NAPSNet Daily Report 15 October, 2009
Contents in this Issue:
- I. NAPSNet
- 1. US on DPRK Nuclear Program
- 2. ROK on DPRK Missiles
- 3. Sino-DPRK Relations
- 4. Japan-DPRK Relations
- 5. Inter-Korea Relations
- 6. Inter-Korea Economic Cooperation
- 7. ROK Military
- 8. ROK-US Relations
- 9. Japan-US Military Relations
- 10. Japan International Aid
- 11. Japan in Afghanistan
- 12. Sino-US Military Relations
- 13. PRC International Relations
- 14. Sino-India Border Dispute
- 15. Sino-Pakistan Relations
- 16. PRC Ethnic Unrest
- 17. Sino-Russian Relations
- 18. Sino-Australia Relations
- 19. PRC Climate Change
- II. PRC Report
I. NAPSNet
1. US on DPRK Nuclear Program
Reuters (Chris Buckley , “U.S. HAILS COOPERATION ON NORTH KOREA, SEES NEW STEPS”, Beijing, 2009/10/14) reported that the DPRK’s neighbors and the United States are coordinating closely to draw it isolated state back to nuclear disarmament talks and reviewing possible next steps, Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, told reporters Wednesday. “I have rarely seen better coordination between China and the United States in particular,” said Campbell. “There is a virtually unprecedented acceptance of basic goals and ambitions associated with the six-party talks and negotiations with North Korea.”
Bloomberg (Michael Forsythe, “U.S. SAYS N. KOREA TALKS MUST BE WITHIN 6-PARTY FORUM”, 2009/10/14) reported that U.S. talks with the DPRK on dismantling its nuclear program must be held within the framework of broader six-nation negotiations, a position the PRC believes the DPRK accepts, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said. The PRC has told the DPRK that stand-alone dialogue with the U.S. is not “in the cards,” Campbell told reporters in Beijing.
2. ROK on DPRK Missiles
Chosun Ilbo (“SEOUL ON ALERT FOR MORE N.KOREAN MISSILE TESTS”, 2009/10/14) reported that the ROK military is on the alert for more DPRK short-range missile tests after the DPRK declared a navigation ban also in the West Sea after firing five short-range missiles into the East Sea on Monday. A government source said, “It seems that after making a similar decision for the East Sea, North Korea also banned navigation in waters off Jungsan-gun and Munduk-gun, South Pyongan Province until about Oct. 20. Although there are no concrete signs of preparations for missile tests yet, we’re watching closely” in the West Sea.
3. Sino-DPRK Relations
Xinhua News Agency (“CHINA, DPRK VOW TO ENHANCE COOPERATION “, Beijing, 2009/10/14) reported that the PRC and the DPRK pledged to enhance their cooperation on Wednesday. A reception was held Wednesday evening by the DPRK embassy to the PRC to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the PRC and the DPRK. Addressing the reception, Ismail Tiliwaldi, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, said that PRC-DPRK good neighborly and friendly cooperation has been strengthened with joint efforts of both countries during the past 60 years.
4. Japan-DPRK Relations
Yomiuri Shimbun (“GOVT WON’T SUBMIT BILL ON INSPECTING DPRK CARGO”, 2009/10/14) reported that the Japanese government has decided against submitting a bill to allow inspections of cargo on flights and vessels traveling to and from DPRK to the upcoming extraordinary Diet session, scheduled to be convened on Oct. 23. The government informed the ruling coalition of the decision Wednesday.
5. Inter-Korea Relations
Associated Press (“N. KOREA VOICES REGRET OVER DEADLY FLOOD IN S. KOREA”, Seoul, 2009/10/14) reported that the DPRK expressed regret Wednesday over the release of dam water that sparked flooding downstream blamed for six ROK deaths, as the two sides discussed how to prevent such incidents on their border, an official said. At 80-minute talks Wednesday suggested by the ROK and convened in the DPRK border town of Kaesong, the DPRK expressed its regret, Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Jong-joo said. The DPRK also said it had to discharge the waters to avoid a bigger catastrophe. “It was regrettable that unintended human casualties occurred,” the DPRK chief delegate told ROK officials, Lee said.
