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Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network DAILY REPORT For Wednesday, May 27, 1998, from Berkeley, California, USA |
1. Military Armistice Commission
Dow Jones Newswires ("S. KOREA AGREES TO LET U.S. GENERAL HEAD
ARMISTICE TALKS," Seoul, 05/27/98) reported that ROK officials
said Wednesday that the ROK has agreed to let a US general
represent the UN Command (UNC) in the Military Armistice
Commission (MAC). An anonymous senior ROK military official
stated, "Our decision is significant in that it will bring the
North back to dialogue and reopen a high-level military channel
to cope with possible emergencies on the peninsula." Jim Coles,
spokesman for the UN Command in Seoul, said that the UNC has been
talking with the DPRK about the proposed change, but that no
agreement has been reached. Last March the DPRK, which withdrew
from the MAC in 1991, indicated it would resume meetings with the
UN Command if a US general headed its delegation.
2. US MIAs from Korean War
United Press International ("MIA TEAM ARRIVES IN NORTH KOREA,"
Washington, 05/26/98) reported that a five-member US Defense
Department team arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday to begin
reviewing military records for clues to the fate of US servicemen
reported missing in action during the Korean War. The team will
conduct its search at the Fatherland Liberation Museum in
Pyongyang. Last year, a similar mission turned up documents,
which are still being analyzed, relating to the fate of several
US prisoners of war.
3. ROK Food Aid for DPRK
The Associated Press ("S. KOREA TO LET HYUNDAI OWNER TAKE CATTLE
TO N. KOREA," Seoul, 05/27/98) reported that ROK government
officials on Wednesday said that Hyundai Corp. founder Chung Ju-
yung is expected to be allowed to visit the DPRK in early June.
The officials said that the DPRK has basically agreed to let
Chung and his cattle cross the border at Panmunjom, and that
Hyundai and DPRK officials will meet in Beijing this weekend to
work out details.
4. DPRK Agricultural Development
Reuters ("NORTH KOREA TO PRESENT PLAN FOR GRAIN SUSTAINABILITY,"
Geneva, 05/26/98) reported that a UN Development Program (UNDP)
spokeswoman said Tuesday that DPRK officials plan to present a
US$2 billion action plan this week aimed at making the country
self-sufficient in cereals within three years. A 13-member DPRK
delegation led by Choe Su-hon, vice minister for foreign affairs,
will outline the agricultural recovery program at a two-day
round-table session opening in Geneva on Thursday. The
spokeswoman said that the delegation will ask for imports of farm
machinery, fuel, and fertilizer worth US$300 million to
rehabilitate the DPRK's farm sector. Some 40 countries,
including the US, the ROK, and the PRC, are due to send
representatives to the closed-door talks, which are also being
attended by nearly 30 international organizations. Christian
Lemaire, UNDP representative in Pyongyang, stated, "The grain
deficit stands at about two million metric tons. The deficit is
likely to continue unless some rehabilitation is done." He added
that the balance of the US$2 billion plan is to be provided
through local inputs and domestic labor. The plan has been
worked out over the past five months by the DPRK and experts from
the UNDP and Food and Agriculture Organization. Lemaire
emphasized that the conference in Geneva "is not a pledging
conference. It is a first opportunity to discuss the main
underlying issues and get some consensus on whether it is the
right way to do things."
5. ROK Labor Unrest
The Associated Press (Sang-Hun Choe, "HYUNDAI, OTHER WORKERS GO
ON STRIKE," Seoul, 05/27/98) reported that workers belonging to
the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions began a two-day
nationwide strike over job security. The Union vowed to organize
a bigger strike in early June unless massive layoffs are halted.
The confederation said that about one-fifth of its members joined
in the temporary work stoppage, but government officials said the
figure was much smaller. Union leaders demanded a sharp increase
in unemployment benefits and a speedier restructuring of the
chaebol. Kim Won-bae, the chief government negotiator from the
Labor Ministry, called those demands "unacceptable" but added
that the government will continue to talk with labor.
