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China-Russia joint exercises move into Shandong Peninsula

AFP , BEIJING

The first ever large-scale Sino-Russian war games moved onto Chinese soil yesterday with elite troops from the two former adversaries taking part, state media reported.

With military precision, Chinese and Russian units began the second phase of the week-long "Peace Mission 2005" exercise on east China's Shandong Peninsula at exactly 7:56am, the Xinhua news agency said.

"The second phase focuses on the transportation and deployment of troops, decision-making and adjustment and organization of coordinated actions," said Major General Zhang Qinsheng, according to Xinhua.

Senior Chinese and Russian officers assembled at the headquarters of China's North Sea Fleet in the port city of Qingdao to observe the drill on a large screen, Xinhua reported.

The exercise was taking place against the backdrop of "the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism," according to the agency.

The first phase of the exercises, involving warships, submarines, bombers, helicopters and fighter planes, began on Thursday near the city of Vladivostok on Russia's Pacific coast.

In the course of the second phase, expected to last until tomorrow, the two sides will simulate a situation where they have to make decisions on military action in the face of common threats, Xinhua said.

During the third phase of the exercise, due to last from Tuesday until Thursday, the Chinese and Russian troops will jointly practise offshore blockades and amphibious landings.

A total of 10,000 officers and men from the two nations are taking part in the maneuver including more than 7,000 from the Chinese People's Liberation Army, according to the agency.

The Russian troops, including officers and soldiers from the paratroops, the marine corps, the air force and the navy, started arriving on Shandong Peninsula and offshore waters on Aug. 9, Xinhua said.

Russian equipment that will be tested in the drill includes the Il-76 transport plane, Il-78 refueling plane, A-50 early warning plane, Tu-95 MS and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, Su-24M2 bomber and Su-27SM fighter jet, it said.

The exercise is funded with Chinese money, reflecting a wish in Beijing to send a warning to Taiwan, according to a report this week in the Russian newspaper Kommersant.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and threatens to invade if it formally declares independence.

Washington, which has indicated unease over the pace of China's military build-up, is not attending as an observer but said it was closely monitoring the drills, warning that they should not undermine regional stability.

China and the former Soviet Union were close Cold War allies in the 1950s and Moscow provided Beijing with crucial initial assistance for its nuclear weapons program.

However the two allies eventually split, partly over ideological differences, and tensions throughout the 1960s culminated in armed clashes between them in 1969.

China has stepped up its military exchanges in recent years.

The People's Daily reported that its armed forces have conducted joint drills with foreign armies 12 times since October 2002.

Sow chaos

China's goal is to bring chaos to Taiwan and cause the US to waver in its support of Taiwan, he said.

Lee added that a new cold war between the US, China and Russia is only just beginning. He described this as a blessing for the nation that it should take advantage of, although Taiwan must also gain an understanding of US strategy, as well as of China's strategy to annex Taiwan.

Fruit

Lee further criticized the government for not using its powers to intervene in talks on exporting agricultural produce to China. Trade in agricultural products is regulated by the World Trade Organization, he said, and the government should negotiate with China through the Board of Foreign Trade (BOFT) or the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) on which agricultural products to export, as well as volumes and production. This would make it easier for farmers to set production goals while at the same time protecting their rights and interests, he said.

Lee also took aim at the media, saying it would be worthwhile for nation's news outlets to look into the US Congress' recent blocking of China National Offshore Oil Corp's (CNOOC) attempt to acquire the US oil company Unocal, rather than only concerning themselves with a certain entertainer's visit to Taiwan.

Media's focus

Lee was apparently referring to the South Korean actor Bae Yong-joon who arrived in Taipei on Friday for a three-day visit to promote his new movie. Bae, 32, rose to heartthrob status in East Asia after starring in the South Korean soap opera Winter Sonata and his visit is receiving widespread media coverage.

Lee also directed criticism toward the pan-blue camp, castigating former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party Chairman James Soong, saying they had ignited a wave of China fever with their separate visits across the Strait earlier this year.

US focuses on rights in N Korea

APPOINTMENT: After assigning a a special envoy to promote human rights in North Korea, the White House denied that it was timed to affect nuclear disarmament talks

AFP , CRAWFORD, TEXAS

"If the DPRK wants to enter the international arena ... it's got to ... consider the cost of admission, and part of the cost is that your human rights record will be looked at."－　Christopher Hill, top US negotiator with North Korea

US President George W. Bush on Friday named a former senior domestic policy aide, Jay Lefkowitz, as his special envoy in charge of promoting human rights in North Korea.

"His appointment will greatly enhance our efforts to encourage North Korea to accept and abide by internationally accepted human rights standards and norms," Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement.

There was no immediate reaction from Pyongyang, which has warned in the past that stepping up pressure on the human rights front may hurt prospects for progress at six-nation talks on its nuclear weapons programs.

The negotiations -- which group the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia, and the US -- are due to resume during the week of Aug. 29.

