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September 23, 2007 (Sunday) － Issue No. 119 |
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Hu Jintao Converses with Chen Shui-bian's Representative
at APEC |
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Underground
Blood Sales Spread Beyond Henan Province |
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Beijing
Claims Computers Hacked |
| People's
Bank of China Raises Interest Rate for Fifth Time as Inflation Rises Under the pressure of inflation, the People's Bank of China announced that it would raise the deposit and loan rates for the Renminbi (RMB) by 0.27 percent on September 14. Starting on September 15, the one-year deposit rate was increased from 3.6 percent to 3.87 percent....…Full Article |
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Chinese Officials Withdraw from the CCP More than 26 million individual statements have been submitted at press time. Even statements from Chinese officials can be found among the many withdrawals. Several such examples follow......…Full Article |
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Central News Agency reported that Taiwan's representative at APEC, Stan Shih, stated on September 9 that he had already passed on President Chen's message and good wishes to U.S. President Bush and CCP leader Hu. He could not disclose the exact content, but his talk with Hu did not touch upon the issue of Taiwan holding a referendum on whether to apply for membership in the United Nations under the name of Taiwan. As to whether he had talked about this with Bush, Shih said that it was "not appropriate" for him to answer. Shih hopes that the Taiwan president will be able to attend APEC in person in the future, since a leader's representative is only a representative after all. At a press conference held on the evening of September 9 at the Sheraton Hotel, where Shih was staying in Sydney, Shih said that the APEC summit had concluded successfully. He had passed on President Chen's messages to other leaders at the summit. Now that this "heavy burden has been lifted off" his shoulder, Shih said that now he just hopes that he successfully fulfilled his mission. In the two-day summit and activities, Shih and Hu interacted quite a few times. They even sat down and had a chat. Shih said that Hu was very polite and, knowing that Shih is a businessman, did not talk too much about political issues. "Perhaps he did not want to embarrass me." According to Shih, all of his conversations with Hu took place during break times, so they were brief. He had presented his greeting to Hu several times. The topics they discussed included investment guarantee agreements, Chinese tourists to Taiwan, and direct chartered flights. Shih hopes to find a mutually acceptable way to establish good relations for Cross-Taiwan-Strait interactions. But Shih said their conversation did not involve any specific Taiwan investment projects in China. As to how Hu had
responded to Chen's good wishes, Shih replied with a smile, "He
(Hu) should have known (Chen's good will)." Shih refused to reveal
more details of their conversation because they are sensitive and
can be only reported directly to Chen after he goes back to Taiwan.
As to whether he invited Hu to visit Taiwan or not, Shih's answer
was, "I saw the media had reported that it was so." Back HONG KONG—Although Chinese authorities made a high-profile media show of forbidding illegal blood sales since the disclosure of the practice in Henan Province's AIDS-stricken villages, such blood collection and sales continue clandestinely as an underground operation and extend beyond Henan, according to renowned Chinese AIDS activist Dr. Gao Yaojie. In an interview with the Hong Kong newspaper Mingpao, Gao stated that after the incident of unsafe blood sales in Henan's AIDS villages was exposed, the Chinese communist regime made a surface effort to prevent AIDS. Moreover, a black market blood-sales village, Wenlou Village was selected as a model for Hu Jintao, the head of the Chinese regime to visit. However, the problem was not truly solved. Gao stressed that blood sales are not a problem for Henan only, as illegal blood selling has spread to Guizhou, Shanxi, and Guangdong provinces. It has become a nationwide problem. According to Gao's knowledge, blood sales in Henan have gone underground. The blood sales stations start operating at midnight and closing around 6 a.m. the next morning. Outsiders may not be able to find out where the stations are, but those villagers who want to sell their blood all know very well where to go. Gao pointed out that one reason the blood sales are so active is the high price. Villagers can sell 800 ml (1.69 pints) of blood for 80 yuan (US$10.65). This is considered a significant income for the poverty-stricken locals. On the other side of the coin, many doctors without conscience, to make high profits, order blood transfusions for those who don't need any. As a result, the blood bank suffers from chronicly low reserves, which indirectly inflates the price of donated blood. Gao also pointed out that many unscrupulous doctors cheat their patients by saying that they can cure AIDS. Not only do they take away AIDS patients' money, but they also use ineffective quack treatments, which worsen the patients' conditions. As for her own situation, Gao said, the Chinese regime acted friendly toward her on the surface. "They even gave me a camera and a cell phone," but they only did this to please her in the hope that she would say some good words about Henan's AIDS prevention efforts. Gao stressed that
