In recent decades, an increasing number of people in the West have been reading and studying the Biblical prophecies from the Book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse. Among Chinese people, too, there has emerged a growing interest in studying the Book of Revelation, where the readers perceive parallels between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s policies and practices and the prophecies found in the Christian Bible. For example, more and more Chinese people are calling the Chinese Communist Party "the Red Dragon." Since November or December 2004, many Chinese have renounced their membership in the CCP. When they do so, they often say they are ridding themselves of "the Mark of the Beast." Further, it is particularly interesting to read Chinese articles comparing Beijing to "Babylon the great, the mother of the harlots, and abominations of the earth." (Rev 17:5)

While the Book of Revelation reveals that Man’s ultimate end requires facing the final "Judgment," the particular way in which that will occur is expounded upon by all the great religions in various ways. The Chinese view on this appears largely unknown in the West. This article aims to summarize how some mainland Chinese Christians and Chinese Internet writers interpret the suppression of their faith in the light of terminology expressed in the Book of Revelation from the New Testament. The author is fully aware that other Christians may discern different meanings in this sacred book. This article should not be interpreted as an endorsement by the author of any particular view on this matter.

Intolerance Toward Religion: Communist China’s Policy

The anti-faith, anti-Christian characteristic of the CCP is well known, although the Party has sought to deny it. Its practice of suppressing religions, including the most popular ones in Asia—Buddhism and Taoism—can be traced back to the early 1950s when the Party first took power in China. In recent years, the international media has frequently exposed China’s brutal persecution of 100 million Falun Gong practitioners and its continued suppression of underground Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, and Uighur Muslims. All of the main international human rights groups as well as the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (an independent, bipartisan U.S. Government agency that monitors freedom of religion abroad) have documented and condemned such oppression.

The anti-faith, anti-Christian practices of the CCP puts China at odds with most industrialized countries, even though China’s GDP has climbed to the third largest in the world. For example, even though last April almost all the influential political leaders around the world attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome, no Chinese leader showed up. Considering the fact that both the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers flew to Rome for the funeral and that even Communist Cuba sent its representative to show respect to the beloved Pope, the absence of a Chinese government representative stood out in stark contrast.
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Of course, we should not say that no Chinese officials were in Rome to attend the Pope’s funeral. Chen Shui-bian, the democratically elected President of Taiwan, was there to represent the Republic of China. In an ironic twist, the communist government of mainland China sent a protest to the Vatican regarding President Chen Shui-bian’s presence at the funeral. Inside China, information on the Pope’s death and memorial activities was restricted to the bare minimum facts.

Denouncing the Red Dragon

The discordant relationship between the Vatican and the Chinese communist government has a long history. After the Communist Party assumed power in China in 1951, it severed its relationship with the Vatican. All Chinese churches were required to obtain approval from the Chinese communist government, and Catholics were not allowed to look to the Vatican as their authority. The majority of the Chinese churches, Catholic and Protestant, were closed down in the 1950s, and many priests ended up in prison, causing the churches to go underground. Arrests have since continued unabated. What remained in China were the so-called, "three-self churches," which submitted themselves to the leadership of the Communist Party. After 1957, the "three-self churches" were renamed the "Chinese patriotic churches," and they thereafter served as the model that the CCP used to demonstrate religious freedom in China to the outside world.

The Chinese government has put the number of Christians at around four million. In recent years, however, outside the "three-self churches," many more Chinese people have joined the underground churches. The U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation estimates that there are about 12 million underground Catholic Christians in China who are loyal to the Pope. However, the communist government does not recognize them. Estimates by overseas NGOs put the total number of Chinese underground Christians (Catholic, Protestant, and other sects) at around 40 to 50 million.

In July 1999, the Chinese communist regime began to persecute Falun Gong. In late October, the government rushed a "Resolution on Banning Cults, Preventing and Punishing Cult Activities" through the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. This resolution has since been used as "the anti-cult law" to legitimize the brutal persecution of Falun Gong as well as other religious organizations, including the underground Christian churches.

On the website of the Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China (CIPRC—the website can be seen at: http://www.china21.org/English/index.htm), hundreds of reports from China on the persecution of underground Christians are documented. The titles of the reports alone are very revealing: "Anhui Province: Two Female Evangelists Beaten up and Sexually Harassed," "The Police Poured Cold Water on Her to Wake Her Up and Then Continued to Torture Her," and "The Police Informed the Husband to Take Away His Wife, Who Was Beaten Half to Death."
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On the same website several Chinese government secret documents that were obtained and released by the CIPRC are available. These documents reveal the CCP’s engagement in the systematic suppression of all religious organizations that are not approved by the Party. Interestingly, in those secret official documents, there were several instances in which the communist government accused the underground Christians of calling the government "the Red Dragon" or saying it is "led by the Red Dragon." These secret official documents were dated as early as March 2001, indicating it’s been several years since the Chinese Christians came to regard the CCP as "the Red Dragon."

Shixiong Li, the founder of CIPRC in New York, might not be the first Chinese Christian to call the Chinese Communist Party "the Red Dragon." However, he probably is the first Chinese Christian to spell it out clearly to the media.

In his interview with a reporter from The Epoch Times in March 2005, Mr. Li explained that "Red Dragon" is another name for Satan. In the Bible it is revealed that in the final days, "that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan" turned into the "Red Dragon." It was cast down unto the earth after being defeated in the heavens, and continues to deceive the whole world. (Rev. 12:7-9)

Li further explained that the CCP is obsessed with blood and violence. It took red as its symbol, and it brutally persecuted the Chinese people, especially those who believed in God. The mainland family churches suffered a great deal under "the Red Dragon" and generally recognized the CCP as the terrible "Red Dragon." Mr. Li also stated that not just in the mainland, but also overseas, Christians and many pastors assumed "the Red Dragon" referred to the contemporary, most formidable red evil specter—the Chinese Communist Party. The prophecy was first known around 2,000 years ago. The Saints of that time could not have been prejudiced against the CCP. Today’s conclusion, therefore, is truly based on the striking similarities between the prophecy’s description and the easily recognizable characteristics of the CCP.

In the Book of Revelation there is also a prophecy about the "mark of the beast."

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:"(Rev.13:16)

"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (Rev.13:17)

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In the March interview, Mr. Li laid out his interpretation of this reference to the mark. "To join a normal organization or to take part in social activities, an oath of admission is not required. Why then do I have to raise my right hand, form it into a fist in front of the red flag, and make a vow to fight for communism throughout my life to be admitted to the Communist Party? The answer is that, by doing so, I have really taken an oath to ‘the Red Dragon’ and vowed to follow him forever, so that the ‘mark of the beast’ will be given to me."

It is no wonder, then, that when many Chinese people renounce their membership in the CCP, they say they are ridding themselves of the "mark of the beast."

Beijing As Babylon

Searching the Google website for the Chinese key word for "Revelation" returned about 55,000 findings. Of course, many of them are cross-links, or the same popular articles posted on different websites. The most popular articles focus on disclosing the CCP as "the Red Dragon." Lin Feng, a writer for the Chinese edition of the Pureinsight website, has written several articles on this topic. His interpretation of "Babylon the Great is Fallen" is particularly interesting.

Chapters 17 and 18 of the Book of Revelation describe a "great whore," which is a city called Babylon.

"A[a]nd I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." (Rev. 17:3)

"And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication." (Rev. 17:4)

"A[a]nd on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations." (Rev. 17:5)

"For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies." (Rev. 18:3)

"And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." (Rev. 17:6)

"And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." (Rev. 17:18)

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"It reminds me of today’s Beijing," wrote Lin Feng in one of his articles. Lin laid out the following three similarities that led him to conclude that Babylon in the prophecy was like today’s Beijing:

First, Beijing is, as Babylon was, the most "controlling" city in the world at its time of dominance.

Beijing is the power center of a vast country. Due to its totalitarian nature, it largely controls the fortunes of 1.3 billion people. In the democratic nations, by contrast, no such totalitarian centralized power exits to such a degree. Instead, checks and balances are built into the political systems, market-place freedom dominates the economic sectors, and the principle of private property is inviolable. The "woman" or "whore" as described in the Book of Revelation is dressed in scarlet, and the Chinese name for the Forbidden City in Beijing is "zi-jin-cheng," which directly translates into "Scarlet Colored Forbidden City." The "beast" on which the "woman" rides is the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

Second, Beijing and Babylon are cities drunken with blood.

Babylon is described in the Book of Revelation as "drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." (Rev. 17:6) In the past 50 years, Beijing has seen bloodshed from so many of both the faithful and the innocent.

