CONTENTS
1. US View of DPRK and Agreed Framework
2. US View on Weapons Proliferators
3. Russia-US Arms Accord Discussion
4. More DPRK Asylum Seekers
5. Japan-ROK Relations
II. Japan 1. Japanese Logistical Support for US
2. Japanese New Security Legislation
3. US Forces in Japan
4. Anti-Terrorism Measure
5. Japan Conventional Weapons Office
III. People’s Republic of China 1. DPRK-US Relations
2. PRC Premier on DPRK Asylum Seekers
3. PRC-Japan-ROK Culture Exchanges
4. PRC-US Relations
5. PRC-Japanese Relations
6. PRC-Russian Relations
7. PRC Military Development
I. United States
1. US View of DPRK and Agreed Framework
US Senate (“Hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Worldwide Threat to US,” Washington, 03/19/02) reported that US Senator Carl Levin asked CIA Director George Tenet the following question, “Mr. Tenet, let me ask you about the agreed framework between ourselves and North Korea. The main requirement of this agreed framework is that the North Koreans maintain a freeze on their nuclear program, and that includes shutting their reactor, halting construction of new reactors, sealing the reprocessing plant, canning spent fuel and allowing IAEA inspectors to monitor their nuclear sites. In your judgment, is North Korea maintaining the freeze on its nuclear program?” Tenet responded, “Yes, sir. It’s complying with that specific agreement with regard to that specific facility.”
2. US View on Weapons Proliferators
Agence France-Presse (“CIA CHIEF CITES RUSSIA, CHINA, NORTH KOREA AS PROLIFERATORS,” 03/20/02) reported that on Tuesday CIA director George Tenet declared that Russia has emerged as the top-of-the-line supplier of advanced technology and training to countries seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction. Tenet also singled out the PRC and the DPRK as proliferators of missile technology in wide-ranging testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on threats facing the US. “Russia appears to be the first choice of proliferant states seeking the most advanced technology and training,” he said. Russian entities are providing other countries with technology and expertise applicable to chemical, biological and nuclear weapons as well as to ballistic missile and cruise missile projects, he said. The PRC is a key supplier of missile technology to Pakistan, Iran and several other countries, he said. This is in spite of Beijing’s November 2000 missile pledge not to assist in any way countries seeking to develop nuclear capable ballistic missiles,” he said. “We are closely watching Beijing’s compliance with its bilateral commitment in 1996 not to assist unsafeguarded nuclear facilities, and its pledge in 1997 not to provide any new nuclear cooperation to Iran,” he said. The DPRK continues to export complete ballistic missiles and production capabilities, he said. However, Tenet did acknowledge that the DPRK has abided by the terms of a 1994 Framework agreement that sought to freeze its nuclear weapons program.
3. Russia-US Arms Accord Discussion
The Associated Press (Alexander G. Higgins, “U.S., RUSSIA DISCUSS ARMS ACCORD,” Geneva, 03/21/02) reported that top Russian and US arms negotiators worked Thursday toward a new nuclear weapons accord to slash warheads by more than two-thirds over 10 years, a US official said. The deal would reduce the arsenals on each side to between 1,700 and 1,200 “strategically deployed” warheads, down from 6,000 each, the official said. “We are making progress” toward a short document, said the American official, who briefed reporters on condition of being identified only as a senior administration official. He said the final accord would not be reached in Geneva, but will be discussed further at a meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers in April. “We’re trying to refine the differences where we can and tee it up for the ministers to talk,” the official said. Beginning two days of talks Thursday, US Undersecretary of State John Bolton and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gregory Mamedov worked toward an accord for the May 23- 26 summit in Moscow and St. Petersburg between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The new accord has yet to be named, but it is meant to go beyond the START II treaty which has been blocked by the US Senate’s refusal to accept amendments made by the Russian Duma. The accord will be short and simple, the official said, noting that Secretary of State Colin Powell had predicted it would be only three or four pages long compared with the 2,000-page START I treaty.
4. More DPRK Asylum Seekers
Reuters (“SOUTH KOREA CONFIRMS ARRIVAL OF 24 MORE N.KOREANS,” Seoul, 03/21/02) reported that just days after 25 DPRK escapees reached the Seoul, the ROK reported on Thursday the arrival of 24 more defectors from the DPRK. The ROK’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that most of the 24 DPRK citizens had fled their country in February 1997 and made their way to the ROK through third countries. It gave no details on their escape routes or arrival times. It said the latest arrivals had taken the number of DPRK asylum seekers to have reached the ROK this year to 162. Last year, a record 583 DPRK citizens defected to the ROK.
