CND-Global, July 16, 1999 (GL99-100)
CND-Global Editors
(Global News, No. GL99-100)
Friday, July 16, 1999
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ISSN 1024-9117
Table of Contents # of Lines
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1. News Brief (3 Items) ................................................. 51
2. Beijing Sees Drop in Trade Surplus for First Six Months .............. 25
3. Hong Kong Government Not to Intervene With Merger Dispute ............ 37
4. Risks Exit Behind China's Booming Internet Market .................... 45
5. City Officials Arrested for Abusing Public Funds in Macau Casino ..... 31
6. News from Taiwan (10 Items) .......................................... 47
7. What's in July 16th's Hua Xia Wen Zhai #433 (cm9907c) ............... 43
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1. News Brief (3 Items) ................................................. 51
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(1) Government Departments Busy Getting on Internet
(2) United States, Japan Reaffirm One-China Policy
(3) China Sees Record Growth in Tax Revenue
(1) Government Departments Busy Getting on Internet
[CND, 07/15/99] China will see 60 percent of its government departments
set up their web sites by the end of this year, Reuters reported on
Wednesday.
According to Shanghai's Liberation Daily, 1,564 government organizations
have already established web sites, compared to 154 in 1998. Users of the
Internet can now visit various government web sites for information, such
as the Ministry of Railways at www.chinamor.cn.net, and the State Tobacco
Monopoly Bureau at www.tobaccochina.com.
The central government initiated a government web site program in January
to make information available online and foster emerging electronic
commerce. The number of Internet users in China has grown dramatically to
over two million nationwide by the end of 1998. The government expects the
number to increase to 10 million this year. (MA Lin, Charles MOK)
____ ____ ____
(2) United States, Japan Reaffirm One-China Policy
[CND, 07/15/99] Washington and Tokyo said they would stick to their
"one-China" policies despite Taiwan's recent change in its stance, the
Hong Kong Standard reported on Wednesday.
A U.S. government spokesman said the United States' "longstanding" and
"well-known" one-China policy remained unchanged. "The US position on
Taiwan's future is also clear," the spokesman added. Washington hopes that
both sides continue bilateral dialogue.
Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tokyo maintained its policies
towards Beijing and Taiwan. Japan will continue to respect Beijing's view
that Taiwan is an "inalienable" part of China and to keep unofficial ties
with Taiwan, according the spokesman. (LIU Weijun, WU Yiyi)
____ ____ ____
(3) China Sees Record Growth in Tax Revenue
[CND, 07/15/99] China registered record high state tax revenue in the
first six months of this year, thanks to increasing imports and a
crackdown on smuggling, announced the State Administration of Taxation,
AFP reported on Tuesday.
The SAT collected about US$60 billion in tax revenue, more than double the
growth rate for the same period last year. It was also the first time in
five years that the government has reached its half-year tax targets, SAT
said.
According to SAT statistics, the rapid growth of import taxes, value-added
taxes, corporate income taxes, and consumption taxes contributed to the
surge in tax revenue in the past six months. (Kewen ZHANG, YIN De An)
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2. Beijing Sees Drop in Trade Surplus for First Six Months .............. 25
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[CND, 07/15/99] A fall in exports and a surge in imports have contributed
to a continued decline in Beijing's trade surplus in the first six months
of the year, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, exports in May totaled US$15.46
billion, representing a decrease of 1.3 percent compared to the same
period last year. Imports increased 22.8 percent to US$14.54 billion.
The first half of 1999 saw exports fall by 4.6 percent to US$83 billion
and imports surge by 16.6 percent to US$75 billion. This brings the
current trade surplus to US$8 billion, a significant drop from last year's
$43.59 billion.
Since domestic demand in the mainland remains weak, economists believe
that the recent rise in imports could be attributed to a crackdown on
smuggling by the government.
Economists expect exports to remain weak for the rest of the year, which
may build up pressure for yuan devaluation in coming years. Meanwhile,
exports are showing signs of recovery with growing demand of Chinese goods
from Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, according to Xinhua. (LEUNG Wing
Yun, WU Yiyi)
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3. Hong Kong Government Not to Intervene With Merger Dispute ............ 37
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[CND, 07/15/99] The Hong Kong government will not intervene in a dispute
on valuation for the proposed merger of stock and future exchanges, the
South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.