Since 1949, during years of peace, the Beijing government has been responsible for the loss of over 65 million Chinese lives, far exceeding the total of all wartime casualties in the entire last century. According to Chinese government official records, in recent years, a period the CCP regime self-claims as "the best period of human rights," the government has executed twice as many people each year as the entire rest of the world. That marks the Beijing government as an incredibly bloodthirsty regime. Nor has China yet accounted for the large number of extrajudicial killings.

Religious people are clearly the largest group targeted by the Beijing regime. Since 1999, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been murdered by extrajudicial killings, hundreds of thousands of them have been detained or imprisoned in forced labor camps. According to the Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China, of the six million family church members in China, around 2.7 million people have been arrested or detained at least once in the last two and a half decades, 440,000 were sentenced to forced labor camps, and about 20,000 people lost their lives due to religious persecution.

Why did this happen? The modern religions of Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity are no direct threat to China’s political power. Falun Gong practitioners have no interest in politics and only want to be able to practice their faith to become, as they say, "good" people. Why then is the CCP so preoccupied with persecuting religions and popular qigong practices such as Falun Gong? The reason is that the CCP is a religion, a perverse religion, and it sees the orthodox, legitimate religions and qigong practices like Falun Gong as competitors for the hearts and minds of the masses. Even though the CCP has always proclaimed atheism and forthrightly denies the basis of all spirituality, its practice matches every single trait of a cult.
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Consider this. When it was first established, communists regarded Marxism as the absolute truth of the world. It exhorted people to engage in a life-long struggle for the goal of building a "communist heaven on earth." This is, in effect, turning orthodox religion on its head. The CCP truly meets the definition of a perverse religion or cult. To this communist specter-worship cult, people who possess true faith are the Party’s enemy, no matter if they are Tibetan Buddhists, underground Christian church members, or Falun Gong practitioners.

Third, the kings and the merchants of the earth have committed fornication with her.

Beijing has become capitalists’ dreamland in recent years. From the early 1980s to the end of 2003, the accumulated foreign direct investment in China exceeded US$500 billion. In 2004 alone, Beijing brought in US$50 billion in new investments, the largest in the world. The superficial prosperity or the "China miracle" led to a "China rush" in the international business community, "for all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

Because of the large amount of foreign investment and consequent trade leverage, the dictators in Beijing are able to entice or even bully foreign companies and governments to make them "cooperate" with Beijing. Some large international corporations, such as Yahoo and Microsoft, engage in self-censorship to please Beijing; others, such as Cisco and Nortel, eagerly sell their most advanced techniques to help Beijing censor the Chinese Internet and monitor the Chinese people in what is called by the Chinese government, the "golden shield." At the United Nation’s human rights summits, Beijing easily blocks debate on its human rights violations.

Leaders from Beijing often bring with them huge potential commercial contracts when visiting foreign countries. Through under-the-table deals, they make even democratic governments do dirty things for Beijing in exchange for business. For example, when Jiang Zemin visited Berlin in April 2004, the German police illegally harassed Falun Gong practitioners, who were peacefully protesting the communist dictator. The French and German governments in 2004 leaned heavily on the European Union to lift the arms embargo against China despite China’s worsening human rights record and repeated threats to Taiwan. For more than three years Alexander Downer, the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, signed a certificate every month banning Falun Gong practitioners from protesting outside the Chinese Embassy. When Hu Jintao visited France in January 2004, the government was eager to illuminate the Eiffel Tower in scarlet color to appease the communist leader. Aren’t these examples of "the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies?"
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Lin Feng also compared Beijing’s corruption to "Babylon, the great city." Beijing is luxurious in spending on "face projects," such as the Olympics, the national theater, and the CCTV tower, making Western contractors envious. The numerous scandals emerging from Beijing also tell us how corrupt the Chinese officials have become. Government officials have consumed, at government expense, an estimated US$30 billion yearly on dining and drinking at sumptuous banquets. Behind the superficial prosperity, hundreds of millions of Chinese are unemployed and live in abject poverty, and only a small minority of educated Chinese prosper.

The moral depravity of this country, like Babylon, is shown in the reversal of its attitude toward prostitution. When the communists originally seized power in 1949, one of the good things they did was to eliminate prostitution, which the early adherents of communism believed was a product of the decadent capitalism and Western imperialism. Today, the culture has reversed itself, and prostitution is rampant. Among the impoverished, five to six million young women end up in prostitution to make a living. Rampant corruption and desperate poverty make prostitution a booming business in China. It is estimated that about 12 percent of China’s GDP is related to the prostitution business. Beijing is much like the woman, "decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication."

Leon Chao is a writer based in Washington, D.C.

Eighty years ago, a thirty-something Mao first let the world know of his unusual revolutionary zeal in a humbly titled article "Investigative Report of the Farmer’s Movement in Hunan Province," which was the very first of his prolific writings on how to take power by violence from the incumbent. There, his assertive words would go down in history—"Who is our friend and who is our foe? This is the number one question we have to figure out for our revolutionary cause."

Eighty years later, a sixty-something Hu, planned his first formal visit to the United States. In Mao’s day, the United States was considered China’s number one enemy and Mao fought to maintain this stance during his entire tenure in Beijing as the leader of the Communist Party, the same post Hu holds now. The world may have changed a lot since then; but the same question remains: Are the United States and China friends now?

Friends or Foes?

For America, the position on this issue is unclear, toggling between "strategic partnership" as announced by an exuberant Clinton during his happy hours in China, and the "strategic competitor" framework that came about just one administration, or two years, later. The Chinese response to the same question, however, seems to be much more resolute and uniform. Most Chinese believe America is trying to keep China down; they also see America as the ultimate obstacle to a satisfactory resolution of the Taiwan issue. And they’ve been convinced by the communist regime that Falun Gong is a force that the CIA cultivated to achieve these objectives against China.

In the past five years or so, this "friends or foes" question has become ever more apparent. The Chinese are more certain that America has ulterior motives against them, fueled by the rising nationalistic sentiment encouraged by the communist regime, and the U.S. position seeming more nuanced, thanks to its growing commercial interest in China.

The United States may believe it has attained a cozy equilibrium in its dealings with China. Remember, there was a glaring absence of the usual "China debate" in the 2004 presidential election, which was once a fierce contest about "who will be the hardest on China." When the two countries first established formal diplomatic relations, this topic was prominently featured in every presidential debate since 1979. And more recently, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal were singing the same tune in their diatribe against Congress’ intervention in the CNOOC-Unocol saga, which, in my view, was almost unprecedented in the two papers’ editorializing on Sino-U.S. relations in the past decade.
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Meanwhile, the Americans seem to have comfortably subscribed to the idea that pumping money into China to buttress an otherwise moribund communist regime is doing the Chinese a great service, because, as the seemingly elegant theory of "engagement" goes, "wealth will breed a clamor for freedom and democracy." Unfortunately, so far, there has been no solid evidence to support this argument; on the contrary, the persecutions against the labor activists, underground churches, and the spiritual movement of Falun Gong bear all the hallmarks of a ruthless outrage that the communist regime has been unleashing upon the Chinese people since day one.

Asymmetry in the Equilibrium

The money flowing into China has strengthened the hand of evil, enabling the regime to impose, unscrupulously, its will on the Chinese people. In the Orwellian world of 1984, "Big Brother" monitors every nook and cranny from ubiquitous TV screens, an eerie indication of an open-arms embrace of hi-technology in that consummate authoritarian state. Now, companies like Cisco, Yahoo, and Google are suppliers of similar technology and services to their Big Buddy in Beijing. Even worse, Yahoo has recently been found to serve as a despicable "informant" for Beijing in tracking down the regime’s "most wanted."

The media, especially those with their vital Chinese presence, have turned themselves into busy conveyors of Xinhua news, as if it were ever free media. Recently, a new trend has taken hold, that is, to quote the so-called experts or professors from China’s academic institutions, to give it a thinly veneered, U.S.-styled pretense of impartiality, as if those people, themselves Party members, would not gingerly toe the Party’s lines whenever they speak. I can’t help but wonder: Can’t they find somebody like Mr. Wei Jingsheng, who once spent 18 years in a Chinese prison and dedicated his whole life for China’s freedom, to share his thoughts on what’s truly going on there? And, when they write, would it be hard for them to focus on Mr. Wei’s ideas rather than his speeding ticket or smoking habit?

Sixteen years ago, China’s college students erected a replica of the Statue of Liberty, with a Chinese face, in Tiananmen Square, that was soon smashed into pieces by the PLA’s tanks, along with the student’s aspirations for democracy. That generation used their blood and lives to tell the world they yearn for freedom and they are ready for it, anytime. Today, their successor, the younger generation, is being brain-washed into believing the Party’s glories, and is being instilled with hostility toward the United States from toddler-hood on up. It is saddening to witness the widespread euphoria over the 9/11 tragedy among China’s college students, the hope of China’s future a mere 15 years ago.

