| CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: MAY 23, 2001 TOP STORY: LI SHOAMIN CHARGED WITH SPYING FOR TAIWAN PROFESSOR IS SECOND CHINESE IMMIGRANT, FIRST U.S. CITIZEN SO CHARGED Professor Li Shaomin, of Hong Kong City University, became the second Chinese �migr� to the United States to be charged with �spying� for Taiwan. Communist China captured Li, a naturalized U.S. citizen, in February; this was their first attempt to justify the action. Li was a business professor before his arrest. His wife, who still can�t talk to her husband thanks to the Communists, called the charges �totally nonsense.� Links: CNN � arrest, CNN � U.S. reaction, BBC, Washington Post Meanwhile, there was still no word on Gao Zhan, the almost-naturalized U.S. resident (the only step left was the citizenship swearing-in ceremony) the Communists also imprisoned in February. The Communists charged her with �spying� as well. Officials of the People�s Republic of China had also held her husband and 5-year-old American-born son for over a month before releasing them in March. TOP AMERICAN STORY: TAIWAN PRESIDENT AND DALAI LAMA VISIT U.S. HIGH PROFILE VISIT FOR CHEN SHUI-BIAN AND BUSH MEETING DALAI LAMA MIFF PRC Republic of China (Taiwan) President Chen Shui-bian visited New York for two days in the most public U.S. visit ever for a Taiwanese leader since the U.S. switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Communist China in 1979. Chen met with New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani � who referred to Taiwan as a �remarkable country,� a line sure to annoy the Communists even more � and several congressmen of both parties. Links: CNN � Day 1, CNN � Day 2, Washington Times � meeting with Congressmen, Daily News � Giuliani Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama visited President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell this week. Tibet�s spiritual leader said he wants �genuine self-rule� for his people; �I�m not seeking independence.� The White House said it supported �the protection of the human rights of all Tibetans,� and hoped Beijing �would respond favorably� to the Dalai Lama�s call for talks on Tibet. The PRC was none too happy with either visit. Links: CNN, BBC, Washington Post See Republic of China (Taiwan) News for more on the island democracy and Tibet News for more on Tibet. OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS FOUR ACADEMICS CHARGED WITH �SUBVERSION� Just in case anyone thought the Communists were just going after �foreign� academics, Beijing arrested four native academics � Xu Wei, Yang Zili, Jin Haike and Zhang Honghai � and charged them with �subversion.� Their real crime, according to the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, was to start the �New Youth Study Group,� a university discussion group analyzing the prospects for political reform. Link: BBC FALUN GONG FOUNDER CRITICIZES �VICIOUS PERSECUTION� IN COMMUNIST CHINA Li Hongzhi, founder of the Falun Gong movement, made a surprise appearance at an event sponsored by the spiritual group in Ottowa, Canada. While he focused on matters of faith for the most part, he also went after the Communists for their �vicious persecution� of Falun Gong. The movement was banned two years ago, and the crackdown has killed over 100, and imprisoned tens of thousands. Link: CNN CHINA TELLS UN TO BUZZ OFF ON LABOR RIGHTS Communist China rejected UN concerns about the lack of freedom for labor organization. Despite signing an international treaty allowing for independent trade unions, the PRC bans every union except one � the one controlled by the Communist Party. Those who do try to organize workers usually end up in jail or mental hospitals. Link: CNN OTHER MAINLAND NEWS TIANANMEN BUTCHER LI PENG GROWING IN STRENGTH, BID FOR PRC PRESIDENCY POSSIBLE Li Peng, the former Communist premier who ordered the troops into Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, is �staging a comeback.� Willy Wo-Lap Lam (CNN) reports on Li�s successful effort, so far, to win over �the fastest-growing coalition in Chinese politics: nationalists and anti-U.S. radicals, as well as leftists who are opposed to market reforms and globalization.� Rumor has it he wants one of Jiang�s jobs: PRC President. Link: Lam MAJOR PRC MILITARY EXERCISE IN THE WORKS Preparations are under way for a major military exercise that includes �ground, air and naval forces on Hainan Island and units on the mainland in southern China.� The exercise also includes Woody Island one of the Paracel Islands. The PRC took Woody Island from Vietnam in 1974, and some feel the island could become �a base for conducting military operations against the Philippines, Taiwan or Vietnam. Link: Washington Times IMMIGRANT EXTORTERS GIVEN JAIL SENTENCES A British court handed out varying prison sentences for six �snakeheads,� i.e., criminals who aid Chinese desperate to get out of the PRC, charge exorbitant amounts for the service, and force the escapees into indentured servitude, or worse. Normally, the victims, when found, are rewarded with deportation back to Communist China. Link: BBC OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS WOULD CHINESE-AMERICANS RISK ARREST IF THEY GO TO THE OLYMPICS IN BEIJING? The Washington Post raises an interesting question in an editorial about the possibility of Beijing holding the 2008 Olympics. �(W)ould everyone feel free to participate? The State Department recently felt compelled to issue a warning to Chinese-born Americans about traveling in China. It would be an odd Olympics indeed if some American athletes or journalists felt they could participate only at the particular risk of arbitrary arrest.