NAPSNet Daily Report 1 April, 2009
Contents in this Issue:
- I. NAPSNet
- 1. PRC on DPRK Nuclear Program
- 2. DPRK on Missile Program
- 3. US on DPRK Missile Test
- 4. DPRK Missile Test and the UNSC
- 5. US on Detained Journalists
- 6. Inter-Korean Relations
- 7. Inter-Korean Athletics
- 8. Russia Missile Test
- 9. Japan on Maritime Security
- 10. PRC on Cyber Warfare Accusations
- 11. PRC-ASEAN Military Cooperation
- 12. Sino-Indian Relations
- 13. Cross Strait Relations
- 14. Sino-Australian Relations
- 15. PRC Security
- 16. PRC-EU Energy Cooperation
- 17. PRC Environment
- 18. PRC Energy and the Environment
- 19. PRC on Climate Change
- 20. PRC Anti-Corruption Measures and the Internet
- II. PRC Report
- III. ROK Report
I. NAPSNet
1. PRC on DPRK Nuclear Program
Xinhau News (“CHINA URGES RESTRAINT ON KOREAN PENINSULA NUCLEAR ISSUE”, 2009/03/31) reported that the PRC urged parties involved in the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue to show restraint and do more to safeguard peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular press briefing that the PRC would keep close contacts with concerned parties. “China has paid close attention to the development of the issue. Parties involved should stay cool-headed and show restraint at the current stage, and avoid any action that may further complicate the situation,” Qin said.
2. DPRK on Missile Program
Bloomberg News (Jonathan Tirone, “NORTH KOREA THREATENS WAR AGAINST JAPAN OVER MISSILE”, 2009/03/31) reported that the DPRK’s government vowed to wage war against Japan if Japanese defense forces try to shoot down a missile that the DPRK says will carry a communications satellite. “Should Japan dare recklessly to intercept the DPRK’s satellite, its army will consider this as the start of Japan’s war of reinvasion more than six decades after the Second World War,” the official Korean Central News Agency said today in an e-mailed statement.
Associated Press (Jae-Soon Chang, “NORTH KOREA THREATENS TO SHOOT DOWN SPY PLANES”, Seoul, 2009/04/01) reported that the DPRK’s state radio accused U.S. RC-135 surveillance aircraft of spying on the launch site on its northeast coast, according to the ROK Unification Ministry. “If the brigandish U.S. imperialists dare to infiltrate spy planes into our airspace to interfere with our peaceful satellite launch preparations, our revolutionary armed forces will mercilessly shoot them down,” the ministry quoted the radio as saying.
3. US on DPRK Missile Test
Reuters (“CLINTON WARNS N.KOREA ON MISSILE PLAN”, The Hague, 2009/03/31) reported that the DPRK’s preparations to launch a missile are another example of its provocative behavior and Japan would have every right to defend itself, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. “It is an unfortunate and continuing example of provocation by the North Koreans,” Clinton told a news briefing at a conference in The Hague . “There will be consequences,” she said of possible U.N. Security Council actions , adding: “Japan has every right to protect and defend its territory.”
4. DPRK Missile Test and the UNSC
Kyodo News (“JAPAN, S. KOREA, U.S. REAFFIRM STANCE TO TAKE N. KOREA LAUNCH TO UNSC”, The Hague, 2009/03/31) reported that the foreign ministers of Japan, the ROK and the US reaffirmed their consensus in separate bilateral talks Tuesday that should the DPRK go ahead with a rocket launch, the issue should be taken up at the U.N. Security Council, sources involved in the talks said. They agreed the three countries would deal with the launch with an eye toward proposing a new resolution at the Security Council, the sources said.
5. US on Detained Journalists
Agence France Press (“US WORKS WITH SWEDES ON JOURNALISTS IN NORTH KOREA”, Washington, 2009/03/31) reported that the United States said it is continuing to work with Sweden , which represents US interests in Pyongyang , to determine the fate of two US women journalists being held by the DPRK . Gordon Duguid , a State Department spokesman , could not independently verify DPRK news reports that Pyongyang would try the two journalists for “hostile acts” and illegally entering the country. “We’ve seen press reports of these actions,” Duguid told the daily media briefing at the State Department. “We are working this matter diplomatically. I don’t have any further update for you than I did yesterday.”
6. Inter-Korean Relations
Korea Times (Kim Sue-young , “SEOUL CALLS FOR ACCESS TO DETAINEE”, 2009/03/31) reported that the ROK called on the DPRK to allow its officials access to a ROK worker detained at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex for criticizing the DPRK’s political system. The DPRK, however, refused to grant communication with the employee of Hyundai Asan, which operates the industrial zone and tour programs to Gaeseong and the Mt. Geumgang resort, according to the Ministry of Unification in Seoul. “We keep asking for permission but haven’t received any response from the North since the detention,” ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said.