As far as the United States is concerned, turning a blind eye to this fundamental asymmetry in the Sino-U.S. relations and regression in China’s quest for democratization is troubling. I agree, it would be good for the United States that this equilibrium would be kept forever, with the Chinese regime getting the assurance of "no regime change" and U.S. business getting the money squeezed from cheap Chinese labor, because one way or the other, money is what a capitalist society is about, right? However, as much as the United States would like it to continue, how do we know China would not upset the balance when it feels it has the power to challenge the status quo? The truth of the matter is, the timetable is now in the hands of Chinese, who have never wavered in their belief that "America is their number one enemy."
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It is true that China has opened its doors for foreign capital and investments, but people might neglect the fact that the dominant force of the Chinese economy, the private sector, which accounts for close to three quarters of its GDP, is being closely watched and ruthlessly subdued. This means China is not, as many pundits theorized, embarking on the same path of economic development and political liberalization as experienced by Taiwan and South Korea, which have always placed their private sector as a priority. What is happening in China now is the communist regime is putting up the whole country for sale, to the Western capitalists, to bargain for an exclusion from the "Axis of the Evil," and the Chinese people and the country’s resources are being used in the same way that Kim Jong II "bargains" with his nuclear program. Indeed, political calculations are behind China’s startling fast integration into the world economy; it shows the Chinese regime would rather trust the foreign capital to feed its people, as long as it promises no "regime change," than its own private sector, which, when fully developed, could challenge its monopoly on power.

China’s Timetable to Overturn The Equilibrium

General Zhu Chengwu’s nuke saber-rattling at the United States exposes China’s timetable for breaking off the cozy Sino-U.S. equilibrium. What is of significance was the State Department’s response—that his remarks were "irresponsible," a reaction that I wish had come from China’s foreign ministry, instead. The word "irresponsible" indicates how unhappy the U.S. government is about the idea of any possibility that the current equilibrium would be overthrown—and how committed the government is to the equilibrium being continued. Really, how would the state department know that what General Zhu said is "irresponsible"? Could he happen to be "responsible" this time? China absolutely has the power and the motive to go to war, and it was not the first time a PLA general made such a remark. The only difference was seven years ago, when General Xiong Guangkai said that China’s missiles, according to him, could only reach Los Angeles, a city on the west coast, and now, apparently, they can reach the entire United States.

It is understandable that the United States wants to keep the status quo in its relations with China—who wouldn’t? After all, they don’t have to take responsibility for practices outlawed in the Western society such as profits from bribery, slavery labor, and mindless exploitation of natural resources, all standard practices in China, and can then take credit for "helping China grow and helping the Chinese people gain freedom."
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Someone might ask: Why are you so sure China would have the incentive to break this mutually beneficial equilibrium? Isn’t it true that China has shown its "generosity" or "sincerity" by lowering the exchange rate of RMB against the dollar only after tremendous U.S. pressure? Well, the answer to this point comes from the beginning of this article, when I posed the crucial question about whether China and the U.S. are "friends or foes." If you believe, as I do, in what Chairman Mao said, that this question is the first one you should have an answer to, the next question, a natural one, would be: What, then, determines a friend from a foe? Should it be that CCP officials are now dressed more like Westerners? If you take a look at Mao, he, of course was always in a Mao suit, but Hu seems to like dressing like a Westerner. If you think this might be too circumstantial—similar to the fact that the Party secretaries are now more fashionably being called "CEOs" or "Presidents"—you might suggest China’s break-neck growth in GDP as the winning evidence of Westernization working for China. Well, the growth rate might be truly stellar except for possible statistical errors, but remember, it was written into the five-year plan of a Stalinist-era remnant, that economic growth would be always fulfilled, anyway. The underlying reason for the Party’s obsession with economic development is because it realizes that economics is its first obligation so much as it is now a necessity for its political survival. The growth gives it the legitimacy to rule, just as did political movement in the past. Your author once joked to his friends that: If the growth rate is not attained, the Party has a contingency plan that will make it work anyway—"you know what, let’s build another Great Wall. It will attract more tourists, and it will, as you would guess, boost our GDP."

How to Determine a Friend From a Foe?

In your author’s humble opinion, the only way a friend can be told from a foe is for the Americans to check that country’s human rights record. Yes, it is very simple, and it is effective. You may not believe it and might say, "Do you mean we do not need those political scientists or commentators to enlighten us and bombard us with fancy theories and English or even French words (remember détente)?" If you have such an opinion, you should not be faulted, but instead should be told that you’re in good company. When your author visited an editor of a political magazine, he shrugged my idea off with, "It is simply absurd to build diplomacy on human rights." But let’s do a reality check: Have those theories, or compromises, given us lasting peace and benefits or just short-term conveniences with long-term trouble?

I believe that America would be more powerful if it chooses to stick, in form and substance, to the principles created by its founding fathers—and the world would be a much quieter place if that happens. This may sound too simplistic an approach, but in information economics, a signal has to be simple and consistently followed through to be powerful and credible. Just as you know, credibility is the cornerstone of diplomacy and a country’s projection of power or deterrence. Smart deals or gaming will jeopardize this process and complicate already murky situations, rendering them inevitably intractable.
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If McArthur had not been recalled by Truman but left to do what he set out to do, there would be no nuke crisis in today’s Korean peninsula—because there would have been no North Korea to begin with. If America persisted in Vietnam longer, it is likely the Cold War would have ended sooner, with many Americans saved from the trauma of the war. That war, many people believe, was lost in the columns of The New York Times. If the United States had not neglected Saddam Hussein’s atrocities against the Kurds and fostered it as a counterbalance to Iran, there would have been no first Gulf War. And if the Bush senior had not ignored the calls from the tens of thousands of uprising Iraqis gathered by his call to overthrow Saddam and later summarily executed by that tyrant, his son might have had a much easier job in the current Gulf War—because winning the "heart and mind," as the campaign was later renamed, would be much harder when people felt betrayed, although their bitter experiences deserved no more than a one sentence mention on CNN.

Like corporate America, U.S. foreign policy sometimes pursues a similar kind of instantaneous gratification, with stock prices being replaced by Gallup poll numbers, and the executive compensation by political capital or survival. By contrast, an authoritarian regime has the advantage of steadfastly implementing its long-term strategy with an iron hand, and without the vagaries induced by countless interests diverting its attention from the central issue. China has been studying America as its future rival, but the United States has not figured out the first question, whether China is its friend or foe. No wonder the recent laments in The Washington Post by a congressional leader that "China apparently knows more about us than we do about them."

It is right that there is no such department of study on university campuses called "human rights." As human rights ideas, perceived to be lofty and grand, are at the same time, too empty, trite, or even irrelevant. But human rights hold the key to numerous knotty issues that are baffling researchers in other departments for many years. For example, without the moral compass of human rights, how and when will the endless crises in the Middle East have at least the hope of ever ending? Before the killings by Israeli soldiers and Palestinian bombers are condemned in the same manner, absent any biases or political agenda, as violations of basic human rights, I do not think there is any peaceful process that will lead us anywhere.

On the other hand, if the United States, as the sole superpower, holds fast to the simple and consistent message of human rights and freedom, it will gain more support and respect, and many problems will melt away, of their own accord. This is because when human rights are truly respected as they should be in foreign relations, the United States is not just dealing with a few VIPs of a particular government, many of whom are odious tyrants or terrorists themselves, but with the vast number of that country’s populations—and believe me, people’s memories are enduring, especially when you show some genuine care about their future.
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Japan and Korea

The experiences of China’s two neighboring countries, Japan and South Korea, lend support to this argument. It is well known that since the 1950s Japan has been the hub for America’s presence in Asia, and is its most reliable ally in that area. So much so that one Japanese Prime Minister once proudly called his country "America’s unsinkable aircraft carrier." Surveys suggest over 80 percent of Japanese admire America and treasure their friendship, despite the brutal war the two countries fought 60 years ago. In South Korea, a country that would be nonexistent without GIs’ sacrifices and even now only shielded from Kim Jong II’s firepower largely by the U.S. military, a recent Wall Street Journal article shows less than 20 percent of its population even like Americans, and U.S. products are far less popular there as they are in Japan. What is going on?

Again, it is about winning people’s hearts and minds, which can only be done by a genuine interest in their freedom and human rights. The same McArthur, thwarted in Korea by an administration more interested in keeping the "strategic balance" in that area, was luckily left alone in Japan. He wrote the current Japanese constitution, and implemented many reform programs that culminated into today’s thriving, liberal democratic, Japan. Japanese revered him as their savior, and they voluntarily lined the streets to see him off.

In South Korea, the United States has followed the so-called pragmatic policy, supporting military dictatorships to achieve expediency and short-term benefits, even when the Korean people had an uprising in Kwangju in 1987 against the military strongman.

