NAPSNet Daily Report 15 July, 2002

Recommended Citation

"NAPSNet Daily Report 15 July, 2002", NAPSNet Daily Report, July 15, 2002, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-15-july-2002/

 
CONTENTS

I. United States

1. Taiwan on State of PRC Military
2. DPRK Defectors ROK Arrival
3. PRC Defensive Military Policy
4. Taiwan Military Status
5. Japanese Domestic Politics
6. ROK and Japan on DPRK-ROK Naval Skirmish
7. ROK-Japan Relations
8. DPRK-Libya Relations
9. Japan-US Contract Case
II. Special Announcement 1. Stimson Center Fellowship in China

I. United States

1. Taiwan on State of PRC Military

Agence France-Presse (“PM TAIPEI MUST NOT BE COERCED INTO UNIFICATION WITH CHINA: OFFICIAL,” 07/15/02) reported in its first official response to a Pentagon report on the strength of the PRC military, Taiwan on Monday warned the PRC against coercing Taiwan into reunification. “We urge Beijing to drop the idea of using force to settle the differences between the two sides,” Taiwan foreign ministry spokeswoman Chang Siao-yue declared. Chang’s statement followed a report by the Pentagon Friday in which the US questioned the PRC’s commitment to a peaceful resolution of its differences with Taiwan. The Pentagon report warned that by a fast-growing military arms buildup, Beijing was exploring coercive strategies designed to bring Taiwan to heel quickly. The report based its warning on the PRC’s deployment of 350 ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan, the acquisition of advanced Russia-made Su-30 and Su-27 fighters, Kilo class submarines and Sovremmenny-class destroyers.

2. DPRK Defectors ROK Arrival

Agence France-Presse (“THREE MORE NORTH KOREAN DEFECTORS ARRIVE IN SOUTH KOREA,” 07/15/02) reported that three DPRK defectors who took refugee in the ROK consulate in Beijing for the past month landed in the ROK after having traveled via Thailand. The three included two men and a 24-year-old woman, identified by her family name Kim, who had been on a women’s football team in the famine-hit communist country. “While staying in the consulate, I was so concerned about my fate. Bu I am now delighted to land here. I want to go on with my life as a soccer player despite my age limit,” Kim said Monday. The other two were a 33-year-old laborer and a 27-year-old former soldier. They were escorted by security officers to a government safe house for interrogation on their bid for freedom which started with their entry into the consulate on June 24. The three will receive a careful debriefing ahead of resettlement.

3. PRC Defensive Military Policy

The Associated Press (Ted Anthony, “CHINA DEFENDS DEFENSE POLICY,” Beijing, 07/15/02) and Reuters (“CHINA SAYS NATIONAL MILITARY POLICY IS DEFENSIVE,” Beijing, 07/14/02) Reported that the PRC’s Foreign Ministry said the country’s military policy was defensive after the Pentagon accused the PRC of honing credible options to attack Taiwan, the Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday. “China is a peace loving country. Its national defence policy is defensive in nature,” Xinhua quoted foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan as saying. “China never joins in any military race and its national defence expenditure is the lowest among big powers,” it said. The PRC has proposed increasing its military budget by US$3 billion or 17.6 percent in 2002. The PRC’s foreign ministry said it hoped the US government would stick by the three joint communiques of 1972.

4. Taiwan Military Status

Agence France-Presse (“TAIWAN HAS MILITARY EDGE IN AIR AND AT SEA, BUT IS VULNERABLE TO CHINESE MISSILES,” 07/13/02) carried an analytical article that read that Taiwan maintains a qualitative edge over PRC forces in the air and at sea, but has only negligible defenses against the PRC’s ballistic missiles, a Pentagon report on PRC military power said. The report released Friday said that the PRC has more than 300 short range ballistic missiles that can strike Taiwan. “This number will grow substantially over the next few years. Taiwan’s ability to defend against ballistic missiles is negligible,” it said. At sea, the report said Taiwan’s navy had the advantage over the PRC. It said the Taiwanese navy is well run and well equipped, but the PRC has a much larger number of submarines that could pose a considerable torpedo and mine threat. The PRC also could use commercial merchant and fishing vessels to mine Taiwanese ports, and use anti-ship missiles on patrol boats and larger warships to strike Taiwanese vessels, the report said. Taiwan, which has dominated the air over the Taiwan Strait for many years, today has four times as many advanced fighter aircraft as the PRC, the report said. “The PLAAF (People’s Liberation Army Air Force) does not appear to be putting large numbers of aircraft in the air simultaneously, controlling large numbers of engagements, or sustaining high sortie rates for extended periods of operation,” it said. “Pilot proficiency is improving but China’s best pilots lag behind their Taiwan counterparts in terms of capabilities,” the report said. “However, China’s force modernization, weaponry, pilot training, tactics and command and control are beginning to erode Taiwan’s qualitative edge,” it said.

5. Japanese Domestic Politics

Agence France-Presse (“JAPANESE VICE HEALTH MINISTER RESIGNS OVER MEDICAL,” 07/15/02) reported that Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Senior Vice Minister Kazuaki Miyaji resigned his government post over a medical entrance exam scandal in the latest blow to Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Myaji submitted his resignation to Chikara Sakaguchi, head of the ministry, officials said Monday. “Our minister (Sakaguchi) accepted the resignation,” said a ministry spokesman. Miyaji, a lawmaker and senior official of Koizumi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, allegedly interceded to help a supporter’s grandchild pass an entrance examination for the medical school of Teikyo University in Tokyo. Miyaji said last week his secretary had contacted the medical school to inform its president of the examinee’s application number before he took the test. The supporter’s grandson subsequently passed the test, which he had failed in both 2000 and 2001.

