Dear Mr. Trent Lott,
　　 Mr. Denny Hastert,

Welcoming mainland Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji to Ottawa at a formal dinner Thursday (April 15, 1999) Chretien heaped praise on the technological and commercial advances made in recent years by mainland China and pledged Canadian support for further reforms.

In a brief aside on human rights, Chretien said "when you fall short of expectations", Canada would be there to help "build a human and a social and judicial infrastructure that will put the new China on the eve of the next millennium."

Chretien made it clear that he would be raising Canadian concerns over human rights issues --- although he did not spell out which issues in particular --- when the two men have a formal meeting Friday. But he also made it clear that trade, economic and environmental cooperation would be on top of the agenda.

The United States yesterday (April 16, 1999) submitted a resolution criticizing violations in China to the main U.N. human rights body, but failed to win formal co-sponsors, prominent Chinese dissidents in exile including former political prisoner Wei Jingshen who spent 18 years in jail, have been in Geneva lobbying for U.N. action on China. "As far as we know, countries in the European Union will not co-sponsor the resolution but we believe they will vote for the resolution." Wei told a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday. "It is very important that the commission put great pressure on Chinese authorities." Wei added.

In our views, mainland China's game is playing a compromise as dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes that has got the biggest piece.

The Clinton administration should respond to the Senate appeal by actively helping the ROC with its attempt to obtain WHO membership, which is a humanitarian rather than diplomatic issue. Clinton recently reiterated his one-China policy which recognizes Beijing rather than Taipei. This was no surprise considering the vast, attractive market available on the Chinese mainland. The difficulty that ROC has been having in gaining WHO membership is due to mainland China's attempt to isolate Taiwan internationally.

What a nasty thing Beijing is doing. Considering the consequences of its action, it makes some important medicines and medical knowledge unavailable to the patients and medical researchers in Taiwan. Beijing's domineering, suppressive policy is meant to force Taipei to accept its terms for reunification. This policy, however, has aroused deep resentment among Taiwan residents, and caused the backlash of pushing the island further away from reunification.

The rulers of mainland China should renounce this loathsome policy at once. And government and international organizations concerned about the health of mankind should give a helping hand to the ROC in its endeavor to win WHO membership. To ignore or boycott the ROC due to pressure from mainland China would be both a cowardly and inhumane thing to do.

In Taiwan, hunger strikes are seeking passage of a law to allow issues such as Taiwan independence to put a popular vote, note the threat of declaring independence via a plebiscite is the best way of holding communist Chinese aggression against the island in check (Taipei, April 16, 1999).

The reports from Washington, April 15 ---
Taiwan will have to bolster its defense if Beijing continues to intimidate the island with missile threats, ROC government spokesman Chen Chien-jen said here on Thursday (April 5, 1999). If mainland China persists in threatening Taiwan then Taiwan will consider the U.S. proposed TMD system as well as other defense systems. This position is reasonable and one to which both the United States and Taiwan should agree, he said. He also reiterated Taiwan's opposition to its exclusion from most international organizations, despite its economic and political development. Chen said Taiwan's exclusion is due mainly to Beijing's "concerted and sustained efforts" to thwart the development of official relations between Taiwan and the international community.

In our views, we believe Taiwan's achievements can inspire mainland China's democratic evolution, and hope that the U.S. will use every opportunity to persuade Beijing to undertake democratic reforms.