20September2000

CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2000

TOP STORY: COMMUNIST CHINA ARRESTS CATHOLIC BISHOP FOR FOURTH TIME
Communist authorities arrested Bishop Zeng Jingmu, a leader in the Vatican-supporting underground Catholic Church, last week. The Washington Post reports it is the fourth arrest for the 81-year old cleric, who has spent 35 of the last 42 years in prison for staying loyal to Pope John Paul II and rejecting the ï¿½Patrioticï¿½ Catholic Church, which Communist China created and controls to this day.

The Post editorial on this event chronicles other Catholic priests fallen victim to religious persecution in the Peopleï¿½s Republic of China. Regarding the ï¿½Patrioticï¿½ church, the editors had this to say: ï¿½China's government is willing to tolerate some religious expression as long as it is dictated by the government.ï¿½ Link: Washington Post

PNTR FOR COMMUNIST CHINA PASSES SENATE 83-15
The U.S. Senate passed legislation granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Communist China yesterday. The vote was 83-15. The lopsided victory for the PRC came despite a tireless effort led jointly by archconservative Jesse Helms (Republican-North Carolina) and archliberal Paul Wellstone (Democrat-Minnesota). In his closing remarks, Helms went so far as to call Wellstone ï¿½Churchillian.ï¿½

Only fifteen Senators opposed PNTR, which was part of the U.S.-PRC World Trade Organization trade deal. They were: Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky), Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia), Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado), Russ Feingold, (D-Wisconsin), Helms, Fritz Hollings (D-South Carolina), Tim Hutchinson (R-Arkansas), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), James Jeffords (R-Vermont), Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), Harry Reid (D-Nevada), Paul Sarbanes (D-Maryland), Robert Smith (R-New Hampshire), Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania), and Wellstone. Link: Washington Post

OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY PROPOSES JOINT MILITARY DRILLS WITH COMMUNIST CHINA, JAPAN
Whatï¿½s in the water in Washington? Defense Secretary William Cohen, in an interview with Asahi Shimbun cited by the Kyodo news agency, actually proposed joint military exercises with Communist China and Japan ï¿½somewhere down the road.ï¿½ The move would be for ï¿½peacekeeping and humanitarian missions,ï¿½ and this is from Bill Clintonï¿½s lone Republican Cabinet member. Link: AFP

SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN FAULTS AGENCIESï¿½ ANALYSES OF PRC
Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he was concerned intelligence agencies were too soft in Communist China in their analysis. Shelby, interviewed by the Washington Times, said he felt many analysts were viewing the PRC ï¿½like it was in 1982 or ï¿½83 and we canï¿½t do that.ï¿½ Link: Washington Times

WEN HO LEE CASE STILL REVERBERATES
The strange case of Wen Ho Lee remained a hot topic this week. The Washington Post reported authorities are now probing why Lee made several copies of classified information he admitted to downloading in a plea bargain. The multiple copies cast in a somewhat different light the story of the investigation, which had been heavily criticized in some quarters. Link: Washington Post

CHINESE COMMUNIST ATTACKS MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM AT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Communist Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan used the UN General Assembly session on Wednesday to call the proposed American missile defense system, calling it ï¿½a typical example of the Cold War mentality.ï¿½ The missile defense would protect America against attacks from states such as North Korea, Libya, and Iran, all of which are military clients of the PRC. Link: AFP

COMMUNISTS LET U.S. TALK TO KOREAN WAR POW CAMP WORKERS
U.S. officials said the Communist foreign ministry has agreed to let them interview workers of prisoner of war camps during the Korean War to help determine that fate of Americans from that war still listed as POWs or missing in action (MIA). AFP reported that previous efforts were frustrated by a lack of military cooperation, but there was no mention of the Communist military offering any help this time either. Link: AFP

INDIAN PRIME MINISTER ADDRESSES CONGRESS, MEETS PRESIDENT CLINTON
Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed Congress last week, calling for better ties between the two large democracies. Under Vajpayeeï¿½s regime, India has flexed its muscles in Asia, testing nuclear weapons and planning a semi-permanent naval presence in the disputed South China Sea. His government has also labeled Communist China as Indiaï¿½s top national security threat, placing it even ahead of Pakistan. Link: CNN

HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS
COMMUNISTS WRITE NEW REGULATIONS FOR ï¿½QIGONGï¿½ GROUPS
Groups that practice ï¿½qigongï¿½ exercises came under new regulations this week from Communist authorities, according to AFP. The regulations include informing police of any ï¿½qigongï¿½ exercise involving 15 or more people. The ï¿½qigongï¿½ exercise method is an integral part of the Falun Gong and Zhong Gong movements, both of which are now banned as ï¿½cults.ï¿½ Link: AFP

OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
CHENG KEJIE EXECUTED FOR TAKING NEARLY $5 MILLION IN BRIBES
Ex-Legislature Vice-Chairman Cheng Kejie, whose arrest, conviction, and death sentence for taking bribes were reported in previous updates, was executed last week, according to the BBC. Cheng is the highest-ranking official the Communists have executed for corruption. BBC also reported the Communist charged former Vice-Minister for Public Security Li Jizhou with taking bribes in the same racket, based in Guangxi. Link: BBC

COMMUNISTS CLAM UP ON XIAMEN TRIALS; NEARLY 100 ARE BEING TRIED IN FIRST WAVE
Despite a major anti-corruption drive started by Communist President Jiang Zemin, the first trials in the Xiamen corruption scandal are under a news blackout, according to Agence France Presse. The scandal reaches up to Jiangï¿½s top political aides and allies, who are not being charged. The web site phoenix.com reported that 96 suspects are on trial this week alone. Link: AFP

TWO XIAMEN TRIALS WRAPPED UP; NO WORD ON VERDICTS
On Monday, court officials confirmed to AFP that two Xiamen trials have concluded. The trials do not have verdicts, yet. AFP could not even find out from the officials who the defendants were. AFP also put the size of the scandal, in terms of the goods that avoided customs duties, at $10 billion, and said up to 600 officials have now been linked to the scandal. Link: AFP

CORRUPT OFFICIALS IN THREE GORGES DAM PROJECT HEADED FOR TRIAL
Lu Youmei, head of the Three Gorges Dam project, told AFP that officials suspected of corruption will be tried for their actions. Lu refused to give the number of defendants charged, or the date of the trial; he said the trial involves $56 million, but Communist media admitted higher figures of embezzlement. The dam is the brainchild of Li Peng, butcher of Tiananmen. Link: AFP

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
JAPANESE PM ASKS MACAU CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO KEEP ï¿½FREE AND OPENï¿½ SYSTEM
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori told visiting Macao Chief Executive Edmund Ho that maintaining a ï¿½Free and open systemï¿½ in the ex-Portuguese colony was essential. Ho, according to the Kyodo news agency, promised to make ï¿½once country, two systemsï¿½ work. Unlike Hong Kong, Macao has seen little controversy. Link: AFP

COMMUNIST CHINA WARMING UP TO CUBA
AFP reports that Communist China and Cuba are ï¿½broadening academic cooperation between diplomatic institutions.ï¿½ The warming of relations was also evident in a $2 million donation by Communist China to Cuba. Link: AFP

COMMUNIST CHINA RIPS VATICAN FOR CANONIZING MARTYRS
Communist Chinaï¿½s Foreign Ministry bitterly criticized plans by the Vatican to canonize 120 victims of anti-Catholic persecution on October 1, the anniversary of the founding of the Communist regime. The Communists have long fought the Roman Catholic Church regarding religious persecution, particularly the 10 million Catholics in the PRC who will not renounce the Pope in favor of the ï¿½Patrioticï¿½ Catholic Church. Link: AFP

TEN ESCAPEES FROM COMMUNIST CHINA ARRESTED IN JAPAN
Citing news reports, AFP reported Japanese police arrested ten escapees from Communist China last week. The fate of the escapees was not reported, but odds heavily favor deportation. Thousands have attempted to escape the PRC this year; some were even willing to enter indentured servitude to international criminals just to pay for the documents needed to flee. Link: AFP

REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
PRESIDENT CHEN OFFERS TO RE-ESTABLISH FULL TRADE, TRANSPORT AND POSTAL LINKS
President Chen Shui-bian proposed re-establishing trade, transport, and postal links with Communist China and asked for talks with the PRC on the issue, according to the BBC. All three major candidates for President last spring, including Chen, agreed on restoring the ï¿½three links.ï¿½ Chen said the talks could not have any preconditions; Communist China is still insisting Chen accept the ï¿½one Chinaï¿½ principle. Link: BBC

Hong Kong was unusually quiet this week.

TIBET NEWS
INDIA TO CONSIDER ASYLUM FOR KARMAPA LAMA
PTI, the Indian News Agency, reported this week that the Indian government will consider granting asylum to the Karmapa Lama, a Tibetan Buddhist religious leader who escaped into India early this year. The defection of the Karmapa Lama, who had been groomed by Communist China, was a major embarrassment to the PRC. Link: PTI

XINJIANG/EAST TURKESTAN NEWS
BENEFITS FROM REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STILL SKIPPING UIGHUR MUSLIMS
The Washington Post has another report on the Communists development plans, past and future, in Xinjiang. The paper cited critics who ominously note the projects, for various reasons, do not include the Uighur Muslim ethnic group. The Uighurs, the largest ethnic group in the region, have suffered severely at the hands of the Communists. Many support creating an independent state of East Turkestan. Link: Washington Post

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