NAPSNET Week in Review 31 March, 2000

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"NAPSNET Week in Review 31 March, 2000", NAPSNet Weekly Report, March 31, 2000, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-weekly/napsnet-week-in-review-31-march-2000/

Korean Peninsula


1. DPRK-PRC Relations

The Joongang Ilbo reported that the DPRK sent a message to the PRC requesting that a top official–either President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji, or Li Peng–visit the DPRK.
“DPRK-PRC Relations” (Daily Report, March 31, ROK)


2. DPRK-Italy Relations

Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini visited the DPRK this week and held talks with high-level officials. Dini invited DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun to visit Italy, and Paek accepted the offer.
“DPRK-Italy Relations” (Daily Report, March 31, ROK)
“Italy-DPRK Talks” (Daily Report, March 30, US)
“DPRK-Italy Relations” (Daily Report, March 30, ROK)
“Italy-DPRK Relations” (Daily Report, March 28, ROK)
“Italy-DPRK Relations” (Daily Report, March 27, US)


3. Japan-DPRK Talks

Kojiro Takano, Japanese envoy for negotiations with the DPRK, said that he will urge the DPRK to resume dialogue with the ROK when he meets with his DPRK counterparts next week. He warned that rapid progress should not be expected in the talks. The DPRK said that Japan must atone for its colonization of Korea before normalization of relations can be achieved.
“Japan-DPRK Talks” (Daily Report, March 31, Japan)
“Japan-DPRK Talks” (Daily Report, March 30, US)
“Japan-DPRK Talks” (Daily Report, March 27, US)


4. DPRK High-Level Visit to US

The DPRK said that it would not send a high-level delegation to the US unless the US removes it from the list of nations sponsoring terrorism.
“DPRK High-Level US Visit” (Daily Report, March 29, US)
“DPRK High-Level Visit to US” (Daily Report, March 28, US)


5. ROK-DPRK Talks

Former US State Department official Kenneth Quinones, recently returned from a trip to the DPRK, said that the DPRK’s response to ROK President Kim Dae-jung’s proposal for inter-Korean talks was “generally positive.” ROK officials said they expect the DPRK to eventually agree to the talks.
“DPRK-ROK Talks” (Daily Report, March 28, ROK)


6. DPRK Participation in International Organizations

The ROK Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry said that Kim Young-nam, chairman of the standing committee of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly, is expected to attend the upcoming meeting of the Group of 77 developing nations in Havana, Cuba. ROK President Kim Dae-jung called on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to admit the DPRK as a “guest member.”
“DPRK Participation in International Summit” (Daily Report, March 31, ROK)
“DPRK Diplomacy” (Daily Report, March 31, Japan)
“DPRK Participation in APEC” (Daily Report, March 31, US)


7. DPRK-Australia Relations

Professor James Cotton of the Australia Defence Force Academy reviews the recent developments in DPRK-Australia relations and prospects for the future as part of the ongoing Policy Forum Online, “Engaging North Korea.”
“A New Initiative in Australia-DPRK Relations” (Policy Forum Online #00-02D)


8. ROK-Japan-US Policy Coordination

Senior officials from the US, ROK, and Japan met in Tokyo this week to discuss policy toward the DPRK. Earlier, Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono held talks with ROK President Kim Dae-jung in Seoul. An editorial in the Asia Wall St. Journal argued that engagement only serves to prolong the DPRK regime.
“US-ROK-Japan Policy Coordination” (Daily Report, March 20, US)
“Japanese-ROK Talks” (Daily Report, March 31, Japan)
“ROK-Japan Talks” (Daily Report, March 28, ROK)
“ROK-Japan Talks” (Daily Report, March 27, ROK)


9. DPRK Defectors

The ROK Foreign Ministry announced that it will start referring to DPRK citizens in hiding in the PRC and Russia as “refugees,” and will seek protection for them under international law.
“DPRK Defectors” (Daily Report, March 31, ROK)


People’s Republic of China


10. US-PRC Talks

US National Security Adviser Samuel R. Berger completed two days of talks with PRC officials in Beijing on March 30. Both sides described the talks as positive, and said that they had contributed to putting US-PRC relations back on track.
“US-PRC Talks” (Daily Report, March 31, US)
“US-PRC Talks” (Daily Report, March 30, US)
“PRC-US Talks” (Daily Report, March 30, PRC)
“US-PRC Talks” (Daily Report, March 29, US)
“US-PRC Relations” (Daily Report, March 28, US)


11. PRC Threat to Taiwan

According to the Washington Post, a new US Defense Department report says that the PRC’s military threat to Taiwan is greater than is generally thought. The Washington Times quoted US intelligence officials as saying that the PRC is deploying advanced air defense missiles across the strait from Taiwan. Li Jiaquan, research fellow with the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that “definitely the current condition across the Taiwan Straits should not last for too long.”
“PRC Threat to Taiwan” (Daily Report, March 31, US)
“The Taiwan Issue” (Daily Report, March 30, PRC)
“PRC Missile Threat to Taiwan” (Daily Report, March 28, US)
“PRC Policy toward Taiwan” (Daily Report, March 28, US)


12. Cross-Straits Relations

Deputy chief of mission at the PRC Embassy in Washington Liu Xiaoming said that the PRC government will not lift trade restrictions between the PRC and Taiwan until Taiwan president-elect Chen Shui-bian accepts the “one China” principle. Taiwan legislator Feng Hu-hsiang said that Chen had sent “quite a few envoys” to the PRC, but were all turned away.
“Cross-Straits Trade Relations” (Daily Report, March 30, US)
“Cross-Straits Relations” (Daily Report, March 28, US)


13. PRC-Russian Relations

Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev met with his PRC counterpart Chi Haotian in Astana and promised him that there would be no major changes in Russia’s relations with the PRC following the victory of Vladimir Putin in Russian presidential elections. The PRC, Russia, and three Central Asian states agreed to increase military cooperation to fight terrorism and Islamic separatism.
“PRC-Russian Relations” (Daily Report, March 30, US)
“PRC-Russian Relations” (Daily Report, March 30, PRC)
“Shanghai Five Meeting” (Daily Report, March 28, US)
“PRC-Russian Relations” (NPP Flash, V. 2, N. 11)


14. PRC-India Relations

Indian President K.R. Narayanan will visit the PRC in May to attend ceremonies marking the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. Indian officials called for resolving the unsolved territorial disputes between the two countries.

“PRC-India Border Dispute” (Daily Report, March 31, US)


South Asia


15. Clinton’s South Asia Trip

US President Bill Clinton concluded his trip to India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh on March 26. Nautilus email services carried various analyses of the trip.
“Special Report: The Clinton Visit” (South Asia Nuclear Dialogue)
“US Policy toward South Asia” (NPP Flash, V. 2, N. 11)
“Clinton’s South Asia Trip” (NPP Flash, V. 2, N. 11)


16. South Asian Nuclear Arsenals

Gregory Jones argued that despite their nuclear tests, India and Pakistan are still a ways from being full-fledged nuclear powers. In particular, he said that if they were to proceed with deployment, their forces would not be capable of withstanding a first strike.
“South Asian Nuclear Weapons” (NPP Flash, V. 2, N. 11)

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