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---"Focused Coverage Informed Perspectives"---Tue, Sep 30, 1997 edition

Jiang picks Hu younger cadre to step up to powerful Standing Committee

Also in this edition . . . 1: Politics and Party Congress re-cap 2: German companies in Taiwan 3: year-end elections set in Taiwan 4: HK govt. rescinds labor laws 5: two environmental reports 6: Burmese heroin bust

CHINA

Politics: ( Jiang gives blessing to rising star ) The South China Morning Post reports, Hu Jintao has emerged as the up-and-rising star in the powerful Standing Committee. The relatively young Mr Hu, 55, was apparently chosen by Jiang Zemin for his age and for his ties to various factions. The paper explains, "While lacking a proven track record, the former head of the Communist Youth League has personal ties to both left and right factions." Although Mr Jiang's fortunes have grown since his reportedly stellar performance at the National Congress, his efforts to appoint people has not gone entirely his way, as a number of delegates associated with his Shanghai gang did not muster up to the congress's approval last week. Mr Jiang has elevated Mr Hu, former party chief in Tibet and Guizhou, to ameliorate concerns from other factions and regions. Mr Jiang, the paper reports, has not abandoned his efforts for promoting 'Shanghai gang' members. The analysts said Mr Jiang had in internal meetings underlined the principle of the "five lakes and four seas" in cadre selection, meaning they should be chosen from different factions and regions. Party congress: Asia Week has re-cap ( October 3, 1997 - Jiang's Stunning Triumph ) This week's Asia Week has an article discussing how President Jiang Zemin consolidated his power. The article also recaps some major personnel changes at the top, changes we have already discussed in previous editions. One thing to add, however, is the departure of General Liu Huaqing from the Central Committee. The magazine explains: Liu's departure marks one of the rare occasions when the People's Liberation Army will not have a representative at the apex of party power. Even so, virtually all major military departments have seats in the Central Committee. A reduced political role for the PLA attests to China's efforts to streamline and modernize its armed forces. Analysts cite another consideration: to improve Beijing's international image, especially in light of the upcoming summit between Jiang and U.S. President Bill Clinton. See also . . . ( October 3, 1997 - The Revolution Continues ) an editorial in Asia Week highlights potential troubles ahead for Jiang and Co. as they set out to tackle the mammoth state-owned sector. The magazine also notes, little was said during the congress about the growing income gap, environmental problems and agriculture, the basis of China's society and economy. Washington: Beijing comments on Congress's recent actions ( Beijing Attacks Radio Free Asia as U.S. Meddling ) It is difficult, when 'campaign finance reform' is this week's political news in the US, to hear anything about China and its reaction to our foreign policy. One aspect of this policy deals with the US Information Agency's radio services. The "Radio Free Asia Act of 1997," which passed committee approval in the House on Monday, would require Voice of America and Radio Free Asia to broadcast in Mandarin, Cantonese and Tibetan , 24-hours a day. As Reuters reports, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Cui Tiankai characterized the House's intentions as this: "The original intention of setting up Radio Free Asia was to use freedom of speech as a reason, or excuse, to interfere in the internal politics of Asian countries. . . . " "Asia's freedom is fought out by the people of Asian countries and does not depend on any larger power," Cui told a regular news briefing. The committee also passed the "Political Freedom in China Act of 1997" which would require stepped-up monitoring of human rights in China According to Reuters, Mr Cui accused the United States of creating a double standard: "There does not exist an international judge to say which country's human rights situation is better or worse," he said. "If some Americans are concerned about human rights, they should start with human rights issues in the United States." Missiles: ( Beijing Tests New Ground-to-Air Anti-Radar Missile ) China has apparently completed a successful launch of a new missile which is better able to avoid detection. . . . Foreigners: ( Counties opened to foreigners ) The State Council approved the opening of a number of counties to foreigners, reports the South China Morning Post. Areas to be opened comprise Houma in Shanxi province, Linhe city, Dengkou county, Wuyuan county, Hanggin and Urad in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Gangca county and Minhe Hui and Tu nationality areas in Qinghai province.

