Copyright
1998 Federal Information Systems Corporation
FNS DAYBOOK
JULY 2, 1998, THURSDAY
EDITION: FINAL
SECTION: GENERAL NEWS EVENTS
LENGTH: 65 words
HEADLINE: EVENT: BRIEFING ON SLAVE LABOR IN CHINA
TIME: 10:00 am
BODY:
SUBJECT: The Free China Movement sponsors a press conference
to announce
litigation against Adidas America for making soccer balls inside Chinese
labor-reform concentration camps.
LOCATION: Law Offices of Hemenway and Associates, 1150 Conn. Ave. NW.,
Suite
900.
FNS DAYBOOK JULY 2, 1998
-- July 2
CONTACT: 703-645-9054
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: July 2, 1998
Copyright 1998 Times Mirror Company
Los Angeles Times
June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Home Edition
SECTION: Part A; Page 10; Foreign Desk
LENGTH: 1088 words
HEADLINE: CHINA IS ABUZZ OVER OPENNESS;
CULTURE: DISCUSSIONS OF ONCE-FORBIDDEN SUBJECTS RAISE HOPES FOR FURTHER
EXCHANGES.
BYLINE: MAGGIE FARLEY, TIMES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SHANGHAI
BODY:
President Clinton's taboo-breaking dialogue with Chinese
President Jiang
Zemin and his later uncensored discussion with Beijing University students--both
sessions broadcast live nationwide--have sparked another debate here:
Is this
the beginning of more openness in China?
Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1998
"It is a turning point for our country," said Huang Renwei,
a professor of
American Studies at Shanghai's Academy of Social Sciences. "It showed
the two
countries facing each other as equals, not only having a conversation
but
respecting their different opinions. It seems to be a signal that there
can be
more open discussion now in China."
In the first television appearance, Clinton broke China's
nine-year silence
about the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre to talk about the importance
of human
rights during his news conference with Jiang. In Monday's speech at
the
university, he again put an emphasis on human rights.
Jiang parried by asserting that the crackdown, in which
hundreds, perhaps
thousands, of pro-democracy, anti-corruption protesters were killed,
preserved
the social stability that has improved the living conditions of millions
of
Chinese in the last decade.
*
Beijing University students continued the frank exchange,
asking Clinton
tough questions, while this nation watched, about perceived contradictions
in
U.S. policy.
Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1998
It was groundbreaking that the leaders were talking about
such once-forbidden
subjects at all--and that a potential audience of 800 million Chinese
citizens
could hear the results unedited. But more important, perhaps, is that
the
sessions have raised expectations that such public discussions on such
tough
issues can and should happen again.
"I think this nonscripted press conference is an innovation
in China," said
Zhang Guo Liang, deputy director of Fudan University's Journalism School.
"It
has never happened like this in China before, but I think that the
practice will
be expanded. This shows that China is getting on the track of the international
advanced way of doing things."
The sensation that has caused in China may be difficult
for media-weary
Americans to understand. In Jiang's first live media session--during
his visit
to the United States in October--he read closely from prepared tracts,
and the
footage was not broadcast in China until eight months later in a special
documentary aired earlier this month before Clinton's visit.
It was only in March that Chinese viewers got their first
break from
carefully scripted evening news. They watched Zhu Rongji, the nation's
premier
and its economic czar, answer questions and banter briefly with reporters
while
the cameras rolled.
Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1998
That session was so well received that Zhu's news conference
is available on
video in local stores--and is even being pirated.
*
But as spontaneous as those exchanges appeared, no piece
of political theater
is truly without a script.
For Jiang, the open discussion was a carefully calculated
challenge to
China's conservative leaders, who prefer that debate occur behind closed
doors.
Chinese officials withheld permission for months for American television
companies to broadcast live footage from China during the summit before
finally
conceding. Jiang himself is said to have made the decision to go live
just hours
before the news conference began.
It was the bold move of a man in charge, a national leader
finally secure in
his power, Western analysts said Monday.
James R. Sasser, the United States ambassador to China,
called Jiang's
gauntlet toss "audacious" and "daring."
Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1998
"He took a chance, not only with the Chinese people but
perhaps even with
some of his own colleagues in the Chinese government," Sasser said.
Not all of the reviews were so positive. "It is not necessarily
a good
thing," said engineer Luo Zhongbao, 32. "Clinton is good at speaking--he
has
gone through two presidential elections. Jiang is not. . . . I don't
think CCTV
China's state-controlled television network will play an unedited version
again."
China's state-controlled media had mixed reactions Monday,
indicating
uncertainty about how far and long the new openness will extend.
National newspapers glossed over the leaders' controversial
swerves toward
Tiananmen and Tibet; a few didn't mention the discussion of the long-banned
topics at all.
