NAPSNet Daily Report 20 October, 1999

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"NAPSNet Daily Report 20 October, 1999", NAPSNet Daily Report, October 20, 1999, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-20-october-1999/

 
CONTENTS

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

III. People’s Republic of China

I. United States

1. Implementation of Agreed Framework

Reuters (“PYONGYANG SLAMS U.S. STANCE ON FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT,” Tokyo, 10/20/99) reported that the DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying that the US has not abided by the 1994 Agreed Framework. The spokesman stated, “Now that the DPRK side has done everything possible so far, now is the time for the U.S. side to show a good faith by taking a prompt measure to sincerely implement what was agreed.” He argued, “The U.S. side has paid only a lip service to the construction of the reactors and delivered on the basis of serious fluctuation heavy oil which it promised to offer to us as substitute energy … thus creating a great confusion and difficulties in our economic performance.” He added, “If the construction of the reactor is further delayed as now, the U.S. side will be held wholly responsible for that and it will have to meet undesirable consequences. The U.S. is still pursuing its hostile policy toward the DPRK.”

2. Korean War Massacre

The Associated Press (Sang-Hun Choe, “SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIALS OFFER TO TAKE CONCRETE OFF NO GUN RI SITE,” Seoul, 10/20/99) reported that the ROK national railroad spent US$55,000 in September to coat one of the railroad tunnels at No Gun Ri with a 4-inch layer of concrete. Survivors of the alleged Korean War massacre there charged that the government was trying to cover up the bullet marks that serve as evidence of their claims. Chung Eun- yong, representative of the survivors, stated, “The tunnels stood there for decades. Why did they do the repair work at this time, without telling us anything? It smells fishy to us.” Lee Sung-wook of the National Railroad Administration responded, “It’s a pure coincidence. We did our repair work on the old overpasses. If necessary for the investigation, we will restore the tunnel to its original condition.” During a parliamentary hearing last week, railroad authorities presented documents showing that the regional railroad had recommended repair work on the tunnels since 1997.

3. Japanese Nuclear Policy

The Associated Press (Kozo Mizoguchi, “JAPANESE DEFENSE OFFICIAL RESIGNS,” Tokyo, 10/20/99) and Reuters (George Nishiyama, “JAPAN VICE MINISTER RESIGNS, PUTS PRESSURE ON PM,” Tokyo, 10/20/99) reported that Shingo Nishimura, one of two Japanese parliamentary Vice Defense Ministers, resigned Wednesday for saying that Japan should consider acquiring nuclear weapons. In an interview with a weekly publication, Nishimura had said that, in his personal opinion, a nuclear weapons arsenal provides deterrence against a nuclear attack. He stated, “If there were no punishment for rape, then we would all be rapists. But that’s not the case as punishment acts as a deterrence.” Nishimura was quoted as saying, “‘Collective security’ can be thought of as a man helping a woman who is being raped. In the same way, ‘invasion’ is getting rid of men in a country and raping their woman.” Akitaka Saiki, a spokesman for Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, stated, “I think the Prime Minister hopes that this incident is behind us due to the very speedy handling of the matter.” He added, “Mr Nishimura’s remarks caused a huge sensation throughout the nation and also in foreign countries including neighboring countries such as China and Korea and the government is seriously concerned about the repercussions of his remarks.”

4. Taiwan Military

The Associated Press (Christopher Bodeen, “TAIWAN MILITARY USES PRATAS ISLANDS,” Pratas Island, 10/20/99) reported that the Taiwan military said Wednesday that it is keeping a heavy presence on the strategic Pratas Islands in the South China Sea to guard Taiwan’s southern flank against a PRC attack. The military said that Pratas provides a vital base against PRC offensives and gives the military at least five additional minutes of warning against air attacks. The outpost is also a key staging area for anti-submarine warfare. General Chang Cheng-chung stated, “We’re keeping the necessary force to keep communist China away. We’re confident we can continue to carry out this mission.”

