| CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: JUNE 20, 2001 TOP STORY: EX-ROC PRESIDENT LEE ABANDONS NATIONALISTS TO SUPPORT SUCCESSOR �MR. DEMOCRACY� COULD BRING WIDE FOLLOWING TO DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY Lee Teng-Hui, former President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), has �all but confirmed� he will leave the Kuomintang (Nationalist) Party and throw his full support behind current President Chen Shui-bian, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party. Lee made a joint appearance with Chen at a pro-Taiwan independence group, which ended with the two joining hands above their heads. Link: Washington Post The move is a major boost for Chen, who ran against Lee in the Taiwan first-ever presidential election five years ago. Communist China has been trying to isolate Chen, whose party backs an independent Taiwan ever since his election, rolling out the red carpet for opposition Nationalists, academics, and sportsmen. Lee, widely popular among ethnic Taiwanese, may have dealt the Communist effort a hammer blow. Link: CNN � Willy Wo-Lap Lam Lee Teng-Hui was President of the ROC from 1988-2000. After rising through the Nationalist ranks, he opened up the political system and introduced elections for nearly every office, including his own. He was elected by the people of Taiwan in 1996 to continue for four years, after which he stepped down. Known as �Mr. Democracy,� he has always supported a higher profile for Taiwan, and is resolutely anti-Communist. OTHER REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS ROC MILITARY SUCCESSFULLY TESTS PATRIOT MISSILES The Taiwanese military ran their first successful test of the Patriot anti-missile system this week. The test came as Communist China continues their massive war exercise just across the Taiwan Strait, and continues to add missiles to its arsenal. The U.S. sold about 200 Patriots to Taiwan, but turned down a request for a more advanced version this year, despite the Communist buildup in missile, which could top 800 in 2005. Links: CNN, BBC MACEDONIA REVERTS TO BEIJING RECOGNITION Two years after recognizing Taiwan over the People�s Republic of China, Macedonia has reversed itself and reestablished diplomatic ties to the PRC. It was believed that Beijing�s consistent veto of international help for Macedonia�s beleaguered government � still fighting rebels in Albanian-populated areas � helped to push the switch. Link: BBC HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS ANOTHER NEWSPAPER EDITOR IS FIRED FOR NOT TOEING PARTY LINE A newspaper editor in Henan province lost his job after printing articles critical of corrupt local Communists. Ma Yunlong, who served as deputy editor-in-chief, joined the growing list of media officials either canned by the Communists � who own all domestic media sources � or sent to �refresher courses on the role of the media in China's communist society� as part of the latest Communist crackdown on press freedom. Link: CNN OTHER MAINLAND NEWS COMMUNISTS PREPARING FOR NEXT YEAR�S RESHUFFLE The first line from Willy Wo-Lap Lam (CNN) says it all: �Jockeying for position and factional intrigue have intensified within the Chinese Communist Party.� The CCP is preparing for next year�s massive reshuffle of personnel, and various factions, including that of Tiananmen butcher and would-be President Li Peng, are elbowing each other for seats on the Central Committee, Politburo, and the Politburo Standing Committee. Link: Lam COMMUNIST OWNED FIRMS STILL MONUMENTS TO INEFFICIENCY AND WASTE The Washington Post reported this week on the Chongqing Iron and Steel Group, a state-owned firm that showed a paper profit of $24 million. In reality, however, the firm, like nearly all others in Communist China, is hemorrhaging money as attempts to reform them move at �a snail�s pace� and more doctrinaire Marxists raise their voices �to block any movement toward reform.