But on Shanghai's Oriental Television news Monday night,
a broadcaster
commented, "The press conference showed the degree of openness of China
and the
confidence of Chinese leaders."
Still, even as Chinese were abuzz about their possible
version of glasnost, a
democracy activist who was trying to set up an opposition political
party was
Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1998
detained Monday by Chinese police--the latest dissident rounded up
during
Clinton's visit. Plainclothes police showed up at Wang Youcai's home
in the
eastern city of Hangzhou, dissident groups in the United States and
Hong Kong
reported.
*
Wang had tried to register his China Democracy Party with
Zhejiang provincial
authorities last week but was turned away. He had planned to try again
Monday
afternoon, the Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and
Democratic
Movement said. His application was the first time Chinese dissidents
have openly
tried to gain government approval for an opposition party, the Washington-based
Free China Movement reported.
Wang was a student leader in the democracy demonstrations
in Tiananmen Square
in 1989. He spent 2 1/2 years in prison for helping lead the protests
and has
had repeated run-ins with police ever since.
Today, the Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic
Movement said
that authorities released Wang after six hours of questioning but warned
him
that they would take further action if he did not drop his plan to
register the
Chinese Democracy Party.
Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1998
Wang told police it was none of their business and that
he will try again to
register the party with Zhejiang's provincial department of civil affairs,
the
group said.
As for the import of the Clinton sessions, the big question
now is if the
political discussions can continue. "It was a significant starting
point," said
Huang, the Shanghai professor who advised Jiang before his trip to
the U.S. "The
discussion will go on in some way, but not so openly and not in every
field. We
are still focused on market reform and economic development, and that
will take
90% of our attention. We will keep 10% focused on political issues."
*
* SOUTHLAND VISIT
Chinese government officials and entrepreneurs tour Glendale-based
insurer.
D2
GRAPHIC: PHOTO: (A10 Southland Edition) President Clinton responds to
remarks
made after he donated American reference books to Beijing University's
library.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Agence France-Presse
Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1998
LANGUAGE: English
LOAD-DATE: June 30, 1998
LEVEL 1 - GROUP 1 - 2 OF 10 NEWS & ANALYSIS
Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse
Agence France Presse
June 29, 1998 12:34 GMT
SECTION: International news
LENGTH: 482 words
HEADLINE: China detains activist over opposition party
BODY:
(ADDS White House reaction, background, fixes distance
in par 4) By Lorien
Holland
BEIJING, June 29 (AFP) - China on Monday detained Wang
Youcai, a
pro-democracy activist who had applied to set up an opposition party
just hours
before US President Bill Clinton arrived for his state visit.
Wang was taken from his home in eastern Zhejiang province
mid-afternoon
Monday, his wife Hu Jiangxia said.
Agence France Presse, June 29, 1998
"Plain-clothes police came to our house around one o'clock
and talked to my
husband about his activities and about the Chinese Democracy Party.
They took
him away just before four o'clock," she said.
The detention came as Clinton flew out of Beijing for China's
commercial
centre of Shanghai, which is some 150 kilometres (80 miles) (eds: correct)
from
Wang's home.
"President Clinton must tell the Chinese government now
that they must
release Mr Wang unconditionally," the Washington-based Free China
Movement
said in a fax.
"If not, he should cancel the rest of his schedule in China
to show his
strong protest at the Chinese government's manipulation," the group
added.
US officials travelling with Clinton said they were unaware
of Wang's
detention but said the US government and official delegation would
"continue to
raise these issues with the authorities."
A string of dissident detentions in the central city of
Xian ahead of the
president's arrival there last Thursday caused Clinton to order his
ambassador
to make an official protest to the authorities.
Agence France Presse, June 29, 1998
"While the president's trip is focusing on China's potential,
there are of
course still major problems in this regard which we will continue to
take up in
discussion with the Chinese authorities," a US official said.
"While there has been some progress, incidents like this
are still taking
place," he added.
Wang Youcai, who was number 15 on the government's most-wanted
list after the
1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, lodged an application to form the
Chinese
Democracy Party with Wang Donghai and Lin Hui on Thursday just hours
before the
start of Clinton's visit.
It was the first open application to form an opposition
party since the
Communist Party came to power in 1949, and came despite almost zero
tolerance
from the government towards open dissent.
Wang Donghai and Lin Hui both said they had so far been unaffected.
In an interview Sunday, Wang Donghai said they had used
the cover of
Clinton's visit to mount a challenge to the Communist Party's monopoly
on power.
Agence France Presse, June 29, 1998
"I think everyone is playing the American card at the
moment because
President Clinton is here," he said.
"We chose this time as it is very suitable, as everything
is very calm and
safer than usual," he said by telephone.