Yonhap News (Byun Duk-kun, “CHEONG WA DAE WELCOMES NORTH’S APOLOGY OVER DAM DISCHARGE “, 2009/10/14) reported that the ROK’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae welcomed the DPRK’s apology Wednesday for its unannounced discharge of flood waters that killed six people in the ROK last month, calling it a “positive sign” of thawing relations. “North Korea’s prompt acceptance of our proposal for dialogue and its expression of such regret are believed to be very positive signs,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Sun-kyoo told a daily press briefing.
Yonhap News (Kim Hyun, “N. KOREA HIGHLIGHTS IMPROVING RELATIONS WITH SOUTH AT U.N. MEETING “, Seoul, 2009/10/14) reported that the DPRK told a recent meeting of a U.N. organization that it will continue reconciliatory efforts toward the ROK and emphasized that the two sides’ relations are improving, Pyongyang’s media said Wednesday. “North-South relations on the Korean Peninsula are are entering a new phase, in which moves have been made to bring together their views on the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration, which are landmarks for their better relations and reunification in the new century,” an unidentified DPRK delegate said at the UNESCO general meeting.
6. Inter-Korea Economic Cooperation
Hankyoreh (“FORMER UNIFICATION MINISTER LEE JONG-SEOK SAYS TIME TO SEND AN ENVOY TO NORTH KOREA”, 2009/10/14) reported that “In consideration of the trend towards expanding economic ties between North Korea and China, the strategic activation of inter-Korean economic cooperation is essential” former Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok said in a presentation on the path of inter-Korean relations under the DPRK nuclear issue at the second monthly “Korea Peace Forum” meeting held in Seoul. Lee noted that since PRC Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s two-day visit to the DPRK a “new economic relationship” between the DPRK and PRC has been taking shape. In pointing to the various agreements established during Wen’s visit, including agreements addressing economic aid, economic exchanges and tourism, Lee said the PRC-DPRK economic cooperation agreement could be interpreted as multi-directional and the most comprehensive agreement reached since the collapse of the socialist bloc and the beginning of the post-Cold War period.
7. ROK Military
Chosun Ilbo (“NEW FIGHTER JETS CHRONICALLY SHORT OF SPARE PARTS”, 2009/10/14) reported that faced with a shortage of spare parts for its newest F-15K fighter jets, the ROK Air Force is resorting to stripping components from one jet and putting them into another to keep them flying. According to documents the Air Force submitted to Grand National Party lawmaker Kim Jang-soo, who heads the National Assembly’s Defense Committee, the rate of availability of new spare parts for F-15K fighter jets was 16 percent last year, compared to between 70 to 80 percent for other fighter planes.
8. ROK-US Relations
Yonhap News (“LEE HOLDS UNOFFICIAL MEETING WITH BUSH “, Seoul, 2009/10/14) reported that ROK President Lee Myung-bak held an unofficial luncheon meeting with former U.S. President George W. Bush at the presidential office in Seoul Wednesday, a presidential aide said. “They met as friends, without any specific agenda. They may have exchanged viewpoints on pending issues (such as) the South Korea-U.S. alliance, the global economy and North Korea,” the aide said, asking anonymity.
9. Japan-US Military Relations
Agence France Presse (Shingo Ito , “US AIRBASE COULD STAY ON JAPAN’S OKINAWA, SAYS GOVERNOR”, Tokyo, ) reported that the governor of Japan’s Okinawa prefecture said a US military base could stay on the island, officials said Wednesday. Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima on Tuesday submitted a position paper to the central government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in which he said the priority now was to move the base away from its current urban setting. “It’s best to transfer the facility outside of the prefecture, but I would concede to a plan for the relocation within the prefecture in order to get rid of the danger (of its urban location) as soon as possible,” Nakaima said in the statement, according to local government officials in Okinawa prefecture.
Agence France Presse (Shaun Tandon , “US DOCUMENTS POINT TO SECRET JAPAN NUCLEAR PACT”, Washington, 2009/10/14) reported that despite decades of denials by Washington and Tokyo, US officials believe they enjoyed a secret pact to transport nuclear weapons through Japan, newly declassified documents showed. The National Security Archive at George Washington University released documents Tuesday showing US officials believed they had an understanding with Japan when the allies signed a new security treaty in 1960. A confidential State Department memo prepared in 1960 for then secretary of state Christian Herter to brief Congress said Washington had to consult Japan on “introduction of nuclear weapons.”
