Week of November 23, 2001The U.S. and China This Week
INTERNATIONAL: Foreign Falun Gong Adherents Arrested in Tiananmen SquarePolice forced the protesters into vans, dragging several of them on the ground, and roughly hoisting others. One protester escaped the police briefly and ran toward pedestrians shouting “Falun Gong is good? in Chinese. At least one protester was hit in the back by a police officer several times and kicked and battered before the van he was in pulled away. But the police used less force than they have in stopping demonstrations by domestic Falun Gong members, despite the fact that some passersby urged the police to hit the protesters. Sweden protested what it deemed the harsh physical handling of the 35 detainees, and said Swedish diplomats were not allowed to meet soon enough with those who were Swedish. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said China had dealt with the Falun Gong members with “humanity and fairness,?and said China briefed the governments of the nationals involved the next day and asked diplomats to instruct their nationals to respect Chinese law. In the past few weeks, Falun Gong spokesmen in New York have alleged several fatalities of Falun Gong members from police torture in China. Rights groups claim as many as 300 Falun Gong members may have died while in custody in China. Falun Gong maintains that the teachings of their New York-based leader Li Hongzhi lead to health, good citizenship and even supernatural abilities. China claims Falun Gong is an “evil cult?and that more than 1,000 Falun Gong adherents have died from suicide or refusal of needed medical help. Meanwhile, permanent U.S. resident Teng Chunyan has renounced Falun Gong membership, according to the official New China News Agency. She was quoted as saying that the conditions in her labor camp were decent and that she had not been abused. In May 2000, she was given a three-year sentence for aiding foreign reporters who were investigating the crackdown on Falun Gong.
U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS: China Again Asserts Opposition to Submarines SaleUnnamed U.S. officials said Northrup Grumman Corp. and General Dynamics were two firms set to bid; the bidding is thought to be scheduled for January. The officials declined to name the other firms. Earlier this month, another Taiwanese newspaper reported U.S. military officials as maintaining that the Pentagon supported the submarines sale. The United States does not build diesel submarines anymore; all of its subs are nuclear. Jane’s Defense Weekly maintained this week that U.S. firms were looking for blueprints for diesel submarines from other nations. Holland and Germany make such submarines but have said they will not enter into this deal for fear of upsetting China. Last month, Taiwanese legislators said the island will begin receiving the diesel submarines from the United States in 2010 as part of its military build-up in response to Chinese pressure.
DOMESTIC: Taiwan Will Allow Chinese Tourists to Visit"It is a crucial step towards normalizing ties between
the two sides of the Strait," Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the cabinet's Mainland
Affairs Council, said to reporters. She added that Taiwan would be prepared
for further liberalizing measures depending on China’s reaction. According
to a Taiwanese government statement, 1,000 visitors a day will be allowed.
Presently, mainlanders can only come to Taiwan to report news, visit relatives
or participate in cultural and educational exchanges. All applications are
handled on a case-by-case basis.
U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS: Chinese Premier Says U.S. Doesn’t Favor ReunificationThis is the first time that a leading Chinese official has accused the United States of not supporting Chinese reunification and is an important indication of the attitude of the Chinese government.
Last updated: October 05, 2001 |
