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Thu, Feb 27, 1997
The CPCC opens for business; India investigates 'infiltration' by Chinese troops; China and S. Korea talk; more news on Xinjiang and explosives; Taiwan's aid to Central America; and more . . .
It would appear that in the digital age, stories at some on-line newspapers are deleted, not archived. Although this is not true for many publications, the problem does affect some of the stories published in China Informed in recent days. Yesterday's story on Taiwan and Okinawa is a case in point, and readers will have to rely upon the summary until I can find an updated link.
Party politics: the China Daily reports that the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opened its fifth session today in Beijing. Lasting until March 12, this session of the CPCC will concentrate on issues concerning the handover of Hong Kong.
The CPCC forms the basis for the United Front, an organization of "patriotic Chinese" inside and outside of China. "Under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, the tenet of the United Front is to help build a strong and prosperous China", explains the paper.
India: there is a report that Chinese troops crossed the Himalayan frontier into India between Feb. 4 and 18, reports Inside China. The issue was raised in India's Parliament yesterday, but the government is still investigating the matter.
Korea: Inside China reports that talks have resumed on resolving the defection of Hwang Jang-yop, a senior ideological theoretician from North Korea, but no agreement has been made. Talks were postponed due to Deng Xiaoping's death. The paper says the Huang will likely be permitted to defect to Seoul, but that in the mean time Beijing will make every effort to keep the issue from increasing the tension in the Korean peninsula "by being seen to give Pyongyang's concerns due attention", writes the paper.
Ethnic problems: in the wake of this week's bombings in Xinjiang, the Chinese government has circulated a directive calling for tighter control on explosives, reports Inside China. "Illegally produced dynamite or that stolen from units that have permits to keep explosives are sometimes used by criminals, greatly endangering public safety," the paper quotes from the circular.
The article is a Reuters dispatch and notes that the bombings were the first known acts of violence in Xinjiang since riots shook the northern city of Yining earlier this month. The article says that nine people died in those riots, but does not offer any more information than that. For a better informed report on the riots and overall situation in Xinjiang, see below Ethnic problems on Sun, Feb 23 .
CNN also has a report on the bombings and Muslim separatists. The article notes that trade with Kazakhstan is bombing and cross-border travel is quite fluid. But Kazakhstan signed a security accord with China, says CNN, and refused to aid nationalistic Uighur groups in that country, citing non-interference in China's "internal problems," reports CNN.
Taiwan: as part of an effort to join the Central American Free Trade Zone, Taibei is likely to announce an economic development fund for seven Central American nations, reports CNA. The fund will help in developing small- and medium-sized enterprises, reports CNA, and to fund technical assistance programs.
Economy: analysts predict that China will slow down the pace of market reforms, as the government consolidates its power in the wake of Deng's death, reports Inside China. The paper notes that the overall trend toward larger and more sophisticated markets will continue, but that the government will opt for stability for the time being. Foreign bankers and insurers, reports the paper, are impatient for faster and far-reaching reforms. China has yet to formulate a Securities Law, Futures Law and Investment Fund Law, "all basic building blocks of the financial industry," writes the paper.
Taiwan: the Dalai Lama will visit Taiwan in March on a visit billed as strictly religious in nature. The Dalai Lama said that the visit is "is neither anti-Chinese nor anti-China", reports CNA, and that he is committed to upholding his "Middle Way Approach in seeking a mutually agreeable solution to the Tibetan issue", reports CNA. This will be the Dalai Lama's first visit to Taiwan.
Taiwan: a Taiwan delegation from the Board of Trade held negotiations with Switzerland on matters relating to Taiwan's admission to the World Trade Organization. Such efforts are part of a broader effort to sign trade accords with Mexico, Iceland, Norway, Argentina and the EU, reports CNA. Taiwan expects to sign an accord with Mexico during the current round of talks.