chi@vlsi.uwaterloo.ca (Bo Chi) (11/20/89)
| +---------I __L__ ___- i \ ------I +----+----+ | ___\_\_ | \./ | | -----+- | | | | | __ \/ | --+-- |--- | |---| | I----+----I | I__J/\ | __|__ | | | |---| | | | _____ \ | /| \ | | | L__-| | I I---------J / J \/ | | V | _/ * C h i n a N e w s D i g e s t * (ND Canada Service) -- Nov. 20 (I), 1989 Table of Contents # of Lines 1) Europe's Changes Worrying: Premier Li Peng ....................... 90 2) Greater Sino-romanian Coorperation asked by Ceausescu ............. 60 3) China alters policy on parallel currency .......................... 23 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. EUROPE'S CHANGES WORRYING: LI --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: HKnet [South China Morning Post, Friday, November 17, 1989] EUROPE'S CHANGES WORRYING: LI Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng said yesterday that economic sanctions against his country were "useless and unwise," and that China was "worried about" changes taking place in Eastern Europe. He also revealed that China would provide Pakistan with a 300,000 kilowatt nuclear power station, which will be the country's second. Both China and Pakistan are members of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA). "Therefore, construction of the plant will be under the IAEA safeguards," he said. Mr Li's remarks came at the end of two days of talks with Pakistani prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. At a press conference in Rawalpinde, Mr Li said the recent, dramatic reforms in Eastern Europe are not likely to spread to China. "We still have to wait and see whether the developments in Eastern Europe will be positive or negative," Mr Li said. "But we will continue with socialism. There will be no changes in China's system or policies because of developments in Eastern Europe. "In Eastern Europe, drastic changes have taken place ... China is also naturally worried about it," he said. Mr Li, who begins his visit to Bangladesh today, said that many countries are already realising that imposing sanctions against China is both useless and unwise. "China will stick to its policy of reform and opening up to the outside world," Mr Li said. Referring to the recommendation by the United States congress last week that a stiffer set of trade sanctions be imposed on China, Mr Li said: "The Chinese people will never submit to such pressure and will not barter away principles." "Our channels of contact with the US Government are still open," he added. Pakistan historically has played a major part in bringing together china and the US. It was Pakistan's 1971 manoeuvring that helped arrange then President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to Beijing, the first by a US president since the communists took power in China in 1949. Mr Li did not rule out a repeat performance by Pakistan in thawing today's cool relations between the two countries. "Whether Pakistan is ready to promote or facilitate Sino-US relations returning to normal is up to Pakistan," Mr Li said through an interpreter. China and United States have been military sponsors of Pakistan, which is wedged between an often-hostile India to the east and a civil war in Afghanistan to the west. But Mr Li said: "China and Pakistan have not reached any defence pact." China has provided Pakistan with military aid which is only for defensive proposes, he added. Mr Li also said that China wants to improve its relations with India through consultations. "There has been a border dispute between the two countries. It could be solved through peaceful negotiations and consultations. Yet it will take a long time and process," he said. "If both sides are sincere on it, it can be solved," he added. He said that any improvement in Sino_Indian relations "is not against anyone, nor will it affect Sino-Pakistani relations". Mr Li's visit to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal is his first official trip abroad since the June crackdown of china's pro-democracy movement. [Agencies] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Greater Sino-romanian Coorperation asked by Ceausescu ------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM: "J. DING" <IZZYQ00@UCLAMVS.BITNET> BY: LUBMAN, SARAH, (UPI) BEIJING Hard-line Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu asked Chinese leaders for support and increased cooperation Saturday in the face of what he called "the serious international situation," a veiled reference to reforms sweeping Eastern Europe. In an interview with the state-run People's Daily, Ceausescu, who has steadfastly opposed the reforms implemented by other Warsaw Pact countries, stressed the need for greater Sino-Romanian cooperation "along socialist principles" in response to unspecified international problems. "Right now, there are a lot of problems existing in the world," Ceausescu said. "The international situation is very complicated. At this time more than ever we need to strengthen cooperation between Communist Parties and socialist nations." Although Ceausescu did not elaborate, the recent historic opening of the border between East and West Germany in combination with radical political liberalizations throughout the East Bloc appear to have left him in need of reassurance that China will not abandon its hard-line position on socialism. Ceausescu is not alone in his concern. North Korean President Kim Il-Sung recently paid a secret visit to China from November 5-7, meeting with senior leader Deng Xiaoping. Kim reportedly focused on the recognition of South Korea by Poland and Hungary. The meeting was not reported by official Chinese media partly because both China and North Korea are equally worried about recent events in the East Bloc, sources said. China has reacted to the news in East Germany by reporting the border opening as if it were a mere technicality, with no mention of the symbolic dismantling of parts of the Berlin Wall. A government official said Chinese authorities were playing down recent events in Berlin for fear of arousing a new wave of dissent. Ceausescu's remarks are another indication he is alarmed by the developments in Eastern Europe and hopes to rely on China as a firm ally. "In view of the serious international situation, our two countries must take action to benefit both our own and other countries' socialist development," he said, referring specifically to the problem of "doing away with the stages of underdevelopment." But China, over the past four months, has lost three former Third World allies to Taiwan. China broke off ties with Grenada, Liberia and Belize after the three nations independently established relations with Taiwan, which allegedly offered fat financial incentives in exchange. The interview with Ceausescu coincides with a visit to Romania by ruling Politburo member Qiao Shi, who departed Friday for Bucharest to attend the 14th Romanian Communist Party Congress. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. China alters policy on parallel currency By Reuter; Globe and Mail News on China (11/20/89): ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Foreign residents in Beijing who tried to change foreign exchange certificates back into dollars this week were told by Bank of China they needed an airline ticket out of the country and could only change half the amount originally bought. Other foreign residents tried to deposit FECs in existing Bank of China accounts but were told by clerks without explanation that deposits were no longer accepted. Either they are going to abolish the FEC altogether or restrict its use. THis could mean that thousands of Chinese possessing FECs would suddenly find them worthless because they would have no means to show they had acquired them legally. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Executive Editor: Gang Xu (NDUS) E_mail: GXU@KENTVM.bitnet | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ============================================================================= News Transmission chi@vlsi.uwaterloo.ca (or) -------------------- --------------------- Local Editor: Bo Chi chi@vlsi.waterloo.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- send out time: Mon Nov 20 12:56:27 EST 1989