The U.S. and China This Week
Week of December 8, 1999
The U.S. and China This Week
<< Index of Past Summaries >>
Next Summary
STATE AND SOCIETY: Falun Gong Criticism,
Dissident Detention Trouble US-Chinese Relations
SUMMARY:
Human rights issues remained a contentious
issue in bilateral relations this week, as China protested the United State’s
criticism of its treatment of Falun Gong members and other religious and ethnic
groups. A Tuesday press conference by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Zhang Qiyue criticized a Monday speech by President Clinton concerning the
detention of Falun Gong sect members and a U.S. government decision to extend
a ban on crime control and detection equipment exports. The decision followed
a September State Department report critical of Chinese government mistreatment
of Tibetan monks, underground Christians, and Muslim Uighurs.
On Monday, the U.S. embassy conveyed a strong
protest to the Chinese government over the alleged detention and beating of
a Chinese dissident. Fu Sheng, a member of the Chinese Democracy Party, said
that he was detained and maltreated by Chinese officials after meeting with
a U.S. diplomat responsible for monitoring human rights.
Previous Summary || Next
Summary
HONG KONG: Hong Kong Court Reverses Right
of Abode Decision to Follow Beijing Lead
SUMMARY:
Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal reversed
its previous January ruling on the right-of abode controversy to follow Beijing’s
interpretation of the region’s Basic Law. Last June, the National People’s
Congress Standing Committee ruled that residency rights granted under Basic
Law applied only to children whose parents were Hong Kong citizens when the
child was born; not to any children of citizens (as the initial court ruling
interpreted the law). Although the court battle involved the fate of only
17 potential migrants from mainland China to the territory, the ruling affects
up to an estimated 1.6 million people. The Hong Kong government had requested
the reinterpretation, fearing a deluge of migrants. The reversal marks the
first occasion that Beijing has overridden the Hong Kong courts; giving rise
to fears of increased intervention and interference in the region. Hong Kong
officials have vowed that the precedent will be used very sparingly.
Previous Summary || Next
Summary
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: China Sponsors UN
Anti-Missile Defense Resolution
SUMMARY:
The U.N. General Assembly voted last Wednesday
in favor of a draft resolution jointly sponsored by Russia, China and Belarus,
calling for strengthening of the 1972 Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty.
The draft, opposed by the United States, urges the United States to relinquish
plans to amend the treaty in order to allow deployment of the anti-ballistic
missile system. Russia and China have repeatedly warned that any attempts
to alter the existing treaty would destabilize existing nuclear stability
and set off a new arms race.
Meanwhile, military experts have speculated
China may be about to test a new intercontinental ballistic missile, capable
of striking the United States. The Julang 2’s estimated range of up to 12,000
kilometers, according to the Monday Washington Times newspaper, would give
China second strike capabilities in the event of nuclear war.
Previous Summary
ECONOMY: China Contemplates Key WTO-Related
Reforms
SUMMARY:
As a World Bank official predicted that China
would lock in its official growth target of 7 percent for 1999, it faces the
implementation of several key reforms as part of its bid to join the WTO.
Vice Minister of Foreign Trade Sun Zhenyu remarked in the China Economic Times
last Tuesday that China would open up to increased foreign investment in trade
and services. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell 10.5 percent this year
after a record high in 1998.
A report by the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences called for the government to permit private and foreign institutions
to buy into China’s four large state-run commercial banks. Although this restructuring
would allow the banks to prepare for the direct foreign competition agreed
to under last month’s WTO agreement, the Chinese government is not yet ready
to move beyond examination of the proposal.
To aid China in preparing for these reforms,
The World Bank announced that its assistance strategy to China will move toward
structural reform in social, banking and private enterprise sectors. Its funding
would be decreased over the next three years from $3 million to $2 million.
All views expressed herein are those of
the writers and editors
and do not reflect the views of USCPF itself.
|
