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November 12, 2006 (Sunday) － Issue No. 75 |
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China's
Foreign Exchange Reserves Top 1 Trillion |
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Gao
Zhisheng's Daughter's Cry for Help |
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Sewer
Run-Off Turns Yellow River Red |
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Political Prisoner by Any Other Name It is recognized that the suppression of political dissidents is a violation of human rights. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) however, has never acknowledged the concept of a political prisoner....…Full Article |
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Seeking Faith in Inner Mongolia The CCP criticized orthodox Christianity through its official Christian publication, Tian Feng magazine. It claimed that the "Holy Bible" was wrong, and forbade people from reading it. Instead, it told people to read the weakened and modified version of The Bible......…Full Article |
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A foreign currency exchange rate board at a local bank in Beijing. China's foreign exchange reserves (FER) are the largest in the world at 1 trillion U.S. dollars, but many experts are concerned. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) CHINA—China's foreign exchange reserves (FER) are the largest in the world at 1 trillion U.S. dollars, but many experts are concerned. According to China's official media, by the end of October, China will have accumulated over US$1 trillion in FER. Its average monthly increase is US$18.77 billion. In 1978, China's FER was a meager US$167 million, but in recent years, FER growth has averaged US$200 billion per year. In February 2006, China's FER became the world's largest, eclipsing Japan. According to Professor Xiao Zhuoji, of Beijing University, the gigantic FER poses several potential problems. One is that a large amount RMB is unavailable and cannot be used in commodities or investment markets—it is a waste of resources. Xiao also believes the structure of China's FER is not optimized. The FER has a high valuation risk, no matter which currency might suffer devaluation. Currently, over 70 percent of China's FER is invested in U.S. bonds. With the U.S. trade deficit over six percent of its GDP, the U.S. dollar faces the risk of devaluation. China would suffer a huge loss should this happen. A Challenge for Beijing According to Shanghai Jiao Tong University Professor Pan Yingli's analysis, because the central bank's (The People's Bank of China)efficiency in converting its international reserves into government securities (sterilization policy) is progressively deteriorating, the FER's interest cost keeps increasing, thus currency liquidity in China will increase, the large volumes of foreign currency exchanged for RMB through China's banking system will pump up the current investment fever, which will increase the difficult to control growth of currency, causing expansion of the money supply and bank credit, and then lead to inflation. The large volume
FER also puts more pressure on the yuan for revaluation. How to avoid
inflation and how to make use of its FER has become Beijing's most
urgent economic challenge.
Back On October 21, 2006, Gao Zhisheng's daughter Geng Ge (nicknamed Gege) picked up the phone once again to call the outside world for help and tearfully spoke of what has been going on at her home lately. Since August 15, 2006, renowned human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng's daughter Geng Ge has been under the Chinese regime's close watch. On October 20, Gege could not bear the house arrest any longer. She escaped to a classmate's home. This was the second time she escaped from home since August 26. However, the police snatched her from her classmate's home on the same day and subjected her to even tighter watch. After two escapes, two months of constant verbal insults from the police, living in her home and her repeated calls for help from the international society, this 13-year-old girl is on the verge of a breakdown. She burst into tears and sobbed in front of her class, touching the hearts of many of her classmates. Since her father Gao Zhisheng was illegally arrested on August 15, 2006, four police officers would take her to school every day. During class, the police would watch her from the classroom's window. Even during the lunch break, there would be two police officers taking turns watching her closely in order to prevent her from using any of her classmate's mobile phones to contact anyone. For the past two-and-a-half months, those classmates who stayed away from her are now repulsed by the treatment Gege is subjected to. Family friend and rights attorney Hu Jia said, "Gege is only 13 years old. Presently she has no privacy." Based on the limited information revealed from Gege, her mother cannot bear the extremely high level of stress and abuse, as well as the house arrest with police camping at her home since August 15. She has told the police and her family repeatedly that she might take her own life. Hu Jia asks Mr.
Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC),
to visit an apartment right next to Beijing's Olympic Center when
he tours Beijing to inspect the Olympic Games facilities. He asks
that Mr. Rogge visit Apartment 7, 11 Xiaoguanbeili and see for himself
the miserable treatment that Mrs. Gao, her 13-year-old daughter and
three-year-old son have been subjected to. The Olympic Games are a
symbol of freedom, equality, openness and peace, and it's going to
be held in Beijing, which is the antithesis of the game’s values!"
Back HONGKONG—November 2 was the last day Mr Jia Jia legally remained in Hong Kong before traveling to Thailand to apply for asylum. After unsuccessfully seeking political asylum in Taiwan, Jia was faced with possible deportation to China where he is expected to be arrested and persecuted by Chinese authorities for his defection. As a university professor and expert in his field, Jia lived a relatively comfortable life in China, yet he chose to give it up to walk a path toward democracy. One day before Jia's visa expired in Hong Kong, The Epoch Times was granted an interview. In the interview, Jia talks about the brutality of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that he witnessed firsthand while growing up in China. The following are some of his remarks: "From childhood on, as soon as we heard that the CCP or the police were coming, our family would be very frightened. Our family still feels these emotions; the entire Mainland is frightened by the CCP." "My experience is the experience of the Mainland Chinese people. Our generation has experienced the brutal persecution of the CCP. "I never wanted to talk about these things. This is the first time I have ever told anyone about these events. The people of Hong Kong helped me so I could share these unimaginable experiences with others. I don't like to talk about these old memories to anyone. Today I have decided to share these memories because the CCP's cruelty is unprecedented. The people of Hong Kong and Taiwan do not yet fully understand the brutal nature of the CCP, so for the first time I will speak out". He said that his family's story of suffering is only one out of millions of Chinese families who have unjustly suffered under the communist regime's rule. The CCP has been in power for 57 years. During those 57 years, the CCP has persecuted and killed millions of innocent people throughout China. "When I was a young boy, I remember there were public meetings everywhere where people criticize and beat people. Children would criticize their parents. Brothers and sisters would criticize each other. Every family had a similar experience. The CCP would record each criticism and take appropriate action against individual family members. Why are the Mainland Chinese people so afraid of the CCP? The CCP has killed too many innocent people. [Many other experiences are found in the full article] "I believe
that every Chinese person, including CCP officials, have been affected
by 57 years of persecution by the CCP. All have tears and blood in
their family history". Back CHINA—A sewer pipeline in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, discharged red-colored sewer water for three hours, turning a one-kilometer long area of the Yellow River red, according to an Oct. 23 article in the Lanzhou Morning newspaper. The sewer pipeline near Tiyu Park in Lanzhou City began discharging red-colored water on October 22, which continued for three hours. The sewer water emitted a strong pungent odor, witnesses said. The local environmental protection agency began investigating the source of the pollution. Local residents speculated that the polluted water might have been released from a heating system. Water used for heating systems is usually dyed red to prevent theft. Many heating systems in the region are being prepared for winter, so the red water could have originated from one of these systems. Staff from the Lanzhou City Environmental Protection Bureau and the Yellow River Upper Stream Water Environment Monitoring Center investigated the scene of the discharge. Unable to determine whether the polluted water was from a heating system or from a chemical plant, the investigators took samples for further testing. Staff from the Environmental Protection Bureau ruled out the possibility of leakage from a chemical or a printing plant in the vicinity. Since the sewer
system in Lanzhou City is not centralized, it is very difficult to
locate the source of pollution. Laboratory tests may help staff to
identify the red component of the sewer water and to determine if
the water polluted the Yellow River. Pollution is a common and widespread
