NAPSNet Daily Report 15 August, 2001

Recommended Citation

"NAPSNet Daily Report 15 August, 2001", NAPSNet Daily Report, August 15, 2001, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-15-august-2001/

 
CONTENTS

I. United States

1. Cross-strait Relations
2. Satellite Image Sales to Taiwan
II. People’s Republic of China 1. ROK on DPRK-US Relations
2. DPRK-ROK Family Reunion Plan
3. PRC-US Relations
4. Russia-US Talks on Missile Defense
5. ROK Reaction to Koizumi’s Visit to Yasukuni Shrine
6. PRC Reaction to Koizumi’s Visit to Yasukuni Shrine
7. PRC Reiterates one-China Policy

I. United States

1. Cross-strait Relations

Agence France Presse (“TAIWAN PRESIDENT ASKS CHINA TO DITCH “BUTCHER KNIFE,” RESUME TALKS,” 8/15/01) reported that Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Wednesday called on the PRC to put down its “butcher knife” and resume dialogue to resolve cross-strait relations. Chen, speaking in a meeting with five Nobel Peace Prize laureates in Taipei to attend a peace forum, called for resumption of dialogue with the PRC because “the best approach to solve conflicts is to shake hands.” Chen said, “We really should put down knives and guns … and even suppress the ideas in our brains.” Chen pledged to push for peace in the region, but remained alert to the PRC’s continued arms buildup and perceived military threat to the island. Chen said, “The mainland’s continuous increase of military spending and deployment of ballistic missiles has menaced Taiwan and the region as well.”

2. Satellite Image Sales to Taiwan

Agence France Presse (“CHINA ASKS ISRAEL TO EXPLAIN SALE OF SATELLITE IMAGES TO TAIWAN,” Jerusalem, 8/15/01) reported that the Haaretz Daily, an Israeli newspaper, said Wednesday that the PRC has asked Israel’s defense ministry to explain why it is allowing a private company to sell satellite images to Taiwan. The ImageSat International transmits its images using a satellite developed from the Israeli spy satellite Ofek 3. The paper reported that the PRC government had asked Israel to explain why it had allowed ImageSat to sign a contract with Taiwan. Haaretz said the Israeli defense ministry allowed ImageSat to sell its images to any country that was not at war with Israel. Haaretz said, “The Defense Ministry’s policy seems to accept that today ‘the entire world can photograph the entire world’ and so it is impossible to supervise such activities and put limits on private business.”

II. People’s Republic of China

1. ROK on DPRK-US Relations

People Daily (Xinhua News Agency, Gao Haorong, “ROK URGES US TO DIALOGUE WITH DPRK,” Seoul, 08/13/01, P3) reported that ROK President Kim Dae-jung stressed that the US should hold dialogues with DPRK as soon as possible for the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Kim made the remarks on August 11 during meeting with Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Senate delegation led by Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Biden. Kim said, DPRK has strong inclination to improve relations with the US. For the stability and peace on the Peninsula and peace in Northeast Asia, the US should hold dialogue with DPRK, he added. He hoped that the US should have beyond-the-Party cooperation on DPRK policy. At the same time, Kim considered the ROK-DPRK relations and US-DPRK relations should go in parallel. He expressed ROK’s concern over the delayed South-North relations due to US-DPRK relations. Biden expressed his support for ROK’s reconciliation and cooperation policy to DPRK. He also said that he will mange to promote the US-DPRK dialogue.

2. DPRK-ROK Family Reunion Plan

China Daily (Xinhua News Agency, “FAMILY REUNION PLAN PUT FORWARD,” 08/11-12/01, P8) reported that on August 10, the ROK Red Cross proposed to its DPRK counterpart that the two sides launch a program to help reunite 1,800 elderly family members separated by the division of the Korean Peninsula in 1945. There was no immediate response from DPRK, which cut off official contacts with ROK in March amid tension with the US. Suh Young-hoon, the ROK Red Cross chief, made the proposal in a statement marking the 30th anniversary of the start of inter- Korean Red Cross talks in 1971.

