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---"Focused Coverage Informed Perspectives"---Tue, Sep 23, 1997 edition

Last son of Chiang Kai-shek dies rival to Lee Teng-hui spent final years as party outcast

Also in this edition . . . 1: cost of Pres. Lee's tour revealed 2: National Congress update 3: Taiwan officials to speak at APEC, and exports rise 4: China prepares for US visit 5: tight security for IMF 6: computer news 7: Qinghai report pt.2

TAIWAN DESK

Wego Chiang: last surviving son of General Chiang Kai-shek dies at 82 ( China Times ) ( China Times ) ( China Times ) ( China Times ) The last surviving son of former President Chiang Kai-shek, General Wego Chiang, died of complications after a 10-month battle with illness last night at a Taipei hospital, doctors said. Chiang, 82, passed away around midnight after his family informed doctors he should be allowed to die naturally and respirators were turned off, the Veterans General Hospital announced. He was survived by his only son, Chiang Hsiao-kang, and his wife Chiu Ju-hsueh, also known as Chiu Ai-lun. Chiang recently revealed that he had been adopted by Chiang Kai-shek as an infant. His natural parents were Tai Chi-tao, a close associate of Chiang Kai-shek's in the Kuomingtang, and a Japanese woman. Chiang suffered a kidney failure, falling blood pressure complicated by diabetes, and a variety of other illnesses in the months leading to his death. An infection was the final blow, doctors said. For reasons both within and beyond his control, throughout his life Wego Chiang was no stranger to controversy. Once touted by Kuomingtang elders as a front-line candidate for top party and state positions, Chiang's life ended as an outcast from the party after he had openly castigated its new leader, President Lee Teng-hui, and was quietly forced to abandon efforts to bury his father in the mainland by none other than his mother, the centenarian Soong May-ling. Wego Chiang: ( SCMP Internet Edition ) The South China Morning Post has additional details on Mr Wei's life and politics. The paper also notes that he wanted to buried in Suzhou. Latin American tour: government publicizes cost to wave off China's attacks ( China Times ) Amid reports saying that Taiwan has spent millions of dollars to consolidate ties with its allies in Latin America during President Lee Teng-hui's recent trip there, Vice Premier and Foreign Minister John Chang yesterday gave a figure of the trips's cost---NT$320.59 million. The amount included an NT$1-million donation to Panama for programs on agricultural cooperation. NT$ 790 thousand in aid to Paraguay to study a bridge project. NT$78.8 million for an Eva Air charter flight and an NT$240-million donation to a Central American economic cooperation fund, said Chang. The fund would be donated in 12 years, said Chang, answering questions from lawmakers in the legislature's foreign affairs committee yesterday. But an additional NT$50 million in loans provided by the International Commercial Bank of China, which the government partially owns, to help small and medium-size business in Central America were not included in the package mentioned by Chang. He made public the costs and rebutted reports saying that the government had spent billions of dollars on the trip. Chang said that the government had no intention to provoke or wage a diplomatic way against mainland China when seeking ties with foreign countries. Health: ( Central News Agency ) There are now a total of 439 persons 100 years old or older in the Taiwan Province (excluding Taipei and Kaohsiung), 90 more than a year ago, according to the latest statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Government. The official figures show that Hu Yieh-mei, a woman who lives in Taitung County, southeastern Taiwan, is, at 112 years old, the oldest person on the island.