But a senior US official, in a conference call arranged by the White House, denied that the appointment was timed to affect the talks, noting that the creation of the post was required under a US law passed late last year.

"It should not, in our judgment, should not affect it in any negative way. Obviously, we hope it would affect things in a positive way," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Lefkowitz was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

"If North Korea were positive about development of human rights and so on, that might be helpful across the board in all of the areas of our relationship," said the official.

Christopher Hill, who will remain Washington's pointman on North Korean nuclear issues, said on Wednesday that Pyongyang should expect increased scrutiny of its human rights record, should it conclude its best interests lie in making a deal to end its nuclear programs and open up to the world.

"If the DPRK wants to enter the international arena and wants to be a participant, it's got to begin to consider the cost of admission, and part of the cost is that your human rights record will be looked at," he said.

Lefkowitz was to take up his duties next month, meeting with other US officials to draft a plan of action before he travels to the region to meet with US partners in the six-party talks and visits with European and UN officials, the anonymous aide said.

"My own gauge [for success] would be to look at: Is there growing international, multilateral cooperation on promotion of human rights in North Korea?" the official said.

Lefkowitz has served as deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy, playing a central role in Bush's decision in August 2001 to curtail government-funded embryonic stem-cell research.

He has also been a member of the US delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva and the US delegation to the International Conference on Anti-Semitism sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

WATERWORLD

A buoy marking the northernmost point of Taiwan's territory floats in the water off Pengjia Islet yesterday. A delegation of supporters of the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign led by the campaign's leader, Peter Wang, placed the marker yesterday.

Koizumi fires first shots in campaign

GENERAL ELECTIONS: The prime minister stuck to a familiar theme -- the privatization of Japan Post -- as he made his first campaign stop in western Japan

AFP , TOKYO

Sunday, Aug 21, 2005,Page 5

Before the election tour, the prime minister visited Hyogo's Amagasaki where Japan's worst train accident in more than four decades occurred in late April, killing 107 people and injuring 460.

Koizumi said on Friday that breaking up the post office was the top issue in the elections, arguing that privatizing what is effectively the world's biggest financial institution was crucial in boosting Japan's economy.

Many Japanese use the post office, which has more than US$3 trillion in assets, for savings and insurance.

"Privatization of the post office is the first step toward the reconstruction of Japan's politics and economy," Koizumi said on Friday after his ruling Liberal Democratic Party issued its platform for next month's vote.

"We need this reform for the sake of economic recovery, political reform, financial reform, administrative reform, fiscal reform," he said.

Since taking office four years ago, Koizumi, who has published two books on the postal reform, made the postal privatization the cornerstone of his policy agenda.

Japan Post's massive assets are largely invested in bonds that are used to finance public-works projects popular in lawmakers' constituencies.

But privatization could mean job cuts and an end to government benefits for postal employees. Some critics fear that service could be curtailed in unprofitable rural areas where the Japan Post is particularly influential.

On Aug. 8, the upper house of parliament rejected Koizumi's bills to privatize the post office when 30 lawmakers from his own party voted against it or did not show up.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) -- which has ruled Japan almost uninterrupted since the end of World War II -- enjoys wide support from the post's 270,000 workers, who are reputed to be able to mobilize 1 million votes in a national election.

After the upper house's rejection, Koizumi immediately dissolved the lower house and called the general elections, defying LDP stalwarts who warned him that postal privatization could give the opposition a chance to oust the party

But poll after poll taken after Koizumi dissolved the lower house has shown rising public support for his Cabinet with a growing number of voters showing interest in the postal reforms.

The latest survey by Japan's top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun paper showed the approval rating for Koizumi rose to 53.2 percent from 47.7 percent in a poll taken immediately after the dissolution of the lower house.

The government launched a campaign yesterday codenamed "Ching Kung" -- meaning "clear sky" -- to sweep foreign vessels out of the waters surrounding Kinmen and Matsu. The primary targets of the campaign are, of course, the Chinese fishing boats, smugglers and "survey" ships that linger in the vicinity, and in turn become the root of many criminal, social and health problems for Taiwan.

Chinese vessels have been entering Taiwanese waters to smuggle goods and illegal immigrants to the outlying islands or Taiwan proper. The goods being smuggled range from agricultural products and livestock -- which escape health and sanitary inspections and therefore expose Taiwan to various different types of diseases -- to drugs and guns, which have their own danger.

As for the people smuggled in and out of Taiwan via this channel, the social and criminal problems created go without saying. Many Chinese vessels disguised as fishing boats in fact serve as shuttle buses for fugitives from Taiwan to escape to the other side of the Taiwan Strait, helping them avoid capture and punishment for their crimes. Through the same channels, illegal immigrants from China are brought into Taiwan, some voluntarily, while others are forced to work, sometimes even in underworld-related activities, such as prostitution, theft or drug-peddling.

An even more serious problem is the threat to national security. At least some of the boats trespassing in these waters are in fact conducting espionage on the orders of the Chinese government.

