Extracts. Bush Formally Requests Congress to Extend NTR to China US President George W. Bush on Friday presented to Congress a letter formally requesting extension of the Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status to China for another year. In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Bush said that trade with China has benefited both American business, which boosted exports to China by 24 percent last year, and American farmers, who exported to China more than 3 billion dollars worth of farm products in the same period. "Trade is in the interests of American consumers, especially those who live from paycheck to paycheck and depend on inexpensive goods from China to enhance their quality of life," Bush said. He said that the normal trade status requested for China is what "virtually every other country in the world" now enjoys. "Fair trade is essential not only to improving living standards for Americans but also for a strong and productive relationship with China," he said. Bush said that the United States has a huge stake in the emergence of "an economically open, politically stable and secure China," and "not only we need to speak frankly and directly about our differences, but that we also need to maintain dialogue and cooperation with one another on those areas where we have common interests." Last year, US Congress passed legislation granting China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) as soon as the country enters the World Trade Organization, abandoning what Beijing had seen as an unfair practice of annual review by the US legislature over its trade status. The PNTR legislation, however, has not yet come into effect since Beijing is still negotiating on accession to the global trading bloc. Therefore, the annual review will continue in the Capitol Hill this year. Powell: Extension of NTR to China "Good" for America US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell stated that extending Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status to China for another year will do "good" for America as well as for the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong and Taiwan in particular. Powell made the statement in an article published by the Washington Post on Friday, the same day when President Bush will submit to Congress a determination calling for granting one-year extension of NTR to China. Powell said in the article that extension of normal trade relations with China again this year "is clearly in America's interest." "If we want to take every step possible to promote American interests in Asia, then it is fundamentally in our national interest to extend normal trade relations (with China)," he emphasized. Last year, U.S. Congress passed legislation granting China permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) as soon as the country enters the World Trade Organization, abandoning what Beijing had seen as an unfair practice of annual review by the US legislature over its trade benefits. The PNTR legislation, however, has not yet gone into effect since Beijing is still negotiating for accession to the global trading bloc. Therefore, the annual review of China's trading status will be conducted again in the Capitol Hill this year. "Congress should keep in mind that US exports to China last year grew 24 percent from 1999 to 16 billion dollars -- and provided jobs or other direct benefits to 350,000 to 400,000 US workers," Powell wrote in the article. He said that American consumers benefit as well from trade with China, since "reasonably priced household goods and clothes from China have helped hold down U.S. inflation in the past few years, and they improve the quality of life for Americans." Powell's reasoning echoed President Bush who, in a speech on Tuesday at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, said that trades with China is "a good policy" for America's economy. China has welcomed the Bush administration's move, but stressed that the NTR is not a favor bestowed by one country on another, but rather a kind of reciprocal trade arrangement given to each other because it is mutually beneficial. "Not only American business, agriculture, workers and consumers would suffer if Congress were to disapprove normal trade relations this year," Powell said, Taiwan and Hong Kong -- two important US trading partners and friends with substantial interest in the stable, prosperous Chinese mainland -- "would also suffer." Powell cited Hong Kong economists' estimate that China's loss of NTR would cut Hong Kong's economic growth rate by more than half and eliminate 72,000 to 102,000 jobs. Taiwan, America's seventh-largest trading partner, "could lose 15 billion dollars in overall exports and as many as 50,000 jobs, should China lose normal trade relations with the United States," he added. "Most important, we would be undermining the basis for economic relations between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, a key factor in building mutual trust and confidence between the two," Powell said. He noted that trade would help China to increase engagement with the outside world and facilitate cooperation between Washington and Beijing in combating alien smuggling, HIV/AIDS, narcotics trafficking, financial crimes, terrorism and environmental degradation. **** Cooperation With China Has Good Prospects: Mexican President Mexican President Vicente Fox said bilateral relations between his country and China are excellent and he wished to see strengthened exchanges between the two countries. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Fox, who is going to pay a state visit to China on June 6-9, said Mexico and China are focusing on sustained development and economic growth. "We'll travel to China, to seek more trade opportunities, mutual investments and the promotion of economic development," he said. In his one-week Asian tour, Fox will also visit South Korea and Japan. **** APEC MRT Meeting to Promote New Round of WTO Talks APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) top trade officials will gather in Shanghai next Wednesday and Thursday, in an effort to promote trade and investment liberalization, economic and technical cooperation and the earlier launching of a new round of WTO talks, said China's trade minister Shi Guangsheng in a recent interview. Shi described this upcoming APEC MRT (Ministers Responsible for Trade) meeting as "of great significance", though it will be held amidst concerns over reviving trade protectionism, sluggish economic growth in some APEC members and uncertain prospects for APEC. "On one hand, it will make preparations for the APEC Informal Leadership Meeting and the Ministerial Meeting scheduled for October this year," he said, adding that the MRT is held before trade ministers of WTO members meet in Qatar in November in a fresh attempt to kick off a new round of trade talks. "Under such circumstances, we hope we will reach a consensus at the meeting and send the message to the international community that we support a new WTO round. This will help maintain a sound and open environment for international trade and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and the world at large," Shi said. Shi, minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, will be the chairman for the forthcoming MRT meeting, the first of a series of ministerial-level meetings of APEC 