| New Web Site Feature � �Communist China, the Taliban, and the Terrorist War�: From China e-Lobby Updates and �Week�s Links,� a chronicle of Communist China�s actions after the terrorist attack. Access it via our web site. 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. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving it. Anyone who wishes to join can send his/her name and e-mail address to [email protected]. This week�s update includes the hyperlink feature. The links should go straight to the cited story. CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: OCTOBER 24, 2001 TOP STORY: COMMUNISTS TO USE TERRORISM AS EXCUSE FOR MAJOR CRACKDOWN FALUN GONG, EAST TURKESTAN ARE PRIMARY TARGETS; PRC HOPES CALLING THEM �TERRORISTS� WILL END WESTERN SUPPORT FOR THESE GROUPS AND OTHERS Not that this should surprise anyone, but CNN�s Willy Wo-Lap Lam reported this week that Communist China is preparing a major offensive to �opposition and secessionist forces once and for all� under the guise of anti-terrorism. The two biggest targets are Falun Gong and the Uighur Muslims of East Turkestan (�Xinjiang�), particularly those who want an independent state outside of Communist control. Lam says Jiang hopes �to blunt international - mainly American - criticism of its handling of ethnic-minority and �subversive� groups, including Uighur secessionists and the Falun Gong.� It should be noted that Lam also reported that Western diplomats said �available evidence� showed �among anti-Beijing elements in Xinjiang, only a minority had engaged in terrorism or been trained in Afghanistan.� BUSH NOT BUYING JIANG�S LINE, BUT MANY WORRY HOW MUCH HE�LL FOCUS ON RIGHTS President Bush didn�t swallow Beijing�s myths either. Lam, the Washington Times and the Washington Post all reported Bush�s comment that �War on terrorism must never be an excuse to persecute minorities.� A group of Chinese dissidents expressed their concerns in a letter to the leaders gathering for the Asia Pacific Economic Conference summit last weekend (Cybercast News Service). Still, many human rights groups are deeply worried that Bush will ignore human rights � particularly in Communist China � during the war. This would be especially worrisome given the PRC�s near complete lack of actual concrete assistance so far. Even Jiang� statement of support this weekend for the U.S. in the terrorist war was described by the Washington Times as �tepid.� COMMUNISTS USE ANTHRAX SCARE AS SMEAR TACTIC IN FALUN GONG WAR In fact, as Lam and CNN reported, Communist China is already using the anthrax scare as a weapon against Falun Gong. Beijing claimed they were �probing� a letter containing Falun Gong material for anthrax. The movement itself responded by stating the obvious � �China was using the anthrax scare to smear Falun Gong.� To Beijing, nothing is more important than the Falun Gong War. COMMUNIST CHINA EXECUTES TWO �SEPARATISTS� Almost as if on cue, Communist China also executed two more Uighur Muslims accused of � you guessed it � �separatism.� Several others received life sentences, according to the Communist Yili Evening News, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. OTHER WAR NEWS REPORT: PRC BOUGHT UNEXPLODED U.S. MISSILES FROM OSAMA BIN LADEN The Washington Post reported this weekend that �Chinese professors� had bought unexploded American missiles from the 1998 U.S. attack on Osama bin Laden. The paper, citing a conversation held between two of bin Laden�s henchmen, said the Communists paid $10 million for the missiles. A CIA spokesman �doubted that bin Laden received the amount of money stated� but didn�t deny the occurrence of the sale. BUSH ADMINISTRATION DENIES ARMS SALES BAN TO BE LIFTED, SOME STILL SKEPTICAL Bush Administration spokesman Ari Fleischer denied an imminent lifting of post-Tiananmen arms sales to Communist China. However, according to the Washington Post, plans are still in place to lift the sanctions partially for �non-offensive� military equipment, including chemical and biological weapons defenses and, more ominously, �equipment to be used by Chinese forces for public security.� OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS POWELL FETES PRC, SAYS ITS OK FOR COMMUNIST TO MODERNIZE NUKES AIMED AT U.S. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the U.S. was �encouraged by the response that we have had from China on support of the campaign against terrorism.� What that �support� actually was, besides a few nice words and a demand that the U.S. give wholehearted support to the East Turkestan crackdown, did not make it into the Washington Post story. A Times of India story was even more disturbing. That paper quoted Powell as downplaying Communist nuclear missiles aimed at the Western United States � particularly �San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle� � and that modernization of these nuclear weapons �tends to make it way more stable and safe.� How safe would it make San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle, Mr. Secretary? WASHINGTON POST WARNS AGAINST COZYING UP TO COMMUNIST CHINA A Washington Post editorial warned strongly against warming up to Communist China during the terrorist war. The editors whacked the possible partial lifting of a ban on arms sales (see above), and took extra care to thoroughly discredit any softening of criticism regarding the PRC�s brutal treatment of Uighur Muslims, who as they noted, �thanks to Beijing's repression, are strikingly pro-American.