A second group of Chinese dissidents said Saturday they
had also lodged an
application to establish an opposition political party -- the Chinese
Democracy
and Justice Party.
blh/jit
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: June 29, 1998
LEVEL 1 - GROUP 1 - 3 OF 10 NEWS & ANALYSIS
Copyright 1998 Chicago Tribune Company
Chicago Tribune
June 29, 1998 Monday, EVENING UPDATE EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 1; ZONE: C
LENGTH: 251 words
HEADLINE: CHINESE DETAIN DISSIDENT TRYING TO REGISTER PARTY
BYLINE: Associated Press.
DATELINE: BEIJING
BODY:
Chinese police on Monday detained a democracy activist
who was trying to set
up an opposition political party--the latest dissident rounded up during
President Clinton's visit to China.
Plainclothes police showed up at Wang Youcai's home in
eastern Hangzhou city
Monday afternoon and took him away three hours later, according to
dissident
Chicago Tribune, June 29, 1998
groups in the United States and Hong Kong.
Having been turned away by officials Friday, Wang had planned
to try again
Monday to register his China Democracy Party with provincial authorities,
the
Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement
said.
The application marked the first time Chinese dissidents
have openly tried to
gain government approval for an opposition party, the Washington-based
Free
China Movement reported.
Wang, a student leader in the democracy demonstrations
in Tiananmen Square in
1989, was at least the sixth dissident taken into custody since Wednesday.
His detention came as Clinton left Beijing for Shanghai.
Clinton took up the
previous arrests with President Jiang Zemin, but Jiang afterward defended
the
police action as important for security.
In China, Clinton has emphasized the need for the government
to allow more
freedom. Addressing students and faculty at Peking University Monday,
he called
a freer society necessary to maintaining economic prosperity.
Chicago Tribune, June 29, 1998
However, Clinton has refused appeals by Chinese democracy
and human rights
campaigners to meet with a dissident.
GRAPHIC: PHOTOPHOTO (color): Waving American flags, students at Beijing
University cheer President Clinton Monday during a ceremony where he
presented
500 books to the university library. After the appearance, Clinton
left Beijing
for Shanghai, the next stop on his visit. Reuters photo.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: June 30, 1998
LEVEL 1 - GROUP 1 - 4 OF 10 NEWS & ANALYSIS
Copyright 1998 The Washington Post
The Washington Post
June 28, 1998, Sunday, Final Edition
SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A01
LENGTH: 1717 words
HEADLINE: Summit Debate Buoys U.S. Hopes; Chinese Broadcast Hailed as
Sign of
Change
BYLINE: John F. Harris; John Pomfret, Washington Post Staff Writers
DATELINE: BEIJING, June 28 (Sunday)
BODY:
Hours after an uncommonly forthright public exchange between
President
Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Clinton administration officials
were
predicting a new chapter in U.S.-China relations that they said could
lead to
breakthroughs on such nettlesome long-term problems as missile proliferation
and
repression of Tibet.
The Washington Post, June 28, 1998
The buoyancy, even boastfulness, in the U.S. delegation
here today came less
from a series of limited agreements reached on arms control and other
subjects
in Saturday's summit meeting than from the unprecedented openness Beijing
authorities exhibited by broadcasting a Clinton-Jiang news conference
live to
the Chinese public.
It was a dramatic moment for a regime that customarily
has crushed internal
dissent and methodically tried to insulate its population from exposure
to
external criticism.
The Chinese population heard Clinton and Jiang debate such
issues as human
rights, the lethal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators nine years
ago in
Beijing's Tiananmen Square and the possibility of a rapprochement between
Beijing and the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet. In
a
wide-ranging, often philosophical discussion, the two leaders agreed
occasionally and disagreed often.
But a smiling Jiang projected little of the denial and
defensiveness that he
and predecessors have shown on such occasions in the past, including
at Jiang's
summit in Washington last October. Several times he invited Clinton
to respond
to his assertions; such unscripted moments stretched a planned half-hour
appearance at the Great Hall of the People into a 70-minute affair.
The Washington Post, June 28, 1998
Later, the surprisingly spontaneous chemistry between
the two leaders was
again on display at a state dinner in the same imposing edifice astride
Tiananmen Square. Dining on shark's fin in soy sauce and grilled beef
steak,
Clinton and Jiang toasted each other. And both leaders took turns conducting
the
Military Band of the People's Liberation Army -- an image sure to rankle
U.S.
critics who assert that Clinton is cozying too closely with a Communist
dictatorship.
Administration officials, who in recent weeks were put
repeatedly on the
defensive by a wide array of voices urging a tougher line against Beijing,
went
quickly on the offensive to trumpet what they called a vindication
of their
approach.