6. Clinton's Visit to PRC
Reuters ("REPORT: CLINTON TO VISIT CHINA JUNE 25-JULY 3,"
Beijing, 05/27/98) reported that the PRC's official Workers'
Daily said Wednesday that US President Bill Clinton is scheduled
to visit the PRC from June 25 to July 3. The PRC Foreign
Ministry and the US Embassy in Beijing declined to confirm the
dates. The newspaper commented, "Serious differences remain
between the two sides on some issues due to the different
political systems and values in China and the United States. But
these kinds of differences should not become obstacles to the two
sides developing ties and cooperating."
7. Taiwanese Views of Clinton's PRC Visit
The Los Angeles Times carried an analytical article (Jim Mann,
"U.S.-CHINA SUMMIT HAS TAIWAN JITTERY," Washington, 05/27/98)
which said that the PRC has been "pressing extremely hard, behind
the scenes," for US President Bill Clinton to sign a statement
that the US will not support Taiwanese independence, Taiwanese
admission to the UN, or a policy of recognizing two separate
Chinas. It added that the PRC would like the administration to
pledge that it will not install a theater-missile defense system
on Taiwan and will restrict arms sales to the island. The
article quoted Koo Chen-fu, chairman of the Straits Exchange
Foundation, as saying that if Clinton were to give these written
assurances at the summit, "it could hurt Taiwan." Regarding the
summit in general, Koo stated, "our only concern is that Taiwan's
interests are taken into account." Koo also warned that if
Clinton were to make new written promises about Taiwan during the
summit, it would "put fire into the Taiwan independence
movement." He argued that PRC officials will put their own
interpretation on any written statement, even if it does not take
the form of a joint communique. He stated, "They will not regard
the fact that it's not a communique as less binding."
8. Taiwan-PRC Legal Relations
Reuters (Alice Hung, "TAIWAN PLEASED BUT CAUTIOUS AFTER CHINA'S
LEGAL DECISION," Taipei, 05/27/98) reported that the PRC Supreme
Court on Tuesday ruled that Taiwan civil court rulings and
institutional arbitration decisions would have the same validity
as law in the PRC upon confirmation by PRC courts. The PRC's
official Xinhua news agency quoted Supreme People's Court Vice
President Tang Dehua as saying that the decision did not mean
that the PRC accepted Taiwan's legal system or surrendered its
claim to legal and administrative power over the island.
Johnnason Liu, legal chief of the Taiwan cabinet's Mainland
Affairs Council, responded to the move, "If they can really
implement the decision, it's a move in a positive direction."
However, he added, "I am reluctant to call it a goodwill gesture.
We have shown our good faith by accepting mainland court rulings
since 1992, provided those rulings do not violate public orders
and social tradition. The mainland side's decision to
reciprocate is a little bit late and it does not forget to
belittle our political status. Still, it's better than not doing
anything at all."
9. Indian Nuclear Tests
Reuters (Narayanan Madhavan, "INDIA DEFENDS NUCLEAR TESTS," New
Delhi, 05/26/98) reported that Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee on Tuesday again defended his decision to conduct
nuclear tests earlier this month and said that preparations for
the tests had started as long ago as 1983. Vajpayee stated,
"Only the decisions were needed. My government took the
decision." He added, "Because of this we have joined the ranks
of big powers."
The Associated Press (Krishnan Guruswamy, "INDIA LEADERS QUESTION
NUKE TESTS," New Delhi, 05/27/98) reported that several Indian
lawmakers on Wednesday in parliament criticized the government's
nuclear policy. Communist Party of India leader Indrajit Gupta
questioned whether India could claim a scientific achievement
while "we can't supply ordinary water and electricity to the
residents of the capital." Natwar Singh, a leader of the main
opposition Congress party, accused Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee of overturning a national consensus for nuclear
restraint built over the past 24 years.
