| An electronic newsletter
Produced by the Eastern Turkistan Information Center No: 81 24 June 1998 In this issue: (1) AMERICANS SUPPORT CLINTON'S TRIP TO CHINA
(2) GOP SENATORS DELAY ANTI-CHINA AMENDMENTS UNTIL AFTER CLINTON TRIP
(3) CLINTON SPEAKS OUT ON CHINA, TIBET, U.S. SANCTIONS
(4) CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATIONAL FREEDOM
(5) CLINTON DEFENDS CHINA TRIP, ENGAGEMENT POLICY
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WASHINGTON -- Americans support President Bill Clinton's decision to visit China but they are skeptical that his visit will have any significant effect, and Clinton's ratings on foreign policy continue to slide, according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. The public does not think Clinton should criticize China's human rights policies during his visit, and have become less concerned with human rights than last fall. Most Americans have an unfavorable view of China; only 39 percent have a favorable view of that country. A majority -- 58 percent -- approve of Clinton's decision to visit China, but only 42 percent say the trip will significantly improve Sino-American relations, and only one in five believe it will improve China's treatment of its citizens. Indeed, most Americans don't want Clinton to address the issue of human rights while he is in Beijing. One reason: Americans are split over whether the U.S. should link human rights to trade with China if that would hurt American interests; last October a majority said that human rights and trade should be linked even if it hurt the U.S. economy. The trip comes at a tricky time for Clinton. Only 40 percent approve of how he is handling relations with China, and a bare majority -- 53 percent -- approve of how he is handling foreign affairs in general. That figure has dropped 10 points in just two months, while his overall approval rating has dipped only slightly (63 percent in April to 60 percent today) in the same time span. Americans are split over Taiwan, with 46 percent saying the U.S. should not use its military forces to defend Taiwan if China attacked, and 42 percent approving of the U.S. defending Taiwan from the Chinese. The survey of 1,016 adult Americans was conducted June 22-23, 1998 and has a sampling margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. Clinton's Decision To Visit China Approve58% Disapprove 32% During Visit, Should Clinton Criticize China's Human Rights Policy? Yes43% No 51% Should U.S. Link Trade With China's Human Rights? How Clinton is Handling Relations With China Approve40% Disapprove 37% Clinton's Approval Rating On Foreign Affairs Now53% April 63% Clinton's Overall Approval Rating Now60% April 63% (2) GOP SENATORS DELAY ANTI-CHINA AMENDMENTS UNTIL AFTER CLINTON TRIP
WASHINGTON -- Republican critics of President Clinton's China policies pushed Tuesday for get-tough measures on the eve of his 10-day trip, but Democrats appeared to have won a suspension of hostile votes while he is touring the Communist nation. "We're not going to embarrass this president," Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said of the effort to crack down on Beijing. After a divisive debate on Chinese human rights policies and U.S. technology transfers, the measures were put on hold after Republican Majority Leader Trent Lott promised the Senate will consider legislation on China in July. Critics seek to block some travel visas, loans the amendments to the Pentagon spending bill were proposed by U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson, an Arkansas Republican. They would block travel visas for Chinese officials who engage in religious persecution or promote forced-abortion and sterilization policies, block U.S.- subsidized World Bank loans to China and modify U.S. policies on satellite exports. "Far from embarrassing the president, it is incumbent upon us to strengthen his ability to address human rights issues," Hutchinson told the Senate. "We should not pretend there is progress where it has not been demonstrated." But Daschle and other Democrats denounced the amendments as violating a bipartisan tradition of not criticizing the president when he is abroad, and threatened to use procedural techniques to hold up the $271 billion defense bill, if Republicans persisted in pursuing the changes. "It isn't just horrendous. It's dangerous. It's damaging. It diminishes the ability of the president to go with the sense that he's got a clear playing field," said Sen. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat. 