"The summit today and the press conference which followed
I believe
demonstrate more graphically than anything we could possibly have said
that the
premise we have been proceeding along is correct," said White House
national
security adviser Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger. "I hope that those who are
critical
of the relationship at home will see that through engagement you can
get a lot
of serious things done and promote America's values and maybe even
advance the
process of change in China all at the same time -- these are not multiple
choice."
The Washington Post, June 28, 1998
Michel Oksenberg, a professor of Chinese politics at Stanford
University,
said both the rapport between the leaders and the fact that the Chinese
public
saw the news conference -- at which Clinton bluntly criticized the
Tiananmen
massacre -- was remarkable. "I think it would be hard for the American
public to
appreciate how significant this is," he said. "Jiang Zemin has performed
a
courageous act. . . . It's an extraordinary act and it does make this
an
extraordinary trip."
The fact that the event was aired live in China was even
more surprising
because for weeks Chinese officials had stalled on this question, indicating
to
the U.S. team that it was unlikely Clinton would be able to speak directly
to a
mass audience in China.
While George Bush made unprovocative remarks to a televised
audience when he
came to China in 1989, that was before the Tiananmen crackdown. "There
was not
this rancorous dimension of the relationship at that time," Oksenberg
said.
U.S. officials said the summit was a sign that Jiang, 71,
has grown more
secure in his leadership in the 16 months since paramount leader Deng
Xiaoping
died. Since then he has consolidated control of the government, especially
in
foreign affairs, and he referred repeatedly Saturday to the "partnership"
he
wants with the United States.
The Washington Post, June 28, 1998
For all the memorable atmosphere, the actual summit agreements
hardly
clinched Berger's argument that the U.S.-China relationship is now
on a "solid
and higher level of cooperation."
In fact, months of painstaking negotiations that ended
only hours before
Saturday morning's Jiang-Clinton talks produced a mixed bag of disappointments
and modest gains. Clinton gave the most attention to an agreement that
the
United States and China no longer target nuclear missiles at each other.
The agreement -- in part symbolic, since missiles can be
quickly retargeted
-- indicated a shift in Chinese attitudes. Previously, Beijing had
insisted that
the United States make a no-first-use pledge on nuclear weapons like
the one
China extracted from Russia to win a similar detargeting agreement;
this
weekend, that demand was dropped.
The United States opposes a no-first-use pledge because
Washington is
obligated by treaties to protect Japan and its NATO allies in Europe.
Thirteen
of China's 18 intercontinental missiles are aimed at the United States,
compared
with a vastly larger U.S. arsenal.
The United States did not persuade China formally to join
the Missile
Technology Control Regime, which seeks to curb proliferation of missile
The Washington Post, June 28, 1998
capability to smaller nations around the world. But in what administration
officials insisted was a hopeful sign, the Chinese did agree to "actively
study"
whether to join later this year.
Other efforts brought even fewer results. One administration
official said
U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky's weeks-long effort to
press the
Chinese to lower trade barriers -- the United States says it has a
$ 49.7
billion annual trade deficit with China -- was an exercise in futility.
The
Chinese summarily rejected her proposal for a slight opening of China's
financial services and telecommunications industries. This would have
been in
exchange for a mild statement that the United States thought negotiations
for
China's long-sought entry into the World Trade Organization were continuing
apace. Far from being advanced by the summit, the issue is no closer
to
resolution than it was months ago.
There were agreements for China to expand its list of substances
that will be
controlled under an agreement to restrict the export of "dual-use"
chemicals
with both commercial and military applications. On another proliferation
issue,
the two nations agreed on a policy of allowing U.S. "end-use" visits
to China to
ensure that dual-use technology exports are not being misused.
The Washington Post, June 28, 1998
On Tibet, Jiang said as long as the Dalai Lama agreed
that Tibet should not
be independent of China, "the door to dialogue and negotiation is open"
for
expanding freedom in the province. Clinton, in a cheery closing line
to the news
conference, said he thinks if Jiang and the spiritual leader could
meet "they
would like each other very much."
Clinton had other visits with senior Chinese officials
Saturday, including a
luncheon with Premier Zhu Rongji to discuss the Asian economic crisis.
At the
state dinner, Clinton shared a cocktail-party greeting with former
premier Li
Peng, who had ordered the army to put down the Tiananmen protests.
This morning, the president, first lady Hillary Rodham
Clinton and daughter
Chelsea attended services at Beijing's massive Chongwenmen Church,
established
in 1870 as the first American Methodist-Episcopal church in northern
China.
Speaking briefly from the pulpit, the president told parishioners,
"I believe
that Chinese and Americans are brothers and sisters as children of
God."
In the past, U.S. officials have demanded that China release
dissidents. The
human rights group Amnesty International says China still has 2,000
political
prisoners, about 250 of whom are in jail for their participation in
the
Tiananmen protests. In their news conference, Clinton said he urged
Jiang to
consider releasing at least those imprisoned for acts that are no longer
The Washington Post, June 28, 1998
regarded as crimes in China.
