Extracts. China Commemorates Youth Movement The Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) and All-China Students' Federation organized a forum on the December 9th Youth Movement which occurred 65 years in the country. At the forum, Ren Jianxin, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said that the December 9th Movement, which was another important democratic campaign participated in by students after the May 4th Movement in 1919, greatly influenced the democratic and revolutionary development in China. The movement showed that the fate of young people was closely linked with the fate of the whole nation, said Ren. Ren hoped that the youth at modern times should carry forward patriotism and the glorious tradition of the movement. Zhou Qiang, first secretary of the Secretariat of the CYLC Central Committee, said that the youth movement led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) was not only an important event in China's revolutionary history, but also a milestone of the history of youth movement. He urged the young people to persistently adhere in the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics and make further contribution to their motherland. More than 60 old revolutionists, including Huang Hua and Deng Liqun, and some student representatives took part in the forum at the Great Hall of the People. **** WTO to Be Better Off with China's Entry: Thai FM Having China in the World Trade Organization (WTO) will leave the organization better off and make it more attentive to the needs and concerns of developing members, Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan told Xinhua in a written interview recently. "China is the world's fastest growing economy, with an average annual growth rate of about 10 percent over the last 17 years or so. It is widely reported that China is on its way to becoming the world's largest economy in the 21st century," Surin said. "In this regard, it would be indeed unthinkable for China to remain outside the world trading system." China's entry into the WTO would consolidate the country's economic reform towards a market economy while all other countries will benefit from increased transparency and improved consistency with regard to Chinese market access conditions, he said. "The sheer size of the Chinese market alone, totaling some 1.2 billion consumers, boasts of endless potentials and opportunities for all trading partners." Talking about how China's entry into the WTO will change the world trade development, Surin said it will reshape the landscape of the current multilateral trading system. While it is impossible to gauge the direction and impacts of China's membership of the WTO on the world trade development at this early stage, the Thai minister expressed optimism about the role that China could play, as a developing nation, in making the WTO more "attentive" to the needs and concerns of developing members that account for the bulk of the present WTO membership. Surin also warned of the challenge lying ahead, saying that besides all the rights and benefits China can enjoy, the country will have to undertake a number of obligations as a WTO member. "Finding a balance between the rights and obligations can be difficult for China, especially in the face of the dual pressure from dramatic liberalization and internal structural adjustment," Surin predicted. Thailand and China concluded a bilateral agreement in March this year, ensuring that after China's entry into the WTO, Thailand will enjoy a 25 percent simple average tariff reduction on 39 agricultural export items, 12 percent reduction on 12 fishery products and 14 percent on 85 industrial products. In addition to exporting rice, sugar and rubber to China under the tariff rated quota, Thai enterprises also aim at China's service industry, Surin said. After the WTO accession China will allow foreign service providers to operate hotel and restaurant establishments as well as engage in tourism and travel related services in the form of joint ventures with foreign majority ownership or even wholly-foreign-owned subsidiaries will be permitted, he elaborated. "While there is much to be gained from trade liberalization in China, we must realize that the doors will be open to all. For our part, Thailand must make sure that we are not resting on the benefits apportioned to us based on the Sino-Thai bilateral agreement," Surin said. He pointed out that China will become Thailand's competitor in international textile and agricultural product markets. "While trade is merely one aspect of the Sino-Thai bilateral relations, we would be missing the point if we fail to grasp the significance and ramification of the trade dimension," Surin said. The future cooperation between the two countries will not be hurdle-free, he warned, saying that disputes are likely and competition is simply inevitable. "As a result, we need to be pragmatic and flexible in our future dealing with China while, at the same time, keeping our good faith in the promises of the multilateral trading system," he said. When answering questions whether China's WTO entry will affect Thai-Chinese political relations, Surin said China's accession of the WTO membership represents an opportunity to deepen and broaden cooperation with China. Since the two countries established diplomatic relations 25 years ago, Thailand and China have "long cherished close ties on all levels," the minister said. The Thai government has actively engaged in bilateral negotiations with China and unfailingly supported China's early accession to the WTO, he said. "The universality of WTO membership is critical to the efficacy of the organization as a whole," he noted. **** Russian Duma Approves National Anthem Bill - The Russian Duma passed a controversial constitutional bill on the national anthem on Friday, December 8, after a third, final reading, with 381 votes in favor, 51 against and one abstention, the Intefax News Agency reported. The bill approves use of the music from the Soviet-era anthem composed by Alexander Alexandrov for the new Russian anthem. The Duma also recommended that Russian president Vladimir Putin create a commission to study collected lyrics and submit them in a draft law to the Duma. The right-wing group in the Duma disputed the legality of the approval, according to Interfax. The national anthem bill was first read at the Duma several years ago but had been suspended from further approval due to strong opposition from former president Boris Yeltsin and right- wing parties, including the Yabloko faction and the Union of Right Forces. The breakthrough emerged on Monday after the Russian State Council met with President Putin and some parliamentary deputies. The council decided to support Putin's proposal on using Alexandrov's music for Russia's anthem by a majority vote. The Duma on Friday also adopted a package of bills on state and army symbols. **** Armenian PM Concludes China Trip Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markarian ended his China tour and left Beijing Friday, December 8. During the visit, Chinese President Jiang Zemin met with Markarian. Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji held talks with him. Apart from Beijing, the Armenian Prime Minister also visited Shanghai, China's largest industrial and commercial center. As a guest of Premier Zhu Rongji, Markarian arrived in the Chinese capital Monday morning for a working visit. This is his first China tour after he became Armenian Prime Minister. **** Taiwan Relaxes Restriction on Mainlanders' Visit The "Legislative Yuan" of Taiwan Province approved an amendment to some articles of the "regulations on the relations between people of the regions of Taiwan and the mainland". According to the revised document, control is relaxed for Chinese mainlanders to go to Taiwan Island for business and sightseeing or to take up posts at universities, research institutes and social organizations. Besides, it also stipulates that spouses from the mainland can get work permits after application for residence in Taiwan and the Taiwanese who have lived in the mainland for over four years can restore their residences in Taiwan. Defying the opposition of the administrative department and the Democratic Progressive Party, the "Legislative Yuan" decided to open exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits and approved the plan of the "Mainland Affairs Council" which permits mainland spouses to work in Taiwan and mainlanders to travel to the island for business and tourism. Since an increasing number of Taiwanese are coming to live in the mainland, it was decided to delete the regulation that the Taiwanese who have lived in the mainland for over four years are to be seen as the mainland people. Despite the strong opposition from the Democratic Progressive Party, the resolution was finally passed at the "Legislative Yuan". _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for geopolitics. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
