From: xu@hydra.maths.unsw.oz.au ()
Subject: CND-Global, January 6, 1993
Organization: school of Mathematics UNSW
Distribution: aus
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 06:41:41 GMT


               * * *  C h i n a   N e w s   D i g e s t  * * *

                                (News Global)

                          Wednesday, January 6, 1993


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1. News Brief (4 Items) ................................................. 52
2. Taiwan Builds up Military as Rivalry with China Lingers .............. 77
3. China Makes Plans to Effect Changes in Hong Kong Before '97 .......... 40
4. Controversial Play "Harbor of the Sun" in Beijing .................... 43
============================================================================
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1. News Brief (4 Items) ................................................. 52
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[Radio Korea, 1/5/1993] -- South and North Korea may surprise the world this
spring by holding a remarkable summit between the  presidents  of  both  na-
tions.   The  Japanese daily "Sankei Shimbun" reported Sunday the two Koreas
have held secret talks through an American intermediary to set up the  deal.
The  paper  quoted an informed Japanese source saying the president of a New
Jersey-based company has contacts with politically-powerful people in  Korea
and  met  with senior government officials here [Republic of Korea] last Oc-
tober, including Kim Young Sam.  "Sankei" said both leaders want the meeting
in  their  own  capital, but might agree to talks in Washington.  (Forwarded
by: Andrew Waldie, <awaldie@web.apc.org>)
                                ___ ___ ___

[UPI, 1/5/1993] MACAO -- Chinese Premier Li Peng arrived Tuesday in southern
China's  Zhuhai Special Economic Zone adjoining Macao for a three-day visit.
The visit to Zhuhai followed a similar three-day stop in nearby Shenzhen,  a
special  economic  zone adjoining Hong Kong, where the official Chinese news
agency Xinhua said Li met with Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-sheng and other  busi-
nessmen  from  the  colony.   Visits by such high-ranking officials in China
generally signal approval by Beijing of programs or projects.   The  sources
in  Zhuhai said Li would visit a deep water port, a railway terminus and the
Sanzhao Airport, key infrastructure projects in  the  economic  zone's  West
District,  only  15 miles (25 km) from the Portuguese enclave of Macao.  The
Chinese premier also was expected to visit some high-tech factories  and  do
some   sightseeing   while   in   Zhuhai.   (Forwarded   by:   Chongyu   Hua
<hua@engin.umich.edu>)
                                ___ ___ ___

[J.E.N., 1/6/1993] TOKYO -- Canon Inc. will start producing  low-priced fac-
simile  machines  in  China  early  next  year, an industrial daily reported
Wednesday.  The leading camera maker will invest more than 6 billion yen  in
building  a  new factory for its Chinese subsidiary based in the Zhuhai spe-
cial economic zone in Guangdong Province, according to  the  report  in  the
Nihon  Kogyo Shimbun.  The subsidiary will produce facsimile machines priced
at less than 500 dollars both for home and commercial use, with monthly pro-
duction  estimated  at  more than 10,000 machines.  All the products will be
exported, with the main market likely to be the United States, to which many
Japanese  makers are reducing or halting shipments due to excessive competi-
tion. (Forwarded by: Huijie)
                                ___ ___ ___

[J.E.N., 1/6/1993] TOKYO -- Omron  Corp. will  start producing  programmable
controllers in China  within the  next fiscal  year,  which  starts April 1,
under  a joint  venture  with a local  firm, an  industrial  daily  reported
Wednesday.  The leading manufacturer of control  components  will choose the
partner  shortly from among 10 candidates and  then  work  out  the  details
of the planned  project including the proportion of ownership of the venture
firm,  according  to the report in the  Nikkan  Kogyo Shimbun.  Omron, which
exports  products made at its Hong Kong plant, already boasts the top market
share  in programmable  controllers  for use in home-use eletronics products
there.  Sales of the  Hong Kong  subsidiary  have been  growing briskly amid
China's rapid  industrialization,  with  those  in the current  fiscal  year
doubling fromthe year before to an estimated 2.5 billion yen. (Forwarded by:
Huijie)

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2. Taiwan Builds up Military as Rivalry with China Lingers .............. 77
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forwarded by: Zhao Hua
Source: AP, 1/4/1993

TAIPEI -- After years of political isolation, Taiwan's  Nationalist  Chinese
government  is  pursuing  a flurry of major arms deals despite the easing of
tensions in one of the last flashpoints left from the Cold War.