'No desire to score political points' Hutchinson offered most of the amendments last month, but debate was held up by the Senate's month-long battle over a national tobacco bill. "I have no desire to score political points. I would have been happy to have debated these amendments a month ago or two months ago," he said, urging senators to "send a message that human rights are taken seriously in this country, that human rights will not take a backseat to trade." Lott said Democratic objections made it impossible to proceed with the China amendments on the defense bill, which pays for all Defense Department programs in the fiscal year beginning October 1. But he said a measure to post human rights monitors at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing will be brought to the Senate floor next month. An aide to Hutchinson said the senator will attach his amendments to that bill. Republicans urge Clinton to give Capitol flag to Chinese As the Congress debated the amendments, Clinton spent much of Tuesday in the Cabinet room preparing for his trip with briefings from top advisers and China scholars Harry Harding of George Washington University and Nicholas R. Lardy of the Broodings Institution. Clinton denounced China Tuesday for withdrawing the visas of three Radio Free Asia journalists who had planned to cover his trip. In another China-related development, the president denounced as "highly objectionable" a Chinese decision to withdraw the visas of three Radio Free Asia employees who had planned to cover the trip, saying he hoped the Chinese will reconsider. House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote Clinton that he was "gravely concerned," and that the action amounted to "censorship -- pure and simple." Meanwhile, one group of Republican lawmakers said they were giving Clinton a flag that has flown over the Capitol and copies of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to take to China. Clinton should "make a presentation of them to his hosts on that square (Tiananmen) so that, hopefully, they will learn something about what our nation does stand for and what those students died for," said Rep. Benjamin Gilman, the New York Republican who chairs the House International Relations Committee. Clinton's visit is the first by a U.S. president to China since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. White House spokesman Mike McCurry defended the president's China policies and his decision to "engage with this country that contains so many people to see, if by opening to them and opening them to the concepts that we cherish, they might change behavior over time." (3) CLINTON SPEAKS OUT ON CHINA, TIBET, U.S. SANCTIONS
WASHINGTON -- China must become "a more open society" to fulfill its potential of greatness, and perhaps its "biggest opportunity to strengthen" itself lies in the opening of a dialogue with the exiled Dalai Lama over the future of Tibet, President Bill Clinton said. Just days before Clinton's departure on his controversial nine-day trip to China, the president on Friday met with reporters from Cox Newspapers, McClatchy Newspapers and CBS News to discuss his views on U.S. international policy and, in particular, China. Clinton said he plans to urge Chinese President Jiang Zemin to open talks with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, and to open its doors even wider to the Western world. "I believe China can never obtain its own destiny full of greatness without becoming a more open society," Clinton said. The Chinese army entered Tibet in 1950, a year after the Communist takeover. In 1959, an uprising prompted the Dalai Lama to lead an exodus to India of 100,000 followers. The Dalai Lama wants autonomy for Tibet, but recognizes that Tibet is part of China. Clinton says this view is "an incredible opportunity" for Tibet and China to reach an agreement. "We've now got this great opportunity to harmonize, to reconcile, something that has enormous symbolism not simply within Tibet and its sympathizers within China, but all over the world." A controversial trip Clinton's trip, which begins Wednesday, reciprocates Jiang's state visit to the United States in October. It comes amid a Congressional investigation into whether Clinton approved U.S. satellite exports to China as a favor to major Democratic party donor Bernard L. Schwartz, head of Loral Space and Communications. Clinton quotes: Excerpts from President Clinton's interview Friday with three media organizations on China's trade policies: "The Chinese, for all the work they've done in privatizing the economy and opening themselves to markets, still have too much access control and, from the point of view of American products and services, too much access denial." On detargeting missiles:"If you detarget ... you can always go retarget a missile .. but it takes some more time, and 20 minutes in a world of instantaneous communications is an eternity. So the possibility of avoiding a mistake, or even backing down from a conflict, is dramatically increased with detargeting .... It really makes a difference." On sanctions: "It's particularly ironic that we seem to have gotten sanction-happy at a time when we are reducing our foreign assistance to the countries that agree with us .... We're in danger of looking like we want to sanction everybody who disagrees with us and not help anybody who agrees