5. Alleged PRC Technology Transfers

The Washington Post (Bill Miller and Vernon Loeb, “U.S. AEROSPACE FIRM INDICTED FOR SALES TO CHINESE,” 10/20/99, A01) reported that a federal grand jury on Tuesday issued an indictment accusing McDonnell Douglas Corporation and China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) of conspiring to violate US export laws in the sale of aerospace equipment. Authorities said that it was clear before the equipment left the US that it was intended for PRC military use. However, Boeing officials said that McDonnell Douglas had committed no crimes and had no reason to believe that the CATIC would attempt to use the equipment for military purposes.

The Associated Press (“CHINA DENIES US CHARGE MISSILE PLANT USED MACHINE TOOLS,” Beijing, 10/20/99) reported that the PRC Foreign Ministry on Wednesday denied charges that machinery imported from the US for civilian use ended up in a missile factory. The ministry warned in a statement that PRC-US relations could be harmed if the case is not resolved “appropriately.” It added, “The Chinese side asks the American side, proceeding from overall China-US relations, to seek truth through facts in dealing with this problem and resolve this case appropriately so as not to impact the improvement and development of China-US relations.” It said that the tools were second-hand, made in 1983, “not at all technologically advanced and can be bought on the international market without limitations.”

6. US-Indian Talks

Reuters (“INDIA, U.S. TO DISCUSS REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS,” New Delhi, 10/20/99) reported that Indian officials said Wednesday that Indian National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra arrived in Washington for talks which are likely to include the military takeover in Pakistan. An unnamed foreign ministry spokesman stated, “It would be reasonable to expect that recent developments in our region would be discussed.” Indian officials said that the discussions were aimed at laying the groundwork for US President Bill Clinton’s visit to India early next year.

The Associated Press (“CLINTON TO VISIT INDIA, WITH OR WITHOUT PAKISTAN – REPORT,” New Delhi, 10/20/99) reported that the Press Trust of India on Wednesday quoted US Ambassador to India Richard Celeste as saying that US President Bill Clinton will visit India early next year even if he does not go to Pakistan. Celeste stated, “I don’t believe that events in Pakistan will influence whether or not the president makes his trip here to India.”

7. Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

The Associated Press (Vladimir Isachenkov, “RUSSIANS REJECT U.S. ABM COMPROMISE,” Moscow, 10/20/99) reported that Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir Rakhmanin said Wednesday that Russia has turned down a US proposal to amend the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty in exchange for US help in completing a radar station. Rakhmanin stated, “We aren’t negotiating any kind of amendments to the ABM.” Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Russian armed forces Colonel General Valery Manilov stated, “there can’t be any compromise on the treaty.” He added, “The attempts by the United States to quit the ABM treaty objectively destroy the entire system of arms control and arms reduction agreements.”

8. Russian Missile Test

The Associated Press (“RUSSIA TESTS BALLISTIC MISSILE,” Moscow, 10/20/99) reported that Russia test- launched an RS-18 Stiletto intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday from Kazakstan. The missile successfully hit a target at the Kura testing ground in the Kamchatka peninsula on Russia’s Pacific coast. The RS-18 will have to be decommissioned if Russia ratifies the START-II nuclear arms reduction treaty.