This affluent island of 20 million people has been acting swiftly because of
its bulging bank account from booming trade, its aging weaponry and its per-
sistent rivalry with the mainland, even though their relations have been im-
proving.

Taiwan notched its first major deal in September, when President Bush lifted
a decade-old ban to approve the sale of 150 F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan. The
deal with general contractor General Dynamics Corp., valued at about $6 bil-
lion, was signed in November.

In mid-November, local news reports said Taiwan signed contracts with French
companies  to buy 60 Mirage 2000-5 warplanes worth about $2.6 billion and at
least 1,500 air-to-air missiles.  The  reports  were  confirmed  by  sources
knowledgeable about the deals, but Taiwan and France have declined comment.

It was China's first formal act of retaliation after repeated warnings  that
France would pay a heavy price for the sale, but Chinese companies also have
been stalling on planned deals with French businesses. The moves are intend-
ed  as  a  warning  to  other  European countries that have been considering
weapons sales to Taiwan.

China also vehemently protested to the United States  over  the  F-16  deal,
threatening  a strong, but unspecified response. But so far, Beijing has not
acted against the United States, which is China's biggest export market  and
a mjaor source of high-technology and investment money.

Since the Nationalist government eased restrictions in  1987,  Taiwan's  in-
direct  trade  with  China  via  Hong Kong has boomed. The two Chinas traded
$5.78 billion of goods in the first nine months this year, a 31 percent rise
from  the  same  period  last  year,  and Taiwanese investments in China now
exceed $4 billion.

Last year, Taiwan repealed 43-year-old wartime provisions against China, and
in  July abolished an outpost on the island of Kinmen, 1 miles off the main-
land, that had monitored Chinese movements for 34 years.

Taiwan ranks as the world's 14th biggest economy and, according to its  Cen-
tral Bank, holds about $83.9 billion in foreign reserves.  The market is po-
tentially a big one for weapons suppliers, who face dwindling demand  world-
wide because of the end of the Cold War and global recession.

Weapon suppliers from the United States and Europe reportedly are  competing
for the sale of submarines to Taiwan.

Defense Ministry officials say Taiwan needs to buy advanced fighter jets  to
replace  the  backbone of Taiwan's air force, 30-year-old F-5Es and 40-year-
old F-104 Sabre jets dubbed by some as "widow makers."

At least 13 pilots have been killed since 1987 in crashes involving 23  jets
of Taiwan's 400-plane fleet.

Taiwanese officials say the island needs a minimal air force of 400  to  500
jet fighters for self-protection. China has more than 1,000 fighters patrol-
ling its coast across from Taiwan, which is within range of all Chinese mis-
siles.

"Taiwan did not initiate any arms race. We only  want  to  obtain  necessary
weapons  to  defend  ourselves," said Lin Yu-fang, director of the Strategic
Studies Institute at Tamkang University.

But Washington has expressed concern at the reported Mirage deal, saying the
150 F-16s would be sufficient for Taiwan's defense needs.

The United States recognized the Nationalists as the government of all China
until 1979, then switched to Beijing.  Under the Taiwan Relations Act passed
by Congress that year over China's protests, however, the United States said
it would continue supplying defensive weapons to Taiwan.

In 1982, the United States agreed with  Beijing  to  gradually  reduce  arms
sales  to  Taiwan. It previously had refused to meet the island nation's re-
quests to purchase 180 F-16s because they were considered offensive weapons.

Since then, Taiwan has been trying with mixed success  to  both  manufacture
and purchase advanced weaponry.

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3. China Makes Plans to Effect Changes in Hong Kong Before '97 .......... 40
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Forwarded by: Liu Yuan
Source: THE GUARDIAN, 1/5/1993

HONG KONG -- China  said  yesterday  that it  will set up what  amounts to a
shadow  government to advise on the changes  needed for the 1997 transfer of
power over Hong Kong from Britain to China.