5. Japan-ROK Relations
The Associated Press (Paul Shin, “JAPANESE PREMIER ARRIVES IN S. KOREA,” Seoul, 03/21/02) and Reuters (Teruaki Ueno, “JAPAN PM ARRIVES IN S.KOREA FOR PRE-WORLD CUP TOUR,” Seoul, 03/21/02) reported that Japan prime minister Junichiro Koizumi began a three-day visit to the ROK on Thursday that ROK officials said was expected to focus on trade, investment and the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament. ROK President Kim Dae-jung’s chief spokesman Park Sun-sook expressed, “With about two months to the World Cup, we hope that the visit will help foster a future-oriented relationship between the two countries.” Koizumi and Kim will meet Friday to discuss topics that will include the DPRK according to ROK officials. The leaders will also sign a treaty aimed at encouraging investment in each other’s country. “Koizumi’s visit is part of the two countries’ efforts to fully restore their relations to the level in 1998 when they agreed to put their thorny history behind and look ahead for a new relationship,” said Yun Duk-min, a researcher at Seoul’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, a Foreign Ministry think-tank.
II. Japan
1. Japanese Logistical Support for US
The Japan Times (“DEFENSE AGENCY MAY TRY TO EXTEND SDF ANTITERRORISM MISSION BY HALF A YEAR,” Tokyo, 03/18/02) reported that the Japanese Defense Agency is planning to extend by half a year a Self-Defense Forces (SDF) operation in the Arabian Sea to provide non-combat support to US-led military action against terrorism, agency sources said Sunday. The government’s basic plan for the SDF to provide logistic support to the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan stipulates the duration of the SDF dispatch should be from November 20, 2001, to May 19, 2002. But senior agency officials said an extension is necessary because other forces in the antiterrorism campaign plan to continue operations. “It is difficult for Japan alone to pull out,” a high-ranking agency official said. The agency expects the government to revise the basic plan in early May unless dramatic movements occur such as confirmation of the death or arrest of Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mohammed Omar, the sources said. The agency does not plan to change the nature of the SDF mission and therefore it does not believe revising the basic plan requires Diet approval, the sources said.
2. Japanese New Security Legislation
The Asahi Shimbun (“SDF TO GET MORE LEEWAY IN ATTACK,” Tokyo, 03/20/02) reported that the Japanese government plans as early as next month to submit to the Diet a package of four bills governing Japan’s response to a military attack, sources said Tuesday. A comprehensive bill will outline the framework for such a response, while a special measures bill will address the activities of US forces based in Japan. The two other bills will revise the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) Law and the law under which the Security Council of Japan was established. Government officials, however, were unable to clearly state what situations would constitute a military attack, saying the issue would be left for future discussion. Concerning the second bill, Government officials agreed to include it in the legislative package on Monday, following a request from US government officials. Meanwhile, among the revisions to the SDF Law is a provision allowing SDF personnel to fire their weapons in defending their colleagues without actually being formally deployed on an operation. The new legislation will also establish a team of specialists tasked with conducting simulations of possible military attacks on Japan, and will introduce more flexibility to the Security Council to allow the participation of other Cabinet members should the need arise.
3. US Forces in Japan
Kyodo (“AIRCRAFT CARRIER KITTY HAWK LEAVES PORT,” Yokosuka, 03/20/02) reported that the US aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk on Monday left its home port of Yokosuka, possibly for deployment in the US-led multinational war on terrorism. The US Navy said the carrier is engaged in ordinary operations and refused to disclose its destination. But it is believed to be heading to the Indian Ocean to support US military operations there.
4. Anti-Terrorism Measure
Jiji Press (“JAPAN HELPS FIGHT NUCLEAR TERROR,” Vienna, 03/20/02) reported that Japan offered US$500,000 to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for protection against nuclear terrorism on the first day of a five-day meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors on Monday. The IAEA said it will have to increase its annual budget by US$30 million for a plan to protect nuclear facilities from terrorist attacks. The US, Britain, Australia and the Netherlands have already expressed their intention to provide money to the IAEA.
5. Japan Conventional Weapons Office
The Japan Times (“STATE PLANS DISARMAMENT OFFICE FOR CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS,” Tokyo, 03/18/02) reported that the Japanese Foreign Ministry will set up an office April 1 to promote disarmament of conventional weapons abroad by encouraging demining and collection of small arms, government sources said Sunday. The tentatively called “conventional weapons office” will have six to seven staff and focus exclusively on conventional weapons rather than weapons of mass destruction, the sources said. The team will begin formulating measures to aid demining in war-ravaged Afghanistan and also launch a program abroad to offer economic assistance in exchange for local efforts to collect small arms, they said. The office will also study the feasibility of beefing up an international action plan to curb illicit trade in small arms by requiring manufacturers to mark small weapons so they can be identified. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi promised to commit Japan to help in the elimination of small arms in January in a statement issued at an international meeting on small arms in Tokyo.
