Geo-Strategic Trend - 158. page

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Moscow based EurAsia Daily (EA Daily) reported that people in Russia and Tajikistan are worried that China may demand that the two countries return to China those territories it believes belong to China.

China raised the territory issue with Tajikistan in 2013 and then raised the issue again in 2016. Tajikistan’s archaeologists, historians, and scholars are afraid that China may someday take its land back.

The “China Threat” theory has been spread in Russia. One of the points is that “China will, sooner or later, request that Russia return its territory that Russia took by force.”

At the same time, some Chinese media exposed the fact that Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese Communist Party leader, voluntarily signed treaties to give up China’s territory to other countries, when there was no external pressure to do so.

{Editor’s note: There have been reports that Jiang Zemin gave up over 1 million square km (247 million acres) of China’s land to Russia, but he has silenced any reporting on this in China.}

Source: RFA, May 22, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/lxy2-05222017153158.html

According to an article that Radio Free Asia published, since May, North Korea has been imposing different types of tax and fees on merchants who come from China to enter the Rason Special Economic Zone. The total could add up to as much as 1,000 yuan (US$147) for each such entrance. The move is considered to be related to friction in the foreign relations between China and North Korea. The article quoted comments from South Koreans that, since North Korea is facing sanctions from the international community, it is possible that it is using the imposed taxes to offset the shortage in foreign currency. However since the fee is not a small amount for small businesses owners, it might also result in a reduced traffic flow and trade activities.

Source: Radio Free Asia, June 1, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/ko-06012017104440.html

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that Hua Chunying, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented on the North Korea issue in response to a question indicating that most Western leaders believe that China bears special responsibilities on the matter. Hua acknowledged the existence of such a belief among Western leaders. However, she asked people to study more of the history behind the North Korea issue. She stated that it would be really easy to discover that, at the core of this issue, lies a significant lack of mutual trust between the North Korean side and the U.S. – South Korea side. Hua repeated the Chinese position (that the two sides should) find a balance via peaceful talks. She also called again for a stop on both sides of further stimulating a dangerous situation. Hua concluded that China has done all it could have done and now it’s up to “other related parties” to deliver on their responsibilities.

Source: Sina, June 2, 2017
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2017-06-02/doc-ifyfuvpm7211100.shtml

Chosun.com  (a major news media in South Korea), reported that an official from the Propaganda Incitement Department of North Korea’s Labor Party Central Committee claimed, “The recent successfully developed new rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) is a nuclear transportation vehicle that can conduct attacks on the entire China.” He made the statements during a speech to the Ryanggang Provincial Party Committee members on May 20.

The speaker stated, “Mars-12 has successfully put China within our missile network,” and “(We) don’t have to fear China’s sanctions against North Korea.”

A source familiar with the situation said, “(Our media) disseminated threatening statements to China such as ‘There is no restriction to our attacks and nobody in the world can survive our attacks.” “China must have known very clearly that these rude remarks targeted itself.”

Source: Chosun.com
http://cnnews.chosun.com/client/news/viw.asp?cate=C01&mcate=M1001&nNewsNumb=20170547694&nidx=47695

On May 26, An Fengshan, a spokesperson for the State Taiwan Affairs Office in mainland China confirmed that China has arrested Lee Ming-cheh, a Taiwan citizen. Lee is an employee of a Non-Government Organization and a former volunteer for the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan.

An Fengshan stated that Lee was involved in the crime of “subversion of state power” and thus the police from Hunan Province arrested him. “State Security took forcible measures against Lee Ming-cheh accordingly to the law. After interrogation, Lee and others admitted that they had conducted activities to subvert our state security.”

The Mainland Affairs Council in Taiwan responded that the mainland’s statement was obscure and thus did not seem convincing to the Taiwan people or to the international community.

Source: China Times, May 27, 2017
http://www.chinatimes.com/cn/newspapers/20170527000776-260301