Extracts. Prospects for Sino-Venezuelan Cooperation Broad: President Jiang Visiting Chinese President Jiang Zemin said in Caracas Monday that China and Venezuela are complementary with each other in fields of economy, trade and technology, and prospects for bilateral cooperation are broad. President Jiang made the remarks during his formal talks with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. After extending his gratitude for the hospitality he received amidst his visit, Jiang said that Venezuela boasts rich energy resources and vast land whereas China has a population of nearly 1. 3 billion and has scored rapid economic growth. Prospects for bilateral cooperation are broad in such fields as agriculture and energy, he said. Venezuela is the last-leg of President Jiang's six-nation Latin American tour. "This is a successful ending," he told Chavez. In response, Chavez said that Jiang's visit is "of historic significance." China and Venezuela are to sign a series of documents to boost cooperation tomorrow. Chavez said that these documents, a reflection of the support from China to Venezuela, will also further advance the socio-economic development in his country. According to Jiang, despite the geographical distance between the two countries, China and Venezuela shared similar historic experience and struggle process. "Such friendship clinched through history unite us together," he said. President Jiang invited President Chavez to visit China in the coming May. Chavez accepted the invitation with pleasure. Briefing Jiang on the Venezuelan domestic situation, Chavez said that the Venezuelan people are full of confidence in the future even the country suffered from certain temporary difficulties. Economically, he noted, Venezuela shook off the depression and scored recovery in recent years and, internationally, the country sought to play an ever active role while strengthening the independentness of its foreign policy and firmly safeguarding state sovereignty, he added. Venezuela is keen to further its cooperation with China in a bid to ensure a more balanced socio-economic development for the benefits of the people, he said. President Jiang expressed his belief that Venezuela could achieve ever bigger accomplishments in development through reform. The two sides also exchanged views on areas of economic and trade cooperation. President Jiang arrived here Sunday for a state visit as guest of Chavez. **** DPRK Condemns S.Korea-US Military Exercise Plans The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Monday condemned the United States and South Korea for their planned joint military exercise beginning on Friday. A DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement that the "reception, staging, onward movement and integration" (RSOI) exercise is aimed at an "effective military support by the US troops" including those in the US mainland "in case of a crisis on the Korean Peninsula." Huge armed forces including the US troops present in South Korea and Japan and those under the US pacific military command will reportedly participate in the exercise, the spokesman said. What draws the DPRK's particular attention, he said, is the fact that this year's exercise, unlike the previous ones, would be staged on the "same level with a real war under the simulated conditions of the beginning of war" with the involvement of huge US troops stationed in and around the Korean peninsula and the Pacific. This proves that the Bush administration which repeatedly claimed hard-line policies toward the DPRK from the early days of its office has "entered a reckless adventure" to put them into practice. The US plan to stage a war game under the simulated condition of an "actual war" by hurling even its forces in the Pacific fully proves that it has completely reversed a DPRK-US agreement on not threatening the dialogue partner by military force and is more openly pursuing the hostile policy to stifle the DPRK with "strength," said the spokesman. He stressed that what the US seeks in the provocative war game is to aggravate the inter-Korean relations and the situation on the Korean peninsula heading for reconciliation and cooperation, peace and reunification, bring them back to the state of confrontation before the publication of the North-South joint declaration, and thus dampen ardent aspirations of the Korean nation for independent reunification and create a favorable atmosphere for realizing its ulterior design to dominate the whole of Korea. The DPRK has already prepared for both dialogue and war, said the spokesman, adding that if the South Korean authorities defiantly take part in the projected war exercise in pursuance of the US war moves against the DPRK, their behavior cannot be construed otherwise than a downright betrayal of the North-South joint declaration. The DPRK will do its utmost to preserve peace, security and stability on the Korean Peninsula and open the door of reunification through the efforts of the nation, the spokesman said. But it will resolutely fight against those who threaten the DPRK's dignity and sovereignty and will deal merciless retaliatory blows to