Extracts. CPPCC Vice Chairman meets African guests Li Guixian, vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), met Saturday with a delegation of senior cadres from 11 African political parties in power. Li briefed the guests, who are in Beijing to attend seminars and conduct field studies, on China's achievements during the past two decades of reforms and opening up and China's development strategy. The 11 countries are Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, and Rwanda. Li said that seminars and field studies are helpful to enhance mutual understanding and friendship and to promote cooperation. He added that Sino-African cooperation enjoys a broad prospect. Members of the delegation noted that the visit has been very successful and helped them better understand China and the Communist Party of China. During the visit, officials of relevant Chinese departments exchanged views with members of the delegation. The delegation also visited southwest China's Sichuan Province and south China's Hainan Province. The African guests are here at the invitation of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. **** Article Slams US for Backing Dalai's Separatist Activities The Human Rights Society of China (HRSC) Friday slammed the United States for its support of the Dalai clique's separatist activities and interference in China's internal affairs. Facts demonstrate that the Dalai Lama has become a tool of the U.S. to "contain" China, says the HRSC in an article titled " Looking into U.S. Support for Dalai Clique's Separatist Activities." With the support of the anti-China forces in the United States and other Western countries, the Dalai clique has stepped up efforts to split Tibet from the motherland. In disregard of China's strong opposition, U.S. President Gorge W. Bush, Secretary of State Collin Powell and other senior officials met visiting Dalai Lama on separate occasions earlier this week, the U.S. government appointed Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky as special coordinator for Tibetan affairs, and the U.S. Congress introduced a so-called Tibetan policy bill. All this has constituted gross violation of China's internal affairs, aroused great indignation of the Chinese people, including the Tibetan people, and brought to the attention of the people around the world, the article says. The 9,000-Chinese character article consists of three parts: an account of the long history of the U.S.' support for Tibet separatist forces and its instigation of Tibetan independence; the ways and means the U.S. has taken to back the separatist activities of the Dalai clique; and the ulterior motives of the U. S. in support of the Dalai clique. The United States began to interfere in Tibetan affairs long time ago, the article says. Since the 1940s, the United States has intensified, step by step, its instigation and support of ethnic separatist activities launched by the upper class of the Tibetan aristocrats, according to the article. The HRSC article says the United States has eventually walked from behind the scenes to instigate and support activities aimed at splitting Tibet from China. In the late 1940s, the U.S. government abetted the separatist forces in Tibet to participate in a Pan-Asian conference in India as "an independent state," and instigated the upper-class separatist forces to expel Han Chinese residents from Tibet in a bid to separate the region from China, says the article. In 1950s and 1960s, the United States backed and instigated the upper-class reactionary forces in Tibet to prevent by force the Chinese People's Liberation Army from liberating Tibet, and planned three times for the Dalai Lama to flee overseas, it says, adding that the U.S. later helped the Dalai clique set up armed forces so that they may fight their way back to Tibet. Citing reports by U.S. publications, including the news magazine Newsweek, the article says the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was responsible for instigating the 1959 armed rebellion by separatists in Tibet and the Dalai Lama fleeing Tibet. The CIA offered financial assistance and weapons to the Dalai clique, as well as military training to its armed personnel. It also sent spy planes to Tibet to provide air cover and parachute food and other materials for the separatists, says the article. Since 1979, when the U.S. gave the green light to the Dalai Lama to conduct activities in the United States, the U.S. government, out of its anti-China needs, has listed the so-called Tibetan issue as an important part of its strategy to "contain" China, supporting the Dalai clique's separatist activities in a flagrant way. The article gives a detailed account of the six major ways the U.S. has employed to support the Dalai clique's activities for Tibetan independence, including the arrangement for increasingly frequent meetings between U.S. presidents and other key political figures and the Dalai Lama in the U.S., using religion as a cover. It accuses the U.S. State Department of approving the establishment of two offices of the Dalai clique in Washington and New York, respectively, and of appointing senior officials as the so-called special coordinators for Tibetan affairs. To support the Dalai clique's separatist activities, the article says, the anti-China elements in the U.S. Congress and some state legislators have produced dozens of amendments and bills, asserting "Tibet was an occupied country." The United States also used various institutions or so-called non-governmental organizations to advocate and support "Tibetan independence" under the cover of "democracy, freedom and human rights," says the article. It also accuses the U.S. of using and financing some media to give publicity in support of the separatist activities of the Dalai clique. The United