10. Indian Nuclear Weaponization
United Press International ("INDIA MAY ARM WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS,"
New Delhi, 05/26/98) reported that Indian defense minister George
Fernandes said Tuesday that he wants to arm the Indian military
with nuclear weapons, as without them, India will not be taken
seriously as a nuclear power. He added, "No one is talking of
nuclear war. There is only one instance when nuclear weapons
were used, and we know the circumstances."
11. India Calls for No-First Use Pact
Reuters ("INDIA READY TO DISCUSS 'NO FIRST USE' PACT," New Delhi,
05/27/98) reported that an Indian government paper on nuclear
policy presented by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to
parliament on Wednesday said that the government was ready to
discuss a "no first use" agreement on nuclear weapons with
Pakistan and other countries, bilaterally or collectively. The
paper reiterated that India was a nuclear weapons state and "this
is a reality that cannot be denied." However, it added, "India,
mindful of its international obligations, shall not use these
weapons to commit aggression or to mount threats against any
country, these are weapons of self-defense and to ensure that in
turn India is not subjected to nuclear threats or coercion." In
a separate statement Vajpayee told the lower house of parliament,
"We have been and will continue to be in the forefront of the
calls for opening negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Convention,
so that this challenge can be dealt with in the same manner that
we have dealt with the scourge of two other weapons of mass
destruction -- through the Biological Weapons Convention and the
Chemical Weapons Convention."
12. Possibility of Pakistani Nuclear Test
The Washington Times (Bill Gertz, "PAKISTAN CLOSE TO NUCLEAR TEST
BLAST," 05/27/98) reported that US intelligence agencies believe
that Pakistan is on the verge of conducting its first underground
nuclear test. An unnamed US intelligence official stated, "They
are making final preparations to test. It could happen at any
time." Other intelligence sources said that the information
obtained through US surveillance confirms that a nuclear device
has been placed in the underground shaft at the Pakistani test
site and that equipment used to monitor the blast is in place.
However, an unnamed White House official said Tuesday, "As they
have said all along, [the Pakistanis] are prepared to test and,
as far as we know, they have made no political decisions." A
senior defense official likewise said that the Pakistanis are
"close" to having everything in place for a test, but "what isn't
clear is that they have made a decision to do so."
1. US MIAs from Korean War
The Monday handover at the truce village of Panmunjom caught even
experienced DPRK observers off guard. When the DPRK refused to
repatriate the remains on May 15 as originally scheduled, it
appeared adamant that a US government representative, not the UN
Command (UNC), should take possession of the remains, citing the
US-DPRK bilateral agreement last year. Even the UNC appeared
unprepared for the DPRK's change of stance, as shown by the fact
that it invited media representatives to the transfer virtually
at the last minute, while its usual practice is to serve notice
days before. The transfer immediately followed a colonel-level
meeting between the UNC and the DPRK in the morning. From a
humanitarian point of view, the resolution of the issue is a
welcome event. Some observers have raised the possibility that
the US offered the DPRK some "carrots" to resolve the
repatriation issue. The UNC declined comment on the issue, but
said, "The format on how to handle future repatriations is not
resolved.'' It has been speculated that the UNC might have
agreed to have a US government official receive the remains in
the future. Following the DPRK's refusal to hand over the
remains on May 15, some observers speculated that the refusal was
part of the DPRK's tactics to lay a groundwork for continuing
direct contacts between the US and the DPRK. A UNC spokesman did
not give a clear answer, citing the UNC's internal policy not to
talk about the details of its dialogue with the DPRK. However,
some UNC officials ventured that the DPRK realized the necessity
for smooth relations with the UNC in anticipation of food aid
deliveries through Panmunjom. Another possibility might be in
connection with a generals-level meeting between the US and the
DPRK, which has been bogged down due to procedural matters,
according to some DPRK watchers. (Korea Times, "SPECULATION RIFE
ON NORTH KOREA'S HANDOVER OF US SOLDIERS' REMAINS," 05/27/98)
2. DPRK Defector Reported Missing
A DPRK man who fled with his family has been missing since last
August when he was caught by authorities in a PRC city, a civic
human rights group in Seoul said yesterday. Li Sung-nam, 46, who
crossed the DPRK-PRC border last August 5 with his wife and two
sons, is feared to have been repatriated to the DPRK, said the
Citizens Union for Human Rights in the DPRK. Li was reportedly
caught by PRC security officials on August 6. "Repatriation of
defectors back to the DPRK means death or detention in a
concentration camp," a union spokesman said. PRC authorities
make it a rule to send DPRK refugees back to the DPRK when they
get picked up for unauthorized travel in the PRC. Amnesty
International last October requested the PRC authorities to
disclose Lee's whereabouts, but the PRC has refused to reply to
the request. (Korea Times, "NORTH KOREAN DEFECTOR REPORTEDLY
MISSING IN CHINA SINCE LAST YEAR," 05/27/98)
1. Light-Water Reactor Project
China Daily ("REACTOR PROJECT TO BE DISCUSSED," Seoul, 05/22/98,
A11) reported that the ROK, the US, and Japan will hold an
executive board meeting next month to discuss the issue of cost-
sharing for the provision of nuclear reactors and heavy fuel oil
to the DPRK. According to an ROK official, when and where the
meeting will be held have not yet been decided.