The irony in this story is instructive, in many ways. For businesses preoccupied with building their beachheads in the tough-and-tumble Chinese markets, the true visionaries will know they should invest in China’s heart and mind, by bringing freedom and human rights to the Chinese. Although it is hard to resist the temptation for quick money by colluding with the festering regime and its corrupted officialdom, the Chinese people will remember those who truly care about them, and believe me, those are the ones who will be rewarded in the future.

To the author, it is also disturbing to note the loose definition of "ally" in the U.S. dictionary. Just when you were told Pakistan’s General Musharraf was the people’s enemy because he led a coup that dissolved the democratically elected government, the same general became a hero in America’s anti-terrorist campaign the very next moment. Similarly, the Chinese communist regime has been portrayed as an "ally" in America’s efforts to rid North Korea of its nuclear capabilities, although the North has been China’s lap dog to make trouble for the United States-and a trump card in its deck to "deal" with the United States. Next time you hear the term "ally," please remember Mr. Bin Laden was once in that category in Washington, too.
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China: The Bush Legacy

Several months ago, this magazine reported that an overseas Chinese language newspaper called The Epoch Times published a series of commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has triggered a massive wave of Chinese people quitting the CCP. So far, 4.5 million Chinese have recanted their association with the CCP, sometimes at risk of their career and even lives. Once again, the Chinese people remind us that they are ready to free themselves from the shackles of the CCP—anytime.

While we applaud the 4.5 million who represent a larger number of Chinese who would part ways with the CCP, the silence is so deafening here in the United States that a question has to be asked: Is the United States ready for the long overdue exit of the CCP from the world stage? Twenty years ago, this would have sounded silly to ask, because America’s answer would be a resounding "Sure. Anytime." But now it becomes a question that is worth looking at.

True, China has been subsidizing our lifestyle and enriching certain sectors of the economy, but a prospering China under the leadership of a soulless totalitarian regime is perhaps even more dangerous. If you share the author’s hobby in studying Mao’s works to better understand this weird creature called the "CCP," whose frictions with the Soviet Union had for 20 years been an enigma for no less an expert than the CIA, Mao had another exhortation that we should heed. He said, in the early 1960s, that "all the imperialists are like dust in a room that has to be swept; and if your broomstick isn’t sweeping, the dust will never leave us." So is the absolute power of the CCP—and the nightmarish torments that the Chinese people have been subjected to. Indeed, the CCP is a tumor in the healthy body of human civilization. No matter how it metamorphoses for its survival, it remains a malignancy that is better to be rid of—the sooner the better.

At a time when President Bush is considering how he will be remembered in history, the author would suggest that he echo the call of the 4.5 million Chinese, to end the tyrannical rule of the CCP. This will be a legacy comparable to Reagan’s dissolution of the "evil empire" without firing a shot.

Eighteen years ago, a prescient Reagan spoke to an audience in West Berlin, in front of the Berlin Wall, "Mr. Gorbachev, please pull down this wall!" It only took two years for his words to become reality. When President Bush met with Hu Jintao, I hope he highlighted their conversation with a request, "Mr. Hu, please tear down the Great Wall of Red Terror, and join the 4.5 million Chinese ready to move on into a new life and new era."

John Li is a New-York-based freelance writer on Sino-U.S. relations.

When Robert Anders, member of Canadian Parliament and an avid supporter of China’s democratization, flew to Hong Kong to attend the "Future of China Forum" on September 29, 2005, he thought it would be a trip just like the one he made to the Press Club in Washington, D.C. two months earlier. Everything went as planned until the taxi that was supposed to take him to the Conrad, the premier Hong Kong hotel where the forum was supposed to take place, instead changed directions and brought him to a nearby public park. He was told that, at the last minute, the hotel reneged on the contract it had signed with the forum organizers.

"The Future of China" is an international forum planned by The Epoch Times Hong Kong Branch to discuss the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, a series of articles published by The Epoch Times newspaper back in November of 2004. The Nine Commentaries systematically exposed the crimes that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) committed against the Chinese people from the time of its rise to power to the present.

The articles have so irked the CCP that, inside China, the Nine Commentaries has been listed as the number one forbidden book. Anyone caught talking about it, spreading information about it, or handing the book to another person, will face severe punishment. Lu Xuesong, a teacher at Jilin Academy of Art, told her class about the Nine Commentaries website and the massive resignations from the CCP. As a result, without any explanation, the Academy suspended her from her teaching position. When the school refused to give her an explanation, she posted her situation on the Internet. The school then told her the reason. Her case has become well known and is discussed widely on Chinese websites. Zhang Lin, a dissident writer, published two articles supporting the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. He was arrested on January 29, 2005. On August 2, he was sentenced to five years in prison for the "crime of encouraging people to overthrow the state power."

"The Future of China" forum was the first public discussion in the English language of the Nine Commentaries in this Special Administrative Region. In addition to Mr. Anders, guest speakers included Ming Chu-Cheng, Professor of Political Science at National Taiwan University, and Szeto Wah, former Member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.

On September 29, the day before the event was scheduled to take place at the Conrad’s Hennessy Room, the hotel’s management notified The Epoch Times that the room had "serious flooding" and asked that the forum be transferred to another place.

The newspaper staff then made an onsite visit. Not only was there no evidence of flooding—the room in fact had a function going on during the inspection.
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Considering the confusion that would arise if the forum were moved at the last minute, the organizers told hotel management that they found the room’s condition perfectly acceptable and assured management that they would accept any risk associated with using the room in the condition they found it.

At around 7 a.m. on September 30, the Conrad Hotel staff removed the sign advertising the forum from outside the hotel. When the newspaper contacted the Conrad Hotel to inquire, they were told that the hotel had unilaterally cancelled the contract.

The forum was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. The Conrad’s last-minute decision left the organizers only with the option of moving the forum to the public park, which they were able to do thanks to the favorable weather condition and permission granted by the police department. The forum finally began at 2:30 p.m. in an open area in nearby Hong Kong Park and had a good turnout. According to the organizers, a considerable number of consulates sent congratulatory letters and representatives to the forum. Legislators, lawyers, and scholars also attended.

The incident may not have been a surprise to those who are familiar with the current political climate in Hong Kong, but it caught Mr. Anders off guard nonetheless. After all, Hong Kong has been a democratic society and should enjoy full freedom like any Western society. Beijing’s influence in Hong Kong’s affairs has increased since it was taken over by the mainland in 1997. Many believe that the hotel revoking its contract with The Epoch Times is evidence of that increasing influence.

The change of location was a relatively minor tribulation for another speaker, Professor Ming Chu-Cheng. Initially, Hong Kong’s Immigration Department rejected his visa application, which had never happened to him before. When he was finally granted the visa and arrived at Hong Kong International airport, officials from the Immigration Department interrogated him for nearly two hours.
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Nor was this Mr. Anders’ first encounter with Chinese interference. He had the following to say about being physically assaulted by Chinese diplomats in February 2000:

"I wore [a T-shirt that talked about Falun Gong] out to a function that was being hosted by the People’s Republic’s Embassy here, in this building [Parliament in Canada]. I stood at the back of the room, and then all of a sudden I had four or five men surround me and start to harass me, and point fingers, and jostle me physically, saying that I had to leave, that I wasn’t welcome, go home, you know, cowboy, you don’t know what you’re doing… and what crossed my mind immediately was four or five people that comprise a gang on behalf of the People’s Republic of China think they can get away with doing that to me as a Member of Parliament, on Canadian soil, in my place of work, in the House of Commons—can you imagine what they’re doing to people back home in their own country? It was absolutely over the top! And then when a media reporter came over with his camera, they started to grab his camera, they tried to force it down to the ground, they told him to go away… They were issuing orders to a member of the free press here in Canada. … It was absolutely outrageous. And it just proved what Falun Dafa is up against. … We’re at a very critical moment. If we don’t take a stand now, history will look back at us and sigh."

The incident in Hong Kong adds to Mr. Anders’ firsthand experience of CCP interference and gave him a glimpse of how Hong Kong’s freedom of speech is eroding. Commenting on the event, he said that his Hong Kong trip would definitely influence his future China policy in Parliament.

Back in January, we featured analysis on mass withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), apparently brought about by a series called the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party published by The Epoch Times newspaper. Instead of fading away into the night, as some may have feared or predicted, this phenomenon has snowballed and the number of withdrawals has reached over 4.5 million in a span of nine months. If the trend continues, it has the potential to significantly impact Chinese society.

Most people who chose to declare their withdrawals publicly have done so anonymously. Similar to a secret ballot system, this mechanism has allowed people to express their position without exposing themselves to reprisals, perhaps the closest thing we’ll get to a referendum in today’s China. On the other hand, it also makes it impossible for outside observers to verify the reliability of the number of withdrawals in conventional ways.