with us." Critics charge that Clinton's policy on China has been influenced by significant campaign contributions from major U.S. corporations and Chinese businesses. "I don't think that they bought this policy, and I know they haven't bought the policy of this government," Clinton told the reporters on Friday. Clinton pessimistic about China joining WTO. In his interview, Clinton said he doesn't expect to reach an agreement with Jiang on China's membership in the World Trade Organization. "I wouldn't raise hopes on that issue," he said, adding, "I think they should be in the WTO." China, which has been outside the world trading system since its 1949 Communist revolution, has argued it should not be forced to accept all WTO agreements and to apply all WTO rules immediately upon entry to the organization. "I would prefer to see China work out an accession agreement to the WTO on commercial terms that would treat us just like everybody else and have more openness for everybody," Clinton said. "But, failing that, I will do my best to get more access for our products and services." A missile agreement? There has been some speculation that Clinton and Jiang could reach an agreement to detarget the nuclear missiles the United States and China have pointed at each other. Clinton would not hint one way or the other whether such an agreement is in the works. "I can't say that we have it yet, but if we could get it I think it would be a good thing," Clinton said. Clinton said detargeting would build confidence between the two nations, and decrease chances of accidentally launching a nuclear weapon. Critics say detargeting means little, because the missiles can be retargeted with a few computer strokes. Clinton says retargeting takes time, and time makes a difference. Too many sanctions In the broader realm of U.S. international policy, Clinton said the United States seems "to have gotten sanction-happy" and is in danger of looking like it wants to punish governments which don't support U.S. views. Food aid should always be excluded from sanctions, Clinton said. Sanctions can be effective, particularly when applied by the international community as a whole, but the United States is too reliant on them as a foreign policy tool, Clinton said. Sanctions, he added, can complicate an issue and can deprive a president of negotiating room. "The way these sanctions laws are written, they really deprive the president, any president, of the necessary flexibility in the country's foreign policy ... And ... if you put them on, it's hard to take them off." The United States has slapped other governments with economic sanctions about 120 times during the past 80 years, and more than half of those instances have come during the Clinton administration, according to a report published in the June 15 edition of U.S. News and World Report. (4) CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATIONAL FREEDOM
Today, we are so grateful to see the forthcoming of the "Mongols, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Taiwanese" magazine. This is the result of the ceaseless collaboration of our friends. We would like to dedicate this magazine to publishing and reporting the fundamental problems in the Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian, and the Taiwanese societies including politics, law, economics, religion, history, ecology, culture, art, and local customs with a spirit of "freedom, democracy, science, and renovation", in order to provide valuable research results and information to these respective peoples and to build a bridge of communication and mutual understanding. Historically, Xinjiang (Eastern Turkistan) had never been under the sovereignty of China. In the middle of the 18th century, the Manchurs under the leadership of emperor Chian Long occupied the Eastern Turkistan, which was then called as the "Western Region" by the Chinese. In 1884, the Manchur general Zuo Zungtang marched westward and bloodily suppressed the resistance of the Uyghur people to the Qing Dynasty and established the so-called "Xinjiang province" [Xinjiang-New Colony]. However, the Uyghur people twice set up independent "Eastern Turkistan Islamic Republic" and the "Eastern Turkistan People's Republic" during 30s and 40s of the 20th century. But China crushed the independent Eastern Turkistan with the direct support and intervention of the Soviet Union in 1949. Tibet has its unique historical tradition, religion and culture distinctly different from the Chinese. Historically, Tibet was also an independent country. The Chinese military occupation of Tibet took place only a few decades ago. In the history of mankind, the Mongols established the largest and strongest empire on earth, which ruled China for a century. After the World War II, China together with the Soviet Union started dividing the land of Mongols. In 1950, China began its colonial rule at the Southern part of Mongolia after the defeat of King De??? and started