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(Global News, No. GL99-162)
Friday, December 3, 1999
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ISSN 1024-9117
Table of Contents # of Lines
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1. News Brief (3 Items) ................................................. 53
2. Falungong Targets Seattle WTO Conference ............................. 23
3. Hong Kong Journalists Condemn ICAC Confiscation of Files ............. 26
4. Seismologists Applauded for Accurate Quake Prediction in Liaoning .... 36
5. Dissident WANG Wanxing Recommitted to Psychiatric Hospital ........... 25
6. Authorities Remove Condom Advertising on AIDS Day .................... 26
7. Key Issues Resolved for Macau Handover ............................... 21
8. News from Taiwan (10 Items) .......................................... 53
9. What's in December 3rd's Hua Xia Wen Zhai #453 (cm9912a) ............. 35
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1. News Brief (3 Items) ................................................. 53
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(1) Imports to Reach US$1.5 Trillion by 2005: Trade Minister
(2) Chinese Premier Speaks About Reform and Taiwan in Singapore Forum
(3) Airline Executives to Pilot Y2K Flights
(1) Imports to Reach US$1.5 Trillion by 2005: Trade Minister
[CND, 12/02/99] China is to import 1.5 trillion dollars worth of goods
and technology in the next five years, Trade Minister SHI Guangsheng
said on Tuesday in Seattle during a session of the World Trade
Organization, AFP reported quoting the China Daily.
Import surges over the next 10 years are expected because of the fast
economic growth, Shi said. China's development priorities include
energy, transport, water conservancy, telecommunications, environment
protection, raw materials, and high technology.
Shi said that Beijing is making further efforts to encourage more
foreign investment, which is expected to reach $35 billion for
this year, down from $45.4 billion of last year. (Shiji SHEN, YIN De An)
____ ____ ____
(2) Chinese Premier Speaks About Reform and Taiwan in Singapore Forum
[CND, 12/02/99] Chinese Premier ZHU Rongji said in an open forum in
Singapore on Tuesday that China will accelerate reform and upgrade
state-owned enterprises, and spur the development of the vast
hinterland in western China, AFP reported.
The premier said that China's economy is suffering from lack of demand,
inadequate economic structure, and the increasing pressure of
unemployment. He pledged to stimulate the economy by boosting domestic
demand, issuing long-term development treasury bonds, and encouraging
the citizens to invest their savings in development projects.
When asked about the cross-straight relations, Zhu emphasized that the
People's Republic of China is recognized by most of the countries in
the world, and referred to the two states theory as hopeless and
groundless. He reiterated that, although the mainland wants to see a
peaceful reunification with Taiwan, it will never renounce the use of
force. Zhu also vowed that China will not allow the World Trade
Organization to be used as a forum for two China's.
(Kenneth XIAN, YIN De An)
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(3) Airline Executives to Pilot Y2K Flights
[CND, 12/02/99] To ensure the safety of passengers on Y2K flights,
senior executives of Air China and China Southern plan to pilot
airplanes on New Year's Eve and New Year's day, AFP reported Tuesday.
According to the Beijing Evening newspaper, the president and vice
president of Air China, Li'an WANG and Fugui ZHANG, are both veteran
pilots with more than 38 years of experience. Zhang will be the captain
on a flight from Shenzhen to Beijing on January 1, and Wang from
another city to Beijing on December 31. The newspaper said that the
flights "will show that Air China planes will fly into the new
millennium in complete safety." The vice president of China Southern
Airline will fly a plane from Guangdong to Shanghai on New Year's Eve.
(Lisa BU, YIN De An)
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2. Falungong Targets Seattle WTO Conference ............................. 23
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[CND, 12/02/99] Overseas members of the Falungong sect, which is
outlawed in China, have launched a massive appeal in Seattle for
dialogue with the Chinese government at a time when many countries,
including China, were sending delegates to the U.S. city for the WTO
ministerial conference, The Hong Kong Standard reported Wednesday.
According to the Hong Kong newspaper, the petition drive called for
Falungong practitioners around the world to sign the appeal, which
urged the Chinese authorities to talk with the sect for a "peaceful
solution" of the alleged crackdown against Falungong members. The
petition drive also encouraged as many others as possible to sign,
including foreign government officials, the newspaper said.
Erping ZHANG, a Falungong spokesman from New York, denied the move was
timed to affect China's bid to enter the World Trade Organization
(WTO). "We understand the Chinese government is sending a delegation
here, and we hope to open a dialogue with them," he said. "We are
trying to approach them right now through various channels."