But he did not frame the rights issue principally in terms
of American
concepts of individual liberty -- appeals the Chinese typically have
not taken
well. Instead, he appealed to Chinese pocketbooks.
"So the question for all societies, going forward into
the 21st century, is,
which is the better gamble?" Clinton asked Jiang. "If you have a lot
of personal
freedom, some people may abuse it. But if you are so afraid of personal
freedom
. . . that you limit people's freedom too much, then you pay . . .
an even
greater price in a world where the whole economy is based on ideas
and
information and exchange and debate."
In his state dinner toast last night, Jiang offered a decidedly
different
perspective: "China and the U.S. differ in social system, ideology,
cultural
tradition and historical background, and are at different stages of
economic
development. It is nothing strange that they should have some differences
of
views on certain subjects. What is important is that the common interests
between the two sides far outweigh their differences."
In Washington, Republicans were generally restrained in
their criticism.
Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.),
in
The Washington Post, June 28, 1998
Saturday's weekly Republican radio address, said many GOP colleagues
were
"concerned about the symbolism" of a presidential trip to China in
the light of
recent controversies over military technology transfers and Chinese
links to
campaign fund-raising controversies.
"Nevertheless . . . while he is in that country we should
put our differences
on hold until his return and hope that his trip is a success," Thompson
said.
Some others were more openly critical. "The 'constructive
engagement' is for
Fortune 500 companies who want to make a bundle of profits in China,"
said Joel
Segal, the American director of the Free China Movement,
a coalition of more
than 30 Chinese dissident groups both in China and outside it. "There
are 250
people still in jails from Tiananmen Square. Has constructive engagement
released them? Absolutely not."
Staff writer Joby Warrick in Washington contributed to this report.
GRAPHIC: PH,,AP/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, As the Clintons watch, President
Jiang
Zemin takes a turn leading the Military Band of the People's Liberation
Army at
a state dinner in Beijing.
The Washington Post, June 28, 1998
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: June 28, 1998
LEVEL 1 - GROUP 1 - 5 OF 10 NEWS & ANALYSIS
Copyright 1998 Central News Agency
Central News Agency
June 24, 1998, Wednesday
LENGTH: 372 words
HEADLINE: CLINTON URGED TO HIGHLIGHT HUMAN RIGHTS DURING MAINLAND TRIP
BYLINE: By Jay Chen & Elizabeth Hsu
DATELINE: Washington, June 24
BODY:
US President Bill Clinton's decision to receive
military honors from his
communist Chinese hosts at Tiananmen Square -- site of the bloody 1989
crackdown
-- continued to meet with protests Tuesday from leaders of Congress
and various
civic groups.
In a statement to the press, House Minority Leader Richard
Gephardt, D-Mo.,
said that he and 61 of his colleagues in the House of Representatives
have
called on Clinton to make human rights the central topic of his nine-day
visit
Central News Agency, June 24, 1998
to mainland China which starts on Thursday.
Gephardt also urged Clinton to use all the leverage at
his disposal,
including sanctions, to promote American national interests and values.
During a Congress press conference Wednesday afternoon,
Clinton was urged to
raise the issue of talks with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the
Dalai
Lama, deliver a speech in remembrance of the Tiananmen massacre victims,
visit
some of the victims' families, and demand that Beijing release political
and
religious prisoners.
Xiong Yian, a mainland student leader who was jailed for
19 months for his
part in the 1989 pro-democracy protest, also attended the press conference.
He
implored Clinton not to forget Beijing's mass killings and not to embrace
the
mainland Chinese dictators.
Meanwhile, " Free China Movement" members staged
separate protests in front
of the mainland Chinese embassy and the White House, where an open
letter to
Clinton was read which contained the following four appeals:
-- Pressure Beijing into releasing all prisoners jailed
for their
pro-democracy beliefs;
Central News Agency, June 24, 1998
-- Demand that the mainland authorities recognize their
mistake in conducting
the June 4 military oppression at Tiananmen Square and punish those
responsible
for the killing;
-- Ask mainland China to allow freedom of speech, dissemination
and
association, and to follow international conventions on human rights;
-- Take the previous demands into consideration when planning
to continue
mainland China's most-favored nation trade status, when discussing
Beijing's
entry into the World Trade Organization, and when enhancing economic
and
political relations between Washington and Beijing.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: June 25, 1998
LEVEL 1 - GROUP 1 - 6 OF 10 NEWS & ANALYSIS
Copyright 1998 Kyodo News Service
Japan Economic Newswire
JUNE 24, 1998, WEDNESDAY
LENGTH: 871 words
HEADLINE: Satellites, human rights taint Clinton's China trip
BYLINE: Keiji Urakami
DATELINE: WASHINGTON, June 23 Kyodo
BODY:
The alleged transfer of sensitive U.S. satellite technology
to China and
continuing concerns about China's dismal human rights record have cast
a shadow
over President Bill Clinton's trip to Beijing, which begins Thursday.