immigrating large number of Chinese people in the forms of army. They suppressed the Inner Mongolian "separatist ideology", but the Mongolian people have never relinquished. In 1997, to achieve independence, the "Inner Mongolian People's Party" was founded. Taiwan, historically, was not a Chinese territory either. Japan controlled it for half a century. In October 25, 1945, Taiwan was restored. Jiang Jieshi took over Taiwan with his some 600,000 vanquished army after Mao Zedong's communist army defeated him in 1949. This created the situation that the foreign power enforced its own rule upon Taiwan. Today, there are more Taiwanese want independence for Taiwan than those who favor reunification with China. In the past few years, the Chinese Communist Party tried to cover up its evil crimes with the excuse of the Chinese nationalism in order to create the public opinion and approval to take over Taiwan by force. The CCP bluffed that China would "swallow" Taiwan after the return of Hong Kong. This way of Qin Shihuang style narrow nationalism is but a scum of inferior feudal lord's mind-set. There is no return for this way of thinking today. It has been buried under the garbage can of history. On "Hong Kong Problem", The CCP, in order to cover up its authoritarian nature, hypocritically came up with the so-called "one country, two system". But according to the speeches of Qian Qichen and other Chinese ministers, the Hong Kong Special Administration Zone was not allowed to promote the independence of Tibet, Eastern Turkistan (Xinjiang), Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Whoever promoted would be prosecuted as jeopardizing "national security" and "subversion". Therefore, we can easily see that "50-year No Change in Hong Kong"promise is but an unreliable lie. Soon after the Cold War, the national (ethnic) problems have become the focal point of the conflict in the world, replacing the ideological and political conflicts. The national/ethnic and cultural conflicts at the end of the 20th century have sped up the spread of nationalism and it has become the worldwide problem. After the fall of Soviet Union and the communist states in Eastern Europe, the long-suppressed nationalism was released, which in turn invigorated the nationalistic movements. Many countries in Europe and Asia faced new challenges and nationalism started transforming the international relations today. The world is at the point of facing further disintegration now. The Israeli-Palestinian problem further confirms that even if a super power supports and puts pressure does not help resolving the final problem. This clearly explains the unique characteristics of national/ethnic problems. In the past couple of years, with the strong influence of the international society, the independence movements emerged along the borders of China (including Taiwan), especially the bloody armed clash happened in Eastern Turkistan ( Xinjiang) in February 1997 proved that the Uyghurs rather wanted to sacrifice their precious lives for the independence of their motherland. This armed resistance shook the foundations of the Chinese colonial rule over Eastern Turkistan and frightened the Chinese colonialists. The CCP never recognizes and feels sorry about its crimes. It does not know how heinous and hideous it is. On the contrary, the CCP libelously denounces the criticism and exposure of the Uyghur, Tibetan, and Mongolian peoples toward the regime as "separating the country", "colluding with foreign anti-Chinese forces", "the West does not want to see a strong China", and "America does not want China become unified" etc,. Through these deceptions, the CCP launches all its propaganda machines to both inland China and abroad, hoping to initiate the hatred of the Chinese people toward other races (ethnic groups) and to support to execute its genocidal policies. With the Chinese government's successful information embargo in China, all these years the international community and most of the Chinese people are not aware of the situation of the Uyghur people, Tibetans and Mongolians. They had neither direct contacts with them nor been able to study them. Their understanding mainly came from the CCP's direct propaganda or internal documents. The Chinese people had no second thought about how the Chinese government was occupying and massacring their Uyghur, Tibetan and Mongolian neighbors while the Chinese were condemning the humiliation of China under America and other Western imperialistic countries and criticizing Japan for the "Nanjing Massacre" with extreme xenophobia. The Chinese people never realized that with the power of the gun the Chinese rulers forced the Uyghurs, Tibetans and Mongolians to sign a series of unequal treaties in order to divide their lands. The independence movement in Eastern Turkistan, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia started soon after the fall of Manju Qing dynasty in 1911. It is not a present