Morgan Stanley, which represents the futures exchange, demanded that the
futures side take up 47.8 percent of the new exchange. On the other hand,
Merrill Lynch, which represents the stock side, insisted that the future
exchange get only 11 percent.
To bring the dispute to a quick end to meet the Thursday deadline set by
the government, a stock exchange council member suggested on Monday that
HSBC Holdings plc, the government's advisor on the reform, conduct its own
valuation on the merger. The member said a valuation by HSBC might bring
the two sides closer since it represents the government's stance on the
issue.
However, the government source said it would be inappropriate for the
government to offer opinions on how the ownership of the merged exchange
should be shared between the two exchanges. The source said that the two
sides must agree on how to divide the shares of HKEC under the current
law. Further delay of the reform would occur if HSBC were asked to conduct
the valuation since the process might take up to two months, the source
added.
The hands-off attitude of the government has brought pessimistic
predictions on the success of the reform among stock exchange council
members. "Overseas, merger proposals among exchanges have failed as a
result of the two sides being unable to reach a consensus on the ownership
of the new entity. This may also prove to be the case in Hong Kong," said
a council member.
The government proposed that the two exchanges and their associated firms
be merged into a single entity called Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing
(HKEC). However, there is a wide gap between the two exchanges over the
shared ownership of the new exchange. (LIU Weiming, WU Yiyi)
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4. Risks Exit Behind China's Booming Internet Market .................... 45
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[CND, 07/15/99] Doing Internet business in China continues to be difficult
and risky despite the phenomenal growth of the market with millions of new
people getting online every year, said a report by a U.S.-based
information technology consulting firm, AFP reported on Wednesday.
The Gartner report warns foreign and local IT firms about the difficulties
and potential dangers of conducting Internet business in China. The report
cites Beijing's insistence that every Internet service provider (ISP)
register all their customers through the official agency, China Internet
Network Information Center (CNNIC) in order for the government to monitor
contents of web sites and e-mails.
It also points out numerous changes in China's publishing laws in recent
years, which has made many types of contents taboos. Normal business
practices in United States could lead to long jail terms for Internet
entrepreneurs in China. Recently, one entrepreneur was charged and
convicted for breaching state security because he swapped his e-mail list
with an online magazine. The magazine was allegedly engaged in
anti-government activities.
The report cautions companies doing online business in China to take
strict content control and be alert to any legal and government policy
changes. "Companies doing business with or in China must take additional
precautions with web content, affiliate marketing programs and trading
partners," the report warns.
Despite all the cautious comments in the report, there are firms that
enjoy the exponential growth of the Internet market in China. Shares of
the Hong Kong based Greater China Internet Gateway <China.com>, which
provides Chinese and English language web sites for the mainland, Hong
Kong, and Taiwan as well as e-mail services, jumped 233 percent on Tuesday
on its debut in NASDAQ.
Analysts are pleased with the stock's exceptional performance and expect
more Internet firms in China to list in the stock market in the next six
months.
According to statistics released on Wednesday by the CNNIC, there are 1.46
million computers in China that have Internet connection as of the end of
June, up from 747,000 six months ago. The number of users almost doubled
during the same period, from 2.1 million to four million. (LIU Weiming,
YIN De An)
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5. City Officials Arrested for Abusing Public Funds in Macau Casino ..... 31
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[CND, 07/15/99] MA Xiangdong, former Deputy Mayor of Shenyang is under
investigation for allegedly gambling away some HK$30 million of public
funds in a Macau casino, said Beijing sources, the South China Morning
Post reported on Wednesday.
Sources said that Ma made a private trip to Macau last year when he was
supposed to be studying at the Central Party School in Beijing. The money
he gambled with was provided by a Hong Kong company to the city's
Construction Commission.
Also arrested were LI Jingfang, former chief of the city's finance
department, and NING Xianjie, former director of its Urban and Rural
Construction Committee, for their involvement in the case.