The reliability of those numbers is anybody’s guess at the moment, but CCP has not taken it lightly. Publicly, CCP has been tight-lipped, fearing that whatever it says will only generate more curiosity and interest. According to an internal speech by the Deputy Minister of the Public Security Ministry (see page 20 in this issue), however, the CCP regards it as something potentially affecting the Party’s ruling status. The Nine Commentaries is at the top of the banned literature list. Anyone found to be involved with its distribution faces dismissal from work and jail time.

China is also going through a significant campaign named "Baoxian," or "maintaining the advanced nature of the CCP," a topic that occupies the prime spots of Chinese publications but largely ignored by Western media. Googling the Chinese term "Baoxian" generates thousands of images (see examples on page 35) reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution. The campaign, launched at the end of last year, was designed to consolidate the current administration’s power. Generally these types of campaigns run their course in a short time, but this one has turned into a mechanism to counter the mass exodus from the CCP.

Given the CCP’s notorious history for cruelty and bloodshed, some have compared the CCP to the Beast described in the Book of Revelation. If this is truly a battle between good and evil, and if one does believe in good prevailing, then perhaps it’s time to contemplate the possibility of a post-CCP China and what that might look like.

Officials Reluctant to Withdraw Coal Mine Investments

[Central News Agency, September 23, 2005] According to a directive issued by the Chinese government, September 22 was the last day for government officials or heads of state-run companies to withdraw any investments made in China’s coal mines. According to Li Yizhong, Director of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), those who do not withdraw their shares within the time limit, and are discovered, will lose their positions and receive the maximum penalty allowed by law. As reported by Xinhuanet, SAWS believes that a key reason for the poor safety records of China’s coal mines is the investments of these officials, who then openly or secretly protect mine owners who are in violation of regulations, preventing mines that don’t meet safety requirements from suspending production or closing.

Illegal Drugs Flood China, Finding New Markets

[Xinhuanet, September 1, 2005] In the past year, due to the increased supplies of illegal drugs on an international level, the illegal activity in China surrounding new types of drugs has become increasingly serious, causing an uptrend in the making, selling, and use of illegal drugs. These new types of drugs not only attract unemployed youth, but have also spread throughout society to company personnel, actors, university students, and civil servants.

Chinese Soldiers Appeal for Their Rights

[The Epoch Times, September 28, 2005] On April 11, 2005, 1600 people — officers of the army, navy, air force, army security forces, missile artillery, military veterans, and families of deceased veterans — protested outside the appeal office of the Central Military Commission. Eighteen representatives of the protesters met with staff of the appeal office to report their concerns about mistakes in the government’s "Number One Document of 1993," and the problems of treatment and status of retired military cadres. The protestors requested that the government restore the social status of and provide for these retired officials. They also reviewed the course of appeals they have made about this issue during the last five years, and vowed that they would continue to appeal until the government restored their rights.

Over 100 Workers Block Traffic to Demand Unpaid Wages

[Boxun.com, September 30, 2005] Around 7 a.m. on September 29, 2005, around 100-200 workers from the Xincun Zhiye Shoe Factory in Baiyun District, Guangzhou City, protested on the street to demand their unpaid wages, stopping cars at the intersection of Jiufo Road and Xinguangcong Road. The protesters had an intense conflict with the police, and smashed several police vehicles. Xincun Zhiye Shoe Factory was built in June of this year and had promised to pay wages monthly. But by the end of September, the workers still hadn’t received their paycheck for August. After asking their managers many times without receiving a response, the employees decided to protest. Around 80 percent of the protesters were female.{mospagebreak}

Uyghurs Call Xinjiang a Time Bomb

[Central News Agency and AFP, September 30, 2005] On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s rule in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the World Uyghur Conference (WUC), an organization established by exiled Uyghur Muslims around the world, issued a statement on the policies of the CCP in Xinjiang (known as East Turkestan before the CCP’s rule): "These policies of political oppression, cultural assimilation, economic exploitation, ecological destruction, racial discrimination have gradually turned East Turkestan into a time bomb. As a result, severe anti-Chinese sentiment is intensified throughout East Turkestan."

Requesting Unpaid Wages Cost Farmers Four Yuan for Every One Yuan

[The Epoch Times, September 30, 2005] A large-scale survey published on May 23 found that Chinese farmers need to spend extra money to request their unpaid wages. The Survey Report on the Cost for Farmer Laborers Protecting Their Rights in China was compiled by several attorneys from Mainland China, including Tong Lihua, Xiao Weidong, and Shi Fumao. The survey concluded that it would cost a farm laborer 3,420 to 5,720 yuan (US$427 to US$715) for every 1,000 yuan (US$125) he was owed. The author of the report, Xiao Weidong, said they would send the report to the National People’s Congress, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council. He hoped the report would bring attention to a system for farmer laborers to protect their rights. By mid-November 2004, Chinese officials estimated that the unpaid wages for the migrant peasant laborers who worked in cities totaled about 100 billion yuan (US$12.5 billion); some scholars believe the actual amount to be much higher.

CCP Forbids Falun Gong Practitioners from Leaving China

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is now depriving Falun Gong practitioners’ right to legally leave China. The "Application for Chinese Citizens to Travel to Hong Kong and Macao," as shown on the website of China Youth Travel Service Co. Ltd. in Sichuan Province (http://www.cots.com.cn/travell/show.asp?id=58), states that applicants who travel or apply to travel to Hong Kong or Macao, must have a letter from their local police station and company director testifying that they do not practice Falun Gong. The CCP fears that Falun Gong practitioners will expose the atrocities and torture occuring against them to overseas media and international society after going abroad. Thus, the CCP does not allow practitioners to go to Hong Kong and Macao.{mospagebreak}

3,000 Have Acquired AIDS Among the 50,000 Prostitutes in Chongqing

[The Epoch Times, September 1, 2005] A reporter for The Epoch Times learned from Chongqing City Public Health Department, that amongst 50,000 prostitutes in Chongqing, 3,000 of them have the AIDS virus. The number of people contracting AIDS through sex in Chongqing is increasing every year.

Qinghai-Tibet Railway Nears Completion

[Voice of America, September 28, 2005] A new railroad connecting Qinghai and Tibet, under construction for the past four years, has crossed some of the world’s most difficult terrain, and is nearing completion. According to Chinese authorities, this project is an important link for the development of the western regions. But critics say that the railway will help the Chinese government maintain even tighter control over Tibet, causing Tibetans to become further marginalized in their own land. The railroad stretches for 1,142 kilometers (around 685 miles). After completion, the railroad will help shrink the currently difficult travel from Beijing to Lhasa to a comparatively easy 48-hour journey.

Juvenile Crime Up 14 Percent Annually in China

[People’s Daily, September 17, 2005] According to statistics provided by the Supreme Court, since 2000, China’s juvenile crime rate climbed rapidly. Between 2000 and 2004, the number of guilty verdicts in all levels of courts in China increased by 14.18 percent annually. From January to July 2005, the crime rate climbed 23.96 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of criminals that received sentences of five years or more went up by 19.94 percent since a year ago. The top ten crimes are robbery, theft, intentional harm, rape, instigating disorder, gang fighting, murder, drug trafficking, fraud, and extortion.

Western Music Industry Calls for Punishment of Chinese Counterfeiters

[Reuters, September 29, 2005] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents Sony, Bertelsmann AG’s BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI Group and other musical companies, if China really wants to keep a promise and solve the US$250 billion a year counterfeit problem, they must close the plants that make fake music CDs and send the counterfeiters to jail.{mospagebreak}

Sino-Japanese Relations Tense as China Drills in Disputed Waters

[Voice of America, September 20, 2005] The Japanese government announced on September 20 that China had begun drilling at the Tianwaitian oil and gas field in the East China Sea. The Japanese government is seeking countermeasures, and Japan and China may be entering another round of tense relations. Beginning last year, Japan discovered that China had established several oil and gas fields near what Japan considers the median line border of the East China Sea. Japan considers some of these fields, including the Chunxiao and Tianwaitian fields, only a few kilometers away from the median line. They feel that the underground oil and gas may be coming from the Japanese side of the line, and thus that China may be taking Japan’s fuel sources. Japan has lodged several protests with China. China has not responded, but agreed to work with Japan in a joint venture.

Chinese Textiles Violate Quota System

[BBC, September 23, 2005] More and more Chinese textile manufacturers are using illegal means to ship their products to the United States and Europe. The quota on textiles limits China’s manufacturers to export more products to Europe this year. But the Chinese found an illegal way to ship their goods to Europe through a third country. According to insider information, mid-sized and small dealers in Europe and the United States are importing Chinese textiles this way. But large dealers are not willing to do so because of risk. Some dealers that import Chinese textiles indirectly may not have realized that they are importing illegally. It is not clear whether the Chinese government knows about this. But one thing is certain: the quota system is being violated.