problem in China. Back A political prisoner is a person detained—often using extrajudicial processes—by a government because they are perceived to be a threat or challenge to state authority. It is recognized that the suppression of political dissidents is a violation of human rights. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) however, has never acknowledged the concept of a political prisoner. According to the CCP's Criminal Code, before 1997, such prisoners were labeled as "anti-revolutionaries;" after 1997, those same people were deemed to be "endangering national security." There is no difference except in name. The CCP doesn't acknowledge the term political prisoner but continuously finds various other terms to label people. The following activities all result in being branded an enemy of the state: * Democratic activists
who criticize the CCP for being dictatorial. Even civilians who appeal for their basic rights are often imprisoned and sent to forced labor camps despite the fact that China's constitution guarantees basic civil liberties. The CCP has used various terms for political prisoners. Besides being labeled as anti-revolutionary or subversive, they can be charged with espionage, leaking state secrets, or having a mental illness. Some offenses such as white-collar crimes and prostitution are also used to incriminate political prisoners. The eradication of political prisoners is an indication of the degree of civilization attained by a country. Political prisoners do not exist in the majority of countries around the world. China, on the other hand, has imprisoned more political prisoners than any country. As long as the CCP dictatorship endures, the Chinese people will protest repression and unfair treatment. Tens of thousand of political prisoners will be continuously generated by the oppressive CCP regime. Back Seeking
Faith in Inner Mongolia Back Before the Tiananmen Massacre on June 4th, 1989 ("June 4th"), she was very cheerful. Before "June 4th" she loved to sing and dance. But after "June 4th", she changed completely. She became very quiet. She searched everywhere for answers to her questions. Ultimately, she found her answers within the Bible and became a Christian. Through constant seeking, Chen Xin has had the opportunity to read forbidden materials. She came across a collection of CDs from Pastor Tang Suirong, Pastor Zhang Boli, and Yuan Zhiming, and they have since found a very special place in her heart. In 1990, Chen Xin was baptized and became a Christian. Banning the Book of Revelation The people were forbidden to read the last book of the "Holy Bible" New Testament- Revelation, which is the prophecy of the world's last phase. "And I saw a grey horse, and the name of him who was seated on it was Death; and Hell came after him. And there was given to them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to put to destruction by the sword, and by taking away their food, and by death, and by the beasts of the earth." (Revelation 6:8) Chen Xin said that some people understood the "grey horse" as "becoming mildewed and rotting,' but she understood it as the rotten CCP. She Became Detached After Gaining Faith After gaining faith in Jesus Christ, Chen Xin lost her human desires, and found that nothing could tempt her anymore. She found this to be quite odd. When she was young, she appreciated pretty clothes and liked to dress in very stylish attire. Now she looks as though she belongs to a different time, wearing a much more plain style of dress. "We never fight. Everyone is encouraged to speak their minds. Sometimes we have conflicts, but as soon as it is pointed out we take care of it and the problem is gone. There is no leader or coordinator, we're like a family and feel very warm towards each other. Deep in our hearts we feel like children of the same mother. We each supply what the others need, and have thus distinguished ourselves from everyday people." The Foretelling Of The CCP's Destiny Is In The Historical Facts "If you have a chance to come here, you'll see that people can hardly make a living. It looks splendid on the surface, the buildings get taller and taller, but the living standard is getting lower and lower, and people's minds are in a state of disunity. It is so heartbreaking that one can hardly breathe. It is much like a chicken being killed, it has no strength to resist being killed. You will feel it and witness it if you live here, it is truly corrupt and dark." An Unexpected Phone Call From Overseas On Oct 16, 2006, she received a phone call from the Global Service Center for Withdrawing from the CCP. She withdrew immediately without hesitation. She had unofficially withdrawn from the CCP 12 years ago, as the church required. Now she had agreed to resign formally based on what the Service Center had told her. She then passed the message on to her more-than-thirty-volunteer co-workers. Looking forward, the road will be as difficult as it was in the past. But in her heart, Chen Xin knows that having faith in a righteous belief gives her hope and strength. Back |
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