6. ROK and Japan on DPRK-ROK Naval Skirmish

Agence France-Presse (“SOUTH KOREA SAYS NO EVIDENCE KIM JONG-IL GAVE ORDER FOR SEA CLASH,” 07/13/02) reported that ROK foreign minister Choi Sung-Hung stated that there was no evidence that DPRK leader Kim Jong-Il had ordered a recent sea battle with the ROK. The clash in the Yellow Sea on June 29 dominated talks between Choi and his Japanese counterpart Yoriko Kawaguchi. But officials said Saturday the two agreed on the need to make efforts to reduce tensions during talks in Seoul. Choi said after the meeting: “It is clear that the North carefully premeditated the maritime provocation, but it still remains unclear whether higher level DPRK leaders ordered it in advance.” The ROK and the DPRK have blamed each other for the clash.

7. ROK-Japan Relations

The Associated Press (Choe Sang-hun, “JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AGREE TO SEEK DIALOGUE WITH NORTH KOREA,” Seoul, 07/13/02) and Agence France-Presse (“JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN FMS SAY TENSIONS WITH NORTH MUST BE EASED,” 07/13/02) reported that foreign ministers from Japan and the ROK called for greater efforts to ease tensions on the peninsula, officials said. During talks in Seoul with her ROK counterpart Choi Sung-Hung, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi stressed the need for US and ROK dialogue with the DPRK, they said Saturday. “Japan does not want the tensions to escalate any further in the region,” Kawaguchi said, according to an ROK ministry official at the talks. Both ministers “completely shared the view that it is important for Japan and the United States to have dialogue with the North” to ease tensions, the ministry official said. Kawaguchi, who arrived in Seoul late Friday, began a three-day visit to the ROK by paying a tribute at the National Cemetery on Saturday. During their talks, the foreign ministers also agreed to expand bilateral exchanges which were significantly boosted by the successful co-hosting of the World Cup. Kawaguchi also met President Kim Dae-Jung before going to the Korean border truce village of Panmunjom. She returns to Japan on Sunday.

8. DPRK-Libya Relations

The Associate Press (“NORTH KOREA SAYS IT WANTS TO MAINTAIN ‘STRATEGIC TIES’ WITH LIBYA,” Cairo, 07/14/02) reported that the DPRK’s ceremonial head of state pledged to boost his country’s “strategic relations” with Libya, Libya’s official news agency quoted him as saying Sunday during a visit to Tripoli. Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, was accompanied by DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun and Foreign Trade Minister Ri Kwang Gun. Addressing a banquet hosted by Mustafa al-Kharoubi, member of Libya’s Revolution Command Council, the DPRK No. 2 said his government and people have “an unwavering will … to continue developing and boosting the strategic ties with Libya … and effectively contribute to build a new independent and prosperous world.” Both countries are on the US list of nations sponsoring terrorism. Libya established diplomatic ties with the DPRK in 1974 and the ROK in 1980.

9. Japan-US Contract Case

The Associated Press (“JAPAN COURT SHUNS U.S. DAMAGE CLAIM,” Tokyo, 07/15/02) reported that a Japanese court rejected a demand by the US government that dozens of Japanese companies pay US$4.1 million in compensation for alleged bid-rigging at a US Navy base. The Tokyo District Court on Monday dismissed the case against 26 Japanese construction companies because the US government failed to prove the contractors were selected as a result of bid-rigging, court spokesman Hideaki Wada said. The US government originally sued 53 Japanese construction companies in 1994, saying they had inflated costs for construction projects at Atsugi base, just southwest of Tokyo. The US later dropped its claim against 27 of the companies after reaching separate settlements. During the trial, the United Sates claimed the companies rigged bids from 1984 through 1990 in 98 construction orders.

II. Special Announcement

1. Stimson Center Fellowship in China

The Stimson Center Fellowship in China provides US analysts working on a wide range of international security issues with an opportunity to study these issues in China. The program’s objective is to broaden understanding in both the United States and China of the principles, priorities, and policies that drive decision-making in each country on international security issues affecting US-China relations. he Stimson Center seeks applicants for this program among primarily mid-career professionals (generally ages 28-45) with a regional or functional expertise related to issues of international security (e.g., nonproliferation, missile defense, energy, or environmental security issues) and whose work relates to US-China relations but who do not have an extensive background in China studies nor prior exposure through travel to China.

For a more detailed list of qualifications and additional information, please visit our website at http://www.stimson.org/inchina or call Kate Walsh (202) 223-5956 x3434. Due Date for fall 2002 Fellowship: Extended to August 15, 2002.

The NAPSNet Daily Report aims to serve as a forum for dialogue and exchange among peace and security specialists. Conventions for readers and a list of acronyms and abbreviations are available to all recipients. For descriptions of the world wide web sites used to gather information for this report, or for more information on web sites with related information, see the collection of other NAPSNet resources.
We invite you to reply to today’s report, and we welcome commentary or papers for distribution to the network.

Produced by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development in partnership with:

Ilmin Internationl Relations Institute
BK21 The Education and Research Corps for East Asian Studies
Department of Political Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Center for American Studies,
Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

International Peace Research Institute (PRIME),
Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan

Monash Asia Institute,
Monash University, Clayton, Australia

Brandon Yu: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

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

Kim Young-soo: yskim328@hotmail.com
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Hibiki Yamaguchi: hibikiy84@hotmail.com
Tokyo, Japan

Saiko Iwata: saiko@akira.ne.jp
Tokyo, Japan

Hiroya Takagi: hiroya_takagi@hotmail.com
Tokyo, Japan

Peter Razvin: icipu@online.ru
Moscow, Russian Federation

Wu Chunsi: cswu@fudan.ac.cn
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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