3. PRC-US Relations

China Daily (Xinhua News Agency, “PRC URGES SOLID RELATIONS WITH US,” 08/10/01, P1) reported that PRC Premier Zhu Rongji said solid ties between China and the US will benefit both countries. He made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Joe Biden, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate, and other US senators on August 9. Premier Zhu stressed that China is focusing its attention on the development of its economy, safeguarding and realizing national reunification and maintaining peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region and the world at large. “China cannot, and will not, be a threat to the US or any other countries in the world,” Zhu said. “China and the US should cooperate.” Biden spoke of his admiration for China’s history, culture and people. Due to a lack of exchanges between peoples of the two countries, he said, there was a consequent lack of understanding of one another. He said China’s importance in the world is rising and that US-China relations are important to both countries and the rest of the world. He said the US hopes to develop mutually trustful and cooperative relations with China.

Jiefang Daily (Xinhua News Agency, “CHINA OPPOSES US DECISION ON COMPENSATION,” Beijing, 08/12/01, P5) reported that PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on August 11 expressed China’s strong dissatisfaction and refute to US’s decision on the compensation for the air-collision. The spokeswoman, Zhang Qiyue, said China resolutely refused to accept the so-called US Decision, whether in terms of content or form. She said, “We have noticed the report that US Defense officials said this decision is a final one.” Chinese Government urged the US Government to correct its wrong decision, she said, for the final proper settlement of the compensation issue.

4. Russia-US Talks on Missile Defense

PLA Daily (Xinhua News Agency, “US AND RUSSIA HOLD TALKS ON MISSILE DEFENSE ISSUE,” Washington, 08/09/01, P5) reported that officials in charge of military affairs respectively from the US and Russia started from August 7 to hold a two- day talk in the US Pentagon. The two sides will exchange views on missile defense and nuclear disarmament issues, and will prepare for Russian and US defense chiefs’ talks in Moscow next week. According to the US Defense Ministry spokesperson, the meeting will last 18 hours, and mainly cover issues such as missile defense problem and the ways to further cut nuclear weapons. Last weekend, US Defense Minister Rumsfeld spoke to the media that this meeting is to communicate over the situation but not exchange views. He noted that he did not expect major breakthrough during this meeting. He explained that because in the current US-Russian relations, there still exists wrapped bundle inherited from the Cold War, which can be found in people’s minds, in existing treaties and the structure of bilateral relations.

China Daily (Xinhua News Agency, “RUMSFELD FAILS TO SELL ABM TREATY,” Moscow, 08/14/01, P12) reported that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on August 13 that his visiting US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld had failed to convince him that the two countries no longer needed nuclear deterrence pacts. “I am afraid I am not (convinced),” Ivanov told reporters. “We will think that the ABM treaty is one of the major important elements of the complex of international treaties on which international stability is based.” Rumsfeld said before the talks with Ivanov that the 1972 ABM treaty was outdated after the end of the Cold War and should be abandoned. Russian new agencies quoted Russian President Putin as saying he hoped Russia and the US would find common ground on the issue. “We cannot discuss the ABM treaty detached from other agreements, including offensive weapons and other existing international treaties,” Putin said.

5. ROK Reaction to Koizumi’s Visit to Yasukuni Shrine

China Daily (Xinhua News Agency, “WAR SHRINE VISIT SPARKS WRATH,” Seoul, 08/14/01, P12) reported that Japanese Prime Minister’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine sparked outcry in ROK with 20 ROK people chopping off their little fingers in protest. However, there was no immediate suggestion that the visit would cause lasting damage to relations between Koizumi’s administration and Japan’s Asian neighbors, who have repeatedly accused Tokyo of trying to whitewash its wartime past. Koizumi, who portrayed his visit as a renewal of a pledge for peace, brought forward his gesture from tomorrow-the anniversary of Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II and Liberation Day in the ROK. He declined to clarify whether the visit was official or private, saying merely he has paid homage as “Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi” and had used his own money to pay for a floral offering sent in his name to the shrine at the weekend.

