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 Atricle published by the Secret Three in 2002:

 The basic reason for the differences in ideology between China and the United States lies not in issues such as communism, democracy, Taiwan, Tibet, religious or human rights, but in opposite political structures.

The elements of a political structure in a certain country can be defined as follows: (1) the true source of power; (2) the sovereign (the governing body); (3) the society (the people); (4) history; (5) the current political daily routine ('content'); (6) the strategic path for a better future.

Remarks: 1. The terms "society" and "history" refer only to the political aspects within a certain society. 2. "Content" is defined as the possible maneuvering within the fixed limits set by the structure itself. 3. A certain country's own "strategic better future": 3A. It is acceptable by the majority of the society. 3B. It is the logic from which the sovereign governing body defines its own daily routine. 3C. It might contradict other nations' own interests.

(1). The true source of power: The American constitution is the foundation of the political authority in the United States. In China, the true source of authority is not the Communist Party but an "unwritten constitution" (the "Mandate of Heaven") which is a set of rules, norms and morals which have not changed throughout history.

(2). The Sovereign and the Governing Body - Historically, China and the US hold two opposite manners, in which their governments are formed. In the US, it is a fixed and an unchanged process. The next election will be held in 2008. In China, the method in which the sovereign gains its power changes. The method can be inherited by birth, formed by the use of power or appointed as part of internal elections. Any Communist Party Congress is a good example of the latter.

In the US, titles are important; there is strict definition of authority; the term of one chosen president and his administration is clear.

In China, on the other hand, official titles are completely meaningless (in 1911, China's last emperor was a 3-year-old boy; Chairman Mao Zedong, who founded the Communist Party in 1921, acted like an emperor; Deng Xiaoping, although not officially a president, was the true leader of China). Also in China, in terms of duration of power, a certain governing power's rule ranges anywhere from a few days to several centuries.

(3). The Society, (4) History and (5) the current Daily Routine: Politically speaking, the society in China is unchanged. Throughout history, the Han's three basic political points of view (the way they see themselves; the way they see their own leaders, and the way they see the rest of the world) have not changed. For the Han people, feudal dynasties, communism or democracy have no true political difference and no true ideological characteristics. Politically speaking, in China, once in power, sovereigns have to adjust themselves to the society, and not the other way around. The legitimacy of the ruling power is highly determined by the people, and as a result, society plays a very big role in government's stability. Leadership can preserve its power only by its ability to provide prosperity. In terms of political additional value - current issues such as the accession to the World Trade Organization and hosting the 2008 Olympics are to be judged by the central government's ability to bring prosperity to the people.

As for the United States, the American society is a changing one, thus its political agenda is also changing. The political views on basic values and morals (such as women's political rights, minorities, immigration, education, legal rights, human rights, capitalism, economy, media, international conflicts and international affairs) are frequently reviewed, examined and replaced. However, despite public discussion, arguments, even if violent, have no influence on replacement of the federal government, as the rules are set by the constitution itself. Political issues, and American society as a whole, play a minor role in terms of the government's stability.

In terms of political structure only, the tragic terror attacks on September 11, 2001 proved to have no influence on the structure of the American feudal government itself. In China, on the other hand (although very different in nature) the tragic June 4, 1989 Tiananmen massacre immediately led to the replacement of the Communist Party's chief, Zhao Ziyang, by Jiang Zemin, while putting the former under house arrest (June 24, 1989). Zhao was accused of serious errors by supporting democratic demands.

(6). The Strategic Path to a better Future: China wants to become a global superpower. The United Sates wants to keep its international economic and political superiority, not sharing or losing it to other rivals - the EU, Russia or China.

