of �private� businessmen in the Chinese Communist Party is �steadily growing� (Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN). Although still less than half of the �non-state entrepreneurs� have joined the party, the numbers are increasing thanks to �the political protection and social status that come with party membership.�
. . . AS MORE FIRMS GO ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that Communist China is looking to unload most of its state-owned firms. However, �strategic industries critical to the Chinese economy and national security� are exempt, making this story not nearly as big as the Post presumes.
LOCALS OVERBUY THREE GORGES DAM SHARES
The shares of Three Gorges Dam floated last week (see last Update) have fueled demand �almost 70 times� (BBC) as large as the supply of shares within Communist China. How much international interest is in the ecological disaster is unknown; the Communists did not disclose the international demand for the cracked dam.
LONG MARCH NOT QUITE SO LONG
Two British explorers retraced Mao Zedong�s �long march� of the 1930�s, and found it to be half as long as Mao claimed. Mao had insisted his forces marched 12,500 kilometers to safety against the Nationalists; the actual distance was closer to 6,500 kilometers (BBC).
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
FRANCE AND GERMANY WANT TO ARM COMMUNIST CHINA
France and Germany �want to drop Tiananmen Square sanctions against selling weapons to China� (Newsmax). Some of the military goodies these nations want to send the PRC�s way include �French Mirage or Rafale jets and the Tiger attack helicopter,� plus �a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarines.�
LI KA-SHING�S SON TO TAKE OVER AIR CANADA
Victor Li, son of pro-Communist Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, will buy a �controlling stake� (Vancouver Sun, Cdn.) in Air Canada. The younger Li is a Canadian citizen, thus allowing him to elude Canada�s restrictions on foreign ownership. The elder Li�s Hutchison Whampoa, owned in part by the PRC, manages two container ports in the Panama Canal.
REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
HOST NATION TO POSSIBLE COMMUNIST SPY STATION RECOGNIZES TAIWAN
The tiny nation of Kiribati, home to a Communist space communications facility which many believe is also a spy station, stunned the Communists by establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan over the weekend (Cybercast News). Kiribati�s President, Aonte Tong, was elected this year in part on his concern �about China's interference in the country's affairs.�
HONG KONG NEWS
ROLLING STONES FINALLY PLAY IN HONG KONG
The Rolling Stones on-again, off-again concerts in Hong Kong finally took place over the weekend (CNN). They first cancelled due to SARS, then because of contract issue that became a local scandal for the Communist-appointed regime (see 10/15 Update).
For the latest on Tibet, check out Friday�s Week�s Links.
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