Last October during his meeting with Chinese President
Jiang Zemin, Clinton
said his visit to China would help forge a 'constructive strategic
partnership,'
but recent events have put such a partnership under severe scrutiny
by the
public and Congress.
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 24, 1998
'The very concept of a strategic partnership was then,
and is now, premature
and quite possibly delusional,' said Richard Fisher, senior analyst
at the
Heritage Foundation.
'If a strategic partnership is possible, then it must be
grounded in
broad-based political support in Congress and among the American people,'
he
said.
The main issue drawing criticism from Congress is a Clinton
policy that
allowed American aerospace companies to export sophisticated satellites
for
launch aboard Chinese rockets -- a policy critics say enabled China
to use U.S.
satellite technology to improve the accuracy of its missiles.
Clinton has defended the 1988 accord with Beijing that
created the policy,
saying it served U.S. interests by bringing television and telephone
services to
Chinese households. He said sensitive technology was and still
can be protected
under 'strict safeguards,' including Defense Department monitoring
of each
launch.
Perhaps more importantly, the accord met the interests
of U.S. industry,
because launching satellites from China costs 60% less than launching
from
within the U.S.
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 24, 1998
The accord was suspended following the bloody Tiananmen
crackdown in 1989,
and it was replaced in 1990 by legislation banning the transfer of
U.S. military
items or satellites to China. The law, however, contains a provision
allowing
the president to waive the sanctions if he determines doing so would
be in the
national interest.
President Clinton has signed nine waivers for 12 separate launches.
Critics say Clinton approved the waivers because the chairman
of Loral Space
and Communications, a New York-based satellite company, was the largest
personal
donor to the Democratic Party in 1996.
Concerns over the technology transfer were heightened following
press reports
that China had targeted 13 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles
at the
U.S. and that China had assisted Iran and Pakistan in developing weapons
of mass
destruction.
'U.S. export control policy should not, directly or indirectly,
serve to
facilitate China's capacity to target the United States with nuclear
missiles,'
said Floyd Spence, a Republican congressman from South Carolina, in
his opening
statement at the recent House National Security Committee meeting on
U.S.
satellite export policy.
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 24, 1998
The satellite issue was also spotlighted when Clinton
decided earlier this
month to renew China's most favored nation trade status for another
year.
Benjamin Gilman, chairman of the House International Relations
Committee,
said Clinton's trip to China should involve 'no concession, no deals,
no
permanent waivers, no new technology or science agreements and -- most
importantly -- no shoehorning of China into a missile technology control
regime
they have been violating over the past decade.'
Clinton brushed off criticism, saying the U.S. government
allowed the launch
of American satellites on Chinese rockets 'for the simple reason that
the demand
for American satellites far outstrips America's launch capacity.'
He said Washington's engagement policy, rather than isolation
policy, helped
China agree to stop selling cruise missiles to Iran last October.
He said the
U.S. government will continue to press Beijing on nuclear proliferation.
Meanwhile, human rights activists, Chinese pro-democracy
leaders and
Republican lawmakers have been angered by Clinton's plan to attend
a welcoming
ceremony at Tiananmen Square during his state visit to Beijing.
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 24, 1998
Clinton said attending the ceremony does not mean Washington
absolves China
of 'its responsibility for the terrible killing' that took place there.
'Protocol and honoring a nation's traditional practices should not
be confused
with principle,' he said.
One day ahead of Clinton's departure, four House of Representatives
members
held a press conference on Capitol Hill to protest the president's
attendance at
the Tiananmen Square gathering.
North Carolina Republican Sue Myrick said, 'Mr. President,
we wholly agree
that China is of enormous economic and strategic importance to the
United
States...but any dialogue with China must include a frank discussion
of human
rights.'
'To help the president, we have taken down the flag that
flies above the
Stature of Freedom on our Capitol Dome. We will include this
flag with a copy
of our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and we will
give these
items to the president to take with him to China,' she said.
The Free China Movement Network, a group of
exiled Chinese democrats,
gathered outside the Chinese embassy Tuesday to urge Clinton to meet
with
pro-democracy activists during his trip to China.