10. Japan International Aid
Agence France Presse (“UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF, JAPAN FM VISIT INDONESIA QUAKE ZONE”, Padang, 2009/10/14) reported that the United Nations ‘ humanitarian chief and Japan’s foreign minister visited quake-hit areas of Indonesia’s Sumatra island Wednesday to inspect relief efforts. Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada arrived in the quake zone for a trip to visit Japanese medical teams in devastated areas north of Padang, embassy spokesman Masaki Tani said. Okada expressed his “sympathies” for the victims of the September 30 quake after meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda . “For the long term, better infrastructure is needed. We are considering the idea of rebuilding schools and hospitals but we need to know what is really needed on the ground,” he said, without giving further details.
11. Japan in Afghanistan
Kyodo News (“WORKING OUT NEW AFGHAN MEASURES NOT EASY TASK FOR JAPAN “, Tokyo, 2009/10/14) reported that following Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada’s surprise visit to Afghanistan on Sunday, the Japanese government is stepping up its efforts to work out measures that can benefit the lives of the people in the conflict-ravaged country. But enhancing assistance is apparently not an easy task, with Japan’s presence likely to wane with the planned end in January of the refueling mission and amid deteriorating security conditions there. ”The security situation is deteriorating even in Kabul. It is difficult to expand contributions that would actually let (local people) know that Japanese people are working in the country,” an official at the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s International Cooperation Bureau said.
12. Sino-US Military Relations
Agence France Presse (“TOP CHINESE GENERAL TO VISIT US: PENTAGON”, Washington, 2009/10/14) reported that the PRC’s second-ranking military officer will travel to Washington later this month on a week-long visit designed to promote trust and avoid “misunderstandings,” the Pentagon said Wednesday. General Xu Caihou, vice chairman of the People’s Liberation Army central military commission, will hold high-level meetings from October 24-31 and visit military commands and bases across the United States, press secretary Geoff Morrell told a news conference. “We will show him a great deal of how our military operates in this country,” he added.
Agence France Presse (” US CALLS FOR GREATER CONTACT WITH CHINA MILITARY”, Beijing, 2009/10/14) reported that the United States called Wednesday for more interaction with the PRC’s military, as the two nations try to build trust over defence issues amid US concerns about Beijing’s rapid military buildup. “More still needs to be done to ensure that our defence and military establishments both have greater… interaction with one another,” US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters. The two nations also need to develop “rules of the road for how we cooperate in the future”, he said.
13. PRC International Relations
Reuters (Ben Blanchard , “SECURITY SUMMIT ENDS IN CHINA WITH LITTLE TO SHOW”, Beijing, 2009/10/14) reported that a security summit between the PRC, Russia and their Central Asian neighbors wrapped up in Beijing on Wednesday with vague promises to deepen economic cooperation but no public mention of regional flashpoints like Afghanistan. “I believe that if all member states work hand in hand and deepen cooperation we will certainly be able to create a glorious future of peace and prosperity for the region,” said Premier Wen Jiabao.
14. Sino-India Border Dispute
Agence France Presse (“INDIA WARNS CHINA OVER KASHMIR”, New Delhi, 2009/10/14) reported that India raised the pitch of an increasingly testy row with the PRC over disputed border areas Wednesday, warning Beijing about its involvement in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. “The Chinese side is fully aware of India’s position and our concerns about Chinese activities,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said in response to a PRC statement that it would remain engaged in Pakistan. “We hope that the Chinese side will take a long-term view of the India-China relations and cease such activities in areas illegally occupied by Pakistan,” Prakash said.
15. Sino-Pakistan Relations
Xinhua News Agency (“CHINA’S TOP POLITICAL ADVISOR VOWS TO BOOST TIES WITH PAKISTAN “, Beijing, 2009/10/14) reported that the PRC’s top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Wednesday vowed to boost strategic partnership of cooperation with Pakistan. “We always treat and promote China-Pakistan relations from strategic and long-term perspective,” said Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Hailing the profound friendship between the two good neighbors and partners since forging diplomatic ties 58 years ago, Jia said the PRC and Pakistan had always trusted and supported each other on major international issues and issues concerning each other’s core interests.
