Week of November 3, 2000
Week of February 23, 2001
The U.S. and China This Week
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U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS: U.S. Again Protests Alleged
China Fiber-optic Aid to Iraq
SUMMARY: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell asked
Chinese Ambassador Yang Jiechi February 21 for an explanation regarding
what America claims is
fiber-optic assistance to Iraq by China, State
Department spokesman Richard Boucher reported. According to U.S. national
security advisor Condoleeza Rice, “under the [U.N.] sanctions regime, there
appears to be a problem.?The U.S. and Britain last week bombed Iraqi radar
and fiber-optic telecommunications nodes. According to U.S. officials,
Iraq was in the process of linking its anti-aircraft systems with fiber-optic
cables from China, which would have jeopardized American and British pilots
enforcing the no-fly zone over parts of Iraq. Pentagon sources said the
bombing occurred on Friday, the Muslim sabbath, so as not to endanger Chinese
construction personnel.
This is the third time that America has complained
to China about fiber-optic aid to Iraq. United Nations sanctions stipulate
that all Iraqi imports are to be paid for by an account operated by the
U.N. sanctions committee out of Iraqi export revenue, and no imports are
to aid Iraq’s military.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao
denied America’s claim, maintaining that it is an attempt to distract attention
from the bombing of Iraq. He said China has “always strictly and seriously?upheld U.N. Security Council actions on Iraq. But a U.S. expert who in
recent months held talks with high-level Chinese officials said China is
using Iraq to counter American power and potentially to learn how to improve
its own air defenses, including those opposite Taiwan.
Zhu has condemned the U.S. and British bombing
of Iraq, which he maintained violated Iraqi sovereignty and territorial
integrity and went against “normal standards of international relations.?#060;/font>
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INTERNATIONAL: China Attempts to Use Human Rights
to Attract Olympics
SUMMARY: In a recent interview, a key Chinese Olympic
official said holding the Olympics in Beijing would improve human rights
in China. Beijing is
competing with Paris, Toronto, Istanbul and Osaka
for the 2008 Olympics; the decision on the host city is due in July.
Beijing Deputy Mayor Liu Jingmin said in applying
for the Olympics, China was aiming not just to further Beijing’s development,
but also to promote
democracy and human rights. “In the past few
years, we’ve improved a lot,?he said. “There are fewer poor people, grass-roots
democracy is developing bit
by bit, and the media have more freedom and criticize
the government regularly.?If Beijing wins the Olympics, Liu said, “it
will help us establish a more
just and harmonious society, a more democratic
society, and help integrate China into the world.?#060;/font>
Various groups critical of the Chinese government
have maintained that China does not deserve to host the Olympics. Some
have called on the
International Olympic Committee to urge China
to release religious figures and political dissidents from incarceration.
But some groups, including Falun
Gong and various China-based supporters of democracy,
have endorsed Beijing's Olympics bid in hopes it will spur human rights
concessions.
An inspection group from the IOC arrived in Beijing
February 21 for a five-day visit to evaluate the city’s application to
host the Olympics. Its head, Hein
Verbruggen, described the team’s visit as purely
for sport and technical considerations. Political issues, he indicated,
will be evaluated by the individual
IOC members.
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U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS: Chinese Test-Prep School Sued By ETS
SUMMARY: The Educational Testing Service has filed a lawsuit in China against
Michael Yu’s New Oriental test-prep school, a popular vehicle for
Chinese students studying for American standardized tests such as the
Test of English as a Foreign Language, the Graduate Record Examinations
and the
Graduate Management Admission Test. ETS accuses Yu of illegally distributing
copies of old exams and stealing questions for future exams. For his part,
Yu admits to violating copyright laws by using old exams, but blames
ETS for allowing American students to purchase old tests but not Chinese
students.
Yu denies stealing questions from future tests.
In November, ETS got Chinese authorities to raid Wu’s school, New Oriental,
and confiscate thousands of illegally held used tests. In its lawsuit,
ETS is
seeking damages, legal compensation, a public apology and the destruction
of all illegally held ETS materials. Should ETS lose in court, officials
said, it
may no longer test in China.
ETS saw a big increase in Chinese GRE scores last year, company officials
said, and materials confiscated from Wu’s school included questions that
are still
asked on ETS tests. “Through intensive coaching that includes exposure
to undisclosed test questions, certain individuals in China may have gained
unfair
advantage in taking the tests,?the GRE and TOEFL boards told U.S.
universities. ETS has told American universities to carefully inspect Chinese
applications, especially ones with very high test scores.
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INTERNATIONAL: E.U. Meets With China on Human Rights,
Freedoms
SUMMARY: The European Union began two days of meetings with China
on February 22 in Stockholm, Sweden as part of a regular dialogue on human
rights. According to Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesman Bertil Jobeus,
the talks were to revolve around human rights, freedom of expression and
religion,
the death penalty and torture. The EU delegation had as its leader
ambassador Thomas Hammarberg of Sweden, which presently has the EU’s six-month
rotating presidency, while China was represented by Li Baodong, a foreign
ministry official responsible for human rights.
Jobeus said the EU wants China to ratify and implement the UN covenants
on civil and political rights, and to work with “human rights mechanisms?such
as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He said
the EU would also urge China to hold fair and impartial trials where the
accused
has a right to defense as well as to implement “guarantees to strengthen
legal protection with regard to the death penalty.?Jobeus also said conditions
in
autonomous regions of China, including Tibet and Xinjiang, would probably
be discussed.
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The U.S. and China This
Week
uscpf@uscpf.org
Last updated: 1 March 2001
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