US Conducts Theater Defense Missile Test The US military shot down a target ballistic missile with Patriot PAC-3 missiles in a test over New Mexico State Saturday, March 31. The test over White Sands Missile Range involved firing two PAC- 3 missiles against a Hera ballistic missile as well as firing an earlier generation PAC-2 against its own target. It was the seventh successful "hit-to-kill" interception in a row for the upgraded 5.2-meter version of the Patriot used against Iraqi Scud missiles in the Gulf War. Unlike a planned US missile defense effort to protect the whole country from long-range attack, the theater defense program is designed to protect US troops and bases from short and medium- range "theater" missiles. **** China Refutes US Groundless Accusations on Human Rights China Friday slammed the United States for leveling groundless accusations on the human rights situation in China and tabling an anti-China draft resolution at the 57th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. The United States' attempt to abuse country specific resolutions to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries is doomed to failure because it runs counter to the spirit of the United Nations Charter and the purposes of the Commission on Human Rights, Head of the Chinese delegation Ambassador Qiao Zhonghuai said in Geneva Friday. Speaking at the Commission's 57th session, Qiao said that the Chinese government always attaches importance to the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms enjoyed by the Chinese people and has registered achievements of worldwide attention. Illustrating his point, Qiao said that there were 250 million poverty-stricken people in China in 1978 and that by the end of last year, with the exception of a few remote areas, China has wiped out abject poverty and achieved two historic leaps from poverty to adequate clothing and food, and then to a fairly comfortable life. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of democracy and the legal system, and great efforts have been made to implement the fundamental strategies of ruling the country by law and virtue so as to effectively guarantee, in conformity with the law, the enjoyment of civil and political rights by the Chinese people, he added. The Chinese government has also committed itself to international cooperation in the field of human rights and has engaged in cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, he said, adding that last November, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation in the field of human rights and jointly held the Seminar on the Punishment of Minor Crimes last month in Beijing. On February 28 this year, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress decided to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Not long ago, the Chinese government signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts. In addition, the Chinese government has also carried out human rights dialogues with dozens of countries, which have yielded positive results. Qiao said the above-mentioned measures taken by the Chinese government have reflected its firm conviction and determination to promote and protect human rights; the facts have also shown the present human rights situation in China is at its best in all times. Therefore, the allegation that China's human rights situation is deteriorating is completely groundless, he noted. At the dawn of the new century, exchange and cooperation have become an irreversible trend in the international field of human rights, Qiao said. "Regrettably, the United States decision, out of its own selfish interests and domestic political considerations, to insist on tabling again an anti-China draft resolution at this session of the Commission, poses groundless allegations against China and provokes confrontation," he pointed out. "This is an act contrary to the overwhelming trend of the new century and a total ignorance of the tremendous achievements of the Chinese government in promoting and protecting human rights and China's sincerity about engaging in international human rights cooperation," he noted. The United States has always indulged in tabling country specific resolutions against others, Qiao said. "Instead of genuine concern about human rights, this is out of its ill intention under the pretext of 'protecting human rights,' to blatantly accuse the political systems of other countries and politicize the issue of human rights, in an attempt to exert political pressures upon other countries," he added. The Chinese ambassador said that it is well known that there are gross violations of human rights in the United States. The United States is notorious with its recurrent and incurable racial and gender discrimination, the ever-widening division between the rich and the poor, police violence, gun abuse and judicial injustice. What's more, he said, the United States has always been reluctant towards international human rights instruments. It still refuses to ratify the international human rights instruments widely accepted by the international community, among others, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The United States was also the only Western country that voted against the Declaration on the Right to Development. "Facts speak louder than words. While launching a loud human rights crusade against other countries in the world, the United States is turning a blind eye to its own serious human rights violations. This only serves to prove the U.S. hypocrisy in its so-called concern for human rights," he stressed. On the question of dealing with evil cults, the US government has adopted double standards, said Qiao. The United States has leveled irresponsible criticism against the handling of "Falun Gong" cult in line with law by the Chinese government, wantonly interfering in China's internal affairs. Numerous facts prove that "Falun Gong" deprives lives of innocent people and endangers social stability. "Falun Gong", like the "Davidians" of the United States, is in every sense an evil cult. He told the session that the Chinese government has banned "Falun Gong" cult in consistence with law, persuading and educating the majority of the practitioners, helping them come back to their senses and return to normal life. This not only has protected the fundamental human rights of the Chinese citizens, but is also a great contribution to the international human rights cause. The US government, which mobilized armed forces and used tanks and helicopters to crack down on the "Davidians", makes irresponsible remarks and confounding black and white with respect to the banning of "Falun Gong" cult by the Chinese government in consistence with law, Qiao said. The US government has gone as far as providing refuge and support to an evil cult by allowing "Falun Gong" to establish its headquarters in the United States, he added. "This is an approach of pure double standards," he said, adding,"the US concern for human rights is a sham." "What the US really practices is power politics, and what it really pursues is hegemonism." he noted. **** China Condemns Israel's Attack on Palestine with Heavy Weaponry China condemned Israel <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/israel.html> for attacking Palestine with heavy weaponry on March 30. "We are deeply concerned about and condemn Israel's attack on Palestine with heavy weaponry, which killed Palestinian civilians, " Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sun Yuxi said. Sun