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 24, 1998
The U.S. government has so far indicated Clinton has no
plans to hold such a
meeting.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LEVEL 1 - GROUP 1 - 7 OF 10 NEWS & ANALYSIS
Copyright 1998 Kyodo News Service
Japan Economic Newswire
JUNE 16, 1998, TUESDAY
LENGTH: 178 words
HEADLINE: Clinton may meet dissidents in Beijing, says McCurry
DATELINE: WASHINGTON, June 15 Kyodo
BODY:
U.S. President Bill Clinton may meet with political dissidents
during his
visit to China from June 25, a White House spokesman indicated Monday.
'The president, every time he goes to countries, touches
base with a broad
cross-section of the life of that country, and I expect him to do so
when he is
in China,' spokesman Mike McCurry told a news briefing.
But McCurry avoided further comments on the matter, including
who the
president may meet.
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 16, 1998
A group of exiled Chinese dissidents recently asked Clinton
to meet them
before visiting Beijing next week.
The group, the Free China Movement, said it
wants Clinton to allow some of
its members to accompany him to Tiananmen Square to lay a wreath as
a memorial
to those killed by the Chinese military during pro-democracy demonstrations
in
1989.
During his visit to Beijing in February 1989, then U.S.
President George Bush
invited dissident scientist Fang Lizhi to a party hosted by the president.
The invitation, however, angered Chinese authorities, who
forced Fang to
decline the invitation.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LEVEL 1 - GROUP 1 - 8 OF 10 NEWS & ANALYSIS
Copyright 1998 Central News Agency
Central News Agency
June 5, 1998, Friday
LENGTH: 593 words
HEADLINE: WASHINGTON COMMEMORATES JUNE 4TH WITH DECLARATION
BYLINE: By Nelson Chung and Flor Wang
DATELINE: Washington, June 4
BODY:
Washington D. C. Mayor Marion Barry on Thursday declared
June 4th "Freedom
and Democracy in China Day" to commemorate the deaths of thousands
of protesters
killed in a bloody military crack down in Beijing's Tiananmen Square
in 1989.
Announcing the declaration at a news conference, Barry
said Washington D. C.
supports all those who have fought for democracy, as freedom belongs
to every
citizen around the world.
Central News Agency, June 5, 1998
Meanwhile, more than 100 mainland Chinese dissidents based
in the United
States launched a three-day seminar here on Thursday to mark the ninth
anniversary of the June 4 incident.
Lian Shengde, co-founder of the Free China Forum which
sponsored the
symposium, called the gathering a historical "meeting of union" among
all
mainland Chinese dissidents living in exile abroad.
With assistance from US congressmen, academics, human rights
and religious
groups, as well as former government officials, Lian said they are
planning to
set up a " Free China Movement" in an effort to gain support
from the US
government for pro-democracy activists and political reformists in
the mainland.
The US government should revoke the most favored nation
trading status and
impose trade sanctions on mainland China until Beijing agrees to respect
human
rights, end the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and resolve
international disputes through peaceful means, Lian claimed.
Wang Dan, a former pro-democracy student leader and prominent
dissident who
was recently released by Beijing on medical parole to the United States,
sent a
congratulatory message to Lian to show his support for a free China.
Central News Agency, June 5, 1998
Ye Ning, a lawyer from mainland China who has reportedly
suffered over 200
incidents of torture by communist authorities since he was 14 years
old, called
the regime in Beijing the biggest threat to world peace as it is responsible
for
the slaughter of over 60 million people.
The "strategical partnership" engagement policy adopted
by the US government
to deal with mainland China will impede the democratization process
in the
mainland, Ye said. He called on Washington to suspend any move which
would help
Chinese communists foster.
Zhou Yungjun, one of the leaders in the 1989 student-led
protests, urged
American people to back democracy movements in the mainland and assist
them in
their efforts to bring about changes there.
On the eve of the June 4 anniversary, New York City Mayor
Rudolph Guiliani
declared Thursday as "New York Backs Democracy in China Day" to commemorate
those killed or persecuted for seeking democracy and freedom.
Giuliani said in a public statement that New York City
admires all those who
sacrificed their lives in a struggle for democracy, especially those
in mainland
China. The efforts pro-democracy advocates have awakened the
American people,
he said, allowing them to understand that millions of people still
live under
Central News Agency, June 5, 1998
a repressive regime.
Giuliani has always been a staunch supporter of democracy
in mainland China
and often publicly criticizes Beijing for its autocratic rule.
The mayor refused to meet mainland Chinese President Jiang
Zemin last
November while Jiang was visiting New York. But he received Wei Jiangsheng,
the
most prominent mainland Chinese dissident who was set free by Beijing
on medical
parole to the United States, shortly after that.