9. US Cold War Nuclear Deployment

The Associated Press (Robert Burns, “PENTAGON REVEALS WEAPONS LOCATIONS,” Washington, 09/20/99), Reuters (Charles Aldinger, “U.S. HAD NUCLEAR ARMS IN 15 COUNTRIES – REPORT,” Washington, 10/20/99), and The New York Times (Judith Miller, “U.S. ONCE DEPLOYED 12,000 ATOM ARMS IN 2 DOZEN NATIONS,” 10/20/99) reported that a report published in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on Wednesday said that the US stored about 12,000 nuclear weapons abroad during the Cold War. The report said that US nuclear bombs, missiles, or depth charges were in Canada, Cuba, Iceland, Japan, Morocco, the Philippines, Spain, the ROK, Taiwan, and a half dozen NATO states between 1955 and the late 1970s. Authors William Arkin, Robert Norris, and William Burr said that the weapons were stationed in some countries, including Iceland, without the knowledge of officials there. They said that the US now has no nuclear arms in Asia and only about 150 B-61 nuclear bombs stored at air bases in seven NATO countries — Belgium, Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. They added that the US is still the only country with nuclear weapons outside its borders. US Defense Department spokesman Kenneth H. Bacon said that the government would neither confirm nor deny the existence of nuclear weapons on foreign soil, but that at least one of the authors’ deductions about the countries in which nuclear weapons were stored was not correct. Donald P. Gregg, president of the Korea Society, said that when he was Ambassador to the ROK he raised the issue of the removal of nuclear weapons with ROK leaders more than a year before President Bush announced their withdrawal in 1991. He said that he had concluded, and the US military had agreed, that the weapons did not enhance US national security and could have become a provocation to the DPRK. [Ed. note: The article referred to was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for October 20, and is available at http://www.bullatomsci.org/issues/1999/nd99/nd99norris.html ]

10. US Arms Control Policy

The Boston Globe (John Donnelly, “ARMS CONTROL SPECIALISTS SEE RISK IN US TREATY MOVES,” Washington, 10/19/99, 1) reported that arms control specialists warned that the US Congress is attempting to dismantle the Cold War arms control framework. Joseph Cirincione, director of the nonproliferation project at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, stated, “You can feel it already. In the interconnected framework of treaties and agreements, if you take one of the key elements out, you risk the whole structure and it could collapse. That’s what’s happening here.” Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat-Connecticut, argued, “The treaties that were negotiated in a context of a two-power, bipolar Cold War world have less relevance. They’re outdated. The ABM treaty is the best example of that. The danger now is more from rogue nations, and we’re trying to convince the Russians they should have equal concern about it.” Tom Z. Collina, director of arms control for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that the US needs “some world view that balances all these threats” and should actively use diplomacy to reduce the threats. He warned, “The last thing the administration should want to do is pull out of a treaty with Russia.” [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for October 20.]

II. Republic of Korea

1. ROK Policy toward DPRK

The Korea Herald (Kim Kyung-ho, “KIM VOWS TO PUSH FOR S-N ECONOMIC ENTITY,” Seoul, 10/20/99) reported that ROK President Kim Dae-jung pledged on Tuesday that he would seek to build a joint economic entity between the ROK and the DPRK. Paving the way for this, Kim said he would continue to promote inter-Korean economic cooperation by sticking to his principle of separating politics from economy. The President made these points during a speech on state affairs to the National Assembly.

Joongang Ilbo (“‘NK SHOWS SOME POSITIVE STANCE TO WESTERN WORLD’, PRES. KIM SAYS,” Seoul, 10/20/99) reported that the DPRK is rolling back 50 years of Cold War hostility in response to western efforts to improve ties, ROK President Kim Dae-Jung said in an interview published in the Washington Times on Tuesday. He warned, however, that should the DPRK reverse policy again, the regime will “sustain substantial pain.” Kim said that the DPRK was actively courting improved relations with the US and Japan and reconsidering its hostile stance towards the ROK. The improved climate was a result of the policy of engagement with the DPRK regime, he insisted, dismissing criticism that the DPRK was being rewarded for blackmail. He supported assertions in a new US report that the DPRK would have developed dozens of nuclear bombs by now if the West had not agreed to supply aid in return for an end to the DPRK’s nuclear program. He also backed the US’s decision last month to ease sanctions on the DPRK in return for DPRK’s pledge to suspend missile tests. “Unless we take the option of war I think we have to follow the Perry Report,” Kim said. However, should the DPRK return to outright hostility, Kim warned, “They have to understand that they will have substantial damage.”