made the remark while responding to a question from a comment on Israel's recent attacks on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with heavy weaponry, which caused casualties. "Violence can only deepen hatred and mistrust, which is unfavorable to the political settlement to the conflicts between Israel and Palestine," he said. The spokesman appealed to the two conflicting sides to exercise the utmost restraint and take resolute actions to appease violent conflicts and prevent the situation from getting even worse, in order to create conditions for restarting the peace process. **** US Warplanes Bomb Southern Iraq: Report US warplanes on March 30 bombed an anti-aircraft artillery site in southern Iraq <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/iraq.html> , a TV report said, but it did not mention if there was any casualty. The report said that US jets bombed installations in the southern city of Samawa, some 200 kilometers south of the Baghdad. Samawa is located inside Iraq's southern no-fly zone, which was set up by the US-led Western allies in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War with a claim to protect the Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq. A similar air exclusion zone was also imposed over northern Iraq to protect the Kurdish population there. The latest air raids followed military strikes by the US and Britain <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/uk.html> against the Iraqi capital on February 16, the first military action by the two Western allies against Iraqi targets outside of the no-fly zones in more than two years. Two civilians were killed and 20 others injured in the air strikes. **** Chinese Nuclear Power Industry Offers Big Opportunities China's expanding nuclear power industry is offering big opportunities for nuclear designers, manufactures and services worldwide, according to industrial sources at a nuclear exhibition opened Friday. The Fourth International Exhibition of Nuclear Power Industry has attracted dozens of nuclear businesses worldwide. Westinghouse, which has recently merged its nuclear department with the British nuclear fuel company BNFL and the nuclear power department of ABB, staged a strong presence at the event, together with its partners in Japan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/japan.html> , the Republic of Korea and Spain <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/spain.html> . James W. Veirs, deputy head of Westinghouse's Department of Nuclear System, said his company is keenly watching China's rapidly growing economy and its nuclear power plan, and is trying its best to take part in China's nuclear power projects. Over the past five years, China embarked on the construction of four nuclear power plants in Zhejiang <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/Zhejiang.html> , Jiangsu <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/jiangsu.html> and Guangdong <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/guangdong.html> , with a total installed capacity of 6.6 million kilowatts. The figure is three times over the combined capacity of the first phase of the Qinshan plant in Zhejiang and the Dayawan plant in Guangdong that had already gone into operation. Yet nuclear power currently accounts for only 1 percent of the county's power supply, compared to 21.9 percent for the United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> , 33.4 percent for Japan and 77.4 percent for France <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/france.html> . China's coastal areas, which witnessed rapid economic growth over the last two decades, are showing great enthusiasm towards nuclear power. Li Guangjun, an official from Taizhou city in Zhejiang, said the city is very likely to embark on a nuclear power plant in the next few years, because it is facing a serious power shortage and has a good site for a nuclear power plant. Authoritative sources said China has basically acquired the technologies of pressurized water reactors and reported rapid progress in raising the local contents of nuclear power equipment. In the future, the sources said, China will raise higher demands on foreign partners in the advancement of technologies and technology transfer. Veirs said the key to getting nuclear power contracts in China is safety, reliability and economical competitiveness. He said Westinghouse is ready to transfer the latest nuclear reactor technologies and operation management method to China, and will form into a closer partnership with Chinese research institutions and manufacturers. **** China, S. Africa Reach Consensus on Cooperation Agreement South Africa and China March 30 reached consensus on the contents of a public service cooperation agreement to be signed later this year. South African Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi told reporters in Pretoria that the agreement will be formalized in a memorandum of understanding to be endorsed by the two countries in China before the end of the year. The consensus was reached during talks between Fraser-Moleketi and a Chinese delegation led by Wang Zhongyu, Secretary General of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. According to a statement issued after the talks, the discussions served to further cement the relationship between the two countries. Earlier, the Chinese delegation was also received by Acting President Jacob Zuma and Minister in the Office of the Presidency, Essop Pahad. Fraser-Moleketi revealed that the talks took place within the framework of the Pretoria Declaration, a document signed in April last year between the two countries. This declaration provided, among others, for the establishment of a high-level bi-national commission between South Africa and China, and the strengthening of economic ties. "Today's bilateral consultation dealt primarily with issues pertaining to human resource development in the public sector and public administration in general," Fraser-Moleketi said. "The aim was to find ways in which mutually beneficial exchanges can take place in future on a broad range of matters," she noted. Both countries faced the challenge of public sector transformation, including the restructuring of state assets, rationalization of the public service and modernization of procedures of government, the minister said. The memorandum of understanding would provide for exchange visits between political and administrative teams to share expertise and experience, according to Fraser-Moleketi. On his side, Wang Zhongyu told reporters that China and South Africa had been enjoying good relations in the past two years, and shared common ground in several respects. "Both sides agree that it is important to enhance the quality of public service," he said. When asked about the restructuring of state assets in China, Wang said the Chinese government's approach was to strengthen healthy enterprises and to restructure the unprofitable ones. The most difficult part was dealing with people losing their jobs because of bankrupt enterprises, Wang said, adding that some people would enter a re-employment centre to receive professional training for two years, and would also be assisted to find other jobs. A living standard insurance had been set up for those unable to find a new job, and this would provide them with a minimum income to help them make ends meet, Wang said. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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