7. Inter-Korean Athletics
Chosun Ilbo (“TIGHT SECURITY AS N.KOREA GEARS UP FOR MATCH AGAINST SOUTH”, 2009/03/31) reported that the DPRK’s 25-member World Cup squad, slated to compete with the ROK at a final-round Asian World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, trained under watertight security. The Mayfield Hotel, where the DPRK players are staying, is like a fortress. Some 90 police officers were deployed in the areas surrounding the hotel. Meanwhile, the ROK’s national team, led by coach Huh Jung-moo, trained at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Dong-A Ilbo (“`I WANT TO UNIFY SOUTH AND NORTH KOREAN TAEKWONDO`”, 2009/03/31) reported that one of the two leading world governing bodies of the Korean martial art taekwondo is seeking to unify with its leading rival. “Taekwondo was originally one. It has been divided for more than 36 years but now is the time to reunite. So I seek integration with the World Taekwondo Federation,” said Choi Jung-hwa, chairman of the International Taekwon-Do Federation. As a preliminary step toward consolidation of the two bodies, he said he will relocate his organization’s headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, to the ROK.
8. Russia Missile Test
RIA Novosti (“RUSSIA TO TEST LAUNCH TOPOL BALLISTIC MISSILE IN APRIL”, 2009/03/31) reported that Russia will test launch on April 10 a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia, the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) said on Monday. The RS-12M Topol (SS-25 Sickle) is a single-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) approximately the same size and shape as the U.S. Minuteman ICBM. “The goal of the upcoming launch is to confirm the reliability of the technical characteristics [of the missile] during an extended service period,” the SMF said in a statement.
9. Japan on Maritime Security
EarthTimes (“JAPAN GIVES 8 MILLION DOLLARS TO BOOST SECURITY IN MALACCA STRAIT”, 2009/03/31) reported that the Japanese Government pledged a grant of 29.9 million ringgit (8.1 million dollars) to boost Malaysia’s maritime security efforts in the Malacca Strait. “Safety and security in the strait is a high priority not only to Malaysia but also for international users like Japan,” said Japanese Ambassador Masahiko Horie during a signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur . About 21.8 million ringgit of the grant would be allocated to Malaysian Customs while 8.1 million ringgit would be channeled to the Malaysian police force, the official Bernama news agency said.
10. PRC on Cyber Warfare Accusations
The Associated Press (Alexa Olesen, “BEIJING REJECTS CHINA SPY RING REPORT AS `LIES'”, 2009/03/31) reported that the PRC denied a research report’s contention that a PRC-based computer spy ring stole sensitive information from thousands of hard drives worldwide, calling the accusation a lie meant to feed anxiety over Beijing ‘s growing influence. In the government’s first reaction to the report, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the conclusions were symptoms of a ” Cold War virus” that causes people overseas to “occasionally be overcome by China-threat seizures.”
11. PRC-ASEAN Military Cooperation
The Associated Press (Christopher Bodeen , “SOUTHEAST ASIA MILITARY DELEGATES TOUR CHINA BASE”, Nankou, 2009/03/31) reported that top Southeast Asian military brass toured a tank base north of Beijing on Tuesday, highlighting the PRC’s growing engagement with a region that has long felt neglected by the US. Officers from the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations viewed a demonstration of sophisticated computer training simulators at the home of the Sixth Armored Division, then posed for photos with members of the PRC’s People’s Liberation Army. Tuesday’s visit followed two days of workshops focused on boosting cooperation in peacekeeping and humanitarian relief along with efforts to fight piracy and drug smuggling.
12. Sino-Indian Relations
Times of India (“INDIA, CHINA CONSENSUS ON AVOIDING WAR: CHINESE SPOKESMAN”, 2009/03/31) reported that the PRC and India have reached a consensus that there will be no war between the two countries, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said. He was replying to reporter seeking his views on a report in an Indian newspaper saying that the Indian military did its work assuming the PRC to be an enemy and expecting a war with it in the next 10 years. “We feel surprised about the report,” Qin Gang at a regular news briefing.
13. Cross Strait Relations
The Associated Press (“TAIWAN, CHINA REPS TO ATTEND US MILITARY MEET”, Taipei, 2009/03/31) reported that the PRC and Taiwan said the two sides will send representatives to a summer military workshop in Hawaii, paving the way for their first military meeting since they split amid civil war six decades ago. The official China Daily newspaper in Beijing cited senior military officials as saying that “servicemen from the mainland and Taiwan will meet for the first time” at the August event, in which two-star generals from 28 countries and regions are scheduled to participate. Taiwanese Ministry of Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Yu Sy-tue said Taiwan will send officers to the workshop.