2. DPRK-US Talks

The Korea Herald (Shin Yong-bae, “N.K.’S DELAY IN RESUMING TALKS WITH U.S. SPAWNS SPECULATION,” Seoul, 10/20/99) reported that the DPRK’s apparent delay in resuming talks on improving bilateral ties with the US has caught the attention of DPRK watchers in the ROK. The DPRK had planned to send Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan to the US October 6 to arrange high-level political talks between the two countries, as a follow-up to a bilateral agreement in Berlin, but Kim has yet to visit the US. “One of the reasons we can speculate is that the North is putting off Kim’s visit because it has yet to decide who should represent Pyongyang at the high-level talks,” said an ROK official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Early predictions had it that First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju would lead the DPRK delegation, becoming the highest-ranking DPRK official to visit the US in recent years. This outlook was based on the fact that Kang was the counterpart of William Perry when he visited Pyongyang in May. Rumors have arisen, however, that Kim Jong-il may appoint a higher-level official such as Kim Yong-sun, a minister-level official who chairs the DPRK’s Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee. “North Korean officials must be waiting for Kim Jong-il’s decision on who should head its delegation to the high-level talks,” said the official. He also said that there is no reason for the DPRK to rush into the US-DPRK talks as it has already won a US commitment to lift partial sanctions on the DPRK and to improve relations with it. “There is a possibility that the North will come to the negotiating table again after it sets its position on the Perry proposals to some extent,” he said.

3. US-DPRK Economic Cooperation

The Korea Herald (Samuel Len, “AMCHAM PLANS TRADE MISSION TO N.K. IN NOV.,” Seoul, 10/20/99) reported that a 10-member US trade mission representing business interests ranging from energy to infrastructure may visit the DPRK next month, the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AmCham) said on Tuesday. At its inaugural meeting Tuesday morning, the chamber’s DPRK Committee decided to send the first mission between November 15 and 30, depending on the DPRK’s response to the proposal. “This is the first time in North Korea-U.S. relations that U.S. firms have the opportunity to go to the North and survey on what may or may not be possible for business,” said AmCham President Jeffrey Jones. More than 100 businessmen attended the first meeting of the DPRK Committee and around 90 have applied to be part of the first trade mission, he said. However, the first mission will not seek specific investment projects or represent a specific company, but will assess possible areas of business. “We hope to see not only the Rajin-Sonbong investment zones, but other areas as well to seek projects to assist North Korea’s economic development,” Jones said. Among the regions the trade mission is expected to visit is the Tumen River development area sponsored by the UN Development Program. Kook-shin, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

4. DPRK Economic Zone

Chosun Ilbo (Chung Kyun-hwon, “NK EXPANDS FOREIGN INVESTMENT ZONES,” Seoul, 10/19/99) reported that the DPRK was confirmed on Tuesday to have revised its joint management law to allow foreign invested businesses to establish manufacturing plants outside the Rajin-Sonbong special economic zone. According to Professor Jin Kil-sang of Chosun University in Japan, which is run by pro-DPRK Korean residents, he visited the DPRK last month and contributed articles to a newspaper there. He said that a total of nine investment-related laws were revised this year that included the clause, “if necessary, joint projects can be established in other areas.” A spokesman for the ROK Ministry of Unification said that it was unclear as to whether ROK businesses were included in this. He said that overseas Koreans investing in the DPRK would receive tax breaks and favorable land prices. In the mean time the DPRK has strengthened control of licenses at Rajin-Sonbong, centralizing it in Pyongyang. Previously projects with a less than W20 million investment were handled at the site.

5. DPRK Defector

The Korea Herald (“NORTH KOREAN DEFECTOR ARRIVES FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM,” Seoul, 10/20/99) reported that the ROK National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that a DPRK refugee smuggled himself into the ROK via a third country on Monday and asked for political asylum. The defector, identified by the pseudonym of Kim Kyu- chol, 27, is being questioned about why and how he defected from the DPRK. A mineworker, he escaped from the DPRK to a third country on October 8 and had been staying there until he reached the ROK, officials said.