NATIONAL CONGRESS UPDATE

Zeng Qinghong: ( SCMP Internet Edition ) The South China Morning Post has a report on the rising political stock of Zeng Qinghong, reportedly the closest aid to Jiang Zemin. Political correct: ( Whips act to ensure loyalty to President ) Cadres from central work-units have sat down to study the Political Report delivered by Jiang Zemin at the National Congress last week, reports the South China Morning Post. Party whips are ensuring such sessions occur, and similar actions in army units and groups in the provinces are being planned, the paper reports. Members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a non-Communist Party group part of the 'united front' will also participate. Li Peng: ( Prime Minister Li Peng Hails Rise of Developing Countries ) Premier Li Peng opened the annual IMP / World Bank meetings predicting China's rise to modernized status by the middle of the next century. Placing China in the context of 'developing nations,' Li foreshadowed the consequences of their rise: "The rise of developing countries is a far-reaching event in the present day world," reports Inside China. "It has smashed the monopoly of world affairs by a few countries and lent a powerful push behind the movement towards a multi-polar world." The first time I have noted China's official use of 'multi-polar' was when President Jiang travelled to Moscow in April. See the Wed, Apr 23, 1997 edition. Additional news . . . ( World Bank/IMF meetings open; Li cautions on global disparities ) The China Daily has additional coverage on Mr Li's speech. "The global economy is an interrelated whole," Li said. "Just as the developing countries need the developed countries, the developed countries cannot stand without the developing countries. . . . Conversely, if their (the developing countries') economy is sluggish and their society turbulent, there will be no peace and tranquillity in the world. . . . The prosperity and affluence of a small number of countries cannot endure for long if it is based on the poverty and backwardness of the majority of countries," And then setting forth what might be considered an 'updated' version of the cornerstone of Chinese diplomacy, the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, Premier Li Premier Li set forth six principles: Full attention should be given to the urgent needs of developing countries to develop their economy. Extensive cooperation should be conducted on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. The right of every country to choose its social system, mode of development and lifestyle independently should be respected. Countries should learn from each other and profit from each other's comparative advantages. It is essential to choose a development road suitable to each nation's own conditions. International cooperation in the financial field should be reinforced. Corruption: ( Effective action taken in drive to beat corruption ) A China Daily article details the Party's resolve to stamp out corruption within its ranks. As the paper reports, "The nation has worked out an effective way to fight corruption while building socialism with Chinese characteristics, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in its work report, which was submitted earlier to the concluded 15th Party Congress for approval." "Some 263,000 officials at or above county (section) level made self-evaluations for rule and discipline violations between 1993 and last June, according to the report." "The nation's disciplinary and supervisory agencies investigated 731,000 corruption cases and solved 670,100 of them between October 1992 and June 1997. Disciplinary or administrative action was taken against 669,300 party members. A total of 121,500 members were expelled from the Party, among whom 37,492 were punished for criminal acts."

ECONOMY

APEC: Taiwan officials to give talks and speak from experience at trade body The Taiwan Central News Service reports that Vice Finance Minister Wu Chia-sheng and Central Bank of China Vice Governor Patrick Liang will leave for Hong Kong today to attend a vice ministerial-level meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum scheduled to open tomorrow. Although Finance Minister Paul Chiu and Central Bank Governor Sheu Yuan-dong were forced to cancel their plan to visit Hong Kong last weekend due to Hong Kong 's refusal to grant them entry visas, Wu and Liang will be able to enter Hong Kong to attend the APEC meeting, government sources said yesterday. Vice Finance Minister Wu will speak on Taiwan's experience in maintaining financial stability, including its currency exchange rate and interest rate, at the APEC meeting. He will also suggest the formation of a regional organization under the APEC framework to help ensure financial stability in the region. During his stay in Hong Kong, Wu will also hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from five to six APEC member economies on issues related to Taiwan's entry to the World Trade Organization. Economy: Taiwan's exports post continued growth ( China Times ) Export orders received by Taiwan manufacturers amounted to US$10.2 billion in August, marking a 1.05 percent year-on-year rise, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reported on Monday. It was the sixth consecutive month that Taiwan's monthly export orders broke the US$10 million mark, according to ministry tallies. Chang Yao-tsung, director general of the ministry's Statistics Department, attributed the continued growth mainly to brisk global demand for electronics, information-technology (IT) and textile products. Three Gorges Dam: ( Gorges project loans signed ) German banks agreed yesterday to loan China $270 million for the purchase of turbines. "The loan package comes in two parts: The first is $71.41 million as export credits with a 21-year term and 9-year grace period, the second is $200 million in commercial loans with a 17-year term and 9-year grace period," the paper reports. Wine: ( Shenzhen shows taste for Changyu wine shares ) China's largest wine maker was listed yesterday on the Shenzhen B-stock exchange, opening it to foreign investment, reports the China Daily. Despite a fall of 13 percent in the market due to government concerns over the accelerating pace of the market's development, the company's shares were the most actively traded with 12.5 million shares trading hands, reports the paper. . . .

