Extracts. CPC: An Attraction to Young Chinese A decade after ruling Communist parties lost power in the former Soviet Union and many Eastern European countries, the world is witnessing the fact that more and more young Chinese are joining the Communist Party of China (CPC). By the end of last year, the number of CPC members had reached 64.52 million, or 5.2 percent of the country's population, with 46 percent of the CPC members aged 45 years or younger, according to the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee. Meanwhile, 13.95 million people have applied for membership of the CPC, with 70 percent of the applicants aged 35 or younger. At present, CPC members account for 3.83 percent of university students, compared with 0.81 percent a decade ago, and 28.23 percent of postgraduate students, compared with 22.4 percent a decade ago. Almost one-third of in-school university students have applied for CPC membership. Lu Hao, the 35 year-old director of the Administration Committee of Zhongguancun, Beijing, dubbed "China's Silicon Valley ", said the younger generation of Chinese Communists have been attracted to Communism by the scientific nature of Deng Xiaoping Theory. Lu joined the CPC when he was an 18-year-old high school student; became the first directly-elected chairman of the Students' Union of Peking University, the well-known cradle of science and democracy in China, at the age of 20; was the general manager of a large state-owned company at 27; and has been a prefecture-level official for two years. (more) nnnn "The more I mingle with society, the greater correctness I have found in this theory," he said in an interview with Xinhua. In China, most universities have opened courses on Deng Xiaoping Theory, while at Peking University, which was also the cradle of China's first student movement, the May 4 Movement of 1919, and the place from where Marxism spread nationwide, Deng Xiaoping Theory is one of the most welcomed subjects by students. According to historical records, among the first 53 CPC members, 21 had worked or studied at the university, including Mao Zedong. "Currently, my task is to study hard and gain more knowledge to prepare for my future devotion to the economic drive of the motherland," said Wang Xiuli, a fourth-grader from the university' s International Relations Department, who was awarded the title of "Excellent CPC Member" by the university last year and is known for her good study results, active participation in campus When the CPC came into being 80 years ago, few could have imagined that the Party would still be a big attraction for youngsters today. Prof. Wang Zongguang, secretary of the CPC committee of Shanghai-based Jiaotong (Communications) University, said, " Currently, many students want to join the CPC." He attributed this to the instructions on Party building, namely, the well-known " Three Represents" remarks, by CPC General Secretary Jiang Zemin. Jiang said the CPC will remain successful and enjoy the heartfelt support of the people of China and lead them to constantly advance so long as it always earnestly represents the development trend of China's advanced social productive forces, CPC has won even broader and deeper recognition among the Chinese people. "Clever people become even more clever when they grow up," he said, "so that it is a realistic pursuit for me to join the Party." As an official from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee put it, political and social stability, rapid economic growth and the steady improvement of the Chinese people's living standards are the fundamental factors that have created greater confidence in the Party among young Chinese. **** China Opposes US Allowing Chen Shui-bian's Transit Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said Monday that China firmly opposes the United States allowing Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian to transit through New York and Houston. "We demand the U.S. government stop taking advantage of the Taiwan issue to interfere in the internal affairs of China," Sun said. The spokesman was answering a reporter who was seeking comments on the situation that Chen made a stopover in Houston in the United States and met with several U.S. congressmen after winding up a visit to Latin America. "We are against any country having diplomatic relations with China making official contacts and exchanges with the Taiwan authorities," he said. The U.S. government, disregarding opposition from the Chinese side, persisted in allowing Chen to meet U.S. congressmen, Sun said. "This has violated the three Sino-U.S. Joint Communiques and relevant promises the U.S. side has made, boosting the arrogance of the Taiwan "independence" forces in their efforts to sabotage cross-Straits relations. "We demand that the U.S. government abide by the "one-China" policy, the three China-U.S. joint communiques and its related promises, and not to make any form of official contacts or exchanges with the Taiwan authorities, and not to permit Chen Shui- bian or other Taiwan political figures to go to the United States to engage in activities aimed at splitting China," he said. **** Tung Hails "One Country, Two Systems" Concept "One Country, Two Systems" is an innovative concept that benefits one fifth of the world's population and will lead to the eventual reunification of the entire country, Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said on Monday. Addressing the opening ceremony of World Association of Newspapers' Congress here, Tung said that the "One Country, Two Systems" concept has made possible the peaceful resolution of problem left over from history concerning sovereignty, life