A delegation led by Trade Minister SHI Guangsheng are participating in
the four-day conference as observers. (Kewen ZHANG, WU Yiyi)
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3. Hong Kong Journalists Condemn ICAC Confiscation of Files ............. 26
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[CND, 12/02/99] Hong Kong Journalists Association is criticizing the
confiscation of files and computer disks from the premises of the Apple
Daily by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which alleged
that one of the reporters at the Daily was involved in a bribery case.
MAK Yin-ting, chairwoman of the association, was concerned that
anonymous sources used by reporters, particularly government officials,
could be exposed. This would discourage people with knowledge on
sensitive issues from talking to the media, she said. She partly blamed
the wide-reaching power given by the warrant issued to the ICAC to
search the entire premise of the publication, instead of those of the
person alleged in its case. Ms. Mak also said that the ICAC should
observe guidelines in the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
concerning searching a news organization.
Clement SO York-kee, associate professor at the Chinese University's
School of Journalism and Communication, was worried that such extensive
searches could cost the media its credibility and its effectiveness to
monitor society, as fewer people would dare to divulge information to
the press.
Lawmaker Emily LAU Wai-hing of the Frontier Party, a former journalist,
also voiced similar views. She said such moves threaten the independence
of the media. (MA Lin, WU Yiyi)
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4. Seismologists Applauded for Accurate Quake Prediction in Liaoning .... 36
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[CND, 12/02/99] Seismologists were praised Tuesday for their
successful earthquake prediction that has prevented casualties in a
quake that shook Liaoning province in northeast China, AFP reported.
An earthquake registering 5.5 on the Richter scale struck at 12:10
P.M. (0410 GMT) Monday. Followed by several smaller aftershocks, the
quake had its epicenter at 40.4 degrees north latitude and 123.3 east
longitude between the districts of Xiuyan and Haicheng. Because the
earthquake had been predicted, a relief team along with other disaster
supplies was already in place when the quake jolted the region,
according to local officials.
Seismologists had initially expected a larger earthquake, so relief
workers were dispatched to the area around Sanjianfang ahead of time on
November 26 to help local residents prepare for the possible disaster.
More than 800 heated shelters and tents were set up before the quake to
weather the cold winter nights in the area, where temperatures
frequently drop to around five degrees Fahrenheit.
In Sanjianfang, the earthquake left 160 homes damaged and 5,600
residents affected, while a large part of Liaoning Province, including
Shenyang the providence capital, felt the shock.
An earthquake of a magnitude of 7.3 struck the same region on February
4, 1975, killing 1,300 people. The town of Haicheng, however, had been
evacuated, saving thousands of people, due to the predictions of
seismologists. At that time, the magnitude of the quake was predicted
to be between five and six measured on the Ritcher scale, based on a
wide range of information, including abnormal behavior of domestic
animals. The past encounter with the earthquake better prepared the
people of Sanjianfang this time. With the help and advice from local
officials, they were able to keep an watchful eye on presumed foretelling
signs from household animals and knew safety and emergency measures in
case of an earthquake. (Feng Xu, YIN De An)
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5. Dissident WANG Wanxing Recommitted to Psychiatric Hospital ........... 25
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[CND, 12/02/99] Dissident WANG Wanxing has been forced to return to
the Ankang psychiatric hospital near Beijing after a three-month trial
release, AFP reported on Tuesday, quoting his wife.
Wang was sent to a psychiatric hospital without a formal medical
certificate in June 1992, after he displayed a banner commemorating the
third anniversary of the June 4th student movement. He was temporarily
released on August 18 this year for a three-month trial period. During
that period he was told that he could not meet with foreigners or take
part in democracy activists, nor could he listen to foreign news
broadcasts.
New York-based group Human Rights in China said it spoke with Wang for
an hour by telephone and it believes Wang was recommitted because he
intended to meet members of the western press and reveal details of his
incarceration, which allegedly included years of being force-fed
depressants and other medications.
Fifty-year-old Wang is a veteran dissident who was first imprisoned in
1976 for an open letter criticizing MAO Zedong, and again in 1977 for
opposing the crackdown on Tian'anmen Square protests marking the death
of former premier ZHOU Enlai. He also was active during China's
democracy wall period in 1979, as well as the Tian'anmen protests in
1989, according to the rights group. (WANG Ouhong, YIN De An)
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6. Authorities Remove Condom Advertising on AIDS Day .................... 26
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[CND, 12/02/99] Authorities in China banned a television advertisement
for condoms on Wednesday, which was also World AIDS Day, AFP reported.
The television advertisement was run by the Family Planning Propaganda
and Education Center in which a cartoon condom fends off the AIDS virus
and other sexually transmitted diseases with captions saying "Avoiding
unwanted pregnancies" and "Use a condom, no trouble."
