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CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 15, 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.
The next Summer Olympics, in 2008, will take place in Beijing. Will the U.S. take part in a Communist Chinese version of the Munich Nazi propaganda event of 1936? Sign the petition for an American boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
TOP STORY: HONG KONG DEMOCRATS MAKE SMALL ELECTION GAINS
PRC TURNS PRO-DEMOCRACY MAJORITY IN POPULAR VOTE INTO MINORITY ON LEGCO
Hong Kong�s pro-democracy parties �made slight gains in Hong Kong's legislative elections, but fell short of expectations� (Voice of America via Epoch Times). The anti-Communists won 60% of the popular vote, which was translated to 18 of the 30 elected seats; pro-Communist parties won the remaining 12.
Unfortunately, Communist China was able to push 22 of its allies through the 30 �functional constituency� seats, chosen by panels appointed by the People�s Republic (Washington Post). Ironically, the pro-democracy forces actually gained in the functional vote, winning half the actual votes cast in the panels � although it only translated into seven seats.
What happened? For starters, the Communists made sure the �functional constituencies� were skewed to their favor (77,000 teachers � who voted pro-democracy � made up one constituency, while 36 pro-Beijing tycoons comprised another).
Furthermore, there was what Human Rights Watch called �an intimidation campaign . . . to undermine the pro-democracy opposition� (BBC). Among the tactics, �a businessman was told to take a photograph of his completed election ballot or his business would suffer.�
Moreover, �Politicians, journalists and voters have faced political intimidation and criminal threats, much of it apparently emanating from Beijing with the aim of skewing election results to favor pro-Beijing candidates� (Cybercast News). The arrest and smearing of a leading pro-democracy candidate didn�t help either (see 8/18 and 8/25 Updates).
Despite that, the pro-democracy parties still won the popular vote by a landslide, and showed remarkable strength in the non-elected half of the Legislative Council. One of the most strident and outlandish Communist critics, �Long Hair� Leung, was elected in a landslide (China Support Network). Also reporting: CNN
The pro-democracy forces had hoped to win a near-majority of 28 to 29 seats. Thus, having lost the �expectations� game, their continuing strength among the actual voters was lost in the pro-democracy disappointment, and the Communist glee at being able to turn a landslide against them in votes into a victory in seats.
MORE NEWS ON THE VELVET CRACKDOWN (HONG KONG)
HONG KONG SILENCES TELEVISION REPORTER
A reporter with New Tang Dynasty Television had her question ignored by a group of visiting Olympic Gold medalists in Hong Kong (see last Update). Immediately afterward, �A male staff person rushed to Liang and took away her microphone by force� (Epoch Times). Does anybody still think Hong Kong is an �autonomous� bastion of freedom in the PRC?
OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS
HU JINTAO RULES OUT DEMOCRACY IN PRC
Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao � the supposed �reformer� of Communist China � had this to say about democracy in the PRC: �History indicates that indiscriminately copying Western political systems is a blind alley for China� (BBC). Thanks for clearing that up to the uninitiated, Mr. Hu.
CATHOLIC CHURCH FURIOUS ABOUT ARRESTS OF PRIESTS
The Roman Catholic Church �issued a strong denunciation of religious repression in China because of fears that 23 Roman Catholics - including eight priests - have been arrested, and some ordered to undergo enforced re-education� (Guardian, UK). The arrests appear to have taken place a month ago, since then at least one Bishop died in prison.
Communist China banned the Roman Catholic Church in favor of the PRC-run �Patriotic� Catholic Church over 50 years ago. Ten to twelve million Catholics continue to worship with Vatican-loyal, �underground� priests.
WIFE OF PETITIONER BEATEN TO DEATH WILL WIN CASE, IF SHE STAYS QUIET
The wife of murdered petitioner Wang Yuanshun (the source for the 9/1 Update misnamed him Wang Shunyuan) won a victory of sorts: the Communist agreed to compensate her �and the problem of the original appeal resolved� (Epoch Times). However, she must agree with the Communist lie that her husband �died of a heart attack.�
Wang had petitioned for ten years on behalf of his son, �who they say died from punishment for a false charge.� The PRC�s reaction � they ignored him for a decade before police beat him to death � is typical of its policy toward petitioners, also known as appellants.
OVER 35,000 PETITIONERS ARRESTED BY COMMUNISTS
Communist China has arrested over 35,000 petitioners over the last week, severely beating some of them. Their self-built temporary housing was also destroyed by Communist police (Ming Bao News via Epoch Times). The petitioners were coming to Beijing to appeal judgments against them by local cadres � thus they are also known as appellants.
NEWS ON THE FALUN GONG WAR
NINE-MONTH PREGNANT PRACTITIONER IN HENAN FORCED TO ABORT BABY
Communist police forced Wang Guijin, nine months pregnant, to abort her baby. She was arrest and kept under 24-hour �surveillance.� An unnamed staffer with the PRC Planned Parenthood Committee told an Epoch Times reporter that the police �are all �taking care� of her in turn.� How comforting.
APPEALS COURT SYMPATHIZES WITH FALUN GONG, BUT RULES FOR JIANG ZEMIN
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision by a lower court to block a lawsuit by Falun Gong practitioners against Central Military Commission Chairman Jiang Zemin for authoring and leading the crackdown against the spiritual movement. Report: Epoch Times
The court was sympathetic to the practitioners � and even attorneys for the Justice Department called Jiang�s actions �heinous.� However, the court sided with Justice �in holding that the United States can best express its interest in ending the persecution of Falun Gong in China via diplomatic channels.�
CORRUPTION NEWS
COMMUNIST CHINA EXECUTES FOUR FOR FRAUD
Communist China continued its practices of executing white-collar criminals, in this case four unnamed ex-officials in PRC-owned banks who embezzled over $12 million (BBC).
OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
POLITBURO WANT MERITORIOUS DICTATORSHIP
The Communist Politburo announced new regulations for picking party and regime posts, opening them up to more professionals, and allowing local leaders to be �elected by secret ballot� (Washington Times, second item). However, �only local party committees will vote, and only after a higher body has nominated the candidates,� i.e., the dictatorship lives on.
OIL IMPORTS SURGE; INFLATION REMAINS HIGH
Imports of oil by Communist China are up nearly 40% from last year, and �are set to reach a record 110 million tones� (BBC 9/14), or over three-quarters of a billion barrels. In large part due to that thirst for oil, inflation in the PRC is still running at over 5% (BBC 9/13).
FARM SUBSIDIES TRIPLED
Communist China has more than tripled farm subsidies to over $120 million. The move was in part �to boost production and rural incomes� (United Press International via Washington Times) and �as part of the Chinese government's concern over food security.� The subsidy level is still less than $1 for every farmer in the PRC�s impoverished rural interior.
NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA, EAST TURKESTAN, AND THE TERRORIST WAR
Check out the latest on the Communist China and the Terrorist War page.
COMMUNIST CHINA CLAIMS �TERRORISTS� ARE AFTER THREE GORGES DAM
Communist China has �sent heavily armed troops to protect its huge Three Gorges Dam against terrorist attack� (BBC). Of course, �no mention of who might want to target the project� was made, but the Communists did smear Taiwan with the charge of targeting the dam, a charge the island democracy denied (see 6/16 Update).
CCTV ANNOUNCES GAME OF �GUESS THE BESLAN DEATH TOLL�
The PRC-run CCTV actually held a contest to �held a contest to predict the final death toll of the hostages� (Epoch Times) during the Beslan, Russia terrorist incident. After �more than 4,000 messages from respondents� (most of them enraged), the station announced those behind the ridiculous idea �have been severely punished,� but apparently no one was fired.
UNDER COMMUNIST OCCUPATION, EAST TURKESTAN IS BECOMING MASSIVE DESERT
Communist China�s �unreasonable exploitation of water resources� (Central News Agency, Taiwan via Epoch Times) has already led to the drying of Lake Lop Nur. Now, Taiterma Lake is also drying out, while the Takelamakan and Kumutage Deserts have merged into a mammoth domain of sand.
NORTH KOREA NEWS
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COMMUNIST CHINA NOW SAYS NORTH KOREA TALKS DELAY IS NO BIG DEAL
Communist China �will continue efforts to bring North Korea back to talks intended to convince the communist state to give up its nuclear weapons programs� (VOA via Epoch Times). However, the PRC now says, ��the sky will not fall� if talks about North Korea's nuclear weapons programs are delayed.�
Three previous rounds of talks on North Korea�s nuclear weapons have led to little beyond U.S. concessions (see 6/30 Updates). As much as this quarter hates to say it, the Communists may be on to something here.
OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
ARE AMERICAN TARIFFS ON PRC CLOTHING COMING?
Undersecretary of Commerce Grant Aldonas told the Washington Post �that the Bush administration will move in coming weeks to limit imports of Chinese clothing� in reaction to the upcoming lifting of textile restrictions �that have ruled the global textile trade for three decades.� For more on those soon-to-be-lifted restrictions, see the 4/21 Update).
GEORGIA COLLEGE CANCELS PRC PROGRAM AFTER WANG FEILING ARREST
The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology has decided to suspend its summer program in Communist China following the arrest and expulsion of Professor Wang Feiling. Wang, an American citizen, �was accused of obtaining state secrets� (UPI via Washington Times) � the usual Communist catch-all �offense.�
According to Wang, his real �crime� was �research he had done into China's household registration system, which makes it difficult for families to obtain benefits such as schooling for their children if they move from the place they are registered.�
OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWS
DISSENT TELLS EUROPEAN UNION NOT TO LIFT PRC ARMS BAN
Wang Dan, a leader of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, �joined with think tanks, academics, and researchers in a joint seminar / press conference against the proposed lifting, by the European Union, of its arms embargo against Communist China� (China Support Network). The ban was imposed in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
France and Germany have recently been trying to lift the embargo, but all EU nations must sign on. Prior to the recent EU expansion, the only nations who were standing in the way of a new arms pipeline to the PRC were Sweden and the Netherlands (see 11/12/03, 12/10/03, 1/28, 2/4, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, and 6/2 Updates).
VIETNAM UPSET OVER PRC-PHILIPPINE SPRATLY DEAL
Vietnam �criticized plans by China and the Philippines to map potential oil deposits around the Spratly Islands, and reaffirmed its claim of sovereignty over the disputed South China Sea archipelago� (Washington Times). Vietnam, Communist China, and other claimants to the Spratlys had signed a deal two years ago pledging not to �heighten tensions there.�
Vietnam is now saying the Communists are �deviating� from that pledge. Vietnam and the PRC have had a brief shooting war over the Spratlys in 1988.
REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
POLICE CHARGE THREE WITH POSSIBLE ROLE IN CHEN SHOOTING
Three men are under arrest in Taiwan after having been found in possession of a gun and bullets matching those used to shoot President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu this past March. The shooting occurred one day before Chen was narrowly re-elected (see 3/24 and 3/31 Updates). Report: BBC
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