style and constitutional institutions. Four years after Hong Kong's return to the motherland, thanks to the successful implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" policy, Hong Kong remains pluralistic, free, open and vibrant, Tung said. The community is supported by a strong and independent judiciary, firmly committed to the rule of law, and has maintained a life-style entirely consistent with the past, and the government is a transparent and accountable one dedicated to doing the very best for the people of Hong Kong, Tung said. As permitted by the "Basic Law" which provides the legal framework for the "One Country, Two Systems" concept, and as "Hong Kong, China", Hong Kong has maintained a separate customs territory and separately joined such international organizations as WTO and APEC. In the past four years, Hong Kong has taken part in over 4,000 international conferences, and has also directly signed over 50 bilateral agreements with other countries, according to Tung. In the past four years, Hong Kong people who have emigrated overseas before the Handover have been returning in significant numbers, and in the year 2000, 64 billion U.S. dollars worth of foreign direct investments came into Hong Kong - the highest level among Asian economies, Tung said. "The fact that people are 'voting with their feet and money' to come to Hong Kong is the best testimony to the confidence in "One Country, Two Systems" by the Hong Kong community and the world at large," Tung said. Tung attributed the successful implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" policy to the whole-hearted support of the Hong Kong people and the Chinese people as a whole, and the central government's determination to uphold the principles and policies of the "One Country, Two Systems." **** Tibetan Lamas Turn Cold Shoulder to Dalai Lama Soinam Baimo, a former slave in Zalang County in Tibet, used to beg the Dalai Lama to dispel his illnesses whenever he fell ill 50 years ago. But he stopped doing this after he recovered from a serious illness. When he had acute pneumonia one day in 1960, he turned to the Dalai Lama for help and invited some lamas to chant scriptures as usual. But there was no sign of improvement. After being injected with penicillin and taking some western medicine brought by a doctor of the Han nationality, the fever abated. "My family believed in Buddhism for generations and regarded the Dalai Lama as a savior. The incident shows it was the injection, not the Dalai Lama, that helped me when I was ill," he said. Soinam Baimo, who has a large family, became the richest person in his village. "It is no use praying to the Dalai Lama for a good life, which can only be achieved through hard labor and a good social system," he said. A recent sample survey conducted in Lhasa, the regional capital, indicates that over 90 percent of Tibetan residents think they are the biggest beneficiaries of the democratic reforms carried out in 1959. A lama at the Sera Monastery, who asked for anonymity, said, "I believe in the Dalai Lama because he is one of the leaders of Tibetan Buddhism. However, he shouldn't engage in politics in the name of religion, let alone separatism which harms the interests of Tibetan people." At present the portrait of the Dalai Lama is not enshrined in the Sera Monastery. Ngoizhub, a Tibetan who fled to India with the Dalai Lama following the foiled rebellion in 1959, returned to Tibet in 1990 after participating in activities aimed at separating Tibet from China in the years overseas. He said, "I hope the Dalai Lama would do something concrete for the Tibetan people including those who still reside in other countries. At least he shouldn't sabotage the normal lives and religious activities of the majority of the people in Tibet." Currently, people under the age of 45 constitute the mainstay of the total population in Tibet. Yexe, who graduated from Tibet University, said, "I learned a lot about the old Tibet under the rule of the Dalai Lama from my grandfather, who was a beggar at that time." "It is sheer hypocrisy that the Dalai Lama who stays away from his motherland and hometown still goes around selling his ideas in the capacity of being the spokesman of the Tibetan people. Nobody at my age relies on the blessing of the Dalai Lama any more," he said. **** DPRK Ships Allowed Conditioned Passage Through S.Korean Strait South Korea has decided to allow ships from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to pass through its Cheju Straight if they seek prior permission from the South, the Ministry of Defense said Monday. The decision was made during an emergency meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday, presided over by Unification Minister Lim Dong-won, after three DPRK cargo ships passed through the strait. The DPRK authorities should take necessary steps, such as giving prior notice or applying for permission from the South, to prevent a recurrence of such incidents, a defense ministry spokesman said. However, the council also decided to take stern measures if a DPRK ship trespasses in Southern seas without prior permission, said the spokesman. The DPRK vessels, identified as the 13,000 ton Chongjin 2, the 6,700 ton Yonggunbong and the 2,700 ton Paekmagang, violated South Korean waters, passing through the strait Sunday, said the Defense Ministry. South Korean Navy's reconnaissance aircraft and patrol ships were dispatched to force the ships out of South Korean waters, but the sailors on the DPRK ships claimed the right to pass through the Cheju Strait, which they said is open to commercial traffic in accordance with the international law of the seas. It was the