Lu Ping. the senior Chinese official responsible for the  colony's  affairs,
justified the move by saying "we took steps to protect ourselves."

He  warned  the people  of Hong  Kong that  if they  " confronted  China" by
supporting the plans of the  governor Chris  Patten for more democracy, they
"may have to face a lot of hardship."

Lu was speaking during an interview with a  Hong  Kong  television  station,
weaving a mixture of threats  and conciliatory  gestures together in a major
onslaught on the democracy proposals which will be debated by  the  colony's
legislature next month.

On the one hand Lu denied that the committee  China  proposes  to  establish
would be a shadow government or "second power centre.,' But on the other, he
stressed  the  intention to " affect the  British  authority  over Hong Kong
1997."

He talked of the need to "start anew" if the Hong Kong government  creates a
political system that does not conform with China's plans for the colony.

The bitter and deepening row over the governor's political reforms is now in
its  third month. Lu made no bones about the fact that the time had come for
China to counterattack.

He stressed that there had been no improvement in relations with Britain and
even  cast  doubt  over  a planned  meeting between the  Chinese and British
foreign ministers scheduled for March.

Lu dramatically pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket containing remarks
made  by  the  Chinesc foreign minister Qian Qichen. saying that the meeting
might not take place if Britain does not change its attitude over Hong Kong.

Lu then offered an olive  branch to  Hong Kong's  business  community  whose
confidence  was badly shaken by an earlier announcement that China might not
honor agreements and  contracts signed  between the government  and  private
companies  if  the British  government fails  to uphold what China maintains
are agreements over constitutional reforms.

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4. Controversial Play "Harbor of the Sun" in Beijing .................... 43
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Forwarded by: Chongyu Hua <hua@engin.umich.edu>
Source: UPI, 1/5/93

BEIJING -- The gradual loosening of China's control over the arts in  recent
months  has led to a highly publicized play in a state-run theatre featuring
a nude scene -- almost.

The opening late last month of "Harbor of the Sun," which closed  its  first
brief  run  on Monday night, was widely acclaimed as featuring a shock-value
nude scene.

"The play will no doubt be warm -- even hot -- but it will probably be  any-
thing  but peaceful," the official China Daily said in a weekend review. "It
is expected to make waves in artistic circles."

But according to director Xiong Yuanwei, while the contents of the play  are
controversial, the actress only appears to disrobe.

"She does not take off all her clothes," Xiong said in an interview. "I have
no desire to make the audience unable to watch, I merely want to express the
idea of (the nudity)."

The actress in question actually wears flesh-colored underwear to create  an
effect  of  full  frontal nudity because "people in Asia do not see (nudity)
the same way as Westerners," he added.

The play, a story of human relationships and societal change, is  set  in  a
teashop whose eccentric owner is obsessed with collecting ordinary coins.

The daring scene occurs when his surrogate mother asks him to boil water for
her  bath  and  then  commits suicide -- after stripping off her clothes and
washing.

"The play was written with an intent (to shock), I hope the audience can ac-
cept  it," playwright Chu Yue wrote in the play's program. "When I wrote the
play, I really never expected that it would ever be  performed  in  a  state
theater."

After a successful run  of  more  than  one  week  at  the  state-run  China
Children's  Art  Theater in politically sensitive Beijing, "Harbor" has been
approved to play three more nights at a larger  state-run  theater,  despite
its somewhat controversial content.

"There are still many older comrades who would have a  negative  opinion  of
the play," Xiong said. "But who cares?"

"This play would never have been allowed last year," he said,  referring  to
the  constrictive  grip  held over the arts by conservative elders until the
latter half of 1992, when economic reforms in the country began to spread to
the cultural world.

The top Communist Party leader in charge of propaganda and arts, Li Ruihuan,
said  at  the time that art for arts sake should be encouraged, and that not
all art had to be politically correct.

Artists forced underground or kept silent during a three-year  clampdown  on
the  arts  following  the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on protesters have
been allowed to stage previously banned films, art shows  and  rock  perfor-
mances.

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