China: President Jiang Zemin's mistake regarding his "Three Represents Theory" is in structure rather than content. Although legitimate, his theory pulls the sovereign's attention "backwards" to a foreign governing formula, trying to educate the Chinese society to accept modern communist theories. The theory prevents the ruling sovereign (the Communist Party) from further adjusting itself "forward" into Confucianism. According to China's own logic, Confucianism (not Manchu culture, not communism and not even Western democracy) is a better pattern to follow. In modern China, although Confucianism may not be the ultimate answer to everything every time, everywhere, it still has higher chances of achieving stability and prosperity. Communism with more Confucianism characteristics is probably needed.

The US: The American constitution will not be changed even if the US loses it leading role as an economic political global superpower. Politically, "historically speaking", on a long timeline, in the fast economic global village the world is right now, American superiority is not forever guaranteed. From the rest of the world's point of view, examples of President George W Bush's possible weakening of American international efficiency is seen in issues such as the Middle East conflict, China-Taiwan relations, the Kyoto Protocol, the missile defense system, the 2001 lost seat in the UN Commission on Human Rights etc.

Solution: The solution, in my opinion, should be as follows: China should abandon the "Three Represents Theory". America should elect a new president in 2004 (maybe even a woman president or a black one).

Corporate China's dollar diplomacy

Beijing makes no secret of its global ambitions. As early as 2001, President Jiang Zemin said that with China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), foreign competition would come in. At the same time, Jiang emphasized the need for Chinese enterprises to "go outside" and learn from their foreign competitors.

Under Jiang's new "go outside" policy, local governments at the municipal and county level started encouraging their best enterprises to consider going overseas for a public listing. [1] Heeding the government's call, Chinese companies began exploring emerging markets worldwide. Such a change in the Chinese view of overseas markets was encouraged by Beijing's English-language mouthpiece, China Daily: "China will increase the amount of export credit guarantees for domestic companies and cut premiums to help firms explore relatively untapped markets such as Latin America, the Middle East and Russia, a marketing official said." (China Daily, "Exporters get credit guarantee promise", April 18, 2002)

In 2001, outlining China's five-year plan, Premier Zhu Rongji again emphasized the importance of implementing a "going outside" strategy. According to statistics, in 2000 China invested US$7 billion in about 6,000 projects in 160 different countries. This investment only accounts for 0.15 percent of foreign investment worldwide. [2] However, according to unofficial media, the actual Chinese investment totals are almost certainly significantly higher than Beijing's official investment statistics, because Chinese companies increasingly circumvent official foreign-currency controls by investing through offshore entities. [3]

To a large extent, all nations use economic tools such as trade, investments or the export of rare materials as foreign-policy levers. And it may be a good sign if Beijing has decided to use "cash diplomacy" rather than its fast-developing military arsenal to achieve objectives such as national reunification. However, in waging big-bucks diplomacy, Beijing has to bear in mind that economic might does not necessarily make it right. In fact an excessively aggressive use of this strategy could backfire. Given the non-transparent if not dictatorial political system in China, it is easy for critics - particularly those in countries that feel jostled by the rising giant - to argue persuasively that an economically strong China will build up a threatening army and strut about the world in an arrogant manner. Beijing's cynical deployment of the business card seems to have fed the "China threat" theory in the United States. [4]

China's high-technology industry finds itself treading on geopolitical fault lines these days, as Chinese companies have become suppliers of advanced communications equipment to nations that Western companies avoid, or are barred from doing business with. The Chinese customers have included the governments of Cuba, Iraq, North Korea and Yugoslavia and, at least before September 11, 2001, the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan. In Yugoslavia in September 1999, for example, despite the virtual isolation by then of president Slobodan Milosevic's regime after the Kosovo conflict, China's ZTE signed a $225 million contract with a Yugoslav telecommunications company to provide equipment, technical support, engineering supervision and training. ZTE spoke of the sale as a chance to break US and European dominance of communications markets in Eastern Europe. At present, the Beijing government has been responsive to efforts by the State Department to help China set up a rigorous system of export controls to regulate increasingly brazen businesses. Such controls and cooperation are considered crucial now that China has joined the WTO. [5]

