| Note on Top Story: In reaction to the decision of the International Olympic Committee awarding Beijing the 2008 Olympic Games, the China e-Lobby has begun a petition for an American boycott of those Games. Those who wish to e-sign the petition can do so at the following page (part of the China e-Lobby web site). CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: JULY 18, 2001 TOP STORY: BEIJING WINS OLYMPIC GAMES FOR 2008 COMMUNIST CAPITAL TAKES GAMES ON SECOND BALLOT The 2008 Olympic Games will be in Beijing, capital of the Communist People�s Republic of China. The International Olympic Committee awarded the Games to the PRC on Friday despite criticism from several human rights groups and others. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the PRC Games mean �seven years of supervision,� and could improve human rights. Doesn�t anybody remember Moscow 1980? Links: CNN, BBC, CNS News, Washington Post, CNN � Powell�s reaction Willy Wo-Lap lam (CNN) reported on the gleeful Communist reaction to the news. The Communists made a point of reminding the world that �Olympic status for China means our strategy of Western-style economic development coupled with one-party rule is correct.� As for the question of the Olympics encouraging the PRC to change its behavior, Lam replies, �The answer is no � at least for the short term.� Link: CNN - Lam The U.S. had proclaimed �neutrality,� several Western companies backed the bid in the hopes of winning contracts to build the Olympic village, and clean up the notoriously polluted Communist capital. However, the most likely winners will be those who have state-run companies as �partners.� Other Americans were mixed in their reactions. Link: BBC, Washington Post � U.S. reactions TOP AMERICAN STORY: LI SHAOMIN CONVICTED OF SPYING, TO BE DEPORTED NO WORD FROM HONG KONG ON WHETHER HE WILL BE ALLOWED BACK Communist China convicted American citizen Li Shaomin of �spying,� and will deport him out of mainland China. Whether Li will return in Hong Kong is another question entirely; the HK government has not said if he would be allowed to come back. Li, a professor at a Hong Kong university, was held for nearly five months. He is one of several Americans of Chinese descent imprisoned by the Communists. Links: BBC, CNN, Washington Post STILL NO WORD ON GAO ZHAN There was also no word on the other Americans held, particularly Gao Zhan, an American resident who would be a citizen today except that the Communist jailed her on �spying� charges in February before she could return home for the citizenship ceremony. Gao, an American University researcher has a husband and 5-year-old son, both of whom were held for a month. Link: See above BBC Link on Li Shaomin. OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS PENTAGON TO START TALKS WITH TAIWANESE ARMY SOON The U.S. military is soon to enter secret talks with counterparts from the Republic of China (Taiwan) for the purpose of �developing �contingency plans� for joint U.S.-Taiwanese military operations in the event of a war between China and Taiwan.� A Pentagon spokesman also refused to rule out a possible joint missile defense with Taiwan, proposed by ROC President Chen Shui-bian (see Republic of China (Taiwan) News). Link: Washington Times HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE DISCUSSES �NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS� WITH COMMUNIST CHINA President Bush�s request for renewal of �Normal Trade Relations� with Communist China was the subject of a hearing of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on trade. During the debate, several congressmen expressed doubts about renewing NTR. Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Virginia) noted that, contrary to conventional wisdom, �As we have increased trade, the human rights situation in China has grown worse.� Link: Washington Times JIANG LOOKS FORWARD TO WARMER TIES, OCTOBER SUMMIT In preparation for a �successful presidential summit� in October, Communist President Jiang Zemin is hoping for �concrete improvement� in ties between now and then. CNN�s Willy Wo-Lap Lam, citing unnamed diplomats, said there might even be (finally) movement on American citizens and residents currently imprisoned in the PRC for months. Wonder if that had anything to do with the House hearing, hmmm? Link: CNN HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS COMMUNIST VICE PREMIER, CITING OLYMPIC WIN, SAYS WEST BACKS FALUN GONG WAR The government and corporate types still insisting the Olympics will �change� Communist China should have heard from Vice Premier Li Lanqing, who said the Olympic bid symbolized Western support for the brutal crackdown on Falun Gong. Link: CNN OTHER MAINLAND NEWS JIANG CALLS FOR �NEW WORLD ORDER� TO COUNTER U.S. In Moscow this week to sign a �friendship� treaty with Russia (see below), Communist President Jiang Zemin called for a �new world order� � as the BBC put it � to �counter the dominance of the United States.� Link: BBC INTERNATIONAL NEWS PRC, RUSSIA SIGN �FRIENDSHIP� PACT, INK OIL PIPELINE DEAL Communist China has signed a new treaty with Russia, its largest arms supplier. The treaty specifics deal with trade and other issues, but the pact symbolized, by design, both nations� efforts to create a �strategic partnership.� They also ripped the recent successful U.S. missile defense test. The PRC has supplied arms or military know-how to most of the states against which the defense is hoped to protect the U.S. Links: BBC, Washington Post, CNN, Washington Times In addition to the �friendship pact� � signed while PRC President Jiang Zemin was in Moscow � the two governments also announced an agreement for a new pipeline that would, when completed in 2005, pump nearly 150 million barrels a year from Russia to Communist China. Link: Washington Times COMMUNIST CHINA WHACKS U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE TEST Communist China was particularly miffed at the test, which occurred over the weekend. The PRC angrily called the test a �violation of the (1972) Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty� � which the PRC never signed. The missile defense, if deployed, would defend the U.S. against rouge states � such as North Korea, Iraq, Iran, and Libya, all four of which have received arms or military know-how from the PRC recently. Link: CNN REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS PRESIDENT CHEN CALLS FOR JOINT ROC-US-JAPAN MISSILE DEFENSE In an interview with the Washington Times, ROC President Chen Shui-bian called for a deployment of a joint theatre missile defense involving Japan, the U.S., and the ROC. Chen cited as his reasons the fact that the Communists have raised their defense budget at �double-digit� rates every year since 1989, and that they add �50 to 70 missiles a year� to their already substantial arsenal aimed at the island democracy. Links: Washington Times - missile defense story, Washington Times - transcript of Chen�s interview with Bill Gertz NEWS OF BEIJING�S OLYMPIC BID WINS COOLER RECEPTION In contrast to the ROC government�s earlier enthusiasm for Beijing�s 2008 bid, the actual decision was greeted with more guarded praise. Taiwan has been hoping the Beijing Games would temper PRC interest in swallowing the island democracy, but no such relaxation has occurred. Alex Lu Ya-li, a Taiwanese political scientist, simply said, �wishful thinking of using the Olympics to check Beijing does not work.� Link: CNN HONG KONG NEWS TUNG, MEETING WITH BUSH, SAYS FREEDOM IS �ALIVE AND KICKING� Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa met with President Bush last week and declared that �Freedom of the press and religion are alive and kicking and doing well� in his city. Many in HK are not so sure after a bill passed that allows Beijing to fire the Chief (see previous update), and Tung�s recent rants against Falun Gong. Bush �raised questions about recent developments regarding the Falun Gong movement.� Link: BBC, CNN TIBET NEWS TIBET GOVERNMENT IN EXILE SLAMS BEIJING OLYMPICS The Tibetan government in exile, through spokesman Kalon T.C. Tethong, criticized the IOC for awarding the Olympics to Beijing, calling the move �the stamp of international approval on Beijing's human rights abuses.� Tethong also said the Olympic decision will �encourage China to escalate its repression.� Link: CNN, halfway down the page No news from Xinjiang/East Turkestan this week. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving this. Anyone who wishes to join can send his/her name and e-mail address to [email protected]. Please visit our web site. |