NAPSNet Daily Report 20 January, 2000

Recommended Citation

"NAPSNet Daily Report 20 January, 2000", NAPSNet Daily Report, January 20, 2000, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-20-january-2000/

 
CONTENTS

I. United States

1. ROK-DPRK Talks
2. PRC Defense Minister’s ROK Visit
3. PRC Naval Exercises
4. PRC View of US Missile Defense
5. US Anti-Missile Test
II. People’s Republic of China 1. PRC Defense Minister’s Visit to ROK
2. PRC Defense Minister’s Visit to Russia
3. Japanese Atrocities in World War II
4. Across-Taiwan Straits Relations
5. PRC-Pakistani Relations

I. United States

1. ROK-DPRK Talks

The Associated Press (Kyong-hwa Seok, “S. KOREAN SEEKS SUMMIT WITH NORTH,” Seoul, 1/20/00) and Agence France Presse (“KIM WOULD PROPOSE INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT ON WINNING APRIL POLLS,” Seoul, 1/20/00) reported that ROK President Kim Dae-Jung said Thursday that he would propose a historic summit with the DPRK leader if his new ruling party won a parliamentary majority in elections this April. Kim said in a speech to inaugurate his Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), ” if the people throw their weight behind us at the elections, I will use the momentum to propose to North Korea that we hold an inter-Korean summit to discuss national reconciliation, peace on the Korean Peninsula and cooperation between the two Koreas through coexistence and co- prosperity.” Kim has said that he expects that Kim Jong-il would agree to meet him if his new ruling party wins a mandate in the elections.

2. PRC Defense Minister’s ROK Visit

Agence France Presse (“S. KOREA, CHINA VOW TO PUSH FOR END TO NUCLEAR, MISSILE THREATS,” Seoul, 1/20/00) and the Associated Press (Sang-hun Choe, “KOREAN PENINSULA NUKES OPPOSED,” Seoul, 1/20/00) reported that ROK defense ministry spokesman Yoon Il-young said that PRC Defense Minister Chi Haotian and his ROK counterpart Cho Sung-Tae agreed on Thursday to cooperate to halt the spread of nuclear weapons and missiles. Yoon said, “the two defense ministers voiced their opposition to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on the Korean Peninsula, such as nuclear and biological and chemical weapons.” Yoon added that the defense chiefs also confirmed the opposition to the spread of the four types of weapons of mass destruction. The ROK defense ministry said in a press release that Chi stressed the PRC’s strong support for “the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” for peace and stability in the region. The statement also said, “he also stressed that to realize that goal, China has been making and will continue to actively make efforts to ease tension and to secure peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.” The ministry said that Cho asked Chi to take a “constructive role” in pushing for the ROK’s “Sunshine Policy” of engagement with the DPRK in order to bring it out of its isolation and into the world community. Yoon said, “both sides also agreed to keep holding the defense ministers’ talks.”

3. PRC Naval Exercises

Agence France Presse (“CHINESE NAVY HOLDS HIGH-SEAS MISSILE EXERCISES,” Shanghai, 1/20/00) reported that the PRC’s official Guangzhou Daily reported on January 19 that the PRC’s East China Sea Fleet has staged unprecedented light-vessel drills using guided missiles more than 250 nautical miles from the PRC coast. The report said it was the first time such light craft — including fast guided-missile ships, their escort vessels, submarine chasers and corvettes — conducted wargames outside of their traditional coastal waters. The newspaper said, “in the future sea wars, light vessels must move out into nearby seas.” The report did no provide details on the location but said that the area covered by the drills measured 2,800 nautical miles across from north to south.

4. PRC View of US Missile Defense

Agence France Presse (“CHINA URGES US TO ABANDON NMD AS MEDIA CHEERS MISSILE FAILURE,” Beijing, 1/20/00) and Reuters (“CHINA SAYS U.S. MISSILE TEST UNDERMINES STABILITY,” Beijing, 1/20/00) reported that PRC foreign ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao on Thursday urged the US to abandon its plan for a national missile defense (NMD) system. Zhu said, “we have always maintained that as the country with the strongest military power in the world, the violation of the ABM treaty and the anti-missile defense system will do no good to the global and regional strategic balance.” Without commenting on the US Defense Department’s January 18 missile test, Zhu called on the US to end its attempts at amending the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. Zhu said, “we urge the relevant country to approach the will of the international community in real earnest, think before it takes action and abandon the above mentioned plans.”