TAIWAN DESK

Economy: ( Sources: Associated Press, Central News Agency, China Post ) ( Also see China Times) German Economy Minister Guenter Rexrodt met his counterpart here Monday in a renewal of exchanges strongly opposed by Beijing. Rexrodt and his hosts discussed Taipei's application for entry into the World Trade Organization and increasing mutual investment opportunities, Economic Affairs Minister Wang Chih-kang told reporters. German companies were extremely keen to participate in Taiwan's public work projects and wanted help from the island's small and medium enterprises opening up the Southeast Asian market, Wang said. Rexrodt also met Premier Vincent Siew on Monday, which was a public holiday here. Rexrodt, who arrived Sunday, told reporters after the meeting that Germany supported Taiwan as much as possible in direct negotiations with the WTO. Taipei was hoping to wrap up talks with the European Union and other countries on entering the WTO by the end of the year. Rexrodt also offered Wang advice on Taipei's efforts to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a club of the world's industrialized countries. The German minister's one-day visit was billed a private vacation, although he was accompanied by a large delegation of German government officials. Beijing's pressure on countries looking for business in its vast market was believed to have deterred Bonn from sending a minister to attend the ROC-German Economic Forum the past two years. Like the United States and most other countries, Germany has recognized Beijing while keeping extensive unofficial ties with Taiwan. Elections: schedule for year-end elections announced (The China Post) Election authorities announced the schedule for year-end local government elections yesterday. The polling day for the elections of 23 local government chiefs will be Nov. 29, and candidate registration runs from Oct. 26 to 30, provincial election committees in Taiwan and Fukien (Kinmen and Matsu) announced. The government chiefs of the 21 counties and cities in Taiwan province, and of the two counties in Fukien (governing the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu) will be elected, Officials said. And because local chiefs usually double as chairmen of the election committees under their jurisdiction, those seeking re-election will have to resign from the polling bodies. Following the registration, lots will be drawn on Nov. 11 to determine the candidates' numbers which will be printed on ballots for identification. The official campaign period will run from Nov. 19 through 28, the official said. Premier Vincent Siew: ( Taiwan Daily News, The Liberty Times, Central Daily Agency, The China Post) ( China Times ) Despite a public holiday, Premier Vincent Siew yesterday held a meeting with the Cabinet's ministers without portfolios, dividing among them 40 tasks needed to be completed by the end of the year. The meeting, the first since Siew took office a month ago, was meant to see the seven ministers without portfolios step up efforts in monitoring government projects, officials said. Siew was briefed on the renovation of aging military housing complexes, risks of hillside development, public security, streamlining of financial audits and controls, government reform and inappropriate military training procedures. He instructed the seven state ministers to monitor these areas, according to David Lee, director-general of the Government Information Office. A total of 40 assignments were given to the ministers, who have to make sure the jobs are completed by the end of this year. Strait relations: MAC Chairman talks about changes on mainland and prospects for dialogue ( Central Daily Agency, The China Post ) Chang King-yuh, chairman of the ROC's Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), said that when mainland China has developed true democracy and a prosperous economy, it will be easier to handle the issue of a unified China. Chang made the remarks during an interview with Ming Pao, a mass-circulation Hong Kong newspaper, in San Francisco recently. The interview was published on Monday. Chang spoke mainly of the effect of the 15th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party earlier this month on cross-strait relations and the issue of unification. Since the congress was the first since the death of mainland Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, Chang said that it was crucial to establish the leadership under party Secretary-General Jiang Zemin and the tone of its new direction. If Jiang's leadership is established and the direction is more open, then it could turn a new page in cross-strait relations, Chang said.

HONG KONG

Stardom: ( China's new man stays out of frame ) The Ministry of Radio, Film and Television has forbidden mainland movie and TV studios to produce or broadcast any kind of film on Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa or his family. No explanation for the order has been given, reports the paper. But it is known Mr Tung has declined to give permission to studios. The paper speculates that a movie detailing Mr Tung's life would inevitably recount episodes, like that in many Chinese families, "in which the fortunes and allegiances of his family have often taken it far from the politically correct path of orthodox revolutionaries," reports the paper. The paper also writes: Mr Tung grew up in a wealthy family in pre-revolutionary Shanghai, where he can remember being driven to school in a limousine but being dropped off a few streets from the playground so he was not seen arriving in style. Labor: ( Exco decides to scrap two out of five pre-handover labour laws ) The Executive council has decided to two labor laws pertaining to collective bargaining and participation of local unions in foreign organizations, reports the South China Morning Post. . . . Chris Patten: ( Patten back with warning to executives on corruption in China ) Former Governor Chris Patten lectured petrochemical executives in Monaco on the problems of doing business in mainland China, reports the South China Morning Post. Passports: ( 400 make deadline for BNO passport ) Today was the last day for Hong Kong residents to apply for British Nationality (Overseas) passports. Some 400 people queued to submit the required documents before the 1 pm deadline. "About 3.44 million people have applied for the passport which offers visa-free access to 81 countries," writes the paper.