movement. The military suppression of the CCP resulted their strong resistant awareness. Today, they are not demanding "autonomy". They are on the way of separating themselves from China because they no longer believe the deception of the Chinese government. This explains that the "Great Chinese Chauvinistic National Exploitation" policies implemented by the Chinese government intensified their conflicts with China and thrusted their national feelings towards establishing an independent country. At the same time, it shows that there is only further disintegration and not integration under the present Chinese colonial rule. The fall of the Soviet Communists made the independence of the Central Asian republics a reality. Likewise, the fall of the Chinese communists will create the opportunity and possibility for the independence of those nations along China's borders. Certainly, the independence of those respective regions (including Taiwan and Hong Kong) seems somewhat remote under the current Chinese totalitarian regime. However, our pursuit of freedom and our fight against the Chinese colonial rule and massacre is a just cause. We firmly believe that all just causes succeed. Because no military power can stop the desire and yearning of millions of peoples from all nationalities for freedom and independence. At the same time, colonial powers do not collapse on their own. It takes ceaseless efforts and patience. The fight of the Uyghur, Tibetan, and Mongolian peoples is a fight to preserve the existence and dignity of these peoples with their unique cultures; it is a fight to obtain democracy, freedom, human rights and peace; it is a fight to freely decide their own fate according to their own choice. The nature of this fight is not against entire China. No matter in the past or at present, they are fighting against those few tyrants who usurped the land of the Uyghurs, Tibetans and Mongolian and plundered the rich natural resources by force and attempted to cruelly oppress, assimilate and massacre these innocent indigenous peoples. The CCP's deliberate destruction of the traditional societies of the Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Mongols brought tremendous disaster to these respective peoples for half a century. Many Chinese people disagree with the independence and self-determination of the Uyghur, Tibetan and Mongolian peoples as a result of the CCP's long-term brainwashing through the hegemonic logic and national views of "Chinese chauvinism" and "unification is above everything". Basically, this idea of racial discrimination is based upon the narrow Chinese nationalistic attitude of "unification". This is exactly a trap that the CCP has set for the Chinese people. The CCP has been using the Chinese national feelings and narrow patriotism for the hypocrisy of "unification" in order to keep on its military occupation and satanic rule in Eastern Turkistan, Tibet and Inner Mongolia. Freedom and equality are opposite to tyranny. To deny the rights of the Uyghur, Tibetan, and Mongolian peoples to choose their own way of life and political system, as a matter of fact, is to deny their freedom. Why disapprove others the right to break the yoke of slavery while their own necks are circled with the chains of tyranny? Currently, the fight against the CCP in Eastern Turkistan, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong is regional and thus seems marginal. This enabled the CCP to easily subdue them through the "divide and govern" methods. It is not difficult to see that the nations along China's borders are in a negative position to overthrow the colonial rule of the CCP. Therefore, our strength will be more powerful once we are united together, and will not be crushed one by one by the CCP. Today, our common objective has united us together as one. This is simply a new phase of development in the Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian and Taiwanese peoples' friendship. Let us, therefore, strive for freedom, peace and a bright future with hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder. We are full of hope and confidence on this regard! We have founded this magazine for the purpose of promoting the communication and mutual understanding of one another, and of opening up one anther's views, in order to further our cooperation. This magazine will play the role of the spokesperson for those nationalities who have been suffering under the Chinese oppression. it expresses the voice of those oppressed peoples for freedom and human dignity. Let us all loudly and clearly reaffirm the notion that we will all stand together in the fight for freedom! We also want the People's Republic of China to hear that we Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Taiwanese peoples will always stand together. The objectives of the "Mongols, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Taiwanese" magazine:
(5) CLINTON DEFENDS CHINA TRIP, ENGAGEMENT POLICY