14. Sino-Australian Relations
The Financial Times (Peter Smith, “AUSTRALIA CLEARS CHINA’S FORTESCUE DEAL”, Sydney, 2009/03/31) reported that the PRC’s efforts to expand in Australia’s resources sector were given a substantial boost on Tuesday when Canberra approved Hunan Valin Iron and Steel’s purchase of up to 17.55 per cent stake in Fortescue Metals, the country’s third largest iron ore exporter. There was optimism that the PRC’s Minmetals, which last week had its A$2.6bn (US$1.8bn) agreed takeover of Oz Minerals blocked, would strike a revised deal after the PRC group submitted a new bid proposal that excluded the Prominent Hill mine cited by Canberra as the reason for rejecting the initial offer.
Reuters (ANTI-CHINA TENSIONS ON THE RISE IN AUSTRALIA, “”, Canberra, 2009/03/31) reported that Australia’s Sinophile Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is fighting perceptions he has become a “running dog” for Beijing as anti-PRC sentiment mounts at home, threatening billions of dollars worth of PRC investment. With Rudd urging a greater IMF role for PRC at a meeting this week of major economies in London, Australia’s conservative Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull accused Rudd of having become a “roving ambassador for the People’s Republic of China”.
15. PRC Security
Associated Press (Christopher Bodeen, “CHINESE OFFICIAL CALLS FOR HEIGHTENED SECURITY”, Beijing, 2009/04/01) reported that Zhou Yongkang, Chinese Communist Party head of public order, said the global financial meltdown posed a new set of problems for the party. “Faced with the present international and domestic situation, particularly the deep change in the economic environment, it is imperative to soberly recognize the new scenario and new challenges facing public order,” Zhou was quoted as saying by state media Wednesday. He did not specifically say what measures would be put in place to control crime and unrest.
16. PRC-EU Energy Cooperation
People’s Daily Online (“CHINA, EU TO JOINTLY BUILD ENERGY INSTITUTE”, 2009/03/31) reported that the Financing Agreement for the PRC-EU Institute of Clean and Renewable Energy was signed in Beijing On March 30. It was signed by PRC Vice-Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and Neighborhood Policy. This major initiative, launched by the European Commission and the PRC Government, aims at increasing capacity for achieving the PRC’s energy policies, notably the ones focusing on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Moreover, it aims at creating durable links between specialized PRC and European clean and renewable energy professionals, researchers and academics.
17. PRC Environment
Caijing Magazine (“POLLUTION MONITORS: LIGHTS, CAMERA, INACTION”, 2009/03/31) reported that a high-tech system using closed-circuit video monitors and online computers provides a panoramic view of each of Taizhou’s 93 major pollution sources. But whether this technological gadgetry has actually improved the nation’s pollution control efforts – and met the lofty goals of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) — remains to be seen. Data manipulation is a recurring issue, and legal enforcement mechanisms are weak. Some experts have suggested turning over the monitoring system to an independent operator to prevent collusion between government watchdogs and business interests.
18. PRC Energy and the Environment
Xinhau News (Wang Aihua, Zhang Yunlong, “CHINA RESORTS TO WIND FOR GREEN POWER “, Hohhot, 2009/03/31) reported that once confined to small, three-blade turbines that produced tiny volumes of electricity for remote cottages, wind power is again spreading across the PRC’s countryside. In China’s northern Inner Mongolia, legions of enormous white turbines stand high on the ground, capturing strong winds from the heartland of Mongolia and Siberia. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Government says its installed capacity reached 3 million kilowatts by the end of 2008. This year that generating capacity is expected to rise by 50 percent.
19. PRC on Climate Change
Xinhau News (Wu Liming, Huan Gongdi, “TOP CHINESE NEGOTIATOR URGES DEVELOPED COUNTRIES TO COMMIT MORE IN FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE”, Bonn, 2009/03/31) reported that top PRC negotiator urged developed countries to give more commitments and support to developing countries in fighting climate change. Su Wei, PRC delegation chief to the UN climate change talks in Bonn, made the call in an interview with Xinhua. Su said the success of the Copenhagen summit lies in whether or not the developed countries would make “substantial arrangements” for transferring climate-friendly technologies to and providing funds for developing countries.
20. PRC Anti-Corruption Measures and the Internet
Reuters (“CHINA WEB USERS TURN KEEN EYE BACK ON GOVERNMENT”, Beijing, 2009/03/31) reported that already under pressure to create jobs and growth while clinging to absolute power, the PRC ‘s Communist Party faces a growing headache from Internet users keen to expose its members’ sometimes questionable habits. A pair of receipts from an upscale karaoke club sparked the latest Internet-led furor over government corruption earlier this month, ending the career of a mid-level bureaucrat from Liuyang, in southern Hunan province. With the PRC ‘s state-controlled media often reluctant to report, and Party-appointed watchdogs sometimes embroiled in scandal themselves, the PRC’s Internet users have taken it upon themselves to ferret out official corruption.