� Link: Washington Post CREW OF DOWNED EP-3E PLANE AWARDED MEDALS President Bush handed out medals to the crew of the EP-3E plane forced to land on Hainan Island after a collision with a Communist Chinese fighter. Link: CNN UN COMMITTEE NOW AIMING AT HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS After having bounced the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission, the UN Economic and Social Council is now taking aim at non-governmental organizations (NGOs) interested in human rights. Human Rights Watch�s Joanna Weschler, whose group had its own problems with the UN for years, said the repressive nations on EcoSoc have stepped up their campaign over the last three years. Link: Washington Times INTERNATIONAL NEWS PRC TO DROP �HIGH-DECIBEL� RHETORIC IN FAVOR OF �BUSINESS CARD� DIPLOMACY Willy Wo-Lap Lam (CNN) reports on the new public relations drive by the Communists. Faced with the fact that �high-decibel protests and threats will be counter-productive,� the PRC hopes to win over the world by emphasizing the �business card.� Trade is the one issue where the Bush Administration�s �new� policy on Communist China looks a whole lot like the old appeasement policy. Link: Lam COMMUNIST CHINA VOWS NOT TO EXECUTE LAI CHANGLING Communist China wrote Canada pledging not to execute Lai Changling, the alleged mastermind behind the $10 billion Xiamen smuggling scandal fighting deportation from Canada. Whether the PRC can be believed, considering they have executed 10 other major scandal figures, is another issue. The Canadian Supreme Court ruled no extradition from Canada can occur if the deportee faces execution. Link: CNN INDIA, WORRIED ABOUT COMMUNIST CHINA, WARMS TO U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE PLANS India, the world�s largest democracy and long-time foe of Communist China, is finding common ground with the U.S. on its proposed missile defense system. The U.S. is hoping it can protect both itself and its allies against �rogue states,� all of which � including Pakistan, another India rival � are clients of the PRC military. Link: Washington Post SINGAPORE LEADER SAYS U.S. TOO COZY WITH TAIWAN Lee Kuan Yew, leader of Singapore for father decades, told the Washington Times that Communist China would become �becomes the largest player on this side of the Pacific� in 20-30 years. He also criticized the U.S. for being too close to Taiwan. Lee, a longtime friend of the U.S., never did mention the massive and constant Communist crackdown on dissidents, religious followers, and ethnic minorities. Link: Washington Times REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS CHEN CHALLENGES COMMUNIST CHINA TO DEAL WITH HIM, NOT HIS OPPONENTS ROC President Chen Shui-bian called on Communist China to stop feting his political opponents and, if they truly want to improve cross-strait ties, �directly communicate with the authorities in power who are responsible for policymaking and implementation.� The PRC has been wining and dining Chen�s Nationalist and People First opponents, in the hope of isolation the president, elected as a Democratic Progressive. Link: CNN CHEN�S HOPES TO JOIN APEC SUMMIT DASHED BY PRC Meanwhile, Communist China blocked President Chen�s plans to visit Shanghai in the fall for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Taiwan, forced to attend the summit as �Chinese Taipei,� usually sends a cabinet member or private citizen to represent the ROC government. It will have to do so again. Link: CNN, BBC CHEN CALLS FOR COALITION GOVERNMENT AFTER DECEMBER ELECTIONS President Chen, anticipating legislative elections this December where no party wins a majority, proposed building a coalition government to �restructure the legislature and stabilize politics.� Chen, a Democratic Progressive, has had serious trouble with the Nationalist-controlled Legislative Yuan. A third party, People First, is running for the first time in the legislative vote, all but ensuring that no party will win a majority. Link: CNN HONG KONG NEWS SECURITY CHIEF ADMITS TO �BLACKLIST� AS TUNG CHEE-HWA RIPS FALUN GONG Regina Ip, Hong Kong�s Security Chief, admitted to keeping an immigration �blacklist,� believed to be the cause of so many Falun Gong practitioners being barred from entering HK, despite the fact that it�s legal there. Meanwhile, Tung Chee-hwa, HK Chief Executive, ripped Falun Gong as �a bit of a cult,� and likened an alleged January self-immolation to Jonestown. Falun Gong denies any role in the January self-burning. Link: CNN TUNG SAYS COMMUNIST CHINA JUST WANTS U.S. TO �MAKE ROOM� Tung also told the Washington Times that Communist China �has no wish to conquer other places� or �absorb more land and more people.� Tung, elected by a Communist-appointed panel in 1997, made only one mention of Taiwan, whose land and people are highly coveted (to put it mildly) by the PRC. Link: Washington Times TIBET NEWS STATE DEPARTMENT PICKS NEW TIBET COORDINATOR The U.S. State Department announced the appointment of Paula Dobriansky, undersecretary for global affairs, to the post of special coordinator for Tibet. Dobriansky, known as �very sympathetic to the plight of Tibetans,� will retain her other post. Her appointment won praise from the International Campaign for Tibet. Link: CNN PRC CLAIMS DALAI LAMA SENT MONK TO IMMOLATE HIMSELF Perhaps in a pre-emptive strike against the Dalai Lama�s meeting with President Bush (see above), Communist China claimed to have �completely crushed� plans to have a Tibetan monk burn himself in protest of the PRC�s crackdown. The Tibetan government in exile called the story �absolutely false.� Link: Washington Post � 3rd of 3 stories XINJIANG/EAST TURKESTAN NEWS COMMUNISTS STILL CAN�T STAMP OUT DISSENT DESPITE BRUTAL CRACKDOWN Willy Wo-Lap Lam (CNN) reports on Communist efforts to literally bulldoze opposition to its rule in the western regions. He says the Communists are hopeful their combination of over-development and political repression may work in Tibet, but in �Xinjiang,� Uighur Muslims fighting for independence are still giving the Communists fits despite a massive crackdown against anyone determined to preserve their Muslim faith. 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