Extracts. US Should Bear Full Responsibility: Aeronautics Expert "Facts have proved that the US side should bear full responsibility for the plane collision incident," said a Beijing-based aeronautics expert on April 7. Chen Fushan, a scholar with a Beijing-based institute of aeronautics engineering, was indignant when he learned that the U. S. government has not yet admitted its due responsibility and apologized to the Chinese, but rather has sought every excuse available for the incident. Chen has conducted a detailed analysis from the technological aspect on the whole process of the collision between the US and Chinese military planes that occurred in the airspace of China's exclusive economic zone near Hainan Island on April 1. "First of all, the damaged antennas under the wing of the US plane were leaning backward, which demonstrates that the outer side of the left wing of the US plane was one of the first parts to bump into the Chinese plane," Chen said. "Then came the airscrew of the second engine on the left wing, for the airscrew has been damaged and deformed. "Lastly, the head of the US plane knocked the tail of the Chinese plane, and the cover of the radar antenna on the head was knocked off," Chen said. The above damaged parts of the US plane were all located at the left-front part, which shows that the US plane abruptly veered towards the Chinese plane while the latter was flying in parallel with the former, Chen said. "It was the US plane that violated the flight rules, and this fact is clear enough," Chen emphasized. The tail of a plane comprises a vertical wing and a horizontal one, which play a vital role in manipulating and controlling the flight. For any plane with fixed wings, it is impossible for the pilot to control the plane when its tail wing has been seriously damaged. Chen said that the US plane is several times bigger than the Chinese plane in terms of both weight and size, and the US plane bumped the Chinese plane several times, causing it seriously damage and leading to the crash. "As a professional working on aeronautics engineering technology for decades, I have to extend my indignation over and condemn the US plane's role in the collision," Chen said, calling upon the US side to face up to the fact, shoulder its due responsibility and offer a fair and reasonable explanation to the Chinese people. **** US Again Urged to Apologize over Plane Collision Washington's statement on the mid-air plane collision near China's Hainan Island so far is "unacceptable," Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen said, urging again the US side to apologize. "The position of the Chinese Government on this incident is very clear. The US side should take up its responsibilities for the incident," said Qian in a letter passed on to US Secretary of State Colin Powell here Friday. Qian also demanded that the US side provide convincing explanations to the Chinese people and start consultations with the Chinese side on how to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. "Regrettably, the US statement on this incident so far is unacceptable to the Chinese side, and the Chinese people have found it most dissatisfying," said the letter, which was conveyed by Chinese Ambassador to the US Yang Jiechi to US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. "China hates to see the bilateral relations damaged by this incident. It has therefore kept a cool head and exercised great restraint in handling this matter," Qian said in the letter. It is essential for the US side to face up to the facts squarely, adopt a positive and practical approach and apologize to the Chinese people, Qian said. "Then, the two sides may move on to discuss matters concerning the US military plane and other remaining problems," he added. Powell said earlier in his letter to Qian that "We very much regret the pain this accident has caused. President Bush is very concerned about your missing pilot. His thoughts and prayers are with the pilot's family members and loved ones, as are mine and all Americans." "I want to work with you toward a productive and successful relationship and to putting this unfortunate accident behind," Powell said **** Chinese Abbot Calls for Eliminating Evil, Protecting Human Rights A Chinese abbot called for eliminating evil, promoting goodness, and protecting human rights in Geneva Friday at the 57th session of the Commission on Human Rights. "We oppose the force which splits own motherland, oppose the religious extremists who jeopardize world peace, oppose the evil cults which steal the religion terms to harm religion and threaten social peace," said Abbot Sheng Hui, from the United Nations Association of China, a Chinese NGO. Loving peace is the good tradition of religions in China, said the abbot. Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism and Catholicism have different origins and doctrines, but there have never been any serious conflicts among them, not to mention the cruel religion wars taking place in history in the West. In today's China, he said, the harmonious coexistence of religions has entered a new phase. Religion freedom was included in the constitution. Protected by law, we have fully enjoyed the freedom of religion. "The five religions in China, no matter big or small, are equal, " the Chinese abbot said. "They respect each other, conduct religious activities on the basis of self determination. It is the golden age at this time for our religions to be able to eliminate evil and promote goodness, purify people's hearts and contribute to the development of the country and the happiness of the people. " However, he noted, in the current world, not all the places are bathed in peaceful sunshine, wars and poverty still go rampantly, human beings still suffer from unbearable pain. Some use the disparity between religions to instigate hatred of ethnic groups, to provoke "civilization conflicts". Some others trample down on the sovereignty of other countries under the pretext of " protecting human rights of religious people". Some use religious banner to serve their own interest, to split China. What's more, Abbot Sheng