Extracts. Chinese Premier Leaves for Four-Country Tour. At the invitation of Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of the Republic of Ireland, Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt of the Kingdom of Belgium, Prime Minister M. M. Kasyanov of the Government of Russian Federation and Prime Minister Kasymzhomart K. Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji left Beijing Sunday morning for an official visit to Ireland, Belgium, Russia and Kazakhstan. Vice-premier Qian Qichen, State Councilor Wang Zhongyu and other Chinese officials saw the premier off at the Great Hall of the People, as well as diplomatic envoys of the above mentioned countries and the European Union. During the two-week tour till September 15, Zhu will also attend, respectively, the fourth Sino-European Union Summit meeting in Belgium, the sixth regular meeting between the prime ministers of China and Russia in Russia and the first Prime Ministers' Meeting of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Kazakhstan. Among the premier's delegation are his wife Lao An, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Minister in charge of the State Economic and Trade Commission Li Rongrong, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Shi Guangsheng and Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng. **** Uncertainty Remains over Improved Cross-Strait Economic, Trade Ties: Article. The failure by Taiwan to embrace the "One China" principle casts a shadow and uncertainty over improved cross-Strait economic and trade ties, according to a signed commentary published Friday by Xinhua News Agency. The commentary says the "Economic Development Advisory Commission" of the Taiwan authorities has recently achieved a consensus on loosening restrictions on cross-Strait economic and trade and direct shipping links, but failed to reach a consensus on recognizing the "One China" principle. The promise by the Taiwan authorities to ease cross-Strait economic and trade links was not made out of its will but under great pressure, says the commentary. It explains that the leader of the Taiwan authorities has so far refused to embrace the "One China" principle and the "1992 Consensus" while his ruling Democratic Progressive Party still holds its spirit tablet of "Taiwan Independence". "How can they have the sincerity to improve cross-Strait ties and promote cross-Strait dialogue and exchanges while still stubbornly adhering to the stance of "Taiwan Independence?" It urges the Taiwan authorities to accept the "One China" principle and recognize the "1992 Consensus" in order to promote the economic development of Taiwan and improve cross-Strait relations. **** Every Human Being Should Enjoy Equal Human Rights: S. African President. Every human being should enjoy human rights as equally as others, South Africa <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/southAfrica.html> n President Thabo Mbeki said in Durban on Friday. "I am certain we are determined to speak with one voice to assert that no culture, language or tradition of any people is inferior, deserving of being despised, mocked and destroyed, " Mbeki said while addressing the opening ceremony of the third World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) at the International Convention Center. "We want to make the point firmly that all peoples and all nations are mutually and each equally entitled to their identity and their national pride," he stressed. The president pointed out that unlike slavery and colonialism in the past, racism under the current circumstance of economic globalization is mainly caused by poverty, which deprives the human dignity of all those forced to beg, steal and even prostitute. Gripped by poverty, all the people living under the extreme poverty line are forced to behave towards others as though some are inferior and others superior, simply in order to get something to eat, Mbeki said, warning that if the poor peoples' lives can not be improved, tomorrow will be even worse than today. He underscored that poverty, the product of human society instead of an act of nature, will not be alleviated until all the governments and civil societies in the world unite together to fight and vanquish underdevelopment. Referring to the WCAR, Mbeki said: "The conference must convey a message of hope to the peoples of the world that, together, we are resolved to work hard for peace everywhere on our universe, so that the doors open everywhere for the fullest and all-round development in conditions of freedom, safety and security." About 14,000 delegates worldwide were present at the opening ceremony, including U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and presidents Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/algeria.html> , Joso Krizanovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires of Cape Verde, Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/togo.html> , Yoweri Museveni of Uganda <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/uganda.html> and Paul Kagame of Rwanda. During the eight-day conference, participants are expected to produce a declaration that recognizes the damage caused by past expressions of racism and reflects a new global awareness of modern forms of racism and xenophobia. A strong practical program of action will also be adopted at the end of the conference. The first and second WCAR were held in Geneva, Switzerland <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/switzerland.html> , in 1978 and 1983 respectively. **** Arafat Urges WCAR to Resolve Tension Between Palestine, Israel. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat Friday hoped that the ongoing World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) will be a major historical turning point in the Palestinian struggle for the right to self-determination. Speaking at the first roundtable discussion of the WCAR, Arafat said that Palestine is suffering abhorrent racism, discrimination and settler colonialism from Israel <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/israel.html> . "I hope this conference will say what is just, what is right, in the face of this bloody tragedy that has overtaken the Palestinian people," he said. The tension between Palestine and Israel is now escalating and the farms and factories of the Palestinian people are being destroyed, he added. Arafat pointed out that Israel's military solution will only bring about tragedy and catastrophe. Predicting the peace prospect between Palestine and Israel, he reaffirmed that Israel must withdraw their troops from the Palestinian territory and eliminate all the Jewish settlement in Palestine. "We still look forward to returning to the road of peace," he added. **** Obsessed With Recession, US Manufacturers Trumpet Pro-Growth Strategy . US manufactures, who as the seller have suffered dearly from the current economic slowdown in the country, have trumpeted a more aggressive pro-growth strategy to help bail them out of a manufacturing recession. A group of leading figures in the US manufacturing industry, obssessed with the continued trend of recession, called for a more aggressive remedy to restore the sluggish manufacturing and the American economy to a healthy state. "The current manufacturing recession that began in the latter half of 2000 is chiefly due to the combined effects of excessively high interest rates, high energy prices, the overvalued dollar and increased regulatory and legal costs," according to Jerry Jasinowski, president of the U.S. National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). "An inventory overhang from the unexpected drop in demand last year exacerbated the manufacturing slump," a disgruntled Jasinowski told a press conference held here earlier this week. "Meanwhile, slow growth overseas further reduced sales opportunities for U.S. firms and all but eliminated pricing power for most manufacturers, forcing firms to cut costs by lowering capital spending and by reducing employment levels by 837,000 jobs or 4.5 percent since last July," he explained. On the causes of the manufacturing recession, the NAM president said that an excessively punitive rise in interest rates in the past few years was a factor which affect almost exclusively manufacturing and occurred at a time when the underlying economy, although not completely apparent, was beginning to slow. Secondly, the energy cost increases in the last year were very large and had a disproportionately large effect on manufacturing, which uses about a third of the American energy. According to Jasinowski, an overvalued dollar, which makes U.S. exports more expensive, was the third and unique factor for the downturn. The fourth important factor is higher regulatory and legal costs which prevent manufacturers from raising prices, thereby further pushing down profits. John Wittstock, president and chief executive officer of Oldcastle Products and Distribution from Atlanta, Georgia, said his company was particularly hit by a higher cost in energy. Much of the company's construction-related products are energy intensive. It needs natural gas to manufacture clay facing bricks and fuel to deliver products to local customers on their own trucks. The high energy costs, he said, have inflicted severe pressures on the company's profit margin over the past 18 months. Ronald Budzik, vice president of government affairs of the U.S. Mead Corporation, explained how the overvalued dollar has affected the U.S. paper industry. He said that his company which manufactures and sells wood and paper and packaging products has been losing export share largely because the over-valued dollar has eroded the competitiveness of its product on the international market. For the U.S. paper industry as a whole, he said, that means about 39 paper mills have been closed in the last three years, and about 30,000 men and women have lost their good-paying jobs. Budzik said that the dollar is probably overvalued by 25 to 30 percent. "The overvalued dollar is forcing American business to make decisions that are really not good, that limits our growth opportunity, limits our investments and capacities, and actually to shut down capacity domestically," the businessman said. According to Jasinowski, although