States has also been providing financial assistance to support the Dalai clique's separatist activities, the article says, adding that the secret funding arrangements were often disclosed by the press from time to time. The article says the U.S.' instigation and support of the Dalai clique's separatist activities runs against the commitment of the U.S. government that Tibet is part of China and the United States will not support Tibetan independence. Proceeding from the fundamental interest of both the Chinese and American people and Sino-U.S. relations, the United States should stop its instigation and support of the Dalai clique's activities to separate Tibet from China, the article says. **** China Opposes US Interference With Internal Affairs, Ambassador Says Chinese Ambassador to the United States Yang Jiechi has been instructed to make solemn representations with the US government with regard to the US side allowing Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan transit visits to the United States. During a meeting he called on Thursday with US Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman, Ambassador Yang stated that the Chinese government has always been firmly opposed to official exchanges and contacts in any form between the United States and Taiwan. The U.S. government, however, allowed Chen Shui-bian a transit visit to the New York City recently, and another one to Houston early in June, and in the meantime relaxed restrictions on Chen's activities in the United States, Yang noted. Taking this opportunity, Chen conducted a series of public activities to peddle his proposition of separatism, he added. The Ambassador pointed out that those erroneous practices by the US government have seriously violated the three China-US joint communiques and the one-China policy the US side has declared to follow, and fueled the tendency of "Taiwan independence." This constitutes a rampant interference in China's internal affairs, to which the Chinese government and the Chinese people have expressed strong indignation and firm opposition, he emphasized. Yang stressed that Taiwan has always been the most important and sensitive core issue in Sino-US relations. The US side, following its recent agreement to sell to Taiwan a large amount of weapons, went further to allow Chen Shui-bian to take transit visits to carry out activities aimed at splitting China. Such an approach by the US side, he said, poses a provocation to the Chinese people and their grand aspiration for peaceful reunification of the motherland, and the Chinese government and the Chinese people will never give in. Yang called on the US government to realize fully the serious consequences of Chen's transit visits to the United States, to correct its mistakes immediately, to adhere to the one-China policy, the three China-US joint communiques and relevant commitments the US side has made, and to stop using the Taiwan issue to meddle in China's internal affairs, so that further damages may be avoided in the relationship between the two countries. During the meeting, Yang also made solemn presentations with the US government concerning recent meetings the US leaders and senior officials rendered to Dalai lama. Yang pointed out that Dalai is not a religious figure at all, but a political exile who has long engaged in splitting-China activities in foreign countries. The ambassador said that the US government has made clear commitments that it recognizes Tibet as part of China and will not support its independence. But in action, the US side has consistently run counter to the commitments and allow Dalai and his followers to conduct separatist activities in the United States. All this, he emphasized, has caused indignation of the Chinese government and the Chinese people. Yang urged the US government to redress its mistakes, stop interfering with China's internal affairs with the Tibet issue, and take concrete measures to abide by the basic norms governing international relations so as to prevent the Sino-US relations from being further undermined. **** ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting Concludes With Positive Results:Tang The Third ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Foreign Ministers' Meeting concluded Friday with "fruitful results, " said Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan. Using the theme "Strengthening the Asia-Europe partnership in the new century," the two-day meeting was convened in "a friendly atmosphere and in a pragmatic manner," Tang said at a press conference Friday afternoon. Foreign ministers from 25 ASEM member states and the EU External Relations Commissioner reached a consensus on a wide range of international and regional issues. They stressed that both Asia and Europe should push forward their cooperation both in depth and width in the new century, and make it an important factor in forming a new international political and economic order. The topic of the meeting covered three major areas -- political dialogue, economic and trade cooperation, and social and cultural exchanges. The meeting has helped strengthen Asia-Europe political relations, Tang said, as foreign ministers at the meeting proposed to set up a U.N. affairs consultation mechanism. The meeting helped strengthen economic and trade cooperation as it confirmed several cooperation proposals on economic cooperation, trade, finance, the environment, science and technology. The meeting also helped enlarge Asia-Europe cooperative fields. The ministers stressed at the meeting the significance of enhancing cooperation in the areas of society, culture, education, human resources, the environment and judicial system. The Chairman's Statement, adopted at the meeting, reflected the common desire of both Asia and Europe in conducting cooperation in