6. Separated Korean Families

Joongang Ilbo (Bong Hwa-shik, “REAL-TIME INTERNET VIDEO MEETINGS FOR SEPARATED FAMILIES,” Seoul, 10/19/99) reported that a way for members of ROK and DPRK dispersed families to communicate with each other live through the Internet is being promoted by Korea Land, a real estate company. Kang Young-soo, president of Korea Land, said on Tuesday, “I’m trying to connect those scattered family members in North and South Korea so they can see and talk to each other by using a computer picture system via the Internet, and I’ll probably visit North Korea this week.” He will form a contract before developing the program and emphasized that he has already received positive signs from DPRK officials. From the DPRK’s point of view, it can save costs on training users, participants do not directly meet each other, thus mitigating security concerns, and they will obtain a fee from the ROK government for using the network. The information center for dispersed families already installed at the ROK Red Cross might be utilized for video meetings.

7. ROK Laborers’ Visit to DPRK

The Korea Times (“2 KCTU LEADERS TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR TESTIMONY TO N.KOREA VISIT,” Seoul, 10/19/99) reported that the ROK prosecution on Tuesday obtained a letter of arraignment to summon two unionists as witnesses in an investigation into the four-day visit to the DPRK by a delegation from the Korean Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU). The arraignment letter was sent to Joung Kyoung-eun, member of the editing staff, and Lee Hong-woo, first vice president of KCTU-affiliated Korean Metal Workers’ Federation (KMWF). The prosecution has decided to arraign the two because they repeatedly refused to comply with summons to testify in relation to alleged pro-DPRK activities by the KCTU delegation during the visit such as paying respect to the deceased DPRK leader Kim Il-sung and praising his achievements. Prosecutors said they plan to forcibly bring Joung and Lee to the prosecutor’s office if they continue to fail to honor the summons voluntarily. The KCTU said that its visit to the DPRK was authorized by the ROK government. “I can’t understand why the prosecution is investigating our authorized visit to the North. Some business tycoons have often visited the communist nation even without prior approval by the government,” a KCTU staff said. He said that many businessmen usually go unpunished for their unauthorized travel to the DPRK for the sake of economic interests.

8. Korea War Massacre

The Korea Times (“VILLAGERS CLAIM CIVILIAN KILLING BY US WARPLANES,” Seoul, 10/19/99) reported that residents at a small village in the southeastern city of Euisung on Monday joined the ranks of ROK citizens who claimed to be victims of US atrocities during the 1950-53 Korean War. The Yonhap News Agency reported that 17 civilians at the hamlet of Jeo-ri were killed during an air raid by US fighters on Feburary 4, 1951, quoting the villagers. According to the report, four US fighters bombed and strafed the village about 20 minutes after a reconnaissance plane circled at a low altitude. The attack set most of the 60 houses in the village on fire, killing 17, mostly children, women and old men. More than 20 were also injured. The villagers reportedly plan to lodge petitions with the presidential office of Chong Wa Dae and the ROK Defense Ministry, asking for thorough investigations into the alleged massacre and compensation for their damages.

9. ROK on Japan’s Nuclear Policy

The Korea Times (“SEOUL EXPRESSES REGRETS OVER JAPAN VICE MINISTER’S REMARKS,” Seoul, 10/20/99) reported that the ROK on Tuesday expressed regrets over the Japanese vice defense minister’s remarks in which he urged Japan to arm itself with nuclear weapons. “It is regrettable that a Japanese official holding the status of the vice defense minister made such unacceptable remarks,” an ROK Foreign Affairs-Trade Ministry official said. In an interview with Weekly Playboy published on Tuesday, Shingo Nishimura said, “Nuclear arms work as a deterrent. If we don’t get punished for raping women, we all become rape maniacs. But we don’t do it because there is the deterrent of punishment.” He added, “Countries which have no nuclear weapons in their possession are in the utmost danger.”