them, he said. **** Paper: US Carrier Set to Move Toward China The aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk may sail to a position in the South China Sea from which it could launch jet fighters to guard U.S. reconnaissance flights when they resume off the coast of China, The Washington Post reported. In its Monday edition, the newspaper quoted unidentified Navy officials as saying the flights could resume as soon as Thursday about 50 miles off the Chinese coast in international air space. The Kitty Hawk carries about 70 aircraft and recently passed Singapore and is near the Philippines. Chinese and American diplomats are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Beijing to discuss the cause of the April 1 collision between a U.S. Navy EP-3E surveillance plane and a Chinese F-8 jet fighter over the South China Sea. China says it will demand an end to U.S. surveillance flights off its coast. The United States has rejected that, saying the flights are in international air space and are legal. **** Chinese President Arrives in Venezuela for State Visit Chinese President Arrives in Venezuela for State Visit Chinese President Jiang Zemin <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/people/jiangzemin.shtml> arrived in Caracas the capital of Venezuela <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/venezuela.html> Sunday for a state visit at the invitation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias. At around 12:25 hours local time, President Jiang's special plane landed at the Simon Bolivar International Airport, where he and the whole Chinese delegation were greeted by President Chavez and other senior Venezuelan officials. Chavez then hosted a red- carpet, 21-gun ceremony in honor of President Jiang and the other Chinese guests. President Chavez made a warm speech at the airport, in which he hailed President Jiang's first state visit to Venezuela and his on- gong tour to the thriving South American continent. In the affluent soil of the Venezuela, Chavez said, the people had fought for their independence and liberty. "Now, we are striving for the just order with the same flag of Simon Bolivar at our hands," he said. He called the day "a jubilant day" for Venezuela when the whole country "welcomed the guests from a country with long civilization. " "Our people are rapture for your coming with flowers in full blossom," he said. In return, President Jiang said he was delighted to visit the hometown of Simon Bolivar, Liberator of the South America. He said that the Chinese government and people cherished the traditional friendship with Venezuela. "Concerted efforts made by both sides have scored full-round growth in bilateral ties and enhanced mutually beneficial cooperation," he said. The successful state visit paid by President Chavez in 1999 has "ushered Sino-Venezuelan ties into a new phase," Jiang said. He believed that his visit could further deepen the mutual understanding and friendship and score new growth in bilateral ties. President Jiang's entourage who attended the ceremony included Jiang's wife Wang Yeping, Vice-Premier Qian Qichen <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/people/qianqichen.shtml> and his wife Zhou Hanqiong, Minister in charge of the State Development Planning Commission Zeng Peiyan, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Shi Guangsheng, Special Assistant Hua Jianmin, Vice-Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, Deputy Director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Director of the Central Guard Bureau You Xigui and Deputy Director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee Wang Huning. Chinese Ambassador to Venezuela Wang Zhen and his wife Huang Yunling, as well as representatives of Chinese embassy here and Caracas citizens were also present at the ceremony. Venezuela is the last stop of Jiang's Latin America tour. He has already visited Chile <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/chile.html> , Argentina <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/argentina.html> , Uruguay <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/uruguay.html> , Brazil <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/brazil.html> , and Cuba. **** CPPCC Chairman Leaves on Four-Nation Tour Chairman Li Ruihuan of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) left here Monday morning on an official goodwill visit to Mauritius, South Africa, Morocco, and Turkey. Li is paying the visit at the invitation of the Government of Mauritius, the National Assembly of South Africa, the Government of Morocco, and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Li's entourage includes Zheng Wantong, secretary-general of the CPPCC National Committee, He Guangyuan, chairman of the Subcommittee for Handling Proposals of CPPCC National Committee, Zhu Zhihong, chairman of the CPPCC Jiangxi Provincial Committee, Han Xikai, chairman of the CPPCC Shandong Provincial Committee. State Councilor Luo Gan, Vice-Chairman of CPPCC National Committee Chen Junsheng, Deputy Director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Jiang Yikang, and