political dialogue, economy and trade, finance, science and technology, environmental issues, education and cracking down on cross-border crimes, Tang said. **** Bush Vows to Build Strong U.S. Military Force President George W. Bush Friday pledged to build a strong U.S. military force which is defined less by size and more by mobility and swiftness. "I'm committed to building a future force that is defined less by size and more by mobility and swiftness, one that is easier to deploy and sustain, one that relies more heavily on stealth, precision weaponry and information technologies," Bush said in a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Bush told the 2001 graduating class of the Naval Academy that they had to be ready to accept and embrace changes in military technology. "Building tomorrow's force is not going to be easy. Changing the direction of our military is like changing the course of a mighty ship -- all the more reason for more research and development, and all the more reason to get started right away," he said. Bush said building a 21st century military will require more than new weapons and also require a renewed spirit of innovation in American officer corps. "We cannot transform our military using old weapons and old plans, nor can we do it with an old bureaucratic mindset that frustrates the creativity and entrepreneurship that a 21st century military will need," he added. Bush is awaiting a final report from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld who is near completion of a sweeping U.S. military strategy review that defense officials said would shift emphasis from Europe toward emerging threats in Asia. Officials said last week the review stresses that Washington must develop missile defenses and should rely less on bases in Asia and more on long-range weapons. Rumsfeld is grappling with whether the United States should abandon the principle that the military must be prepared to fight two major regional wars at the same time. He said this week he would like Congress to hold hearings on the question, suggesting an unveiling of the Bush administration's strategy is weeks or months away. **** President Chavez Says China Visit Fruitful Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias said here Saturday that his visit to China has been fruitful so far. Chavez made the comments at a press conference prior to his departure to Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province to continue his five-day state visit. He noted that the two countries signed a series of agreements of cooperation and the mechanism of bilateral cooperation has been further enhanced. Chavez said that his visit further consolidated and developed the already existing friendly cooperative relations between the two countries, adding that the bilateral ties have made tangible progress. The president said that he hopes the two sides will continue to make efforts to push forward their cooperation in the areas of agriculture, energy, science and technology, so as to contribute to a better life of both peoples. **** Jiang Hails China's Poverty-Relief Success Chinese President Jiang Zemin has hailed the country's poverty-relief success over the last two decades as "unprecedented in the history of the world" and a "miracle on the earth." Jiang made the remarks at a working conference on alleviating poverty held by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that closed in Beijing Friday. The two-day conference summarized China's experience in poverty relief in the last years of the last century and discussed the outline of a new poverty-relief strategy for the decade between 2001 and 2010. Jiang pointed out that over the last two decades, China has reduced its rural poor population by 220 million, and the proportion of impoverished population to the total rural population went down from 30.7 percent to about 3 percent. He stressed that China's success in poverty relief is an important embodiment of the advantages of the socialistic system and proof of the great importance attached by the Chinese government and the Party on promoting the cause of human rights, especially the rights of subsistence and development. Such a success has also contributed greatly to the sustainable development of the economy, and to the maintenance of ethnic harmony and unity, safety of the border and social stability, Jiang said. On the other hand, Jiang noted that there are still 30 million people living under the poverty line in rural areas. To bring them out of poverty will be an arduous task. He stressed that for future poverty relief programs to succeed, China must advance even further its reforms, uphold the spirit of hard work and diligence, explore new means of development that fits local conditions, and mobilize the whole society in the cause. China's relatively more developed eastern regions shall continue to give support to the development of the western regions in the form of a partnership, Jiang said. He emphasized that in poverty relief programs, priority must be given to minority ethnic areas, former revolutionary bases, border areas and extremely poor areas. Also addressing the conference, Premier Zhu Rongji said poverty relief will be critical to the attainment of China's 10th five-year plan and the building of a well-off society. He stressed the importance of a new model of thinking and new methods in poverty relief in light of the changes in the Chinese economy. Every effort must start from the reality and be market oriented. The economic restructuring must be actively pursued. The wasting of funds and resources and damages to the environment must be avoided, Zhu said. Senior Chinese leaders Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing also attended Friday's meeting. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
