| CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: NOVEMBER 15, 2000 SPECIAL FEATURE: COMMUNIST CHINA�S RISE TO NEAR-SUPERPOWER STATUS The Washington Times published excerpts from The China Threat: How the People's Republic Targets America, a new book by Bill Gertz, the paper�s national security reporter. The three excerpts, published from Monday through today, are listed below. Mr. Gertz is one of the top reporters on national security, and Communist China in particular. Part One: This excerpt highlights a high-level network of spies with access to many of America�s top military and intelligence secrets, including one agent deep in U.S. intelligence who was never found. Link: Washington Times Part Two: This excerpt highlights the fate of Notra Trulock III, the Energy Department counterintelligence chief who blew the whistle on the PRC�s theft of nuclear secrets. It also discusses how the Communists nabbed and used the information. Link: Washington Times Part Three: This excerpt highlights the growing tension over Taiwan, and the military situation between the PRC and the U.S. in general. Link: Washington Times ALSO: From the Washington Post, a story on how Communist China is increasingly seeing the U.S. as a threat to their attempts to forcibly reunify Taiwan under Communist rule and expand its influence. It notes the Communists� disturbing trend toward excessive nationalism to try and justify their undemocratic reign. Link: Washington Post TOP STORY: PRESS FREEDOM IN HONG KONG UNDER ATTACK AGAIN LAM RESIGNS FROM SOUTH CHINA POST; INTERNET SERVICE BURGLARIZED; PRESS BARRED Asiaweek reported that Willy Wo-Lap Lam, the former head of the mainland bureau at the South China Post, resigned this week after his demotion from the position. Many, including Lam, believe he was demoted due to his critical coverage of Communist China�s leadership, and its appointed leader for Hong Kong, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, as reported in previous updates. Link: Asiaweek Four months ago, publisher Kuok Hock Nien slammed Lam publicly in an open letter printed in the paper. Needless to say, Lam�s treatment has frightened many journalists in Hong Kong, who now fear the Communists� attempts to manipulate the press are succeeding there. One internet news service had its offices ransacked; the perpetrators left chilling message behind: �Be careful what you report!� (SPECIAL LINK: Time interview with Lam) As if to reaffirm their fears, Communist President Jiang Zemin barred the Hong Kong press from attending the celebration of 20 years of Communist economic �reform� in Shenzhen. Agence France Presse reported Jiang barred the press �because he is still mad at them.� Link: AFP OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS SECRETARY OF STATE REAFFIRMS �ONE CHINA� POLICY TO PRC Madeleine Albright, outgoing Secretary of State, reaffirmed to Communist China that the U.S. would stick to the Communist �One China� policy � namely that Taiwan is a part of Communist China � at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, according to AFP. Link: AFP HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS POETS ARRESTED FOR PLANNING �ILLEGAL ASSEMBLY� AFP reported the arrest of three poets in Guangxi province for planning a gathering of 200 literary writers what they hoped to call �China�s Poet Village.� The Communists deemed the proposed event, which included some well-known PRC critics, an �illegal assembly,� and asked the three poets, Wei Manzeng, Jiang Nan and Wang Changhuai, not to hold it. They refused, and were arrested. Link: AFP �ANTI-CULT� GROUP FORMED TO COMBAT FALUN GONG AND OTHERS BBC reported this week that Communist China has put together a new Anti-Cult Association in a desperate attempt to seize the initiative over Falun Gong, which continues to flourish despite a year-and-a-half long ban by the Communists. Link: BBC. Meanwhile, Taiwan treats Falun Gong very differently than Communist China. Link: Washington Times PROTESTS PROTESTORS TARGET LI PENG FOR SON�S ROLE IN INVESTMENT SCAM About 200 protestors outside city hall in Beijing demanded Li Peng �return . . . the money we earned with our blood and tears,� referring to money lost in an investment scam believed to be run by his son Li Xiaoyong. The elder Li, No. 2 on the Communist hierarchy and the former Prime Minister who sent the troops into Tiananmen Square in 1989, has had several proteges accused and convicted of corruption. Link: AFP BANANA TAX HIKE RAISES IRE IN 1,000 PROTESTORS, POLICE SEND 5 TO THE HOSPITAL A near doubling of the �banana tax� in Fujian province sparked a protest of roughly 1,000 farmers. AFP, citing the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, reported five protestors were taken to the hospital after riot police clashed with the group. Link: AFP CORRUPTION NEWS COMMUNISTS VOW TO FIND XIAMEN SMUGGLER, WHILE TOP LEADERS ESCAPE THE LAW Communist China assured the world that Lai Changxing, founder of YaunHua Group and chief figure behind the massive Xiamen smuggling scandal, �cannot ultimately escape punishment,� according to AFP. Link: AFP Many Chinese told AFP they were more concerned about high-ranking Communists who escaped punishment because they were close to President Jiang Zemin. Dissident Bao Tong said the corruption �is a problem with the system, without reform of the system, you can't root out corruption.