But the State Administration for Industry and Commerce Administration
Bureau confirmed on Wednesday that the advertisement could not
continue. An government official told APF "Presently according to the
State Advertisement Law, sex products cannot be advertised," according
to the report.
China's official figures put people infected with HIV virus at 15,088
but experts think the actual number could be 400,000. Southern China is
believed to be the area with the most rapidly increasing number of
cases in the country.
In contrast to China's approach, India marked the World Aids Day with
free condom handouts for prostitutes. It is estimated that India may
have 3.5 million HIV carriers. The governments of both Vietnam and
Cambodia also reminded their citizens the danger of HIV infection.
(Mei HUI, YIN De An)
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7. Key Issues Resolved for Macau Handover ............................... 21
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[CND, 12/02/99] Chinese and Portuguese negotiators resolved two key
issues after two and half hours of talks in Macau on Monday, the China
Daily reported on Wednesday.
Chief representatives from both sides of the Sino-Portuguese Joint
Liaison Group reached an agreement on the deployment of Chinese troops
in the Special Administrative Region and the official use of Chinese
and Portuguese languages in Macao, the newspaper quoted Xinhua reports
as saying. However, details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman SUN Yuxi announced Tuesday in
Beijing that the Chinese Government will continue to grant visa
exemptions to those who currently visit Macao without restrictions. The
list of countries and regions enjoying visa exemptions and the visa
requirements for people from unlisted countries will be decided by the
new Macao administration, Mr. Sun said.
Macau is to be returned to China in December 20. The Portuguese
took over the territory in 1553. (LIU Weiming, WU Yiyi)
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8. News from Taiwan (10 Items) .......................................... 53
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Source: Taiwan News, China Post, Taipei Times, China Times website news
Date: (12/01/99 - 12/03/99)
Contributor: Chang-Jiu Chen; Abridged by: TIAN Yu.
* Taipei received a scare from reports that a horse at a riding club
in the mountainsides of Peitou died of anthrax, a disease that can
be passed between animals and humans. Officials appealed for calm,
saying the disease was isolated and posed no threat to humans.
* The Ministry of National Defense said that a suspected ballistic
missile site China is reportedly building may be located either in
Yongan or Nanping in Fujian province, the same location from which
the People's Liberation Army fired missiles into seas off Taiwan
during the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis.
* The new Minister of Foreign Affairs, CHEN Chien-jen, officially took
office, after his predecessor Jason HU left the post to become
campaign manager for the KMT's presidential candidate, LIEN Chan.
* Police ordered a nationwide crackdown on organized crime as evidence
indicated that crime syndicates and a number of elected local
officials could have been involved in the death of gravel mine
operator HUANG Chao-neng.
* The Cabinet denied claims by a civilian group that 100,000 people
have not received relief subsidies from the government more
than two months after 921 earthquake.
* A recent launch of the National Welfare Lottery--the first lottery
in in the island 11 years--was met with fanfare as many Taipei residents
spent the first few hours of their working day lining up for tickets.
* A group of KMT legislators examined Taiwan's cross-strait policy
during a lunch meeting with Mainland Affairs Council Chairman SU Chi,
and urged the government to take a more active approach to mending
ties with Beijing.
* The results of newly completed investigations, released by a DPP
legislator, allegedly highlight the KMT's role in local-level
political corruption, providing concrete evidence to support long-
existing accusation against the party.
* The number of AIDS patients reported in Taiwan has increased another
125 to 2,629, according to a report released by the Bureau of Control
of Communicable Diseases under the Department of Health.
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9. What's in December 3rd's Hua Xia Wen Zhai #453 (cm9912a) ............. 35
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_From: Hua Xia Wen Zhai Editorial Board (cnd-cm@cnd.org)
Hua Xia Wen Zhai
(CND Chinese Magazine)
Issue #453
December 03, 1999
ISSN 1021-8602
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Table of Contents (cm9912a)
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1. Headline News of the Week (November 27 - December 03) ............... CND
2. Glimpse of China: What's Happening to Our Kids? ............... GONG MING
3. Law Forum: Why Suspects Have a Right to Remain Silent (I) ...... CHEN Wei
4. Poems: Nanjing University ...................................... PING Fan
5. Hometown: Red Leaves ............................................. WEI Yi
6. Random Thoughts: The New Yanshan Saga: No. 36 ............... WANG Boqing
7. Info Exchange: Notice On Notarization For Overseas Use, Part 5
8. Memoirs: Mt. Yue Lu In My Memory .............................. HUAI Dong
LUO Danxia ............................................ HAN Xuan
9. Opinions: Where Democracy Fails ............................... ZHU Yuxin
On "Under People's Eyes" ............................... AH Dou
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