� COMMUNIST CHINA, AOL STRIKE DEAL; COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA TO AIR IN U.S. CITIES AOL Time Warner struck a deal with Communist China on a new China Entertainment Television, which will air screened � i.e. censored � versions of U.S. programming. As part of the deal, the PRC-run CCTV will air �24-hours-a-day to New York, Los Angeles and Houston,� according to the BBC. An executive with AOL called the move �strategic� and admitted it won�t be profitable any time soon. COMMUNIST CHINA FLEXING ITS MUSCLES IN ASIA, LOOKS TO ECLIPSE U.S. The Washington Post analyzes the latest moves by Communist China to expand its influence in the region, and its plans for replacing the U.S. as the dominant Asian player. These include, among other things, claims to nearly the entire South China Sea, a continuing desire to swallow Taiwan, a growing alliance with Pakistan, including military aid, and a massive buildup by the PRC military. The Washington Post also examined the view from the rest of Asia, which naturally is very nervous about the Communist Chinese growing power. For most of them, the answer is simple � closer ties to the United States to counter the PRC�s ambitions. STUDENTS SAY ATTACK IS OUR FAULT AS COMMUNISTS WATCH THEM A number of university students in Communist China told the Washington Times that the attack on the U.S. was the fault of the U.S., particularly the Bush Administration. Communist China has been pumping heavy nationalist, anti-American propaganda in its �education� ever since the 1989 Tiananmen demonstrations. Even so, a �van with tinted windows� kept watch on the interviewed students. U.S. NEVER PAID COMMUNIST CHINA FOR HAINAN OUTRAGE An American official told the Los Angeles Times that the U.S. ended up paying nothing to the PRC for cost incurred in the Hainan outrage. Beijing had asked for $1 million, and rejected the U.S. offer of $34,576. The official said, �we sent them a check . . . they didn�t accept it. It�s been three months. It�s done.� HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS (See also Top Story) U.S. ENGINEER GOES ON TRIAL, FAMILY AND FRIENDS BARRED Fong Fuming, a Chinese-born American citizen, is on trial for alleged bribery and taking of �state secrets� � the old Communist standby. Fong, who heads a power company based in Hong Kong, said there was, �no indication that the documents were secret,� according to the BBC. The Communists have also barred Fong�s family and friends from the trial, according to the Los Angeles Times. OTHER MAINLAND NEWS LI JIZHOU, FORMER ANTI-CORRUPTION HEAD, GETS SENTENCED FOR XIAMEN BRIBE Former deputy police minister Li Jizhou, who as the BBC put it �was supposed to be in charge of a high profile, nationwide campaign against smuggling,� received a suspended death sentence this week for taking bribes in the multi-billion dollar Xiamen smuggling scandal. He is the highest-ranking official to be sentenced in the scandal. A suspended death sentence usually means life imprisonment. INTERNATIONAL NEWS COMMUNIST CHINA BUILDING AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM FOR IRAN As the world�s attention focuses on Afghanistan, one of its neighbors and rivals � Iran � is having the PRC-run China National Electronics Import and Export Corp build its air-defense system. Although Iran has a continuing hostility to the Taliban regime, it is also one of the biggest terrorist sponsors in its own right, with links to the Hezbollah in Lebanon and other terrorist groups. Link: Washington Times COMMUNIST CHINA AND RUSSIA SAY STICK WITH ABM PACT, KEEP AFGHAN FIGHT SHORT Russia and Communist China announced support for the ABM treaty, which the latter never signed. The U.S. has said it would withdraw from ABM if needed to build a missile defense against �rogue states,� all of which have bought weapons and/or weapons technology from the PRC. They also backed a �coalition� government in Afghanistan, and called for fighting there to be �short.� Link: Washington Post REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS TAIWAN BOYCOTTS APEC CONFERENCE AFTER COMMUNISTS REJECT DELEGATION HEAD Taiwan pulled out of the APEC summit in Shanghai due to Communist objections to the appointment of former ROC Vice President Li Yuan-zu as head of the Taiwanese delegation. Taiwan is considered an �economy� at APEC, but it does not have recognition as the independent democracy that it is. The PRC had earlier rejected the idea of President Chen Shui-bian attending for the same reason. Link: CNN At the conference itself, Beijing added insult to injury when PRC Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan cut off a question to the ROC economics minister. The unprecedented slap in Taiwan�s face led Chen to pull his delegation out. Chen called the Communist actions irrational and unfair, according to the BBC. APEC BOYCOTT BOOSTS PRESIDENT CHEN�S POPULARITY Chen�s decision to pull Taiwan out of the conference has led to a surge in popularity for his Democratic Progressive Party according to the Washington Times. John Tkacik, a policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation said the Communists �are going to be sorry come December� for jerking Taiwan around over the APEC delegation. December is when elections for the Legislative Yuan (Parliament) will take place. TAIWAN UNEMPLOYMENT AT RECORD HIGH Unemployment in Taiwan rose to 5.26% in September, a record high, as it continues to suffer through it worst downturn in history. ROC officials blamed September 11 in part, according to the BBC. Hong Kong was quiet this week, no news from Tibet either; see Top Story for news on East Turkestan. |