| Current edition | Previous edition | News Index | Contents |

---"Focused Coverage Informed Perspectives"---Wed, Sep 10, 1997 edition

On Eve of Convention, Glimpses of the Issues corruption and reform are two issues in the news

Also in this edition . . . 1: Tung defends his plan 2: Tamil Tigers attack Chinese cargo 3: telling old stories 4: and more . . . Hong Kong: Mr Tung predicts more 'democracy' in territory ( "New Leader of Hong Kong Disputes U.S. on Rights" ) Tung Chi-hwa spent the day in Washington speaking with members of congress and Treasury Secretary Robin Rubin, reports the New York Times. The paper says, Tung defended his government's electoral package, whereby certain professional associations will choose the occupants of up to one third of the territory's legislature, and he predicted a near future when Hong Kong would enjoy more democracy "than we ever had in 156 years of colonial rule." Tung said that the election package represented a transition to a new rule which would ultimately embrace greater direct participation in elections, reports the paper. In his meeting with Secretary Rubin, 'human rights' and 'democracy' were not words brought up, as Rubin was content to link their fate to Hong Kong's economy, writes the paper. On this point Tung reassured Mr Rubin that Hong Kong would not follow Thailand and Indonesia by removing its peg to the US dollar. Tung also said that the territory would remain as the best place to find out about things in Asia, as it would "continue to uphold academic freedom and media freedom," the paper quotes him. ( "HK set to develop at full steam says Tung" ) is a China Daily story. Sri Lanka Tamil rebels attack Chinese cargo ship, kill 32 ( "Chinese vessel attacked in Sri Lanka, 32 killed" ) The China Daily reports that Tamil rebels attacked a Chinese cargo ship at about 1 am on Tuesday. "Thirty-one Chinese crew members and 60 Sri Lankan workers were on board loading mineral rich ilmenite sands when the cargo ship was attacked," reports the paper. Government troops assigned to escort the ship fought with the rebels and rescued 24 of the Chinese crew; eight are still missing, and it is thought they have been captured by the Tamil rebels.

PARTY CONGRESS AND AFFAIRS

China: with the National Congress set to begin, editorial takes stock of diplomatic gains and future directions ( "Wise diplomacy solidifies gains" ) In an editorial today, the China Daily wrote: "To mark the opening of the 15th CPC National Congress on September 12, China Daily is running a special column outlining the monumental success the third-generation leadership of the CPC Central Committee under the leadership of Jiang Zemin has achieved in carrying out Deng Xiaoping's theory for building socialism with Chinese characteristics." The piece circumnavigates China, detailing the various regions and countries with which relationships have grown. The piece emphasizes the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the essential thesis of Chinese foreign policy since the 1950s. Zhao Ziyang: ( "Supporters of Zhao Ziyang propose restoration of his rights" ) supporters of Zhao Ziyang, the chosen successor to Deng Xiaoping before the Tiananmen disaster wrecked his career, have issued an unsigned letter to the party on the eve of its National Congress, asking for the reinstatement of his political and party rights. The writers maintain that with over eight years having transpired since Tiananmen, the sentence against Mr Zhao is abnormally long. The paper writes: "The appeal for an end to restrictions imposed on Mr Zhao, 77, was unsigned, but Chinese sources said it was drafted by a group of his supporters in the party, Government and even the military." "Copies of the letter had already been circulated among party members and delegates gathering in Beijing for the congress." Mr Zhao is thought still to garner support from among people within and out of government, and is admired for his particularity 'liberal' views on political and economic reform. During Tiananmen he tried to negotiate with the students and was subsequently sacked for it. Thought to be living in a spacious Beijing courtyard house, Zhao is rarely seen or permitted to leave. See the Wed, Mar 5, 1997, Wed, Mar 19, 1997, and Thur, Mar 20, 1997 issues for more information on Zhao Ziyang and leadership in post-Deng China. Chen Xitong: ex-Beijing Mayor is being held in custody to face corruption charges; he will be held up as an example ( "Axe on Chen 'like cutting own flesh' " ) In the Beijing Daily today the imagery was apt: putting the axe on former Beijing Mayor Chen Xitong, convicted in an 18 billion yuan corruption scandal in 1995, was like cutting out one's own flesh, reports the South China Morning Post. But the CCP needed to do it, to bolster its long-running anti-corruption campaign and to demonstrate to all who would watch that President Jiang Zemin can still wield power. ( "Disgraced Beijing boss in detention" ) According to the South China Morning Post, Chen is being held in detention, but it is unclear whether this means he is in a prison cell or a prisoner in his home. In any case the 67 year-old former mayor has not been seen in some time, and the mood on the street among Beijingers was positive, if not a bit surprised, that someone so well protected and so noticeable as the mayor of the capital city could fall. Chen's son has already been imprisoned on a 12-year sentence for his own corruption scandal, and Beijingers are now speculating on the father's fate. ( "Princelings in spotlight over graft" ) Meanwhile, the paper reports that after the end of the seventh plenum and the disposition of Chen Xitong's corruption case delegates to the National Congress are apparently divided on how to handle the offspring of high party officials, so-called 'princelings,' who use their social and political station for corrupt ends. "A main theme of the congress, which opens tomorrow, is to beef up anti-corruption mechanisms, including boosting the authority of the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision," reports the South China Morning Post. Their ambivalence lies in the strict enforcement and application of laws on one hand, and consideration for 'human relations' and political consequences on the other, the paper quotes one party source. Reform: ( "Leaders Maneuver for Position at Congress" ) In other news about the Congress, a "Reuters" article published by Inside China says that although the party eleite have yet to discover a political equilibirum after Deng's death, there is consensus on the need for reforms. The paper writes: "If division of the spoils of power has so far eluded the party elite, they appeared to have found consensus on what could be one of the largest privatization programs the world has ever seen." "In his address, Jiang is expected to give the name 'common ownership' to his scheme to revive the state sector by selling most of China's 370,000 state firms, keeping only about 1,000 of the biggest and best, economists say."

ECONOMY

Banking: ( "ANZ gets springboard in China" ) Australia's leading bank in Asia, ANZ Bank, embarked on an ambitious 25-year expansion in China with the opening of its branch office in Beijing to complement its branches in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Telecommunications: ( "China - Over 2M Phone Subscribers In Guangzhou 09/09/97" ) There are more than 2 million phone subscribers in Guangzhou, with about 1.22 million within the urban area. This number inlcudes land-lines and cellular.

CLASSICS & ARCHEOLOGY

Shanhai Jing ( "New reading of ancient classic" ) The China Daily notes that some scholars are taking greater interest in the Shanhai Jing (Classic of mountain and seas). "Many scholars are now of the opinion that it is an encyclopedia of ancient times, covering geography, history, minerals, medical science, religion, meteorology, and astronomy." "The 31,000-character book from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) was for a long time regarded as a book of folklore and legends of the geography and peoples of ancient China and its Western regions." Yuan Dynasty: ( "Kiln sites help scholar unveil mystery of Xixia" ) A China Daily piece, it is a mix of stories, detailing the discovery of a kingdom and the passage of a scholar from a 'rightist' to a respected 'intellectual.' For three years, Ma and his colleagues toiled under the blazing summer sun and in the cutting desert wind. They tasted the sand every day and turned into walking terra cotta warriors in the sand storms. But their work proved fruitful. They discovered one Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and three Xixia kilns, together with one Yuan and eight Xixia workshops.

Previous issue | Next issue

---