10. ROK Nuclear Safety

The Korea Times (“JOINT INSPECTION TEAM TO BE SET UP TO PROBE NUKE ACCIDENT,” Seoul, 10/20/99) reported that ROK government on Tuesday announced a plan to form a joint nuclear inspection team to overhaul the safety of nuclear power plants as well as to investigate a recent safety accident in Wolsung. Seo Jung-uck, minister of science and technology, said that the government has decided to set up the “Comprehensive Nuclear Safety Inspection Team” in order to bring light to nuclear accidents and step up nuclear safety regulations. The joint inspection team will be participated in by residents near nuclear plants, environmental groups, members of the Nuclear Safety Commission affiliated with the Science-Technology Ministry, nuclear experts, the government and local administrations. The team is scheduled to conduct safety checkups on power plants in Wolsung and Uljin this month. It also plans to inspect other nuclear power stations in other regions next month. It said that the operation of power plants could be suspended if they are found to have serious safety problems. The government pledged to take appropriate measures to solve any safety glitches, which might pose a threat to nuclear safety.

11. ROK Participation in East Timor Peacekeeping

The Korea Herald (“GOV’T DONATES RELIEF GOODS FOR EAST TIMORESE REFUGEES,” Seoul, 10/20/99) and The Korea Times (“SEOUL TO DONATE $100,000 TO EAST TIMOR,” Seoul, 10/19/99) reported that the ROK government on Tuesday decided to donate relief aid materials worth US$100,000 to the Indonesian government to help refugees who have escaped from East Timor. “We plan to provide the emergency relief aid to Indonesia as soon as we decide what items we will send,” said an official at the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

12. ROK View on East Timor Independence

The Korea Times (“SEOUL WELCOMES JAKARTA’S RATIFICATION ON TIMOR INDEPENDENCE,” Seoul, 10/20/99) reported that the ROK on Tuesday welcomed the Indonesian parliament’s ratification of the results of East Timor’s independence vote. ROK Foreign Affairs-Trade Ministry spokesman Chang Chul-kyoon said, “Our government welcomes the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR)’s decision because it meets the principles of democracy and expectations from the international community.” He hoped that East Timor’s independence would proceed smoothly and peacefully in accordance with scheduled procedures.

13. ROK-Singapore Talks

The Korea Herald (Chon Shi-yong, “PRESIDENT TO MEET SINGAPORE’S LEE KWAN YEW ON ‘ASIAN VALUES’,” Seoul, 10/20/99) and The Korea Times (Lee Chang-sup, “PRES. KIM, LEE KUAN YEW TO DEBATE ON ASIAN VALUE,” Seoul, 10/19/99) reported that ROK President Kim Dae-jung and former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew will meet in Seoul on Friday. Kim’s aides said that Lee, who will come to Seoul Thursday at the invitation of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), will pay a visit to the President at Chong Wa Dae on Friday. On the same day, President Kim will also host a luncheon meeting for Lee and other prominent figures attending a two-day conference of an international advisory group for the FKI. The FKI advisers include former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and former US Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor, officials said. The Chong Wa Dae meeting between the two leaders is drawing public attention because of their different views on political and social culture in Asia. Their now famous debate on Asian values began when Lee’s view – that “Western concepts” of democracy and human rights would not work in Asia – was published by Foreign Affairs magazine in the March/April 1994 edition.

III. People’s Republic of China

1. ROK-DPRK Relations

People’s Daily (Gao Haorong, “KIM DAE-JUNG PROPOSES ESTABLISHMENT OF INTER-KOREAN ECONOMIC BODY,” Seoul, 10/20/99, A6) reported that ROK President Kim Dae-jung on October 19 proposed the establishment of an inter-Korean economic confederation to seek people’s development and welfare on the Korean Peninsula. The confederation would promote ROK-DPRK economic cooperation, Kim said in his state address to the National Assembly read by Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil. He stressed that his government will further endeavor to restore inter-Korean governmental talks, especially high-level meetings, so as to solve issues of mutual concern. President Kim also said it is necessary to revise the National Security Law, which has already failed to reflect reality between the ROK and the DPRK.