China frequently offered aid to other developing countries, but usually did so for political clout and did not publicize the figures. [6] So far China has signed investment-protection agreements with 103 countries and regions and agreements to avoid double-taxation with 66 countries and regions. (China Daily, "Nation to enhance its firms overseas", December 16, 2002)

Losing money
According to statistics, China had approved overseas investments of 6,849 domestic companies by the end of September 2002, with a combined contracted investment of $13.5 billion. But the lack of a tracking system, among other reasons, caused some of the investments to perform badly. Academic research has found that less than half of the foreign Chinese-invested operations are making a profit.

Example 1 - Iran
"The total number of Chinese businesses so far investing in Iran is 40." [7]

Example 2 - African countries
"China can use its relatively advantageous agricultural technology to help Africa increase its grain production while securing opportunities for Chinese enterprises to thrive in the agriculture-based continent, Vice Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing told a Beijing seminar. Since the 1960s, China has launched nearly 200 agricultural aid projects in Africa, including the building of farms and the establishment of agricultural technology experimental stations. It has sent more than 10,000 agricultural technicians to plant or bring under cultivation nearly 70,000 hectares of land." [8]

Example 3 - Nigeria
"China's leading machinery and power plant exporter CMEC is to build two power plants in Nigeria, the largest power-plant project in the country. CMEC - China National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Company - and Shandong Power Construction Company yesterday struck a US$390 million deal with the Nigerian Ministry of Power and Steel to build two gas-fired power plants in the African country's Ondo State with a total capacity of 670 megawatts." [9]

Example 4 - Vietnam
"China's southwestern provinces have maintained more than 30 economic cooperation projects in Vietnam, focusing on light industry, motorbike assembly, electronics and infrastructure construction. China has invested in 434 projects worth more than $3.2 billion in Vietnam." [10]

Example 5 - Mexico
"More than 50 Chinese companies have made investments in Mexico recently that were worth more than US$200 million." [11]

Example 6 - United States
"A Chinese state-owned chemical company has agreed to rescue an American battery manufacturer from bankruptcy and continue its global manufacturing operations, a deal both sides called the first of its kind between the United States and China. Shanghai Huayi Group will take over the operations of Moltech Power Systems, a Gainesville, Florida, company that makes rechargeable batteries and that filed for Chapter 11 protection last year. Huayi will continue Moltech's operations in Florida, Britain and Mexico under existing management. It also plans to open a new plant in Shanghai, where it will eventually consolidate some of the company's operations, including a plant Moltech used in the southern city of Guangzhou. This deal, Moltech executives and Chinese officials said, is a rare effort by a state-controlled conglomerate to acquire and operate a foreign business globally." [12]

Example 7 - South Korea
"Becoming the first Chinese car maker to take an equity stake in a foreign car company, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp agreed to buy a 10 percent share in a South Korean venture created by General Motors." [13]

Example 8 - South Korea
"Chinese TV-parts maker BOE Technology signed a US$380 million deal in September to buy the flat panel display business of South Korea's ailing Hynix Semiconductor." [14]

Example 9 - Malaysia
"A consortium including China's largest contractor for power projects won the main civil-works contract for Malaysia's controversial Bakun hydroelectric project. China National Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Corp holds a 30 percent stake in the consortium, which is headed by Malaysia's Sime Darby group. The consortium outbid several other contenders for the MR1.8 billion ($474 million) contract. The massive Bakun Dam project in Sarawak state was revived last year after being shelved in 1997. The Chinese company is involved in the Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River." [15]

Example 10 - Morocco
"Chinese aquatic-products companies began to establish joint ventures with Moroccan companies in 1988, and more than 20 fishing companies have so far been set up. China's investment in those ventures has totaled US$150 million. Those 20-plus joint ventures now own more than 80 ships, and have handed over some $25 million worth of taxes to the government of Morocco. Those ventures also employed more than 2,000 Moroccan workers. In addition, Chinese businessmen have established five processing ventures in Morocco. They include a steel wire factory, a motorcycle assembly works and a garment factory." [16]