� Analysts generally agreed. Links: AFP - Chinese people, AFP - Bao and analysts CONSTRUCTION CHIEF WITH 13 MISTRESSES ARRESTED FOR CORRPUTION Xu Qiyao, head of the Jiangsu province construction office, is under arrest for taking over $1.2 million in bribes, and embezzling another $600,000, to buy houses for his 13 mistresses, according to AFP. The Ming Pao reported the Communists had hoped to keep the arrest quiet; Jiangsu is Communist President Jiang Zemin�s home province. Link: AFP CENSUS TAKERS FIRED FOR IMPOSING ILLEGAL FEES ON FARMERS; MILLIONS �MISSING� Not even a national head count is free of corruption. BBC, citing official Communist Chinese media, reported several census takers in Anhui province have been fired for imposing illegal fees on farmer there. Meanwhile, the PRC has given the census takers an additional week to find 10 million residents in Hunan who can�t be found. Whole apartment buildings in Beijing were also missed in the count. Link: AFP OTHER MAINLAND NEWS COMMUNIST �CELEBRATE� 20 YEARS OF ECONOMIC �REFORM� This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Shenzhen special economic zone, the first �reform� implemented under the late Deng Xiaoping, according to AFP. None of those reforms including more political freedom, or anything closely resembling the rule of law. Link: AFP THREE GORGES DAM TO FORM GIANT CESSPOOL The Canadian group Probe International has found that heavy pollution from the Yangtze River will turn the reservoir to be formed by the Three Gorges Dam into �a sluggish and polluted artificial lake.� The dam is the pet project of Li Peng, ex-Prime Minister who caused the Tiananmen Square massacre, and now No. 2 in the Communist power structure. Link: AFP COMMUNIST HEAD OF PUBLICITY DEMANDS PRESS FOLLOW PARTY LINE Ding Guangen, top publicity official for the Communist Party, told the press to �firmly grasp the correct guidance of public opinion,� according to AFP, which cited the Communist controlled Xinhua news agency. Ding said the media �must be in strict agreement with the (party's) central committee with President Jiang Zemin at the core.� Link: AFP JIANG ZEMIN AND ZHU RONGJI CALL FOR HIGHER MILITARY SPENDING IN COMMUNIST CHINA Communist Chinese President Jiang Zemin told members of the Communist hierarchy that higher military spending to �strengthen national defense construction� was imperative for the PRC, according to AFP. Communist Prime Minister Zhu Rongji echoed those sentiments, focusing specifically on the air force. Link: AFP INTERNATIONAL NEWS PRESIDENT JIANG VISITS CAMBODIA; PROTESTS BLOCKED BY POLICE Communist Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited Cambodia this week in a trip consumed by the PRC�s record of support for the bloodthirsty Khmer Rouge in the 1970�s and 1980�s. Police blocked student protests over the PRC�s backing of the Khmer Rouge, who killed over 2 million during their brief reign. During the trip, the PRC said it �never supported certain policies of the former Khmer Rouge regime.� Link: BBC HONG KONG OFFICIAL CALLS FOR MORE �COOPERATION� IN STOPPING ESCAPEES Regina Ip, Security Secretary for Hong Kong, spoke at the Asia Pacific Intergovernmental meeting on refugees and migrants, which took place in her home city. She called for more cooperation in fighting �human trafficking,� as she called it, referring to the thousands who pay top dollar to international criminal groups just top escape Communist China every year. If found, the escapees are usually sent back to the PRC. Link: BBC CHINESE-BORN CANADIAN ADMITS TRYING TO SELL BOMB GYROSCOPES TO PRC Collin Shu, head of the now defunct Lion Photonics, admitted in court to attempting to sell gyroscopes to the PRC that could have been used in missile and bombs. Shu said he was told the gyroscopes would only be used to civilian purposes, according to AFP. An American court sentenced him to 30 months in prison. Link: AFP REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS PRESIDENT CHEN�S ADVISORY GROUP WILL PRESENT �ONE CHINA� PROPOSAL NEXT MONTH A special advisory group to ROC President Chen Shui-bian will have a proposal regarding �One China� sometime next month, according to a member of the group. Shen Fu-hsiung told the press, including AFP, that �a consensus is emerging� that would �go beyond the traditional way of thinking.� Shu is also a legislator form Chen�s Democratic Progressive Party. Link: AFP ANTI-NUCLEAR PROTESTORS TAKE TO STREETS IN SUPPORT OF CHEN Nearly 100,000 anti-nuclear power protestors braved rainy weather to march in support of President Chen, whose decision to cancel a partially-built nuclear plant has caused the opposition to press for his ouster. While the protest focused on the nuclear decision, it was a big boost for Chen, who faces a recall vote in the legislature. Link: BBC COMMUNIST CHINESE JOURNALIST BAN LIFTED AFP reports that the ROC will allow journalists from Communist China to be stationed on the island democracy for the first time in 50 years. Government Information Office official Lee Cher-jean said the journalists can stay in Taiwan for up to a month at a time. Lee said the ROC hoped the extended stays would help the mainland understand Taiwan better. Link: AFP TIBET NEWS BOMB EXPLODES IN LHASA, NONE HURT A bomb exploded in central Lhasa days after the appointment of an ethnic Chinese Communist to govern Tibet. AFP reported no injuries in the Tibetan capital. This is the eighth bomb explosion in five years; no injuries or deaths have been reported in any of them. Link: AFP XINGIANG/EAST TURKESTAN NEWS �ONE CHILD� POLICY LEADS TO MORE ABUSES IN REGION Communist China is at it again, this time with the �one child� radical birth �control� policy. While the Uighur Muslims are allowed two or three children, CNN, citing human rights groups, reported the horrifyingly usual abuses, such as forced abortions. Communist China�s brutal treatment of the Uighurs has caused many of them to support an independent state, which would be called East Turkestan. Link: CNN CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST UIGHURS HELD IN ESTONIA A conference highlighting the horrible treatment by Communist China of the Uighur Muslims was held in Tallinn, Estonia this week. The conference focused on the abuses by the PRC, and how to spread the word about their plight. 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