5. US Anti-Missile Test

The Washington Post (Roberto Suro, “MISSILE SENSOR FAILED IN TEST’S FINAL SECONDS, DATA INDICATE,” 1/20/00, 4) and The Washington Times (Bill Gertz, “MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM FAILS TEST,” Washington, 1/20/00) reported that senior US military officials said on January 19 that the US Defense Department’s January 18 ballistic missile test failed during the final six seconds when an infrared sensor failed to guide the “kill vehicle” into an incoming missile. The officials said that the 55-inch-long interceptor completely missed its target, a dummy nuclear warhead, and eventually burned up as it reentered the atmosphere. US Defense Department officials said that it would take weeks to analyze what occurred. A senior military official said, “the good news is we have a lot of data to look at, and the bad news is we have a lot of data to look at.” US Defense Department officials said they were pleased with preliminary data showing that several new systems performed as well or better than expected. An anonymous military official said that data transmitted by the kill vehicle indicated an “anomaly” that prevented either of the infrared sensors from functioning properly, but so far the nature of the difficulty had not been determined. [Ed. note: The Washington Post article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for January 20, 2000.]

The Wall Street Journal carried an opinion article by James T. Hackett, a national security official in the Nixon and Reagan Administrations and now a defense consultant in San Diego, (“MISSILE DEFENSE WILL OVERCOME TEST SETBACKS,” 1/20/00) which said that the US Defense Department’s failed missile test on January 18 should not give the US reason to stop plans for a National Missile Defense (NMD). Hackett argued that ever since Ronald Reagan’s 1983 announcement of the Strategic Defense Initiative, the issue of a national ballistic missile defense has been politicized. Hackett stated, “Every new advance in missile defense technology has been denigrated by the coalition of professional arms controllers, academic naysayers, and defense opponents whose real agenda is to cut defense spending and put the money into social programs. But despite this persistent opposition, reasonable people have begun to appreciate the growing threat of ocean-spanning missiles in the hands of unstable or irresponsible adversaries.” The author pointed out that, with some successes and some failures, last year six successful hit-to-kill intercepts were achieved, two with the Theater High Altitude Area Defense program, two with the new Patriot PAC-3, one with the Israeli Arrow interceptor, and the first attempt by the NMD interceptor. Hackett concluded, “the threat has been clearly defined. The key technologies have been demonstrated. What remains is to integrate all of the components of a complex defense and test it over and over until it works right every time. This takes time, money, and perseverance, but Congress and the Pentagon have been willing to do what is needed to get it right.”

II. People’s Republic of China

1. PRC Defense Minister’s Visit to ROK

China Daily (“ROK TO HELP PROGRESS IN HINTERLAND,” Seoul, 1/20/00, P1) reported that ROK President Kim Dae-jung said on January 19 that the ROK Government and enterprises will actively take part in the development of the northwestern region of the PRC and support the PRC’s early entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). During a meeting with PRC Defense Minister Chi Haotian at his presidential palace, Kim said Chi’s visit will help promote the ROK-PRC partnership of cooperation oriented for the 21st century. Kim stressed that the ROK and the PRC share many common grounds, and developing the friendly cooperative ties in politics, economy, culture and military respects will have a positive influence on the ROK-PRC relations and security in the Asian-Pacific region. During the meeting, Kim reiterated that the ROK will stick to the one-China policy and asked Chi to convey his best regards and wishes to PRC President Jiang Zemin. Chi said that the PRC and the ROK are close neighbors enjoying a long history of friendly contacts, and that continued development of the Sino-ROK partnership of cooperation is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and beneficial to peace and stability in the region. Chi also expressed his appreciation for the ROK’s one-China policy.

2. PRC Defense Minister’s Visit to Russia

People’s Daily (Liu Gang, “PUTIN MEETS CHI HAOTIAN,” Moscow, 1/19/00, P6) reported that acting Russian President Vladimir Putin and PRC Defense Minister Chi Haotian held meetings in Putin’s Kremlin office on January 18. Putin said that Russia would continue to make efforts to develop the strategic partnership of cooperation between Russia and the PRC. He said that Russia and the PRC cooperated well in international affairs because the two countries have common grounds on pushing forward the establishment of a multipolar world and opposing interference into other countries’ internal affairs. Putin hoped that Russia and the PRC will enhance consultations and coordination in international affairs in the future. He said Russia would stick to the one-China policy and support the PRC’s efforts to achieve the country’s reunification. He thanked the PRC support for and understanding on Russia’s position on the Chechnya issue. Chi expressed support for Russia’s current military operation in Chechnya and thanked the Russian Government’s firm support of China’s reunification.

China Daily (“DEFENSE MINISTERS BROADEN LINKS,” Moscow, 1/19/00, P1) reported that PRC Defense Minister Chi Haotian and Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev discussed the state of international affairs, regional security, and bilateral cooperation on January 17. During the meeting, Chi expressed the hope that the two countries will strengthen cooperation, especially in the military sphere. Chi said, “we are strongly convinced that under Acting President Vladimir Putin’s support, our good-neighbor relations will become stronger.” Sergeyev said that the Russian and PRC defense ministries “are intensively expanding” their contacts. The two ministers also criticized US plans to unveil a national anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system. Chi said, “attempts (by the US) to make Taiwan join the creation and unveiling of a theater of war ABM system are a serious interference into China’s internal affairs and will necessarily be seriously repulsed by the Chinese people.”