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, June 11) -- President Bill Clinton offered a fierce defense Thursday of U.S. policy toward China and his upcoming state visit to the world's most populous nation. "I'm going because I think it's the right thing to do for our country," Clinton said. "If the choice is between making a symbolic point and making a real difference, I choose to make the difference," Clinton said in a talk to scholars at the National Geographic Society."And when it comes to advancing human rights and religious freedom, dealing directly and speaking honestly to the Chinese is clearly the best way to make a difference," he said. Clinton's eight-day trip will be the first by a U.S. president in a decade, and it comes at a critical time for U.S.-Chinese relations. Some in Congress argue Beijing has done little to improve a dismal record on human rights. And there are also nagging ethical questions regarding Clinton's dealings with China. Calling his administration's policy of "constructive engagement" both principled and pragmatic, Clinton answered his critics who argue the U.S. should isolate China. "Seeking to isolate China is clearly unworkable," he said. "Choosing isolation over engagement would not make the world safer," Clinton said. "It would make it more dangerous. It would undermine, rather than strengthen, our efforts to foster stability in Asia. It will eliminate, not facilitate, cooperation on issues relating to weapons of mass destruction." China has already helped ease tensions in the South Asian subcontinent following recent nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, Clinton said. But the U.S. must cooperate with China to further defuse the security threat, he said. "Because of its history with both countries, China must be a part of any ultimate resolution of this matter," Clinton said. Isolation would also hurt efforts to influence Chinese leadership in the cause of democracy and human rights. "When it comes to human rights and religious freedom, China remains on the wrong side of history," Clinton said. But by bringing China into the community of nations and the global economy, the U.S. has a better chance of advancing U.S. interests and democratic values, the president argued. "Over time, I believe China's leaders must accept freedom's progress, because China can only reach its full potential if its people are free to reach theirs," Clinton said. Addressing another controversial aspect of his upcoming trip, Clinton said he would be received at Tiananmen Square, the location of the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy dissidents. Clinton said he would participate in the welcoming ceremony because that is where the Chinese government receives visiting heads of state. "Protocol and honoring a nation's traditional practices should not be confused with principle," he said. The president also defended his authorization of U.S. satellite launchings on Chinese missiles, saying that he was continuing a policy put in place by former President Ronald Reagan and continued by former President George Bush. He said his administration continued the practice for "the simple reason that the demand for American satellites far outstrips America's launch capacity, and because others, including Russian and European nations, can do this job at much less cost. "It is important for every American to understand that there are strict safeguards, including a Department of Defense plan for each launch, to prevent any assistance to China's missile programs," he said. (6) OFFICERS OF SOCIAL SECURITY SHOTDEAD A CRIMINAL AND TERORRIS IBRAHIM MEMETJAN
A report by "Ili kechlik geziti" (Ili evening newspaper) by Xalide Abdukerim on June 3, 98, forwarded to ETIC by Rabiyem YakubAt 1:30 p.m. on May 28, security service officers shot dead Ibrahim Memetjan who resisted using a fire arm to his arrest. A small foreign made gun was found next to his body. A terrorist and a criminal Ibrahim Memetjan was detained earlier for participating in the Fifth of February event in Ghulje, and was released after re-education. Prepared by: *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= The World Uyghur Network News electronic newsletter is produced by the Eastern Turkistan Information Center (ETIC) in cooperation with the Taklamakan Uighur Human Rights Association (USA), and is devoted to the current political, cultural and economic developments in Eastern Turkistan and to the Uyghur people related issues. Eastern Turkistan (Sherqiy Turkistan in Uyghur) is a name used by the indigenous people of the region for their motherland located in what is at present the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic China. The World Uyghur Network News brings information on situation in Eastern Turkistan from the Uyghur and other sources to the attention of the international community. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= EASTERN TURKISTAN INFORMATION CENTER |