| Sign the Boycott Petition: In reaction to the 2008 Olympic Games being awarded to Beijing, the China e-Lobby has begun a petition for an American boycott of those games. CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: APRIL 17, 2002 TOP STORY: JIANG ZEMIN HITS U.S. POLICY, INCLUDING TERRORIST WAR PRC PRESIDENT HEADS WHAT COMMUNISTS CALL FIGHT AGAINST �NEW IMPERIALISM� Communist President Jiang Zemin is spending his five-nation trip blasting the United States for its conduct in the terrorist war, with a thinly veiled shot the U.S. disguised as advice against �hurting innocent people,� according to CNN�s Willy Wo-Lap Lam. Jiang made his statement while in Libya, one of the biggest sponsors of terrorism over the past two decades, and a major arms customer of the PRC. Jiang wasn�t alone in bashing the U.S. In fact, in a later piece, Lam noted that the People�s Republic is gearing up for a �a protracted war against . . . �new imperialism.�� What is this �new imperialism?� Well, according to Lam, the Communists believe it�s �President George W. Bush and his European allies . . . trying to impose a set of Western values on the rest of the world.� OTHER NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA AND THE TERRORIST WAR ARTILLERY MADE IN COMMUNIST CHINA FOUND IN TALIBAN/AL QAEDA HIDEOUT A hideout of suspected Taliban and/or al Qaeda members near Kabul, overrun by the pro-U.S. Afghan forces, had over 150 rockets made in Communist China. According to Bill Gertz of the Washington Times, the weapons could have come via Pakistan or directly from Communist China, which Gertz noted was still supplying weapons to the Taliban after September 11, according to "senior U.S. officials." For news of Communist Chinese ally North Korea, check out the North Korea Report. (Sign up) As Communist China�s allies and customers enter the cross-hairs, check out the latest on �Communist China and the Terrorist War,� either directly or via our main page. OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS FROM THE FALUN GONG WAR: AMERICAN ARRESTED FOR TIANANMEN SQAURE PROTEST American Andrew Muir Ellsmore protested the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in the PRC during the nearly three year Communist crackdown against the movement. Beijing police arrested him quickly, according to Fox News. Ellsmore, a junior at Humboldt State University, said in a statement released after his arrest that he was �trying to help people who have no voice and are in desperate need of justice.� DEFENSE OFFICIAL REPEATS BUSH�S PLEDGE TO DEFEND TAIWAN, "WHATEVER IT TAKES" Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz cited and repeated the pledge President Bush gave to Taiwan last year to defend it from Communist China, �whatever it takes.� According to Bill Gertz of the Washington Times, Wolfowitz told the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, �As President Bush and others have said, the United States is committed to doing whatever it takes to help Taiwan defend itself.� Communist China wasn�t happy with the pledge to defend the island democracy when President Bush gave it last year, and wasn�t thrilled with Wolfowitz�s words either, saying that Wolfowitz �rudely interfered in China's internal political affairs.� ROC PRESIDENT CHEN PROPOSES FREE TRADE WITH U.S. AND JAPAN Chen Shui-bian, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) proposed free trade between the island democracy and the United States "in order to counter China's growing influence in Asia," according to the BBC. Chen also proposed a free trade pact with Japan. CONGRESSIONAL TAIWAN CAUCUS FORMED Last week, 85 members of the House of Representatives formed a pro-Taiwan caucus. The caucus, formed to defend the interests of the island democracy, has four co-chairs: two Republicans (Ohio�s Steve Chabot and California�s Dana Rohrbacher) and two Democrats (Ohio�s� Sherrod Brown and Florida�s Robert Wexler). Report: Cybercast News Service, about 3/5 of the way down in the story. This is all the news on Taiwan this week. There�s still time to contact the President and tell him not to appoint pro-PRC Doug Paal as de facto ambassador to Taiwan. EXILED DISSIDENT BANNED FROM HONG KONG, HELD AT AIRPORT Harry Wu, one of the most prominent exiled dissident and head of the Loagai Research Foundation, a group monitoring human rights abuses in Communist China, was �detained� at the Hong Kong airport, flown to Tokyo, and banned from the �autonomous� city by the Communist-tapped government. The U.S. angrily demanded an explanation for the treatment of Wu, an American citizen (CNN, BBC, Los Angeles Times). PRC LIFTS BAN ON U.S. NAVY IN HONG KONG Communist China �has lifted a ban on US warships visiting Hong Kong,� according to the BBC. The ban on American naval vessels came down last month, in reaction to �a decision to allow representatives of Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, to attend a military fair in the US.