More than 300 overseas Chinese and democracy activists
from mainland China,
including Wang Dan, also took part in a protest outside Beijing's consulate
here
on Thursday to mark the June 4 massacre.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: June 6, 1998
LEVEL 1 - GROUP 1 - 9 OF 10 NEWS & ANALYSIS
Copyright 1998 Kyodo News Service
Japan Economic Newswire
JUNE 5, 1998, FRIDAY
LENGTH: 400 words
HEADLINE: Exiled Chinese dissidents form new coalition
DATELINE: WASHINGTON, June 4 Kyodo
BODY:
A large group of exiled Chinese political prisoners and
dissidents gathered
in Washington on Thursday, the ninth anniversary of the military crackdown
at
Beijing's Tiananmen Square, to announce a new coalition for democracy
and human
rights in China.
More than 100 exiled Chinese traveled from all over the
United States and
from abroad to participate in a meeting where they declared the formation
of the
new coalition, called the ' Free China Movement. '
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 5, 1998
Representatives of the new coalition said they want U.S.
President Bill
Clinton to meet them before making a state visit to China later this
month, and
some want to accompany him to Tiananmen Square to lay a wreath there
as a
memorial to those killed in the 1989 pro-democracy demonstration.
'This new coalition seeks to invite and gather together
all those committed
to the cause of political freedom and democracy in China so we may
build a
movement for real change,' said Shengde Lian, chairman of the Free
China Forum,
a principal group organizing the meeting, said.
Shengde Lian, who was among the Tiananmen Square leaders
and was sentenced to
two years in prison, said, 'We Chinese people deserve democracy and
deserve
freedom. We believe we can make this if we work together.'
He read out a message from Wang Dan, a recently released
Chinese dissident
who is a symbol of the 1989 pro-democracy student movement.
In the message, Wang, who was freed in April on medical
parole and exiled to
the United States, urged the Chinese government to release many other
political
prisoners.
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 5, 1998
'Today, there are thousands of...prisoners of conscience.
They are still in
jail even if I and several others were released,' Wang was quoted as
saying.
Ye Ning, a lawyer for the Free China Forum, said he wants
Clinton to urge
Chinese leaders to 'stop stabilizing the dictatorship, stop legitimizing
the
dictatorship and stop subsidizing the dictatorship.'
Ye said he was tortured more than 200 times by Chinese
authorities from age
14.
Clinton will leave June 24 for China and return home July 3.
He is expected to appear in Tiananmen Square for a welcoming
ceremony during
his four-day state visit to the Chinese capital from June 26.
But domestic critics, especially Republicans, have urged
Clinton, who will be
the first U.S. president to visit China since the Tiananmen Square
crackdown, to
stay away from Tiananmen.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LEVEL 1 - GROUP 1 - 10 OF 10 NEWS & ANALYSIS
Copyright 1998 Kyodo News Service
Japan Economic Newswire
JUNE 5, 1998, FRIDAY
LENGTH: 358 words
HEADLINE: Kyodo news summary
DATELINE: TOKYO, June 5 Kyodo
BODY:
-- Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko left Copenhagen
on Thursday
night for Tokyo aboard a special government plane, wrapping up a 13-day
tour to
Portugal, Britain and Denmark.
The emperor and empress said in written answers to questions
from Japanese
reporters that they were pleased to feel that Japan has built close
and friendly
relations with the three European nations.
-- South Korea's ruling coalition parties posted major
wins in local
elections Thursday, winning 10 of 16 mayoral and gubernatorial races.
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 5, 1998
Among the top gains are the Seoul and Inchon mayoralties
and the governorship
of Kyonggi Province, according to results by the Central Election Management
Commission on Friday. The three big wins are seen as a major
affirmation
President Kim Dae Jung, who is president of the NCNP, should press
ahead with
economic reforms and political realignment.
-- A large group of exiled Chinese political prisoners
and dissidents
gathered in Washington on Thursday, the ninth anniversary of the military
crackdown at Beijing's Tiananmen Square, to announce a new coalition
for
democracy and human rights in China, the ' Free China Movement.
-- Police arrested Thursday Hisashi Tanimura, 61, the director
of a public
hospital in Ueno, Mie Prefecture, on suspicion of receiving bribes
from a
Tokyo-based pharmaceutical company in exchange for agreeing to purchase
new
drugs, police officials said.
-- The world's five major nuclear powers issued a joint
communique Thursday
that they will not accept India and Pakistan into the nuclear club.
The foreign ministers of Britain, China, France, Russia
and the United States
met in Geneva to coordinate their response to the nuclear tests conducted
last
month by India and Pakistan.
Japan Economic Newswire, JUNE 5, 1998
-- Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi said Friday he is considering
proposing a
meeting among nonnuclear countries which could potentially develop
nuclear arms,
in a bid to pressure nuclear states toward nuclear disarmament.
Obuchi made the remarks following the end of an emergency
foreign ministerial
meeting among the five nuclear powers in Geneva on Thursday on nuclear
issues.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
This page contain the partial report of FCM from June4 to July 7 1998
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