2. DPRK Participation in ARF
Wen Hui Daily ("DPRK APPLIES FOR ACCESSION TO ASEAN REGIONAL
FORUM," Manila, 05/22/98, A3) reported that the DPRK had
expressed again its interest in access to the ASEAN Regional
Forum. The report said that the DPRK Government presented a note
in the first ten days of this month to the Foreign Ministry of
Philippines, saying that it hopes to accede to the Forum. The
DPRK had made similar requests several times, but none was
successful. A Philippine official said that dealing with the
DPRK's application was a knotty problem, because that country had
no formal diplomatic relations with most of the ASEAN countries.
He added that the ASEAN had not yet made a decision.
3. Clinton's Visit to PRC
Jie Fang Daily ("SYMPOSIUM HELD TO DISCUSS CLINTON'S VISIT TO
CHINA," 05/21/98, A3) reported that the Shanghai Institute for
International Studies held a symposium titled "President
Clinton's Visit to China and Chinese-US Relations" on May 20.
The participants agreed that with the common efforts by both
sides, the bilateral relations between the PRC and the US are
developing in a right direction. The two sides both have some
expectations for the forthcoming important visit, the scholars
said. However, it is not realistic to expect that all problems
can be resolved just through one or two summits. The experts
said that the mutual visits between the two presidents should be
institutionalized and regularized so as to deepen mutual
understanding and strengthen coordination on some problems.
President Clinton's visit to the PRC is a good chance for the two
people to understand each other. The participants believed that
this visit will be helpful to eliminate some misunderstanding and
prejudice and to establish a firm foundation for the benign
development of bilateral relations.
4. Alleged US Missile Technology Transfer to PRC
Commenting on the allegation that certain US satellite
manufacturers had leaked missile technology to the PRC, PRC
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said on May 24 that the
PRC had no intention of obtaining US missile technology by
providing satellite launching services, nor is it possible for
the PRC to do so. Sino-US cooperation on satellite launching is
a normal commercial activity and beneficial to both sides, Zhu
noted. People's Daily ("FM SPOKESMAN DENIES ALLEGATIONS,"
Beijing, 05/25/98, A4)
China Daily ("US MISSILE TECHNOLOGY ALLEGATION REBUTTED,"
05/25/98, A1) reported that a veteran Chinese expert on carrier
rocket technology denied on May 22 that a US satellite company
helped the PRC to improve its missile guidance and control system
during the investigation of the launching failure of the PRC's
Long March rocket in February 1996. As an expert who experienced
the whole investigation into the launching failure, Li Jianzhong,
president of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, said
in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that the PRC invited six
experts from the US, Great Britain, and Germany to form an
assessment group in line with international practice. The
purpose of the investigation was to obtain information on which
the insurance sector could make decisions, he said, adding that
the action was irreproachable.