2. PRC Media’s View on CTBT Defeat

People’s Daily (Ma Shikun and Zhang Yong, “WHAT EXAMPLE IS THE US GOING TO SET?” 10/15/99, A6) carried a commentary saying that the Republican-controlled US Senate on October 13 voted not to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) after US President Bill Clinton refused to make the commitment that he would not bring the issue up during the rest of his tenure. As to the reasons for the Republicans to oppose the treaty, the article said that the treaty was thought to tie the hands of the US to the detriment of the state interest of the US. In the view of the Republicans, the treaty will be of little use in helping the US to guard against nuclear proliferation or prevent other countries from carrying out research on developing nuclear weaponry, the article said. However, the article said, the Democrats emphasize that the treaty bans all tests of nuclear explosions, while the US can carry out simulated computerized tests and non-nuclear explosion tests to improve its nuclear arsenal. Moreover, the 320 observatory (supervisory) stations built across the world would be able to discover any practical nuclear explosion tests conducted, the Democrats suggest. On the whole, the Democrats believe that the treaty ties the hands of other countries instead of the US and that it is in the interest of the US and brings no harm to the US, the article said. The irresponsible vote taken by the US Senate goes naturally against the common will of the world people, said the article. It said that a veto cast by a legislature body such as the US Senate is a thing that has never been seen in the world but in the US. This is a country that has set a bad example in today’s world, it said. Literally it will mean an encouragement to nuclear tests and growing possibilities for nuclear proliferation, not to mention the blasphemy and harm wrought to the CTBT, the article concluded.

People’s Liberation Army Daily (Dai Rong, “SETTING A BAD EXAMPLE BY VETOING CTBT,” 10/18/99, A5) carried an article saying that US Senate’s veto on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) on October 13 gave a blow to the Clinton administration’s foreign policy. The refusal of the US to ratify the CTBT will make the banning of nuclear weapons in the world more difficult, the article said. According to the article, the US has always wanted to play an exemplary role in nuclear disarmament, but today it is the US Congress that refused to smoothly ratify the CTBT. The fact shows that some people in the US do not want to give up its “nuclear stick” and always want to carry out nuclear blackmail with different kinds of excuses, the article said.

3. PRC Response to Pakistan’s Situation

China Daily (Shao Zongwei, “NATION CALLS FOR NORMALCY IN PAKISTAN,” 10/20/99, A1) reported that China on October 19 expressed the hope from the perspective of “a friendly neighbor” that normalcy will be restored in Pakistan as soon as possible. PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue made the remark when asked to comment on the Sunday address by Pakistan’s Chief Executive and Army Chief General Pervaiz Musharraf, the report said.

4. PRC-US Relations

China Daily (“COMMON GROUND FOUND,” Washington, 10/18/99, A1) reported that high-level PRC and US officials who met in Washington last week agreed that Taiwan should comply with a one-China policy. A delegation spokesman said in Washington on October 16 that the delegation from the Chinese National People’s Congress and US Congress members also talked about trade, regional security and other issues of common concern. “The talks were held in a friendly, frank and serious atmosphere,” the spokesman said. According to the report, though the two sides still differ on some issues, they agreed to cooperate in eliminating what differences remain. The PRC delegation reiterated the PRC’s principled position on Taiwan, while the US side said it would commit to the one-China policy, including the “three nos” — no support for Taiwan’s independence, for two Chinas or for Taiwan’s membership in organizations requiring statehood.