CHINA DIPLOMACY

Diplomacy: ( Shen: Two sides have many things in common ) As China's government prepares for Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States, the foreign ministry called for both nations to forge a new bilateral agreements which empathizes common interests over differences. The spokesman for the ministry said relations had been improving over the past few months and that China places great importance on their enhancement, reports the China Daily. Cooperation: ( Sino-US satellite teamwork ) The China Daily reports that a Chinese and American firm have signed agreements for the American company, Space Systems/Loral, to supply launch equipment for an upcoming space shot. Human rights: ( EU and China Agree to Restart Talks on Human Rights ) Inside China reports that China and the European Union will restart talks on human rights without any pre-conditions. As the paper reports, China has agreed to such talks only if the union agreed not to table resolutions on China's human rights at the meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. China has reconsidered this position.

HONG KONG

Security: ( Security cuts thousands from opening ceremony ) Concerns for security in the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre will mean that only 3,600 delegates of some 17,000 will be permitted to attend the opening plenary session of the International Monetary Fund meeting. Police: ( Democrats want inquiry on force used at bank protest ) After a confrontation between protestors and police on Sunday, the Democratic Party has called for an investigation into whether the police used excessive force in breaking up the group of fifteen protestors, who were pushing themselves through a police cordon around the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, reports the Hong Kong Standard. The group was protesting against the World Bank.

TAIWAN TECHNOLOGY

Computers: ( China Times ) We have a translation of a China Times article: "A spokesperson at the Acer Group yesterday confirmed the news that Acer's head Stan Shih will invest independently of the Acer Group in a newspaper specializing in providing updated technology information. The newspaper is expected to begin publication by March or April of next year, said Wang Tao-haiung, a spokesperson at Acer. The news was disclosed by a cover story in the Chinese-language Commercial Times yesterday. " According to the paper, Shih and 10 to 20 other prominent leaders in the information technology industry will jointly invest more than NT$100 million in the newspaper equal to five percent of the paper's capital. However, Wang said nothing has been finalized yet and said that he is not in a position to confirm how much will be invested in the newspaper." Computers: Semiconductor expo opens in Taipei, underscoring importance of industry to Taiwan ( China Times ) ( China Times ) Two articles form the China Times talk about the SEMI-CON expo in Taipei and the importance of semi-conductors to Taiwan's economy. In a measure of just how important the government considers the semi-conductor industry to be for national development, Premier Vincent Siew yesterday opened the "SEMI-CON Taiwan '97" trade show at the Taipei World Trade Center. Siew said that the government will continue to throw its full support behind the semiconductor industry, which he described as the mother of all high-technology production. The semiconductor industry is also playing a key role in Taiwan's economic development, Siew said, citing the fact that microchip manufacturers contributed 18.4 percent of the entire output from the island's electronics sector in 1996, up from 2.5 percent in 1990. Siew made the remarks in a keynote speech Monday to kick off the 1997 Semicon Taiwan, the second exhibition and trade fair in Taiwan since 1996 showcasing the semiconductor manufacture and materials industry. More than 500 companies from Europe, Japan, the United States and Taiwan are showing off their latest technologies and products in 850 booths at the three-day exhibition. Siew said Taiwan's sales of semiconductors and related products are expected to surge 48 percent this year to reach US$3.7 billion. The development of the island's second science park in Tainan, southern Taiwan, which will be home to a great number of foundries, will further help boost cutting-edge microchip technology and development, he added. According to the latest survey by Semiconductor Equipment and materials International (SEMI), sponsor of the 1997 Semicon Taiwan, the world's investment in silicon wafer manufacturing totaled US$9.61 billion in the first half of 1997, with Taiwan contributing some 14 percent of the investment. World investment in microchip-sealing equipment totaled about US$820 million in the same period, with Taiwan contributing 13 percent of this investment. Investment in testing equipment, meanwhile, totaled about US$2.13billion, with Taiwan contributing 12 percent, SEMI reported.

REGIONAL

Qinghai: China Daily's Xie Liangjun gives his second of four reports ( Golmud: turning natural riches into a prosperous future for all ) With a mixture of history, travel narrative and geography, Mr Xie makes his way through the Gobi desert to Golmud. "Golmud is the most important transportation centre in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and also the most important personnel and materials transfer centre for the neighbouring Tibet Autonomous Region." "The Chinese Government hopes to build the basin into one of China's most important petrochemical and chemical salts industry bases, and has planned a series of major state development projects in the city, which is located on the central southern edge of the basin."

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