16. PRC Ethnic Unrest
Agence France Presse (“CHINA TRIES 14 MORE OVER XINJIANG UNREST: GOVT”, Beijing, 2009/10/14) reported that the trial of 14 people accused of involvement in ethnic unrest that shook the PRC’s far western Xinjiang region in July opened Wednesday, authorities said, two days after six men were sentenced to death. “The trials started at around 10:00 am today and they’re still not over. Fourteen defendants are being tried,” a spokesman for the Xinjiang government told AFP. The defendants are charged with murder, robbery, arson and vandalism, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
17. Sino-Russian Relations
Associated Press (Vladimir Isachenkov, “RUSSIA, CHINA SAY WILL WORK ON FINANCIAL CRISIS”, Beijing, 2009/10/14) reported that the PRC, Russia and other members of a regional security group pledged Wednesday to work together to combat the global economic crisis and find ways to increase cooperation on financial issues. A document signed at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization said the group’s members should focus on a joint response to the global financial crisis and a common post-crisis strate gy. “The crisis has acted like a catalyst for the reform of the international financial system, and our organization must take part in that,” Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.
Bloomberg (Lucian Kim, “CHINA, RUSSIA TO CREATE FUND TO DEVELOP ENERGY, TRANSPORT LINKS “, 2009/10/14) reported that the PRC, Russia and the four other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization agreed to create an infrastructure fund to increase economic ties and expand the scope of what was originally a military alliance. The size of the fund and how it will be managed will be determined later, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin told reporters today in Beijing. The fund will focus on developing energy, transportation and telecommunications links, Borodavkin said.
18. Sino-Australia Relations
Associated Press (“AUSTRALIA CALLS ON CHINA FOR PROGRESS IN RIO CASE”, Beijing, 2009/10/14) reported that an Australian cabinet minister said Wednesday she had urged the PRC’s vice premier to deal with the arrests of four Rio Tinto employees, detained since July, as quickly as possible. “I did urge the Chinese to treat the case expeditiously in accordance with Chinese law. We think it is in the interests of both countries for that to occur,” Penny Wong, Australia’s climate change minister, told reporters in Beijing.
19. PRC Climate Change
USA Today (Dan Vergano, “CHINA COULD CHEAPLY CONTROL COAL-PLANT EMISSIONS”, ) reported that Getting the PRC’s coal-plant emissions out of the atmosphere so they don’t worsen global warming may be cheaper, easier and longer-lasting than expected, a federal energy lab report finds. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory report, set for release today in London, says there are vast underground reserves in the PRC that can be used for “carbon sequestration,” a carbon dioxide-trapping technology considered vital to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. “Conventional thinking had been that the PRC did not have a lot of storage for carbon. But it turns out it does,” says the lab’s Robert Dahowski, the report’s lead author. “Enough for many decades, perhaps hundreds of years.”
Associated Press (“A-POWER GETS CONTRACT FOR EASTERN CHINA WIND FARMS”, New York, ) reported that PRC wind turbine manufacturer A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd. said Wednesday it secured a $36.2 million contract to develop a 19.5-megawatt wind farm in Eastern PRC. The wind farm, developed for a unit of Datang International Power Generation Co. Ltd., will be located in the Donggan, Rizhao City of Shandong Province.
II. PRC Report
20. Civil Society and the PRC Environment
Economy Daily (“18 LARGE ENTERPRISES HIDE SEWAGE DISPOSAL INFORMATION”, 2009/10/14) reported that according to a report issued by Green Peace (an environmental protection organization), that 18 domestic and foreign large enterprises including Shell, Nestlé, Sinopec, and others, have hidden their sewage disposal information from the public. The Report suggests the government further perfect Environmental Information Disclosure Measures.
21. PRC Civil Society and the Disabled
Yanzhao Urban News (“HEBEI LAUNCHES “HAPPY SMILE” PUBLIC ACTIVITY”, 2009/10/14) reported that the “Happy Smile” public activity was formally launched in Shijiazhuang of Hebei province yesterday. The Activity is co-sponsored by China Population Welfare Foundation, U.S. Jude International Foundation, and related government sectors of Hebei province. The Activity will help children suffered with cleft lip palate in poor families receive free plastic surgery.