For example, an "oil survey" ship named Fen-Dou No. 4 was recently spotted crossing the mid-line of Taiwan Strait and trespassing in Taiwanese waters. The ship belongs to a government-owned oil company in China. On Aug. 17, it again crossed the line. Upon receiving the report, the Ministry of National Defense immediately dispatched two vessels to expel the ship. This was hardly the first time that Chinese survey ships have entered the waters of a neighboring country, inviting protests from the host country. For example, Japan has lodged serious protests against China on several occasions for the same reasons. Many of these ships are acting on the instructions of Beijing.

The ironic thing is this: It turns out that state-owned Chinese Petroleum Corp (中油) actually signed an agreement with the Chinese state-owned oil company in question to jointly survey under the sea for oil reserves. This in turn served as an excuse used by the Chinese side for the intrusion in question. This highlights the risks that Taiwanese companies face in doing business with Chinese companies -- to be used and manipulated in a way that endangers Taiwan's security. Furthermore, even though there is such an agreement in place, in order to enter Taiwan's waters Fen-Dou No. 4 must nevertheless comply with Taiwan's laws and regulations and file for permission from the government beforehand. It is truly outrageous to think that the power of the Taiwanese government can be ignored in such a ridiculous manner.

Under the circumstances, the so-called "Ching Kung" campaign comes just in time. It is hoped that the government can show its determination and decisiveness for a change and safeguard the interests of Taiwan. Unfortunately, the campaign is to last only for one week. One cannot help but think that this will only mean things will be back to normal afterwards.

`Now, the pendulum has swung back a little as the Bush administration has pressed Taiwan to complete the purchase of the weapons they requested in 2001.'

The political leaders of Taiwan, both government and opposition, are in serious danger of misreading or ignoring the increasingly stiff warning signals coming from Washington.

In its bluntest form, the US message is: Taiwan needs to do more to prepare for its own defense against a potential attack from China rather than rely largely on the US for its security. If it doesn't, the US may be less obligated to come to Taiwan's rescue.

Publicly, that caution has been delivered by officials of the American Institute in Taiwan, by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research organization in Washington with ties to President George W. Bush's administration, and by the American Enterprise Institute, a more centrist think tank.

Privately, US officials said that advice had been delivered from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, by retired senior US military officers visiting Taiwan, and by US colonels who slip into Taiwan in mufti so as not to offend China as they confer with Taiwanese officers.

Said one senior officer: "Some of the investments that Taiwan would like to make are not optimized for the defense of Taiwan."

This widening rift between Washington and Taiwan, over which China claims sovereignty, comes just as Chinese President Hu Jintao prepares to visit Washington next month. He is expected to repeat, as all Chinese do, that the future of Taiwan is the most sensitive issue between China and the US and will undoubtedly try to widen the gap between Washington and Taipei.

Although Hu has proclaimed that China seeks to take over Taiwan by peaceable means, his government has repeatedly threatened to use military force if Taiwan declares formal independence.

The main point of contention between Washington and Taipei is a package of weapons offered by the US that includes eight diesel-electric submarines, six Patriot anti-missile batteries, 12 P-3C maritime-patrol aircraft, and other items worth US$15 billion.

The Bush administration presented that package in April 2001, but the proposal has languished in Taipei ever since. President Chen Shui-bian has urged the legislature to approve funds for the purchase but the legislature, controlled by the Chinese Nationalist Party, (KMT) has refused.

The KMT has contended that some of the weapons aren't needed or they are too expensive or they aren't modern enough. Underneath it all, the KMT appears to relish opposing Chen and the DPP.

In addition, leaders of the KMT have sought to undercut Chen by visiting Beijing, where they were received like potentates of old who had journeyed from the provinces to the capital to pay tribute to the emperor.

American officers point to a steady decline in Taiwan's military spending, reductions in conscription, and a failure to adhere to high standards of training and readiness.

Lastly, recent polls have brought into question the will of the Taiwanese to resist political, economic, and perhaps military domination by China. Even so, those same polls show that a large majority of the people of Taiwan prefer to stay separate from China, even if that means remaining in a limbo where only 26 nations have formal diplomatic relations with Taipei.

Bush sought to set a firm policy on Taiwan shortly after he came to office in 2001, saying that the US would do "whatever it takes" to defend Taiwan.

The arms package was intended to underscore that pledge. After the terrorist assaults of Sept. 11, however, the administration toned down its rhetoric on Taiwan as it sought to enlist China in the war against terror.

Further, the administration admonished Chen to moderate his drive toward Taiwan's formal independence, the basic platform of his party.

Now, the pendulum has swung back a little as the Bush administration has pressed Taiwan to complete the purchase of the weapons they requested in 2001. A Pentagon report last month noted that the military balance between China and Taiwan "appears to be shifting toward Beijing as a result" of China's economic growth, diplomatic leverage, and improved military capabilities.

The report concluded that China's military modernization "has increased the need for countermeasures that would enable Taiwan to avoid being quickly overwhelmed."