2001. China has always backed the multilateral trade mechanism represented by the World Trade Organization, though it is yet to become a member of WTO, Shi said. "China has made unremitting efforts in this regard during the past 15 years. After its WTO accession, China will take an active part in the multilateral economic cooperation and play a constructive role in the establishment of the world's new economic order," he added. The Chinese government attaches great importance to APEC activities, and has been actively promoting cooperation among APEC member economies, Shi said. "As the host country for APEC 2001, China will continue to work with other members to contribute to the global and regional trade development, prosperity and social progress," he said. China has maintained close economic and trade relations with APEC members, and bilateral trade has been on the rise year-on- year, he noted. Trade with APEC members takes up over 70 percent of China's total trade, and direct investment accounts for over 60 percent of China's total use of foreign direct investments. Statistics provided by the General Administration of Customs indicate that China's trade with other APEC members throughout year 2000 added up to 351.72 billion U.S. dollars, a 29.8 percent increase on an annual basis. The first four months alone this year saw an aggregate trade worth 115.642 billion U.S. dollars between China and other APEC members. **** Israel Imposes Total Closure on Palestinian Territories The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) imposed a total closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip since Saturday morning following a suicide bombing midnight Friday in Tel Aviv that killed 18 and injured over 100. The closure is Israel's first step in retaliation for the bombing attack, the deadliest since 1997. The decision was made by Israel's inner security cabinet, which met earlier in the day in the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv to discuss possible response to the bombing attack, the Israeli radio reported. The inner security cabinet consists of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer. The IDF was ordered to impose a total closure on the West Bank. No Palestinians would be allowed to enter Israel during the period of closure. Meanwhile, Israel's Navy was ordered to seal off the Gaza coast, while a closure was also imposed on the Gaza International Airport, indicating that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Yasser Arafat's plane can not use the airport too. The IDF and other Israeli security officials urged all Palestinian workers inside Israel, whether in possession of a work permit or not, to immediately return to their homes in the territories. Following the meeting in the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Sharon is holding his full 13-member security cabinet meeting right now to continue discussing the matter. It is still not clear whether Israel would launch military attacks against the Palestinian targets as it usually did in the past. Since the outbreak of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict last September, Israel tightened its closure on the Palestinian territories in general, but sometimes eased the closure to allow the flow of goods into the occupied Palestinian territories. A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up at a nightclub in Tel Aviv's beachfront, killing 17 Israelis aged between 17 to 19 and the bomber himself. **** Nepal's King, Queen Killed in Shooting at Royal Palace Nepal's King, Queen Killed in Shooting at Royal Palace ------------------------------------------------------------------------Nepa l's crown prince opened fire in the royal palace Friday, killing the king, queen, a prince and five others before shooting himself, a senior military official said. Crown Prince Dipendra, 30, opened fire and shot all the members of the royal family including King Birendra, Queen Aiswarya and Prince Nirajan, the official said. According to the source, the shooting was caused by a dispute over the marriage of the prince because his mother, the queen, reportedly objected to his choice of bride. The crown prince, educated in England, was heir to the throne. Other details were not immediately available. Nepali People Shocked by King's Death The Nepali people are shocked and deeply grieved by the death of King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, who were shot dead Friday night by Crown Prince Dipendra along with around a dozen other members of the royal family at the Narayan Hity Royal Palace in Kathmandu on Friday night. The shooting happened at 10:40 p.m. local time during the family dinner. Other members of the royal family shot dead were Prince Nirajan, Princess Shruti and 12 other royal family members. It is reported that Dipendra, 30, shot the family dead due to disputes over his marriage. Queen Aishwarya is reportedly opposed to Dipendra's choice of bride. The capital was waken up by the news of the tragedy. Thousands of people began walking towards the royal palace in the heart of the city and are gathering in the main streets of the city to get more news about the incidents. Police cordoned off the outer periphery of the palace. "I was shocked and grieved by the news of King's death," one Nepali man in the crowd told Xinhua. "I come here to get more information about the tragedy," he added. The king came to the throne of the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal in 1972 and became the constitutional monarch after he was stripped of power in 1990 through a popular people's movement. The king and the queen were married in February 1971. Their first child, Dipendra, was born on June 27, 1971. The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal is located in South Asia between China and India. Though the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Nepal's 90 percent of the nearly 23 million population are Hindu while 5 percent are Buddhist. Profile: Nepali King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev Birendra was educated at St. Joseph's school in Darjeeling in India and at Eton College in England. He also studied in the University of Tokyo in Japan and Harvard in the United States from 1967 to 1968. He went on a study tour through Italy, America, Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa. Birendra was declared the heir-apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Nepal by King Mahendra on March 15, 1955 and was Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Nepal Army in 1964, Supreme Commander-in-chief in 1972. Birendra came to the throne on January 31, 1972, and crowned on February 24, 1975. The king became the constitutional monarch after he was stripped of power in 1990 through a popular people's movement. He has remained a figurehead much like the queen of England, appearing in ceremonies and addressing the Parliament once a year. The king and the queen were married in February 1971. Their first child, Dependra, was born on June 27, 1971. The royal family is revered in Nepal. Some believe that the King is the reincarnation of the Hindu God, Vishnu. King Birendra was dedicated to promoting friendly relations with China and paid ten visits to China in 1966, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1987, 1993, 1996 and 2001. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