Example 11 - Japan
"Reversing a flow of funds, Chinese companies are heading to Japan to buy up small and medium-sized companies, with the ultimate prize being top-notch manufacturing technology left redundant by poor management. The trend does not appear to be a passing phase. This autumn, a seminar on how to acquire Japanese businesses will be held in Shanghai for senior executives of state-owned enterprises. The Chinese strategy is clear: China has the personnel and the market to succeed where Japan's managers have failed." [17]

Example 12 - England
"The players of Everton Football Club will sport a new sponsor, China Kejian Co. Their shirts carry the name in both English and Chinese. Kejian's two-year sponsorship is groundbreaking and controversial. The cell-phone maker is the first Chinese company to sponsor a Premier League team, and it's thought to be the first time Asian writing will feature on a Premier League shirt. The mid-sized manufacturer has won praise for its financial acumen - even though its products are not yet for sale in England. The deal is thought to be worth Stg1 million (US$1.6 million) - around a quarter of Kejian's total profit last year. The company stands to gain exposure in Britain and, more importantly, in China. Chinese state television carries the games. That equation has been food for thought for the British press. The Liverpool Echo said Everton is getting a 'taste of the Orient'. The Irish Times called the deal a Chinese 'takeaway'." [18]

Example 13 - Thailand
"Since 1999, investment projects from China totaled 67, mainly in agricultural products, electronics and electrical appliances, chemical products and machinery." [19]

Example 14 - Panama
"In recent years, Chinese companies have invested $200 million in Panama, with millions more pledged. Among the most prominent, Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, a huge Hong Kong conglomerate with close ties to the Chinese leadership in Beijing, invested more than $120 million to renovate ports on both ends of the canal." [20]

Example 15 - Egypt
"Chinese and Egyptian senior officials hailed the production of the first K-8E jet training aircraft as a good start to their aircraft co-production project. The first jet rolled off the production line in an aircraft factory in the southern suburb of Cairo and had a successful trial flight in late June last year. Since the signing of the contract in July 2000 to jointly producing a total of 80 K-8E jet trainers within five years, more than 200 Chinese technicians and workers have been sent to Cairo, where they worked around the clock with their Egyptian counterparts." [21]

Example 16- Bangladesh
"Over 20 Bangladeshi entrepreneurs and trade officials held business talks with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing Wednesday. Wan Jifei, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said China would continue to develop trade ties with Bangladesh and encourage Chinese businessmen to invest more in Bangladesh. Several Chinese business giants had invested in Bangladesh, such as the Haier Group, and become important trade partners with his country." [22]

Example 17- Russia
"Setting the stage for a bidding war, China National Petroleum Corp told Moscow it wants to make an offer to buy the Russian state oil firm Slavneft. The overture from CNPC is in line with Beijing's drive to cut its reliance on Middle East oil." [23]