diplomatic envoys of the above four countries were among those seeing Li off at the Great Hall of the People. **** Chinese People Pledge to Turn Patriotism into Action to Make China Strong PLA officers and soldiers and people from all walks of life across China have expressed determination to turn their patriotic passion into efforts to make the country strong. They aired their determination after learning that there is no possibility of the survival of Wang Wei, the missing Chinese pilot. PLA officers and soldiers all over the country expressed deep grief at the loss of Wang Wei, their good comrade-in-arms. They pledged to turn their sorrow into strength, perform their duties faithfully and accomplish their missions as required, so as to safeguard China's sovereignty and national dignity with their specific actions to make the army stronger through science and technology. Wang Shaochun, who graduated from a flying school in the same year as Wang Wei, said, "I will love the flight cause like him, and train hard to master skills to win every battle. I am ready to give all I have to safeguarding China's seas and airspace. " "We will learn from Wang Wei his lofty moral character of being loyal to the motherland and the people, and resolutely safeguard China's marine rights and interests," said Li Xiaoyan, captain of "Shenzhen" Warship. Liu Guosheng, commander of a flying regiment of the air force, noted, "I will take Wang Wei as an example in learning new technology and learn to operate new equipment quickly, so as to turn such equipment into a new fighting capability." Veteran CPC member Zheng Guanwei, a 78-year-old man living in Lian village of Hainan Province, where Wang Wei's unit is stationed, spent ten straight days searching for Wang along the coast. " Wang Wei is a good son of the Hainan people. I will learn from him to perform my duty as a CPC member for the construction of the Hainan Special Economic Zone," he said with deep emotion. Zhai Shuhua, a student of the Information Management Department of Beijing University, said, "we were concerning over the safety of Wang Wei recently, hoping that a miracle would come up. It is hard for us to face the reality of his death." "As a university student of the new century, I will follow his example in studying harder and mastering skills to build our motherland, and do all I can to make my motherland strong and prosperous, " she added. Kong Liming, national model worker with the Shanghai Baoshan Iron and Steel Co. Ltd, said, "The lofty patriotism spirit displayed by Wang Wei will inspire us industrial workers to love our jobs and produce more quality steel, so as to make greater contributions to accelerating China's reform, opening-up and socialist modernization drive." On learning Wang's death, Qi Deqi, a demobilized pilot from Wang Wei unit, said with deep sorrow, "I am grieved at the loss of a good comrade. But I am also proud of him. His action to uphold justice once again demonstrates that China's national dignity may not be insulted, and its seas and airspace are sacred and brook no infringement." ***** Second Damming of Yangtze River to Be Launched by the End of 2002 China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation declared Sunday that the second damming of the Three Gorges Project along the Yangtze River is to be carried out between November and December of 2002. The preparatory work has been kicked off. According to the person in charge of the Corporation, the second damming is more difficult than the first time conducted in 1997 because both the drop and the velocity of water-flow for the second damming are much higher and swifter than that of the first time. As analysis shows, the velocity of the water-flow for the second damming is 12,200 cubic meters per second and the drop reaches 5.4 meters, which make it the most difficult one in the world. Currently, experts and engineers are busy with mapping out the technological scheme for the second damming and carrying out studies on various subjects by using the model for the second damming so as to make the engineering work a perfect one. The hinge buildings of the Three Gorges Project consist of the dam, power station and navigation building. To ensure a non-interruption navigation, the Yangtze River is to be dammed twice during the 17 years'course of construction. The first damming was finished in November 1997. Under the protection of the cofferdam, the construction of the second phase of the dam project and the factory buildings has been completed. The second damming will be made over a diversion channel, a "manmade Yangtze River". The diversion channel is 3.7 kilometers in length and 350 meters in width. Opened to navigation in October 1997, it takes up the task of diversion and navigation between 1997 and 2002. After the damming of the diversion channel, the diversion and navigation will be taken over by the diversion system and the permanent locks. The third phase of the Three Gorges Project and the factory buildings of the power stations will be constructed under the protection of the cofferdam afterwards. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