Hui said, there are evil cults, which steal religious terms and notions, to fight against religion under the name of religion, cheat the followers, plot to take over their property, and hurt their lives. For example, the "Falun Gong" evil cult has used Buddhist terms of 2000 years like "Fa Lun" (wheel of law) and "achieving all-round fulfillment", to concoct "Falun dharma", which is the dark force damaging religious freedom and human rights. **** Kuwait, DPRK Establish Diplomatic Ties Kuwait <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/kuwait.html> announced on Friday that it has established diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/dprk.html> ). The state-run Kuwait Television reported that a protocol pertaining to the establishment of the diplomatic ties at the ambassadorial level was signed in Kuwait city on Wednesday by Kuwaiti Foreign Undersecretary Khalid Al-Jarallah and DPRK's ambassador to Syria <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/Syria.html> . The protocol said that Kuwait and the DPRK hoped to develop practical bilateral relations in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international laws and norms. The two sides expressed firm beliefs that the establishment of diplomatic ties will serve the interests of both countries, as well as world peace. Kuwait is the 10th country to establish diplomatic ties with the DPRK this year. The DPRK has so far established official ties with a total of 151 countries worldwide. **** Commentary: US Should Take Seriously Chinese People's Justifiable Demands The Chinese government and people have demanded the United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> explain the plane collision caused by a US military surveillance plane on Sunday as soon as possible, shoulder all the responsibilities for the incident, apologize to the Chinese side and take effective measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Such demands are fully justified. On April 1, a US military surveillance plane rammed and caused the crash of a Chinese fighter jet off the coast of Hainan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/hainan.html> Island in the South China Sea. The pilot is still missing. After the incident, the US plane intruded into Chinese airspace and landed at a Chinese airport without permission from the Chinese side, infringing upon Chinese sovereignty and airspace. It is clear that the US plane broke flight rules and made dangerous movements, causing the crash of the Chinese jet and the missing of the Chinese pilot, and violated international and Chinese laws. The acts of the US plane violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and are against the consensus reached between China and the United States in May last year on avoiding military risks in sea areas. Just as Chinese President Jiang Zemin <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/jzm/jzmhome.htm> said, the US side is fully responsible for the incident, and should apologize to the Chinese people. Chinese leaders and the Chinese government have stated China's solemn stand on the issue. Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan has lodged solemn representations with the US side. A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense Wednesday voiced China's indignation and condemnation over the acts of the US plane. Chinese citizens, including the family of the missing pilot Wang Wei, expressed indignation and condemned the United States for its hegemonic behavior. Why does the US side frequently send military surveillance planes to sea areas so close to China? Why did the US plane violate flight rules by making a sudden movement toward the Chinese jet and ramming and damaging it? Why did the US plane intrude into China's airspace and land at a Chinese airport without permission? The Chinese government and people are entitled to know the answers to these questions, and the US side is duty-bound to explain the whole incident to the Chinese people. Though the airspace is not marked with lines or traffic lights, it is internationally recognized the air routes and flight rules for planes (including military planes) allow no violation. However, the US side has not made clear its stance, despite the repeated solemn representations and protests from the Chinese side. Instead of respecting the facts, bearing the full responsibility and making an apology, the United States has used lame arguments and called black white. The attitude and approach of the US side have aroused dissatisfaction from international media. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo asked in an editorial: Would Washington tolerate a Chinese spy plane flying over the sea 80 kilometers off New York or Los Angeles? The Straits Times of Singapore <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/singapore.html> said the United States has shown a double standard concerning the incident. The Philippines <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/philippine.html> ' World News said the US behaves as if only Americans are precious and everyone else's life is not worth a dime. Al-Ittihad, an official newspaper of the United Arab Emirates <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/uae.html> , said in an editorial Tuesday that China is fully justified in demanding that the United States bear full responsibility for the incident. Even an online poll by the American magazine Time said that 77.8 percent of people surveyed felt that the United States should be held mostly responsible for the incident. In contrast, the Chinese side has all along been dealing with the incident in a sober, restrained and responsible manner. In addition, the Chinese side has, in the spirit of humanitarianism, made proper arrangements for the US crew, and arranged a meeting between the crew and US diplomats. By so doing, the Chinese side has fully demonstrated sincerity in its efforts to properly settle the incident. China's sovereignty and national dignity allow no infringement. To the Chinese government and people, nothing is more important than safeguarding national sovereignty and