first time that DPRK' large freight ships crossed South Korean waters without prior permit. South Korea allows foreign cargo vessels to pass through the strait without prior notification but prohibits DPRK ones from doing so. **** Fatah Leader Accepts Ceasefire, But to Continue Intifada: Radio A leader of the Palestinian mainstream Fatah movement Monday endorsed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's ceasefire order, but he added that the intifada, or uprising against Israel, will continue. Hassan al-Sheikh, a local commander in the West Bank, told Israel Radio, "We are honoring the chairman's decision for a ceasefire. This is an opportunity from the Palestinian side. We are giving a possibility of ending this war that the government of Israel has opened against the Palestinian people." But he stressed that the ceasefire order is irrelevant to the popular uprising triggered by a provocative visit by Ariel Sharon, then Israeli opposition leader and current prime minister, to an Islamic holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem late last September. Since then, over 570 people had been killed in bloody clashes, most of them Palestinians. "We are stating that the popular intifada is the natural right of the Palestinian people. It is the thundering voice of the Palestinian people in opposing the occupation," al-Sheikh said. Meanwhile, Israel is keeping watching for signs of a Palestinian ceasefire on the ground. The order was announced by Arafat on Saturday after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up and killed many others in Tel Aviv Friday night. The death toll has risen to 20 after a 25-year-old Israeli man died of his injuries Sunday night. Monday morning, a bomb exploded in a West Bank highway near the Jewish settlement of Ariel, some 35 kilometers north of Jerusalem, lightly wounding an Israeli. In Gaza, two mortar shells were fired from the Palestinian area at the settlement of Kfar Darom overnight, causing no injuries. But Israeli security sources admitted that the overall level of violence obviously ebbed in the territories for the third consecutive day. In a related development, Israel's Army Radio reported Monday morning that Arafat's ceasefire order only applies to Area A under full control of the Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The report quoted unnamed Palestinian officials as saying that the Palestinians could not be responsible for security in areas that remain under partial or full Israeli control, such as the Jewish settlements dotting the territories. Israeli Minister Without Portfolio Danny Naveh told the Army Radio that if Arafat does not take steps immediately to stop the violence, including arresting members of militant Palestinian groups, Israel will launch attacks against Palestinian targets. It was revealed Monday by a senior Israeli military official that Israel Air Force had already prepared to land a "severe assault" on the Palestinians in response to Friday's suicide bombing, and that the air strike was canceled at the last minute as a result of Arafat's declaration of a ceasefire. **** Russia, India Ready to Sign Package of Military Contracts Russia and India are ready to sign a package of contracts on arms sales and military-technical cooperation, and the first batch will be signed on June 6, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov announced Monday. The two countries are entering a new stage of military cooperation by jointly designing and producing military hardware, especially aircraft, ships and submarines, said Klebanov, who co- chaired a session of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation with his visiting Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh. According to Klebanov, who is in charge of the military- industrial complex, Russia and India will jointly design a general- purpose military-transport plane, and the Ilyushin firm will be a Russian participant in the project. "We are now completing the documents needed for starting its production," Klebanov said, noting the plane "is not going to be another AN-70, but an absolutely different plane." Klebanov said Russia and India are also holding talks on the creation of warplanes of the fifth generation. A contract on supplying Russia's Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier to India is also to be signed in September to October this year, followed by the sale of 60 MiG 29K deck combat planes and the construction of coastal infrastructure, Klebanov said. Singh said that Russia and India have signed contracts worth of 10 billion U.S. dollars in the sphere of military-technical cooperation. The recently signed large contracts on supplying India with Su- 30MKI jets and T-90 tanks are very important for India, said the minister, urging thorough implementation of those contracts. Singh, who is also India's foreign minister, discussed bilateral relations with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on the same day in the context of preparations for a visit by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee scheduled for November. They also exchanged views on strategic stability and the Southern Asian situation. The ministers emphasized "the importance of close cooperation between the two countries in the struggle against such global challenges such as international terrorism and religious extremism, " said a Foreign Ministry release. Singh arrived here Sunday evening for a three-day official visit amid the stepping up cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi in military spheres. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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