5. US-PRC Law Enforcement Cooperation
China Daily ("CHINA, US SET UP LAW ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION,"
Washington, 05/15/98, A1) reported that the PRC and the US signed
a memorandum of understanding on May 14 regarding the
establishment of a joint liaison group on law enforcement
cooperation. This is in line with the Sino-US Joint Statement
issued during the Washington summit last year between presidents
Jiang Zemin and Bill Clinton. The nations agreed to convene an
initial meeting of a subgroup to discuss specific forms of
cooperation, to begin negotiating an agreement on mutual legal
assistance in criminal matters at an early date, and to assign
counter-narcotics officers to their respective embassies.
According to a press release from the PRC Embassy in Washington,
both nations hope to have their personnel in place by June.
6. US-Japan Defense Guidelines
People's Daily ("CHINA CRITICIZES PACT REMARKS," Beijing,
05/27/98, A1) reported that the PRC expressed grave concerns over
a Japanese official's remarks which virtually placed Taiwan in
the Japan-US defense framework. PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman
Zhu Bangzao said at a press conference on May 26 that the PRC
expressed its strong indignation at the move made by the Japanese
side that wantonly interferes in the PRC's internal affairs. The
PRC Government has made solemn representations with the Japanese
Government for an explicit clarification and explanation, Zhu
said.
A commentary in China Daily ("JAPAN THREATENS SECURITY,"
05/26/98, A4) said that the PRC hopes that Takano Kigen's
statement on May 22 that Taiwan is included in the revised US-
Japan defense guidelines does not represent the stance of the
Japanese Government. If it does, the article said, it will
surely damage Sino-Japanese relations. Furthermore, it will pose
new threats to the security environment of Asia. According to
the article, the PRC has always kept a watchful eye on the US-
Japan military alliance, because the PRC is concerned that the
defense accord is directed at the PRC and might infringe upon the
PRC's sovereignty over Taiwan.
7. PRC-Japanese Relations
PRC Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, in an interview with China
Daily, ("CHINA COMMITTED TO PEACEFUL, INDEPENDENT FOREIGN
POLICY," 05/22/98, A1) said that the PRC will unswervingly follow
a peaceful and independent foreign policy and is committed to
strengthening friendly ties with all countries. Tang said that
relations between the PRC and Japan have made great progress
since the normalization of diplomatic ties thanks to the efforts
of both governments and peoples. Now that Sino-Japanese
relations have entered an important development period, both
sides should seize opportunities, remember the lessons learned
from history, and appropriately handle relevant problems on the
basis of the China-Japan Joint Communiques and the China-Japan
Peace and Friendship Treaty.
8. Japanese-Russian Relations
Wen Hui Daily published an article on May 21 ("JAPAN PURSUES A
BIG POWER STATUS," A3) analyzing Japan's motives to improve its
relations with Russia. In order to reduce the pressures from the
US, the article said, Japan recently began fastening its steps to
better ties with Russia. Japan has three aims for the
improvement of the Japanese-Russian relationship. The first is
to balance the rise of the PRC. Secondly, Japan hopes to take
part in energy development in Siberia. And thirdly, Japan hopes
that economic cooperation will help persuade Russia to return the
northern territories. Not long ago, Japan proposed holding a
four-party summit in the Asia-Pacific region, which would be
participated in by the leaders of the US, the PRC, Japan, and
Russia. According to the article, this proposal is designed to
improve Japan's international status, and to ingratiate itself
with Russia.
9. PRC Nuclear Industry
China Daily ("NUCLEAR PLANT," Nanjing, 05/22/98, A5) reported
that land requisition, resettlement, and other preparatory work
for the PRC's largest nuclear power plant, near the port city of
Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province, has been completed. The
project, which officially began on February 27 on 185 hectares of
land, has meant moving 10 companies and institutes and about 70
families. Work on a 40-million-yuan (US$4.8 million) emergency
exit and the testing and designing of programs have been done
recently, and an 11-kilometer-long water supply pipe has been
completed.
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Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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