HISTORY:

Ancient: ( China Should Double Length of History -- Scholar ) Inside China has a Reuters dispatch concerning a recent seminar talk given by a Chinese historian who argues that Chinese history dates back 10,000 years, rather than 5,000 years. A historian by the name of Shi Shi argues that given recent evidence it can be shown that the Chinese nation had its origin in a pluralistic society, one dominated not by a single 'farming nation' centered along the Yellow River, but by numerous nations whose civilizations originated from other places, including the Yangzi river. One interesting aspect to all of this is the nationalistic bent to the analysis. China 'the nation' originates in an almost pre-historical period. Its civilization has evolved from a diverse lot of people. . . . Medieval: ( A 13th-Century Traveler to China Comes to Light ) An account of a 13th century Jew who travelled to China four years before Marco Polo arrived paints a vivid picture of daily life in the Yuan dynasty. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times writes: On an August day in 1271, if the story is to be believed, a four-masted sailing ship sailed into the crowded harbor of Zaitun in southeast China, carrying a gray-bearded Italian Jewish trader named Jacob. An account of Jacob's voyage, placing him in China four years before Marco Polo arrived, has surfaced in Italy. It provides extraordinary images of a civilization that was the most dazzling in the world, describing everything from mass-circulation pornography to an early flamethrower. It recounts how he spent six months in Zaitun and became embroiled in Chinese political debates so fierce he had to flee for his life. ( Pre-Marco Polo China Trip? Publisher Postpones Book ) But Jonathan Spence and others have raised concerns over its authenticity, prompting the publisher to suspend its debut.

ENVIRONMENT

Environment: world-renowned British primatologist concerned about Indonesian fires ( Central Daily Agency, Taiwan Daily News, The Liberty Times, The China Post ) "It is everybody's responsibility to save the earth," Dr. Jane Goodall, the "Mother of Chimpanzees," said on Monday in her first speech here since her arrival on Sunday. The world-renowned British primatologist said her top concern at the moment is the forest fires raging over large parts of Indonesia, which is not only causing irreparable damage to the environment and to human beings, but also endangering the habitat of much of the country's wildlife. Goodall, who is here to lend support to the establishment of the Jane Goodall Institute in Taiwan, which aims to promote global research and conservation of wildlife, said it is hoped that part of the funds raised in Taiwan in the near future will go to Indonesia to help ease the difficulties there caused by the fires and the resulting smog which has cloaked large areas of Southeast Asia. This is the 63-year old primatologist's second visit to Taiwan since last October. During her stay, Goodall will be joined by Vice President Lien Chan in a fund-raising drive, soliciting funds both for the institute and for financing global wildlife conservation efforts. Environment: ( October 3, 1997 - BITTER HARVEST ) Bilking black bears for bile is big business in China, reports Asia Week. The government once promoted the capture of the bears and the harvesting of their bile, as a means to protect the species from extinction. The bear is hunted for its bile which is prized by people throughout Asia for its curative powers. Once captured the animal spends its days in reportedly less than nice cages, with a catheter attached for daily siphoning of its bile. The magazine also notes that Japanese scientists have isolated the active ingredient in the substance and have synthesized it, but old traditions apparently die hard. Of course, the bile is bloody expensive and profitable to sell.

REGIONAL

Burma: ( AFP September 26, 1997 ) Police have seized 17.8 kilogrammes (39 pounds) of heroin and detained nine people accused of trafficking drugs into China from neighbouring Burma, the China Daily reported Friday. The nine, arrested during an undercover operation in southwestern Sichuan province from September 6-7, had 170,000 yuan (20,481 dollars) of alleged illegal income with them, the report said. On September 5, police in southern Guangzhou seized 6.7 kilogrammes (15 pounds) or heroin and arrested four people in a similar raid. Drug addiction and trafficking are growing problems in China, where the opening up of the economy has allowed for a much freer flow of heroin from the southwestern and northwestern border regions.

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