� For more news on Hong Kong, see the Hong Kong News Section. KISSINGER MEETS HU JINTAO Former Secretary of State and well-known PRC apologist Henry Kissinger met with Communist heir-apparent Hu Jintao over the weekend, a meeting Hu used to take shots at the Bush Administration for its support of Taiwan (Washington Times). Kissinger also fired a warning against �needless disputes� (CNN) without ever mentioning which disputes were �meaningless.� Thanks, Henry. HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS NO MEMBER OF UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION PROPOSES CONDEMNING PRC Communist China was gleeful at the appalling fact that no member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights chose to submit a resolution condemning its awful human rights record. According to CNN, the PRC proclaimed that its sickening view on human rights �has become the mainstream.� The U.S., a long-time sponsor of an anti-PRC resolution, was voted off the commission last year. OTHER MAINLAND NEWS COMMUNISTS� BOASTS ON THE ECONOMY STARTING TO RING HOLLOW Communist China has boasted about high levels of economic growth for years. Now some are �expressing grave doubts as to whether China's economy really is growing as fast as the government and Communist Party say it is,� according to the BBC. Citing falling energy consumption and a minimal employment rise, many are wondering if the economic statistics are mere attempts to �window dress.� THREE GORGES DAM HAS �CRACKS� IN IT This comes straight from the BBC: �A senior Chinese official says cracks have appeared in the controversial Three Gorges hydroelectric dam being built on the Yangtze River.� The cracks are "a maximum . . . 2.5 meters deep.� The Three Gorges dam, brainchild of Tiananmen butcher and current Communist No. 2 Li Peng, has a history of corruption, ecological problems, and now, cracks. COMMUNISTS ADMIT SHARP AIDS RISE LAST YEAR Communist China acknowledged a 17% jump in AIDS infections last year, to 850,000 victims, according to the BBC. Outside experts still measure the actual number of victims at 1.5 million. The AIDS epidemic in the PRC was largely caused by the PRC � in particular a hideous blood-selling scheme that mixed donors' blood and spread the virus rapidly. Also reporting: CNN, Los Angeles Times BANK OF CHINA U.S. STOCK SALE ON HOLD Communist China has put on hold its plans to sell shares in its Bank of China in the U.S. According to CNN, the decision is based upon its continuing problems with bad loans and corruption. HONG KONG NEWS HK POLICE HUNTING 4,000 CHILDREN WHO LOST RIGHT TO STAY IN CITY WITH FAMILIES Police in Hong Kong have begun hunting down over 4,000 who lost their right to live in Hong Kong despite the fact that their parents were born there. The children, some "as young as six years old" (BBC (1)), had won a court case in Hong Kong's highest court, but Beijing overruled it in a move �critics said made a mockery of Hong Kong's claim to an independent judiciary (Washington Post). The Communists did allow for �a rare act of leniency� in the case of Lin Yeung-ming, and 18-year-old whom the Communists forced to be left behind by their parents in 1996. Back then, according to CNN, the PRC allowed only one child of the family to come to Hong Kong � Lin�s sister. This week, Beijing gave Lin a visa to allow her to stay with the rest of her family. Also reporting: BBC (2) Not everyone was so lucky. Immigration authorities told Cheng Chi-shing that he and his sister have one month, at most, to spend with their parents. Chen and his sister are seven and eleven years old, respectively (BBC (3)). CHIEF EXECUTIVE TUNG CHEE-HWA TO TIGHTEN HIS GRIP ON POWER Communist-appointed Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa announced major changes to the city�s governing process, putting the government under the control of 14 �ministers� picked by him (BBC). Pro-democracy politicians ripped the plan as designed by Tung �to surround himself with yes-men and weaken the civil service�s influence.� No news was reported from Tibet or East Turkestan this week. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving it. 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