in fact the surveillance of her has never let up. The local authorities
have set four closed-circuit TV monitors around her home and her phone
is tapped. Although she still has freedom to move around at this time,
the police follow her outside of her house. Back HONG KONG—The leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Hu Jintao reassigned several military chiefs prior to his visit to Australia. This apparently was done to show that his control of the military is so tight that it is not affected by his absence. The shuffle included the following transfers: Lieutenant General Liu Chengjun, Vice Commander of the PLA Air force, was named President of the PLA Academy of Military Science (PLAAMS); General Yu Linxiang, Political Commissar of Lanzhou Military Area Command, was named Political Commissar of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force (CPAPF). Both General Sui Mingtai and Lieutenant General Zheng Shenxia retired from their previous posts as Political Commissar of the CPAPF and President of the PLAAMS, respectively. According to the Hong Kong Apple Daily, Liu Chengjun has been attending public events in his new post since Sept. 4, and Yu Linxiang took office as the Political Commissar on Sept. 5. The Vice Political Commissar of Nanjing Military Area Command, Li Changcai, has taken over General Yu's original post. It is reported also that Hu Jintao has removed five generals close to the official retirement age, and at least five more generals will retire later this year, including You Xigui, Director of the Central Guards Bureau, Zhu Wenquan, Commander of Nanjing Military Area Command, Wang Jianmin, Commander of Chengdu Military Area Command, Yang Deqing, Political Commissar of Guangzhou Military Area Command, and Zhao Keming, Political Commissar of the PLA National Defense University. It is thought that the timing of the reassignments has a two-fold meaning in terms: First, while three generals retired in June this year, it came to light that Hu Jintao had planned to remove the director of the Central Guard Bureau, but failed to do so due to opposition from Jiang Zemin, former Party chief and head of the Central Military Commission, which showed that Hu and Jiang were still fighting for power over the Chinese military. Now, as news of the shuffling of high-ranking officials came out during Hu's visit outside of the country, apparently Hu wants to show that he is in charge of the military and this firm control is not affected by his absence. Second, Hu's shuffling
of military heads one month prior to the convening of the CCP's 17th
National Congress, shows that he can dominate personnel changes and
further influence the voting of the congress. Traditionally all these
military heads that are at the level of major military regions will
be routinely elected as a member of the Central Committee of the CCP
and have the voting right for the central committee leaders. Back WASHINGTON D.C.—China's Ministry of Information Industry recently claimed that large amounts of state and military confidential data were stolen through the Internet. Foreign enemies are using the Internet as a major destructive tool. However, dissidents think the statement is an excuse to intensify Beijing's control over the Internet and to repudiate western countries recent accusations of Beijing hacking into western government websites. In the September issue of Forum for Chinese Party and Government Staff, an official publication of the China Central Party School, Lou Qinjian, Deputy Minister for Information Industry, said in an article that the Internet has become foreign enemies' major tool for political infiltration and hacking into high priority departments. Lou also claims that in recent years large amounts of confidential documents from the Party, the government, and the military have been stolen through the Internet and have caused Beijing great harm. Lou declined to give details of the espionage but urged Beijing to take sweeping measures to monitor all Internet information in order to stop computer threats. Recently Beijing denied western media's reports accusing them of hacking into government computers in the U.S., Germany, and England. Some observers believe Beijing's accusation of western hackers at this particular moment is to denounce western media reports and find an excuse to further control Internet information. Huang Qi, administrator of 64tianwang.com and renowned dissident, said Beijing's statement of confidential information leaking through Internet isn't logical, "A lot of cases of military corruption and human rights violation against veterans are exposed on the Internet. The authorities claimed that is 'leaking military secrets.' Authorities often oversimplify the classification and eventually classify public information or human rights violation news as confidential, and suppress it". An observer said human rights ideology is widespread in China now and people want to participate in politics. The arrival of the Internet helps people to voice their opinion more powerfully. Beijing senses this trend is threatening its dictatorship and has to continue to intensify its suppression of information freedom. Huang said that