� Link: Washington Post EX-SHENYANG MAYOR BOOTED FROM PARTY Mu Suixin, former Mayor of Shenyang and deputy governor of Liaoning province, was kicked out of the party today for his role in the widespread corruption in the city. While Communist China suffers from corruption nationwide, no city is as bad is Shenyang � Liaoning�s capital. Numerous reports (see previous updates) revealed the local Mafia had infiltrated Shenyang with unprecedented breadth. Link: BBC LIAONING WINS WORLD BANK LOAN Meanwhile, the World Bank announced that a $100 million loan would go to the PRC for the cleanup of the Liao River Basin, and environmental disaster so bad the water can�t be used for at least ten years. The province which is supposed to come up with $100 million of its own money for the project is Liaoning, the very mob-infested, ultra-corrupt province from the story directly above. Link: CNN RURAL COMMUNISTS DROWING IN BILLIONS IN DEBT Communist China�s rural heartland governments are nearly $25 billion in debt, according to CNN�s Willy Wo-Lap Lam. Lam, citing the Communist-run China Newsweekly, reported that local Communist have resorted to new, illegal taxes to pad their salaries, or in some cases, in lieu of said salaries. Beijing had promised 20 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) earlier this year, but � surprise! � has since reneged on that pledge. Link: Lam AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS U.S. LOOKS FOR CLOSER SOUTH ASIA TIES TO COMBAT COMMUNIST CHINESE INFLUENCE In an attempt to thwart PRC objectives in South Asia, the Bush Administration is moving towards closer ties with both India and Pakistan. Pakistan is believed to be the trickier of the two, with its long history of closeness to Beijing and its recent ties to the Taliban in Afghanistan. India, long suspicious of the PRC, has already seen its U.S. ties vastly improve. Links: CNS News - India, CNS News - Pakistan COMMUNIST CHINA CLEARS HARVARD PROFESSOR IN GENETIC INQUIRY Communist China informed Harvard University that it had cleared Professor Xu Xiping for his role in rural genetic study. The U.S. is still investigating whether or not blood samples were coerced from Rural PRC residents. Xu did not help matters much by trying to cover his tracks with tactics �which one Chinese official . . . said reminded him of the Cultural Revolution.� Link: Washington Post MICHAEL CHANG JOINS BEIJING EFFORT TO WIN GAMES Former pro tennis player Michael Chang, winner of the 1989 French Open, is now a �goodwill ambassador� for the PRC�s effort to have Beijing host the 2008 Olympic Games. The decision will come down July 13. Link: BBC INTERNATIONAL NEWS RUSSIA AND CHINA MOVING CLOSER Communist China and Russia joined with four central Asian regimes to form the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), last week. The move comes as Communist China continues warming up to Russia, already its biggest arms supplier. While the agreement to found the SCO �omitted the military dimension when it cited areas of interaction,� military cooperation �was very much on the agenda.� Link: CNN - Lam Communist Chinese President Jiang Zemin called Russian President Vladimir Putin this week to praises his resistance to President Bush�s entreaties on an American missile defense. Russia has repeatedly joined the PRC in opposing the plan to protect against rogue states such as Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea. All four, by the way, have received military hardware or know-how from Communist China in recent years. Link: CNN PRC FIRES TRADE VOLLEY AT JAPAN Communist China, reacting to Japanese tariffs on some agricultural products, announced it would retaliate with their own high tariffs on Japanese cars, mobile phones, and other products. Link: BBC HONG KONG NEWS FALUN GONG MAY SUE TUNG CHEE-HWA Falun Gong announced it would consider suing Communist-appointed Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa this week. Tung parroted Beijing�s line on the spiritual movement by calling it an �evil cult.� Many believe Tung is working toward joining Communist mainland in banning the group, which is still legal in the city. Many in Hong Kong see Tung�s actions as undermining HK�s autonomy under �one country, two systems.� Link: CNN RELATIVES BOUND FOR DEPORTATION TO MAINLAND GO ON HUNGER STRIKE About 20 residents of the mainland slated for deportation to the mainland and their relatives have started a hunger strike as the case reaches its final appeal. About 5,000 claimed residency in Hong Kong because of relatives in the city, a claim upheld by a local court. The Hong government, however, asked Beijing to overrule the order, which they did, leaving many to question for the first time �one country, two systems.� Link: CNN No news from Tibet or East Turkestan this week. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving this. 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