3. Japanese Atrocities in World War II

China Daily (Shao Zongwei, “CHINA ‘INDIGNANT’ OVER RIGHTIST RALLY,” 1/19/00, P1) reported that the PRC Foreign Ministry said on January 18 that it is “very much concerned” over the anti-China rally that is to be staged by some Japanese right-wing organizations on January 16 in Osaka. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said that the PRC Government and all Chinese people express their “utmost indignant” reaction at the Japanese rightists’ attempt to use the rally to deny the reality of the Nanjing massacre. Zhu also said, “the massacre is an atrocity by the Japanese militarists against the Chinese people. It is a fact proved by irrefutable evidence, generally acknowledged by the world. By planning the rally, Japanese rightists want to distort history, beautify the aggression, and undermine Sino-Japanese friendship. The question of history has bearing on the political basis of Sino-Japanese relations.” Zhu urged the Japanese Government to see the danger of the situation, and prevent the rally from being staged.

People’s Daily (Wang Dajun, “JAPANESE FM SPOKESMAN: JAPANESE TROOPS’ KILLING AND LOOTING ACTS IN NANJING ARE UNDENIABLE FACTS,” Tokyo, 1/20/00, P1) reported that Japanese Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Numata Sadaaki said in Tokyo on January 19 that the Japanese government acknowledges the fact of the Nanjing massacre. In an interview with a Xinhua correspondent, Sadaaki said, “the Japanese government knows that while there exist various disputes over the ‘Nanjing incident,’ the acts of killing noncombatants and looting by Japanese troops after their entry into Nanjing are undeniable facts. This understanding of the government is different from that held by the organization wanting to hold a rally. The Japanese government’s idea about its understanding of history is just like what Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama indicated in his talk given on August 15, 1995; i.e., ‘our country’s practice of colonial rule and aggression in a not too distant past period of time has brought enormous harm and suffering to the people of many countries, especially Asian nations. We have accepted this historical fact. Here I would like to once again express our deep self-examination and heartfelt apology.’ Thus far, this idea of the Japanese government remains unchanged. The Osaka government and Osaka City fully comprehend this understanding of the Japanese government which, on its part, also understands the expression given by the Osaka government and Osaka City which deem it important to conduct friendly exchanges with China.”

4. Across-Taiwan Straits Relations

China Daily (Jia Hepeng, “MAINLAND SEISMOLOGISTS CROSS STRAITS,” 1/17/00, P1) reported that a group of PRC seismologists are taking part in a seminar in Taiwan. The group of 12, who left for Taipei on January 17, would exchange seismological information and promote cooperation across the Taiwan Straits. The mission is led by He Yongnian, director of the Across-Straits Center for the Exchange of Seismological Science and Technology. Members of the delegation include Chen Yuntai, from the Chinese Academy of Science, Xie Lili, from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and experts on quake analysis and forecast, anti-shock engineering and engineering mechanics. After a two-day seminar, mission members will visit the site of the earthquake, which struck Taiwan on September 21 last year, the report said.

5. PRC-Pakistani Relations

People’s Daily (“JIANG ZEMIN MEETS WITH MUSHARRAF,” Beijing, 1/19/00, P1) reported that PRC President Jiang Zemin warmly welcomed Pakistan Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf on January 18. Jiang told Musharraf that that the PRC pursues a comprehensive partnership with Pakistan. Jiang noted that in the new century, the PRC will make new efforts to consolidate and advance Sino-Pakistani relations. Jiang described the PRC and Pakistan as good neighbors, saying that the friendship of the two countries, established on the basis of the fundamental interests of the peoples of the two countries, has stood the test of time. He also said that the mutual understanding and support of the two countries are due to adhering to the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence. He stressed that every country has its own culture and history and therefore, it is natural that they take development paths suitable to their own national conditions. Jiang said that the PRC hopes that Pakistan will maintain social stability and economic development and that the PRC would like to see a more stable, prosperous Pakistan in the future. The president also said that the PRC will pursue good relations with all neighboring countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence, and will never interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. He also hopes that countries in the region will resolve all ethnic and religious conflicts in a peaceful manner. Musharaf said that his current visit has been fruitful. He expressed his thanks for the understanding and help the PRC has offered to Pakistan over the years. Musharaf also said that cooperation and friendship between the two countries should be cemented in the new century. Pakistan hopes that peace and stability will be realized in South Asia and Pakistan would like to resolve peacefully all its problems with India. Pakistan also wants to promote the peaceful settlement of the Afghanistan issue. Peace and stability should be realized through establishing an extensively represented government with all parties concerned, he said. He also pointed out that Pakistan condemned all kinds of terrorism, especially opposing using religion to carry out terrorist activities. Musharraf said that it is an explicit commitment of Pakistan that the country will absolutely not be involved in any form in terrorist activities.

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Produced by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development in partnership with:
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Asian Institute,
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Timothy L. Savage: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Gee Gee Wong: 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

Chunsi Wu: dlshen@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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

Leanne Paton: anjlcake@webtime.com.au
Clayton, Australia

 


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