Chinese Premier Suddenly Cancels Europe Trip

[Zhong Guang News, September 23, 2005] In October, Premier Wen Jiabao postponed his scheduled visits to Russia, France, and other European countries. According to Agence France Press, the Chinese officials did not explain why Wen Jiabao canceled his trip at the last minute, they only said, "Wen has more important domestic issues to deal with."

llegal Gun Manufacturing Hits China’s Impoverished Counties

[Xinhuanet, September 1, 2005] In recent years, China’s law enforcement department has captured and destroyed more than four million guns of different types. Most of these guns came from "underground arms factories." Hualong County in Qinghai province, Songtao county in Guizhou Province, and Hepu County in Guangxi Province have become the three largest counties for manufacturing illegal weapons. All three counties are impoverished. These illegal gun manufacturers pursue quick huge profits. In these areas, it costs only 200 to 300 yuan (approximately US$25 to US$37) to make one gun, but after it is produced it can be sold for more than 10,000 yuan (over US$1,200). In the past year, Qinghai has become the center of a gun manufacturing and distribution web. In the last 10 years, the Qinghai Province Public Security Bureau has arrested 200 people suspected of gun-related crimes, seized over 10,000 gun parts, and destroyed over 60 gun-making facilities. In 2002, they broke a case involving the manufacture of gun parts, and fished out over 1,000 gun parts from the Yellow River.{mospagebreak}

Officials Reluctant to Withdraw Coal Mine Investments

[Central News Agency, September 23, 2005] According to a directive issued by the Chinese government, September 22 was the last day for government officials or heads of state-run companies to withdraw any investments made in China’s coal mines. According to Li Yizhong, Director of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), those who do not withdraw their shares within the time limit, and are discovered, will lose their positions and receive the maximum penalty allowed by law. As reported by Xinhuanet, SAWS believes that a key reason for the poor safety records of China’s coal mines is the investments of these officials, who then openly or secretly protect mine owners who are in violation of regulations, preventing mines that don’t meet safety requirements from suspending production or closing.

Illegal Drugs Flood China, Finding New Markets

[Xinhuanet, September 1, 2005] In the past year, due to the increased supplies of illegal drugs on an international level, the illegal activity in China surrounding new types of drugs has become increasingly serious, causing an uptrend in the making, selling, and use of illegal drugs. These new types of drugs not only attract unemployed youth, but have also spread throughout society to company personnel, actors, university students, and civil servants.

Chinese Soldiers Appeal for Their Rights

[The Epoch Times, September 28, 2005] On April 11, 2005, 1600 people-officers of the army, navy, air force, army security forces, missile artillery, military veterans, and families of deceased veterans-protested outside the appeal office of the Central Military Commission. Eighteen representatives of the protesters met with staff of the appeal office to report their concerns about mistakes in the government’s "Number One Document of 1993," and the problems of treatment and status of retired military cadres. The protestors requested that the government restore the social status of and provide for these retired officials. They also reviewed the course of appeals they have made about this issue during the last five years, and vowed that they would continue to appeal until the government restored their rights.

Requesting Unpaid Wages Cost Farmers Four Yuan for Every One Yuan

[The Epoch Times, September 30, 2005] A large-scale survey published on May 23 found that Chinese farmers need to spend extra money to request their unpaid wages. The Survey Report on the Cost for Farmer Laborers Protecting Their Rights in China was compiled by several attorneys from Mainland China, including Tong Lihua, Xiao Weidong, and Shi Fumao. The survey concluded that it would cost a farm laborer 3,420 to 5,720 yuan (US$427 to US$715) for every 1,000 yuan (US$125) he was owed. The author of the report, Xiao Weidong, said they would send the report to the National People’s Congress, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council. He hoped the report would bring attention to a system for farmer laborers to protect their rights. By mid-November 2004, Chinese officials estimated that the unpaid wages for the migrant peasant laborers who worked in cities totaled about 100 billion yuan (US$12.5 billion); some scholars believe the actual amount to be much higher.{mospagebreak}

CCP Forbids Falun Gong Practitioners from Leaving China

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is now depriving Falun Gong practitioners’ right to legally leave China. The "Application for Chinese Citizens to Travel to Hong Kong and Macao," as shown on the website of China Youth Travel Service Co. Ltd. in Sichuan Province (http://www.cots.com.cn/travell/show.asp?id=58), states that applicants who travel or apply to travel to Hong Kong or Macao, must have a letter from their local police station and company director testifying that they do not practice Falun Gong. The CCP fears that Falun Gong practitioners will expose the atrocities and torture occuring against them to overseas media and international society after going abroad. Thus, the CCP does not allow practitioners to go to Hong Kong and Macao.

3,000 Have Acquired AIDS Among the 50,000 Prostitutes in Chongqing

[The Epoch Times, September 1, 2005] A reporter for The Epoch Times learned from Chongqing City Public Health Department, that amongst 50,000 prostitutes in Chongqing, 3,000 of them have the AIDS virus. The number of people contracting AIDS through sex in Chongqing is increasing every year.

Major Graft in Electricity Industry, 830 Million Yuan in Bribes and Numerous Officials Involved

[The Epoch Times, Aug. 18, 2005] Lin Kongxing, former Vice Chairman of the Board of the China Electricity Council, Director of the Administration Bureau of the Huazhong Power Industry, and President of Huazhong Electric Power Group Co., together with his daughter and son-in-law, secretly manipulated electricity prices while contracting electricity projects and supplying various electricity companies, illegally profiting by 830 million yuan (US$102 million). After his crimes were exposed, Lin attempted to flee the country, but was caught at an airport by investigators. Dozens of accomplices in the electricity industry were also arrested, together with over 30 other people involved in the case.

A Quarter of China’s County-Level Libraries Unable to Afford Books

[China Youth Daily, August 21, 2005] According to Li Guoxin, Chairman of the Academic Research Committee of the China Library Institute, most of the county-level libraries in China’s midwest region were built in the 1880s, and have now become dangerous and prone to collapse. Although some counties have built new libraries, they cannot open, as they lack books. According to data published by China’s Ministry of Culture, 24 percent of the over 700 county-level libraries, mostly in the midwestern region, do not have any funds to purchase books. In addition, a large number of libraries have become "hollow shells," unable to buy or rarely buying any books in years or even decades.{mospagebreak}

Failed Pollution Appeal Prompts 1,000 People to Riot

[The Epoch Times, September 30, 2005] A battery factory in Songhe Township, Hubei Province’s Jingshan County had an ongoing pollution problem. The local government was not responding to complaints from local residents. Recently, students and teachers from Township Number Two Middle School and some nearby villagers blocked the roads to the factory. On September 29, some students broke into the factory to smash doors, windows, and other plant facilities. The government sent a large number of anti-riot police to suppress the students. During the clash, several students were injured and at least three villagers were arrested.

China’s Wealth Gap Reaches Alarming Levels

[China Daily, August 22, 2005] China’s Ministry of Labor and Social Security has reported that China’s rapidly widening wealth gap has reached dangerous levels, and that if the trend continues, it will put China’s social stability at risk. According to the ministry’s report, "The income gap in China has been ever-widening. If the government cannot find an effective way to stop the trend, social instability will likely occur after 2010."

Fourteen Chinese Immigration Smugglers Arrested in Spain

[The Epoch Times, September 18, 2005] In June 2005, the Spanish Police Headquarters received a report from the E.U. Interpol about a group of illegal Chinese aliens operating a crime ring in Madrid to smuggle illegal aliens. After more than three months of investigation, on September 9, the police broke into this crime ring which specializes in smuggling Chinese people. The police arrested 14 suspects who themselves are illegal aliens. Using Madrid as a transfer station, this crime ring smuggled Chinese people to Mexico, Canada, and South Africa, among others. Most of the ring members are between 19 to 23 years old. Only one person is 35. The ring leader, Fang Mei, and his associate Mr. Sheng are both 19 years old.

Xinhuanet.com on August 18, 2005, China is alerted about the phenomenon that Chinese language is on the curriculum of language courses in the U.S. military. The article, titled "Be alert: U.S. military learning Chinese, reflecting its strategy intention," believes that the foreign language initiative in the U.S. military is part of an ambition to infiltrate and control the respective country. Below is the translation of the article.
"Americans have shown more and more interest in learning Chinese. ‘The hot wave of Chinese’ has reached the military barracks. If an officer or a soldier could get a good score in the language test, not only could he or she gain an advantage for promotion, but also a subsidy of US$ 1,000. In addition to encouraging learning Chinese, the languages that the U.S. military promotes most are mostly those used in Asian region."