The Public Security Ministry sent an investigation team to the city last
Friday. The Communist Party's head of the anti-graft campaign, WEI
Jianxing, highlighted the seriousness of the case at a recent meeting of
the Central Disciplinary Inspection Committee in Beijing.
"The official must be out of his mind to lose over HK$30 million on
gambling when laid-off workers in the city under his governing are not
even given enough financial support to guarantee basic living standards,"
sources said.
Shenyang was one of the first few cities to launch a declaration scheme,
under which the city's top 300 officials have to list all gifts they
receive, trips abroad, additional economic activities, all "deluxe
amusement activities," as well as the employment status of their
relatives. (Ray ZHANG, WU Yiyi)
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6. News from Taiwan (10 Items) .......................................... 47
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Source: Taiwan's China News (07/14/99 - 07/15/99)
Contributor: Chang-Jiu Chen; Abridged by: TIAN Yu.
* The Presidential Office said President LEE Teng-hui's "special
state-to-state" redefinition of cross-strait ties was formulated by an
ad hoc task force after a long period of study.
* President LEE Teng-hui reassured the United States that Taiwan's policy
toward the mainland remains unchanged despite his change of terminology.
* Beijing told Taipei that it was heading for a "monumental disaster"
after abandoning the "one-China" policy, which has helped underpin East
Asian security for decades.
* Stocks in the Greater China region--Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the mainland--
tumbled as the political tension between Taipei and Beijing showed no
signs of easing.
* The Democratic Progressive Party reaffirmed its support for President LEE
Teng-hui's "state-to-state" remark, saying redefining Taiwan's status is
the only meaningful way to peacefully resolve cross-strait conflicts.
* A New Party leader warned that President LEE Teng-hui appeared to be
bending backwards to provok a war with Beijing, judging from his
redefinition of cross-strait relations as "state-to-state" relations.
New Party leaders will organize a public rally in Taipei on Sunday to
demand that Mr. Lee correct what they call a mistake in redefining
cross-strait relations as "state-to-state" relations.
* The majority of Taiwan's people support the government's controversial
abandonment of the "one China" policy, a public opinion poll commissioned
by the ruling KMT said. Over 60 percent surveyed said they preferred
LEE Teng-hui's categorization of Taiwan-Mainland relations rather than
the murky old standby of "political entities."
* The Philippines is ready to evacuate its more than 120,000 nationals in
Taiwan should cross-strait tensions escalate, a Philippine labor official
said.
* Wading into the dispute over control of the South China Sea, Taiwan
protested moves by Malaysia and the Philippines to stake claims in the
contested region.
* Taiwan stands to lose a diplomatic ally as Sir Mekee Morauta, who will
become the prime minister of Papua New Guinea Thursday, hinted that his
government would review Papua New Guinea's ties with Taiwan.
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7. What's in July 16th's Hua Xia Wen Zhai #433 (cm9907c) ............... 43
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_From: Hua Xia Wen Zhai Editorial Board (cnd...@cnd.org)
Hua Xia Wen Zhai
(CND Chinese Magazine)
Issue #433
July 16, 1999
ISSN 1021-8602
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Table of Contents (cm9907c)
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1. Headline News of the Week (July 8 - July 15) ........................ CND
2. Glimpse of China: For the Sake of National Survival,
Not Even a Single One More ................ WANG Yong
3. Focus: Urgent Anti-Trust Calls .............................. ZHONG Dajun
4. Opinions: Manipulation of Public Opinion vs. Media Control .... LU Buping
"Inquiries to The Heaven" About Patriotism .............. HE Bi
5. Origins: The Yet Unraveled Past: Rambling on Maryknoll Monastery . Wei Yi
6. Info Exchange: Some Usually Used J-W Forms for
State-Sponsored Overseas Studies
7. "One of Us" (Wo Men): Father's Present - Memory of My Father ... JIANG Yu
Unforgetable Mount Baoshu ................ HAN Xuan
In the Subway ........................... XIAO Quan
8. Random Thoughts: Thoughts on a Little Incident ................. FANG Yan
9. Table of Contents of HXWZ Supplementary Issues
zk190 - "Cultural Revolution Museum (LII)"
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CND-CM Executive Editor: XU Ming Yang
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