III. People’s Republic of China
1. DPRK-US Relations
People’s Daily (Zhao Jiaming, “DPRK SLAMS US-ROK JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES,” Pyongyang, 03/19/02, P3) reported that the DPRK on March 18 denounced the US and ROK for their planned joint military maneuvers, warning of a “touch-and-go” situation on the Korean Peninsula. The DPRK “cannot but take a serious note of the fact that the US is going to stage the largest-ever joint military exercises… at a time when a scenario for nuclear attacks in which the DPRK is made the target of nuclear assault is floated in the US,” a spokesperson for the DPRK Foreign Ministry said.
2. PRC Premier on DPRK Asylum Seekers
People’s Daily (“PREMIER ZHU ANSWERS QUESTIONS,” Beijing, 03/16/02, P1 & 3) reported that when answering ROK Chosun Daily correspondent’s question that more than 20 people from the DPRK entered the Spanish Embassy in Beijing, PRC Premier Zhu Rongji said at a press conference on March 15 that PRC Foreign Ministry has consulted with the relevant embassy and has reached an agreement with them. This matter will be handled in accordance with law, Zhu said. He asked the correspondent to be more patient. The result will become clear very soon, maybe, he said.
3. PRC-Japan-ROK Culture Exchanges
People’s Daily (Liu Qiong, “CHINA, JAPAN, ROK TO HOLD CULTURE EXCHANGE FAIRS,” Beijing, 03/21/02, P4) reported that the PRC, Japan and the ROK are embracing an important year for cultural exchanges as four big events converge within the next couple of weeks. According to the report, a “Chinese Culture Year” and a “Japanese Culture Year” will be held respectively in Tokyo and Beijing in early April, to mark the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, it said, a “China-ROK People-to-People Exchange Year” will be launched at the end of this month in Beijing and Seoul in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. It said a “China-Japan-ROK Culture Exchange Year” will also be launched at the same time according to the sources with China’s Ministry of Culture.
4. PRC-US Relations
China Daily (“US CONDEMNED FOR HARMING BILATERAL RELATIONS,” 03/18/02, P1) reported that PRC Vice-Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing summoned US Ambassador to PRC Clark T. Randt on March 16 to make solemn representations with the US Government on its recent acts of interfering in the PRC’s internal affairs and undermining Sino-US relations. Li expressed the PRC Government and people’s strong indignation and firm opposition to these acts. He urged the US side to immediately correct these mistakes, abide by the three Joint Communiques, refrain from doing things that harm others and itself, and contribute to stronger mutual trust and cooperation between the two countries, to maintain the overall interests of PRC-US relations and keep the interests of both peoples from undue harms.
5. PRC-Japanese Relations
China Daily (“TALKS HELD,” Tokyo, 03/20/02, P2) reported that PRC Vice- Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Toshiyuki Takano held their first vice-ministerial security meeting on March 18 on regional security, defense policies and other issues of common concern. Wang expressed concerns over the arms expansion by Japan in recent years and urged it to stick to the road of peaceful development, said the report. It reported that Takano said Japan will adhere to its peaceful constitution and refrain from becoming a major military power.
6. PRC-Russian Relations
People’s Daily (“JIANG ZEMIN HAVE PHONE TALKS WITH PUTIN,” Beijing, 03/21/02, P1) reported that PRC President Jiang Zemin had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the night of March 20. They exchanged views on strengthening the mutually beneficial cooperation between PRC and Russia, the report said.
7. PRC Military Development
People’s Daily (Zhang Xuanjie, Wu Xudong, Bi Yongjun and Guo Jia, “CHAIRMAN JIANG PAYS GREAT ATTENTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECOND ARTILLERY,” 03/20/02, P1) carried a report narrating the great attention paid by PRC President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) Jiang Zemin to the development of the Second Artillery Force (SAF) of PRC. The article said that since Jiang took charge of the work at the CMC, he has attached great importance to the development of the SAF. He himself has inspected the SAF for many times, and made a serious of important instructions, which pointed out the directions for the development of the troop, said the article. Jiang time and again urged the commanders to put focus on the defensive combat under the conditions of modern, especially high, technology, and to fasten the technology modernization of equipment, so that the combat capability of the troop can be improved comprehensively, the article said.
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