"Encourage Learning Asian Languages"

"According to a U.S. military publication, services of the U.S. military have received a notice from the Department of Defense (DoD) that a new foreign language test program will begin in all services this October. If officers or soldiers who are bilingual have good scores, they get a raise in salary as reward. The languages in the program are as many as 31 and include the Chinese language, which is relatively difficult to learn.

"DoD Deputy Under Secretary McGinn stated in a speech that the test for the entire military is titled ‘Fifth Generation of the Defense Language Proficiency Test.’ Its goal is to understand the foreign language level of service members, which is significant for the U.S. military to fulfill its missions all over the world.

"Through this test the military hopes to know how many service members have foreign language skills at what levels, and to encourage them to learn one or more foreign languages, said McGinn.

"McGinn also announced that, under a request from the DoD, U.S. Congress recently authorized increasing the cap on the language proficiency award from US$300 to US$1,000, depending on their proficiency level in foreign languages."

"Foreign Languages Are Just Like New Weapons"

"A U.S. DoD official said the function of language specialists, especially those who have skills in languages spoken by small populations, is in no way inferior to certain new weapons. Having experienced the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War, the Pentagon discovered that soldiers with foreign language skills not only could carry out tasks more smoothly behind the enemy’s back, but also could easily escape from a dangerous situation. More important is that the skill in a local language would help the U.S. military obtain important information from local residents"
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"Reflecting the U.S. Military’s Strategic Intention"

"To meet the needs of U.S. troops in Iraq, students studying the Arabic language in the U.S. Defense Language Institute have increased by 40 percent. Meantime, the Defense Language Institute also increased the number of students studying Persian languages by 70 percent.

"The U.S. DoD scheduled the first test to be held in October for six foreign languages including Hindi, Persian-Dari, Afghan Pashto and Pakistani Urdu. Tests for Russian and Iraqi are slated for December. Tests in 2006 are planned for Chinese, Spanish and Korean. Test dates for other languages are to be determined.

"Obviously, of the foreign languages that the U.S. military is required to learn, there is not even one African language although there are many ‘small’ languages in Africa. All ‘key foreign languages’ are basically those of the Middle East, Central Asia and East Asia, particularly the Middle East and Central Asia.

"In fact, U.S. military is deploying the troops under this approach. the ‘Foreign Languages Study’ program indicates that the U.S. military’s ambition in the Middle East and Central Asia is far beyond the ‘achievement’ they have obtained now. There might have already been ‘an arrangement’ of a bigger plan to infiltrate and control."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2005-08/18/content_3370570.htm

Sino-Japanese Relations Turn Cold Over History, Taiwan, Security, and Territory Issues

August 15, 2005, is the 60th anniversary of the Japanese defeat and surrender in World War II. A reporter from China Youth Daily, a newspaper under China’s Central Communist Youth League, held an exclusive interview with Dr. Jin Xide, a researcher at the Institute of Japan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The interview centered on the questions that are typical of the Chinese government’s voice on the subject: Over the last 60 years, especially in the recent 10 years, what has Japan done about the "reflection on its invasion history?" How has it dealt with relations with its neighboring Asian countries? What does the "Resolution at the 60th Anniversary of World War II" passed by the Japanese House of Representatives tell regarding its intention?

The report was republished on the website of the Xinhua News Agency, Xinhuanet, under the title of "Japan repeatedly challenges the bottom line of Sino-Japanese relations" on August 15, 2005. Below is the translation of the report.

"Reporter (hereafter referred to as ‘R’): On August 2, the Japanese House of Representatives adopted the ‘Resolution at the 60th Anniversary of World War II.’ What is different when comparing it with the ‘Resolution at the 50th anniversary of World War II’ that passed in 1995? What is the new trend reflected in these differences?

"Jin Xide (hereafter referred to as ‘Jin’): Compared to the 1995 ‘Resolution at the 50th Anniversary of World War II,’ there is both similarity and difference.

"The similarity: Both resolutions wanted to summarize the understanding of World War II. Also, both of them evaded important questions and opted for the easy ones. They avoided addressing the responsibility of an invader and played games with wording, which put the blame on the then so-called "era of invasion" to make light of its crime of invasion.

"The difference is that the 2005 one is more regressive than the 1995 resolution. First, the words or phrases such as ‘invasion’ and ‘colonial ruling’ were deleted in the 2005 resolution. Instead it used vague words such as the ‘past acts of Japan’ to describe what Japan had done in the war and further blurred and lessened its responsibility of the invasion. Second, added to the resolution was ‘Japan was a victim’ and ‘Japan was the only country hit by atomic bombs.’ By emphasizing ‘Japan as a victim,’ it further covered up Japan’s crime of invasion. Thirdly, it included the theme of ‘commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations’ to echo with Japan’s diplomatic ‘struggle for the membership of the UN Security Council.’
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"To sum up, the ‘Resolution at the 60th Anniversary of World War II’ has reflected the Japanese political move of completely turning right, and has shown a hard-line posture in order to move toward a political power.

"R: Since the 1990s, Japanese right-wing forces have risen and expanded day by day, and have committed a series of acts that hurt the feelings of neighboring countries. Could you give some analysis on the tendency of Japan’s moving to ‘pro-right wing’ in diplomatic affairs toward China over the last 10 years? What are the signs of this tendency?

"Jin: After the 1990s, Japan’s attitude toward China was indeed different from that in the 1970s and 1980s. As a result of changes of factors such as international environment, the growth rate of the economy, Japan’s domestic politics and so on, Japan’s policy toward China became increasingly right-wing and hard-line after the 1990s. Specifically, it manifests as follows:

"The first one is the issue of history. The most obvious has been worshiping the Yasukuni Shrine. Koizumi has worshiped it consecutively for four times and showed no sign of his regret until now. Another is that Japan didn’t show any concern about the issue of changing history textbooks. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology connived with Fusosha Publishing Inc. to publish the right-wing textbooks. Moreover, some cabinet members repeatedly denied the history of Japan’s aggression. This force has widely spread, without any constraint. Wrong acts by the Prime Minister and cabinet members become more and more public. What I want to emphasize is that Japan’s attitude toward the history issue poses a serious challenge to the political basis of Sino-Japanese relations.

The second one is the Taiwan issue. Japan should not interfere with the Taiwan issue and have official contacts with Taiwan. However, in recent years, the official relations between Japan and Taiwan have escalated day by day. For example, Japan lifted the ban on visits to Taiwan by officials above the Division level, allowed Lee Teng-Hui to visit Japan, publicly stated that the alliance between Japan and the United States certainly includes Taiwan, and restored the commemoration of the Japanese Emperor’s birthday in Taiwan and so on.

"The third one is the security issue. More and more, Japan has shown its ambition to be not only a political power but also a military power. Specifically it dispatches troops abroad, engages in military integration of Japan and the United States, and the outward expansion of the Japanese military and so on. All of this has created serious negative pressure on the political atmosphere of Sino-Japanese relations and the mutual trust of security. Moreover, Japan even says that China poses a threat to Japan. Japan is one of the countries that most actively oppose the lifting of the European Union arms embargo against China.
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"The fourth one is the territory/border issue. On the issues of the East China Sea and the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, Japan took an aggressive position and violated the agreement between China and Japan to peacefully settle territorial disputes. Not only did it unilaterally change the territory currently in dispute but also challenged the bottom line of Sino-Japanese relations.

R: What are Japan’s intentions in the series of these events?

"Jin: Japan wanted to quickly achieve the goal of becoming a strong political and military power. Therefore, on one hand, Japan helps the United States implement its Eastern Asia strategy, but on the other hand it achieves its own goal with support of the United States. Leaning on the United States, Japan adopted two key measures. The first is to deny its history of aggression. It is believed that to be a strong political power, Japan must take off the hat on its head that reads Invader in World War II. However, the measures would inevitably cause friction with and opposition from those countries that were invaded by Japan. The second is that Japan, while moving toward a powerful country, has to compete with China in order to lead Eastern Asia and constrain China.

"In summary, guided by its overall strategy of ‘cooperating with the United States to control Asia,’ Japan constrains China’s growth while it strives to establish its superiority over China in the aspects of politics, economy and security. These two points are incompatible with the healthy development of Sino-Japanese relations and would inevitably intensify the conflicts between China and Japan."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2005-08/15/content_3354838.htm

How Does China’s U.S. Expert Perceive the Role of U.S.-Japan Relations in China Affairs?

Below is a commentary written by Wang Yiwei, associate professor at the Center of American Studies, Fudan University, analyzing how the United States deals with Japan and formulates China strategy through Japan.

The article, titled "What does the United States Want to Probe China for through Japan?" was originally published in Global Times, a newspaper under the state-run Xinhua News Agency, on October 10, 2005. It was posted on Xinhuanet under the section "Xinhua Comments" on October 15, 2005.