the Internet provides a powerful publication tool for a democratic
movement in China. It's getting harder for Beijing to block any information
it wants. Technically China can maximize its suppression of freedom
on the Internet but not beyond a certain point; this suppression will
harm China's business and information technology, and retard the development
of the nation's economy. Back Under the pressure of inflation, the People's Bank of China (PBC) announced that it would raise the deposit and loan rates for the Renminbi (RMB) by 0.27 percent on September 14. Starting on September 15, the one-year deposit rate was increased from 3.6 percent to 3.87 percent. Moreover, the one-year loan rate was increased from 7.02 percent to 7.29 percent. Other types of deposit and loan rates were also increased accordingly. This is the fifth time the PBC has raised the interest rate this year. In its announcement, the PBC stated that the interest rate increase was to strengthen currency and credit regulation and control, create an increase in investment, and stabilize inflation. In addition to raising the interest rate, the PBC has already increased the RMB savings reserve rate of financial institutions seven times this year, in order to strengthen the management of bank system fluidity and keep currency credit from increasing too rapidly. Some experts have pointed out that increasing the interest rate and the bank savings reserve rate have become China's commonly used methods to restrain inflation and keep currency credit from increasing too rapidly. Throughout this year, the stock market and real estate prices have continued to rise in China. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in August increased by 6.5 percent, setting a new ten-year high. People are worried that the overheated economy in China will bring further negative impacts such as a soft economy. Because of the rise of the CPI in August, international securities traders expect that the PBC will increase the interest rate again to restrain the economy from overheating. Back Chinese
Officials Withdraw from the CCP Back Since their publication nearly three years ago, the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party —a series of social commentaries detailing the brutal history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—have inspired masses of people from mainland China to submit statements to The Epoch Times's Tuidang website (tuidang.epochtimes.com) formally declaring their withdrawals from the CCP and its related organizations. More than 26 million individual statements have been submitted at press time. Even statements from Chinese officials can be found among the many withdrawals. Several such examples follow. "610 Office" Staff Members Quit the CCP In August 2007, a staff member at the "610 Office" (an organization formed solely to crack down on Falun Gong) named Ma Wen logged onto The Epoch Times's Service Center for Quitting CCP and wrote his reasons for quitting the Party. "I feel extremely ashamed that I am a member of the "610 Office" in mainland China. Ignorant of the truth, I did many wrong things [that contributed to] the persecution of Falun Gong. After meeting with many Falun Gong practitioners, I came to realize that they are all good people. So I am here to apologize to Falun Dafa's Teacher and apologize to Falun Gong practitioners. From now on, I will help Falun Gong with the opportunities I have at my job. One of my relatives, who is also a Falun Gong practitioner, urged me to quit the CCP many times, so I am declaring here that I am withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party and all its affiliated organizations," wrote Ma. Wang Changxing, a county government official and "610 Office" staff member, also wrote his reasons for quitting the Party. He explained that the CCP cheated him and poisoned his mind, corrupting his home and work lives. "Especially after July, 1999, the CCP started to suppress Falun Gong, and I became involved in the suppression and helped brainwash Falun Gong practitioners," wrote Wang. "I realize now that these were criminal acts committed toward good people. I deeply regret what I've done. I'm withdrawing from the evil Party and all its affiliated organizations in order to be a good person." Deputy Secretary of Political-Legal Committee Renounces the CCP "As a deputy secretary of the political-legal committee, I have been doing Party and government work for many years and I have observed that the only thing that the CCP does is punish good people," wrote a veteran Party member from China's Shandong Province. "When Falun Gong practitioners revealed the truth, I realized that this evil Party is headed for destruction, so I have made a decision to quit the CCP for my own safety. I am here to withdraw from this evil Party and all its affiliated organizations. I am so fortunate to know the universal principles of 'Truth, Compassion and Forbearance,' and I intend to start practicing Falun Dafa. I want to be a good person by following the standard of 'Truth, Compassion and Forbearance.'" Back |
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