5. Mainland Rescue Aid to Taiwan

People’s Daily (“MAINLAND POISED TO OFFER AIDS AT ALL TIME,” 10/18/99, A1) reported that a spokesman with the Taiwan Work Office of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China said on October 18 that the ties of flesh and blood linking people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits cannot be severed, and no matter what Taiwan authorities do, the mainland will continue to offer all possible earthquake relief. The spokesman blamed some Taiwan officials for preventing PRC relief workers and materials from entering the island. He said that at a time when both sides of the Straits should cooperate to help earthquake victims, Taiwan officials have continued to be hostile towards the mainland and ignored the mainland’s disaster-relief efforts. Immediately after the island was hit by the September 21 earthquake, the spokesman said, President Jiang Zemin expressed sympathy to the Taiwanese and said that the PRC was willing to offer any help needed. The PRC has provided US$300,000 to Taiwan and put together teams of seismologists, medical experts, and other rescue workers, who are all ready to head for the island as soon as they are allowed. The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits has also sent a message to the Straits Exchange Foundation expressing its willingness to help. However, the spokesman said that some people in Taiwan distorted the facts by spreading rumors to mislead public opinions. He said this behavior may be a way to distract attention from Taiwan people’s criticism of the Taiwan authorities’ poor performance during the rescue operations.

6. Across-Taiwan Straits Relations

People’s Daily (“TAIWAN URGED TO RELEASE FISHERMEN AND BOATS,” Beijing, 10/16/99, A2) reported that a spokesman with the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) said on October 15 that Taiwan must stop wantonly detaining PRC fishing boats, and humiliating and beating up PRC fishermen. He also urged Taiwan to, as soon as possible, release 12 boats and more than 40 fishermen still in its custody. According to incomplete figures from ARATS, the report said that more than 200 PRC fishermen had been detained by Taiwan police as of August. On August 12 alone, six boats and 11 fishermen from Xiamen, in East China’s Fujian Province, were detained by the Taiwanese. The ARATS spokesman said that Taiwanese police activities have seriously affected normal order of production and life across the Taiwan Straits. The police have caused great personal and property damages to the mainland fishermen. Their actions have aroused the central government’s concerns and incensed fishermen along the coast, said the spokesman.

7. Y2K Problem in PRC’s Defense Sector

Business Weekly (Wang Chuandong, “DEFENSE SECTORS READY FOR Y2K,” 10/17-23/99, A1) reported that the state defense administration said that China’s defense sector and nuclear facilities will be Y2K compliant at the turn of the century. “We can ensure all facilities in the country’s defense sector will be safe and reliable on January 1, 2000,” said a report of the State Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense of China, made available to the newspaper. The report said the heads of related sectors have signed responsibility contracts with the State commission to ensure avoidance of Y2K problems in their own facilities. The national defense commission supervises 10 group corporations, focusing on key industries, of weapons, nuclear power, space, aviation and shipbuilding. In an effort to ensure that defense facilities can avoid Y2K-related computer problems, the commission has sent 12 special of sensitive equipment and production lines since late August. The report said existing weapon systems are basically immune from the affects of Y2K computer problems. “There will be no nuclear leaks or explosions caused by Y2K problems in our two operational nuclear power stations,” said the report.

8. Aerospace Cooperation

China Daily (Zhao Huanxin, “PACT LAUNCHES NEW SATELLITE,” 10/19/99, A1) reported that the PRC will send an Italian-made satellite into orbit in 2001, which will be a breakthrough in the expansion of its commercial launch service to Europe. It said, according to an agreement signed in Beijing on October 18, the China Great Wall Industry Corporation will take Satelcom, a telecommunications satellite owned by the Rome-based Alenia Aerospazio company, into space aboard a three-stage Long March 3A rocket. When asked if the procurement of the Italian contract meant that the PRC will shift its commercial launch service to the European market in the wake of ups and downs in Sino-US technological collaboration, Zhang Xinxia, president of the Great Wall company, said: “Traditionally, US satellites have accounted for a lion’s share of China’s commercial launch service. We will not forget our old friends, but our efforts to make new friends and sign new contracts will continue.”

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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
The Center for Global Communications, Tokyo, Japan
Center for American Studies,
Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
Asian Institute,
Monash University, Clayton, Australia

Timothy L. Savage: 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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