dignity. The US side should be fully aware of the seriousness of the incident, apologize to the Chinese people, take a sincere attitude towards the solemn stand and demands of China, and cooperate with China in properly dealing with the incident, thus facilitating the development of Sino-US relations. **** Missing Chinese Pilot's Wife Writes to Bush Missing Chinese Pilot's Wife Writes to Bush Ruan Guoqin, wife of the missing Chinese pilot Wang Wei, wrote a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush Friday. Following is the full text: Dear President Bush, I'm an ordinary Chinese woman writing you this letter in tears on my sickbed. On April 1, the fighter jet my husband was piloting was rammed by a spy plane of your country, and plunged into the sea. My husband has been missing ever since he parachuted into the sea. The news struck me like a bolt from the blue, and I could not believe it. Five days have passed, and I have been suffering every second from the waiting, and every moment has been as long as a century. The cruel blow came all of a sudden, and it wrecked my body and mind, which resulted in my hospitalization. My parents-in-law call me again and again, asking whether their only son has come back safely. Our 6-year-old son has kept asking when his father will come home. My heart is aching, and I can tell them nothing. I pray and call out time and again hoping in tears that there will be a miracle. Who has no parents and wife and children in this world? I learned that you and your government are very much concerned about the 24 officers and men on your spy plane, and I know that their parents, wives, husbands and children are also looking forward to the return of their loved ones. I can understand this, but I can not figure out why you sent them to spy along China's coast from such a great distance, and why they rammed my husband's plane. You and the American people know that your 24 crew members are being properly looked after and that they are in good health. Their family members and American people do not have to worry about them at all. Missing Chinese Pilot's Wife Writes to Bush (More Added -2) But what is incredible is your and your government's apathetic attitude towards my husband's life. My husband, as a Chinese service man, was carrying out his bounden duty within the exclusive economic zone along China's coast. So far, my husband has not been rescued. But in this serious matter with irrefutable facts and the responsibility completely resting on the U.S. side, you are too cowardly to voice an " apology" and have been trying to shirk your responsibility repeatedly and defame my husband groundlessly. Can this be the human rights and humanism that you have been talking about every day? If so, can there be any justice in this world? Mr. President, I have heard that you grew up in a family filled with love, and that you value your family and care for all its members. If this is true, I think you must understand what it means when an old couple loses their only son, when a tender child loses his dear father and when a young wife loses her husband. Is such a disaster really falling on my family? I hate to think about it. Nor dare I. Wang Wei is everything in my life. His parents cannot afford the loss of their son; our young son, his father; and I, my husband. But where is he? As I write to you, I cannot hold back the tears that are blurring my eyes. I grieve for the loss of my beloved husband. I lament the loss of humanity in some people. Give me a reason! Bring back my husband! What the Chinese people desire most is peace. As the wife of a serviceman, I hope, more than anybody else, that everyone will cherish peace and life, that everyone will offer love to others so that the misery of war, children's loss of their parents, wives' loss of their husbands and sons' loss of their fathers will not recur in the new century. In conclusion, please accept my best wishes for your family. **** Asian B2B E-Commerce Approaches Quarter of World's Total Business-to-business Internet commerce in the Asian-Pacific region is on pace to reach US$220 billion this year, or 24 percent of the worldwide total, U.S. market researcher Gartner Group predicted Friday. The region's B2B e-commerce reached US$96.8 billion in 2000, or 22 percent of the world's total. According to Gartner, by 2005, the region will account 28 percent of the worldwide total, with B2B e-commerce transactions of US$2.4 trillion. Businesses in the region will focus on building private regional marketplaces with familiar partners as a means to reduce exposure to overseas markets impacted by the economic downturns, Gartner said. Gartner defines B2B Internet commerce as the sales of goods and services for which the order-taking process was completed via the Internet. This includes purchases via Internet electronic data interchange (EDI), e-marketplaces, extranets and other sell-side initiatives, but excludes activity over proprietary networks. According to Gartner, the first wave of e-marketplace development in Asia-Pacific was pushed by overseas buyers' e- procurement initiatives. The next cycle is characterized by private investment and consortia-funded supplier marketplaces working to shorten manufacturing and delivery time and aggregate total market demand on a global scale. An earlier report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) estimated the value of B2B transactions in Asia by 2003 is expected to reach US$430 billion. But BCG said that the prospects for the region's e-marketplaces is far from rosy, predicting that most of the more than 750 horizontal and vertical e-marketplaces that have sprung up in Asia-Pacific over the past year will not survive in the struggle with challenges of implementation. At greatest risk, according to BCG's report, are Asian companies serving global markets. E-commerce is shifting comparative economics globally, and although Western companies that have embraced B2B e-commerce are already driving down their costs, Asia companies lag in implementation. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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