6. PRC Reaction to Koizumi’s Visit to Yasukuni Shrine

Jiefang Daily (“KOIZUMI WILL GIVE UP HIS DECISION TO VISIT YASUKUNI SHRINE,” 08/12/01, P5) reported that Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi decided on August 11 not to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, Secretary-General of Japanese Komeito was quoted as saying by a Japanese newspaper. He also released that the Prime Minister will arrange his staff to send flowers to the Yasukuni Shrine as an individual. The local media analyzed that Koizumi gave up his Shrine visit is because of the intense international pressure.

People Daily (Xinhua News Agency, “PRC PROTESTS STRONGLY AGAINST JAPAN,” Beijing, 08/14/01, P4) and People Daily (Gu Zhaonong, “PEOPLE IN NANJING AND SHENYANG PROTEST AGAINST KOIZUMI’S YASUKUNI SHRINE VISIT,” Nanjing and Shenyang, 08/14/01, P4) reported that both ordinary citizens and PRC Government protested strongly on August 13 against Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine. PRC Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Yi summoned Japanese Ambassador to China and made serious protests over the shrine visit. PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said the Chinese Government and its people have expressed strong dissatisfaction and indignation over Koizumi’s visit to the shrine. She noted that in disregard of the opposition from Japan’s Asian neighbours, including China and inside Japan itself, Koizumi visited the Shrine that houses memorial tablets for class-A war criminals of the World War II. The wrongful action by the Japanese leader has damaged the political basis of Sino-Japanese relations, hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and those of the majority of victimized countries in Asia, and violated a series of solemn statements and commitments made by the Japanese Government on the history issue, Zhang pointed out. She said that China has taken note of the fact that Koizumi, under domestic and foreign pressure, finally gave up on his former plan to visit the Shrine on August 15, which is a sensitive time, and delivered a statement on August 13 reiterating that Japan admits its history of aggression. China requests that Japan practice that it preaches, and honours its statements and commitments made to China in a truthful manner, she stressed. Ordinary citizens in Nanjing and Shenyang are reported to hold various activities to protest the Shrine visit.

7. PRC Reiterates one-China Policy

China Daily (Xinhua News Agency, “TAIWAN’S UN ENTRY ATTEMPT OPPOSED,” 08/10/01, P1) reported that on August 9 PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue expressed PRC’s strong indignation and resolute opposition to a proposal lodged by a few countries, including Gambia, to help Taiwan “join” the UN. She said that on August 8, at the instigation of the Taiwan authorities, a small number of countries sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, requesting that the 56th session of the UN General Assembly review the issue of Taiwan joining the UN. “This openly tramples on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter,” Zhang said. She stressed that there is only one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and the PRC is the only legitimate government representing all Chinese people. “This is an indisputable fact acknowledged by the international community,” said Zhang. She added that the UN is an international organization of governments of sovereign states, and that Taiwan, a province of China, is not qualified at all to “join” the UN and its associated organizations.

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Produced by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development in partnership with:
International Policy Studies Institute Seoul, Republic of Korea
Center for American Studies,
Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
Monash Asia Institute,
Monash University, Clayton, Australia

Gee Gee Wong: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Timothy L. Savage: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Robert Brown: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Kim Hee-sun: khs688@hotmail.com
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Hiroyasu Akutsu: akutsu@glocomnet.or.jp
Tokyo, Japan

Peter Razvin: icipu@glas.apc.org
Moscow, Russian Federation

Yunxia Cao: yule111@sina.com
Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

Dingli Shen: dlshen@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

John McKay: John.McKay@adm.monash.edu.au
Clayton, Australia

 


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