II. PRC Report
21. PRC Shanghai World Expo
Labor News (“SHANGHAI: 500,000 VOLUNTEERS CARRY OUT EVENTS FOR WORLD EXPO”, 2009/03/30) reported that on the 400 day counting down from World Expo, 500,000 volunteers in Shanghai went on the streets to carry out a series of voluntary events. Volunteers in Changning District picked up trash in the parks and streets; In Jingan District, two sculptures made by a five-star chef spending a week of time were unveiled, as the window of industrial exhibition. All these events are carried out for welcoming the World Expo.
22. PRC Civil Society and Family Planning
Guagnxi News Net (“BEIHAI FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION DEVELOPS PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN”, 2009/03/31) reported that recently, Beihai Municipal Family Planning Association has won the title of “Beihai Advanced Social Science Institute”, for its contributions in family planning publicity. This year, the work focus of Beihai Family Planning Association is on the returned migrant workers. 36 publicity sites will be set up in the whole city. 80,000 publicity materials, contraceptive drugs and condoms will be distributed freely.
23. PRC Civil Society
Jing News (Nan Ruoran, “BEIJING HOMEMAKING SERVICE ASSOCIATION HOLDS HOMEMAKING SKILL COMPETITION”, 2009/03/31) reported that Beijing Homemaking Service Association will hold homemaking skill competition from March to August this year. The Competition will set up four units: household cleaning, elderly care, home meal production, maternal and neonatal care. The Competition includes two parts: theoretical and practical. The final result will take account of both of the parts.
III. ROK Report
24. DPRK Missile
Independence Shinmun (Jeon Bongkeun, “MISREPRESENTATION OF JUSTIFICATION BEHIND DPRK’S ‘ROCKET LAUNCH,’ DPRK’S ‘MISSILE LAUNCH’ WILL LEAD TO A ‘CRUEL SPRING’ WITH DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION, TIGHTENED ECONOMIC SANCTION”, 2009/04/01) wrote that the reason international society is sensitive about the DPRK’s rocket launch is because of combination of the long-range rocket and nuclear weapons. If DPRK succeeds its, in a short while, DPRK’s nuclear missiles will be able to aim at any country on earth. It is likely that the UN Security Council will tighten its sanctions on DPRK and apply new bilateral or multilateral sanction system. If the DPRK cares even a little about the welfare of its people, the Korean peninsula, and peace in northeast Asia, they should stop the rocket launch at once and come to the six-party talks table.
25. DPRK Detention of Journalists
Chosun Ilbo (“DPRK SHOULD FOLLOW INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS WHEN DEALING WITH FOREIGN CIVILIANS”, 2009/04/01) wrote that the DPRK should deal with the detained US reporters issue according to the common idea and universal values of international society, such as protection of civilians and respect for human rights. The government should also inspect and preserve the overall arrangements to protect the security of ROK citizens entering DPRK.
26. U.S., ROK Policy Toward DPRK
Chosun Ilbo (Park Dooshik, “WILL PRESIDENT LEE AND OBAMA WALK THE ‘POWERLESS WALK’ AGAIN?” “, 2009/04/01) wrote that the DPRK’s provocations have always been the same, and the ROK and US governments have always been powerless. Despite opportunities to change the situation to fit the ROK and US framework, the two countries let the DPRK lead the situation into a vicious circle. April, 2009, another opportunity awaits big decisions. What we urgently need is conviction and inspiration at the summit level. As long as DPRK is full of confidence in their provocative tactics, the nuclear issue will never be solved. After 16 years of failure on the same road, are the ROK and US governments still about to go the same way?
27. Inter-Korea Relations
Kyunghyang Shinmun (Yang Moonsoo, “KAESONG INDUSTRIAL REGION, NORTH AND SOUTH MUST REVIVE THE WILL”, 2009/04/01) reported that Moonsoo Yang, professor at the University of North Korean Studies stated that Kaesong Industrial Region, which started out with big expectations, somehow became negligible. The blame is on both the DPRK and ROK. Both the DPRK and ROK seem to have lost the will behind the Kaesong project. It is keenly necessary to put efforts to publicly explain the meaning and importance of the project and to gain support from the people.
28. ROK Attitudes Toward DPRK
Kyunghyang Shinmun (Lee Manyeol, “3.1 DECLARATION OF KOREAN CHURCHES FOR PEACE AND UNIFICATION”, 2009/04/01) wrote that Lee Manyeol, an honorary professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, wrote that last February 27 the “3.1 Declaration of Korean Churches for Peace and Unification” was announced at Yeondong Church in Seoul. This declaration is meaningful because the conservative and progressive churches came together for it, and especially because it shows the will to newly solve the unification matter through based on 3.1 spirit at a time of deadlock between the two countries. Lee stated her hopes that, for all social matters, this declaration could become a good model that showed possibility of cooperation despite difference in ideologies.