U.S. economy as a whole are nearing a turning point, U.S. manufacturing still faces challenges at home and overseas. "We have a huge trade deficit. Exports have declined for three straight quarters and the dollar remains at near a 15-year high against other currencies -- although it has recently shown some signs of rationalizing," Jasinowski said. "Additionally, business has excess capacity, and firms will wait until the slack is taken up before they begin investing again. Profit margins remain tight because of competitive pressures and increased legal and regulatory costs," he continued. "Lower interest rates and energy costs should spur some improvements in margins, but profits remained constrained, and firms will respond by holding off on employment or investment actions," he added. The NAM president called on the U.S. government and the Federal Reserve to work on a more aggressive pro-growth agenda to restore manufacturing and the American economy to a healthy state. He summarized that there is a need for greater reductions in interest rates, a more benign policy with respect to a sound dollar, passing an energy bill in the Senate, and holding down regulatory and legal costs. He also maintained that the U.S. Congress should move forward to grant President George W. Bush trade promotion authority so as to place him in a better position to negotiate trade deals with foreign countries. **** Irish Premier: Ties With China Are Excellent. Irish Prime Minister Berti Ahern has said the current relations between Ireland and China are excellent and he believes Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's forthcoming visit to Ireland would further strengthen bilateral ties. In a recent written interview with Xinhua, Ahern said: "The visit of Premier Zhu is a further step in the process of more intensive engagement with China initiated by my own visit to China in 1998 and the adoption of Ireland's Asian Strategy a year later. " "Economic and trade relations between Ireland and China have shown remarkably positive development since that time. This growth in trade has been greatly facilitated by an ever-increasing exchange of visits between our two countries by deputy prime ministers, ministers as well as senior officials and business people," Ahern said. Zhu is scheduled to pay an official visit to Ireland on September 2, the first visit by the Chinese premier. Ahern said Ireland is committed in particular to rapid growth in the IT sector, especially in computer software and that China is seen as a high-priority market for Ireland in this area. "There have been a number of successful exchanges between Irish and Chinese software companies and I would very much hope to see further such examples of cooperation in the IT and other sectors." The Irish prime minister said the Irish government needs to make Ireland's name more widely known in Asia since Ireland lacks a long-term tradition of economic and political relationships there. "The Asian Strategy is currently working to raise Ireland's profile in Chinese businesses circles. Premier Zhu's visit to Ireland will be invaluable to us in creating a greater awareness of Ireland in China," he said. Ahern said that Ireland's support of the "one China" policy is well known and has been reiterated on several previous occasions. Commenting on Ireland's strategy to develop relations with Asian countries, Ahern said his visit to China in 1998 made it clear to him that Ireland needed a strategic approach to developing stronger economic links with Asia. Ireland's Asia Strategy, which was introduced in 1999, was a direct result of that visit to China. The strategy focuses on the potential to increase trade between Ireland and China. China was designated as a priority country within this strategy. The Irish prime minister added that the implementation of the Asian Strategy is proceeding well. Since the Asian Strategy was established in 1999, Ireland have opened two new consulates in the Asian-Pacific region -- one in Shanghai and one in Sidney -- and an embassy in Singapore. The new consulate in Shanghai has a clear business focus. The latest Irish official figures show trade between Ireland and China has grown particularly stronger over the past 18 months. In 2000, exports from Ireland to China showed a 40 percent increase on 1999 figures, and imports showed an increase of 37 percent on 1999. China, including Hong Kong, was Ireland's 13th largest export market in 2000, and eighth largest source of imports. Ahern said Ireland will continue to raise awareness of Ireland, as potential trading partner, in countries where it lack traditional links. "The Asian-Pacific Strategy Committee is currently working on a program of awareness-raising projects, designed to increase recognition of Ireland in Asia. This should help to ensure the continued success of Ireland's Asia Strategy," he added. Commenting on the U.S. national missile defense program, Ahern said Ireland has expressed its concerns about any moves which might undermine the current balance of strategic stability and be contrary to the conclusions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