"Koizumi, who has no achievements in foreign affairs, won the majority in Japan’s Lower House election on September 11. That can only be explained by either the lack of international vision or lack of international interests of Japanese voters. The premise is that the United States has provided international protection for Japan out of its own strategic consideration, and therefore Japanese voters have no need to be concerned about the deteriorating relationship of Japan with China and South Korea.
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"The reason why the United States uses Japan is Japanese strategic geographic location and strategic goal. Japan is in a strategic geographic location for the United States to handle any situations in the Korean Peninsula or the Taiwan Straits. As for its strategic goal, Japan is ready to help the United States because it seeks permanent council membership on the United Nations Security Council and dreams of becoming a political power. However, does the United States trust Japan? Various signs indicate that the United States ignores Japan’s intention and will not let Japan go off track in the region or in international strategy. Then, how does the United States make use of Japan and restrain it at the same time?

"1. Assimilating Japan in ideology. It is the first ‘insurance.’ There is an old saying, ‘Cherish the same ideals and follow the same path.’ In Japan, many prominent dignitaries in politics and in academia were educated in the United States. Japan is not independent in the academic and ideological fields. Therefore the United States is at ease about Japan’s future. In Japanese society, English is the symbol of social status and it is widely used in conferences. For religions and beliefs, Christians account for a considerable percentage of the population. Public places such as bars or coffee shops are highly Americanized. Therefore, ‘Adoring America’ or ‘Pro-American’ always has its market in Japan.

"2. Unifying people’s minds systematically. People’s minds keep changing. Young Japanese are especially easy to change and often become the lead against the United States. To avoid such unfathomable situations caused by people’s mind, the United States will rely on the system restraint. The revision of guidelines of Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation and the enhancement of the legitimacy of cooperation between Japan and the United States is representative of such system restraint. Meanwhile, Japanese political system with the balance and checks of multi-parties also provides the assurance of internal restraint and system restraint. Political and system ‘insurance’ is a major move from influencing the society to restraining the authorities in light of the failure of the cultural ‘insurance.’

"3. Holding back certain technology. The cultural and political restraints may all fail. Therefore the military restraint will become the last line of ‘insurance.’ By controlling core technology of Japanese satellite communication, the United States poses a security threat to Japan, thus restraining Japan’s independence and preventing it from distancing the United States.

"While using Japan, the U.S. government never lets down its guard and imposes numerous restrictions on the research and development of key components in Japanese espionage satellites. According to an insider in the Japanese Defense Agency, the key components on espionage satellites such as CPU and core parts of optical instruments all came from the United States. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) has been only in charge of final assembly and the launch. That is the fundamental reason why there were accidents from time to time in launching satellites in Japan, which is quite unusual in view of the high-tech superiority of Japan.
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"In addition, another rope to tie Japan via technology is to ensure that Japan spends much of its funds and technology on its missile defense system that is under the control of the United States, thus rendering Japan unable to start its own missile defense system. Of course, American hegemonic flagrant ‘protection’ of the security of Japanese energy sources also makes Japan dependent on the United States.

"4. Necessary intelligence infiltration to assist the three ‘insurances’ mentioned previously. Besides the means of culture, politics and technology, the United States also has its secret way to control Japan-intelligence infiltration. Through strengthening the intelligence infiltration to Japan, the United States will be able to put Japan under its strategy track more conveniently. The United States wishes Japan to obey its commands instead of becoming a challengeable ‘great nation.’ Through intelligence, the United States can fully master any political, economical or military changes in Japan and therefore ensure Japan goes along the way that the United States plans.

"Of course, the United States also has met certain challenges in controlling Japan. The biggest challenge comes from the development of regional integration. The regional integration in the East Asian region has weakened the economic foundation of the relationship between the United States and Japan. At present, the China-Japan trade has surpassed the U.S.-Japan trade. Japan is returning to Asia economically and has to pay attention to the entire East Asian region as well. The United States also worries about the possible decline of its influence on the region as a result of regional integration. The second challenge is from the United States itself, that is, the global anti-America wave also influences anti-American sentiments in Japan. Lastly, the stability of the U.S.-China relationship limits the value of Japan to the United States.

"With the rise of China, some Americans hope to guide China toward ‘a balance that favors freedom.’ However, the American Hawkish factions still do not feel at ease with China and are always on guard. Therefore, Japan becomes its best ‘probe’ to poke China and the best chess piece to counter-attack the Chinese influence. Personally, I believe the relationship between China and Japan has not yet reached the bottom, because the United States is testing China through Japan’s seeking permanent council membership in the United Nations Security Council. However, Japan has its own abacus and will not be completely controlled by the United States. We can say that the United States is using possible China-Japan conflict to assess its long-term strategic relationship with China. U.S.-Japan agreements and conflicts remain the most significant external factor that will impact the development of China-Japan relationship."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/comments/2005-10/14/content_3614927.htm

On October 12, 2005, China launched its second manned spacecraft, "Shenzhou 6." Its first spacecraft mission was two years ago. For the Chinese government, it’s another opportunity to inspire nationalistic sentiment. Through the state media, the government claimed that the Shenzhou 6 mission was a great achievement in the history of manned space exploration and that it improved China’s overall national strength and global reputation. According to reports from the Chinese media, the whole country appeared to be wildly enthusiastic about the event.

According to an October 16 report from Voice of America (VOA), a U.S.-based foreign language broadcast station, however, ordinary Chinese people didn’t seem excited about the event at all. In fact, they seem to have more complaints than compliments. Following are comments from the VOA audience on China’s spacecraft missions.

Life Here Is Too Difficult to Care About Missions in Outer Space

A gentleman from Jilin Province said that what Chinese people care most about nowadays is not the manned space mission but about the tribulations of daily life, "A spacecraft was launched into the sky, but human rights have fallen to new lows. The state media’s propaganda just tries to inspire greater patriotic passion. As a man who lived through the craze of the first Chinese satellite launch in 1970, I’m not pumped up at all over this latest achievement. What do ordinary people care about now? There are so many difficulties in every day life: going to school, being able to afford medical care, employment, appealing to the government for help, protecting basic civil rights, and staying well informed on what’s happening in China. These are the things people care about. That is why I say, ‘A spacecraft was launched into the sky, but human rights have fallen to new lows.’"

In the opinion of Mr. Zhao, who is from Shandong Province, the government’s top priority should be to ensure that no one has to worry about the essentials of living. "I think there’s too much media coverage of Shenzhou 6," Mr. Zhao said. "Obviously they’re trying to make us forget that our lives are full of bad news, but it’s not working. The grassroots are merely struggling to survive; their biggest concerns are food, clothing, and shelter."

Aircraft Carrier or Space Army?

Mr. Cui from Jiangxi Province believes that it would be better to develop an aircraft carrier instead of launching manned spacecraft, " I think Shenzhou 6 is just to show off and is not of practical use. It would be better to build an aircraft carrier to improve our national defense capability."
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Ordinary People’s Lives Versus a Show of National Strength

Mr. Wu from Zhejiang Province said that the money should be spent on people’s welfare instead of developing space programs, "The Shenzhou 6 program is extremely expensive. In China, many people do not have the money to see a doctor or for education. Isn’t it much better to spend the money on people’s welfare? Some people have said that the success of the Shenzhou 6 mission would improve China’s strength as a nation and help to mobilize people around the Chinese Communist Party. These are more likely the decision makers true motives."

A Great Achievement but Not Very Useful in Winning People’s Hearts

Mr. He from Zhejiang Province pointed out that the success of the Shenzhou 6 mission is not a solution to China’s political and social conflicts, "I think it is a great achievement that the Shenzhou 6 mission is successful. However, it is ‘Mission Impossible’ if the Chinese Communist Party thinks it can use this achievement to placate people. China has too many deep-rooted political and social conflicts, and this achievement is too trivial to resolve those conflicts."

A Necessity or a Luxury?

Mr. Huang from Shanghai believes that China has not reached a level appropriate for the development of space technology, "For the last day or two, the state-run media has spread propaganda on the Shenzhou 6 achievement, obviously for the purpose of increasing the credibility of the Chinese Communist Party and to inspire the patriotic passion of the Chinese people. If China’s economy were advanced and the Chinese people had stable and happy lives, it would be fine to develop a small space program. But right now China is underdeveloped and poor. It is crazy to spend money on space programs."

Mr. Feng from Tianjing believes that China’s current situation does not justify developing space technology, "Manned spacecraft programs are not in accordance with China’s situation or the will of the Chinese people. There is no need (for China) to develop manned space technology. China is a poor, developing country, and there are far more practical endeavors that need to be funded."

On the other hand, Mr. Zhang from Zhejiang Province says that China should develop space technology, "I think it is necessary to develop space technology because China is a big country."

Cristine Chen is a correspondent for Chinascope.