Sources:
[1] South China Morning Post, "Jiang gives impetus to list abroad", March 25, 2002
[2] China Daily, "Bank sets sights on foreign rivals", November 12, 2001
[3] feer.com, "Buying fast into Southeast Asia", March 30, 2002
[4] CNN, "China wages 'big-bucks diplomacy'", June 18, 2002
[5] nytimes.com, "Complaints that Chinese companies supply rogue nations", November 12, 2001
[6] SCMP, "Karzai heads for Beijing after donor meeting", January 23, 2002
[7] China Daily, "Iranian businesses look to China", September 10, 2002
[8] China Daily, "Farm firms urged to take root in Africa", September 27, 2002
[9] China Daily, "Country powers its way into Nigerian markets", March 28, 2002
[10] Asia Times Online, "Trade between China, Vietnam reaches $3bn", November 4, 2002
[11] SCMP, "APEC members asked to lay off small trade disputes", October 25, 2002
[12] nytimes.com, "China company to buy and run a bankrupt US battery maker", October 21, 2002
[13] feer.com, "China Briefing", October 24, 2002
[14] nytimes.com, "China group to buy Asia Global Crossing", November 18, 2002
[15] feer.com, "China Briefing", September 5, 2002
[16] People Daily, "China welcomes anything that sells well from Morocco", August 26, 2002
[17] asahi.com, "China eyes Japanese high-tech", August 13, 2002
[18] CNN, "China's Premier League debut", August 4, 2002
[19] China Daily, "Thai leader praises co-op ties", July 17, 2002
[20] washtimes.com, "Panama wins in China-Taiwan spat", December 30, 2002
[21] China Daily, "Sino-Egyptian jet production hailed", December 27, 2002
[22] People Daily, "China-Bangladesh business seminar held in Beijing", December 26, 2002
[23] feer.com, "China Briefing", December 19, 2002

****

 China hidden by media fog 

The complexity of daily changing life cannot be described or explained easily. Simple terms such as "truth", "lies", "good", "evil", "peace", "war", "democracy" or "communism" are not enough to explain the diversity of the global village. Life is a complex mixture of individuals, groups, communities, nationalities and countries.

History, politics, energy, power, food, water, limited resources, money, law, justice and order are all mixed together - working together and against each other simultaneously. Billions of personal points of view, dreams and ambitions, circumstances - both of peoples and nations, along with objective causes such as nature and environment, fate and luck turn reality into something almost impossible to predict.

Yet despite this huge diversity, the global information industry is dominated by Anglo-American news. No TV network or newswire is as comprehensive and persuasive as the Anglo-American ones. We know what happens in the world because we get the news from Associated Press or Reuters, CNN or NBC. These various media sources influence world opinion on right and wrong (1).

Statistics indicate that some two-thirds of the news worldwide comes from the developed countries, with one-seventh of the world's population. News from developed countries accounts for 60 percent of the news content of newspapers in developing countries (2). The ethical "problem" with Britain's Reuters and the United States' CNN, although both are objective, is that they serve an Anglo-American (or Anglo-Americanized) public - a public that elects its governments and supports their decisions. There is also a dichotomy between how the Western world sees itself - providing opportunities and freedom - and the perceptions of Third World nations, which feel that the developed world denies them these opportunities (3).

The US government cannot make decisions independently - it owes its power to the will of the voters, who look at the newspapers, which have to tell complicated stories in 300-400 words (4). The US public in particular is accustomed to figuring things out in black and white, without colors or even any shades of gray (5). The "black and white" media structure is not the fault of the US public (voters) only. From a Western political-fiscal point of view, the most desired alternative for ending any communist, military or monarchic regime is by replacing the local leadership with a democratic one, just as the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc turned into democratic nations. The motives for that lie in the Western capitalist governments' pressure to encourage global democracy, as it is, in their opinion and for their own interests, the most suitable political structure allowing spending and consumption to flourish within their own nations.

In terms of Anglo-Americanized news coverage of various affairs, China is just one of many international issues troubling the US (international) press. The story of the balance of power in Asia is obscure because it is too complicated for the US media, while the issue of democracy versus communism is very simple. China is not a democracy - the lack of democracy and freedom in China is bad press. So in the end, even if well-educated pundits in Washington may appreciate the complexities of China's predicament and make a case for helping Beijing, the big red communist Chinese bear wins hands down against American values (6). When focusing on China, both Taiwan and the 1989 Tiananmen demonstrations serve as a prototype for such a political-fiscal crusade.

Taiwan
In 1949, after losing the civil war to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), about a million people fled from the mainland to Taiwan. Under the leadership of Nationalist General Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek), the Kuomintang (KMT) party repressed the resistance of the native Taiwanese people and imposed its rule over the majority. The KMT governed the island under martial law until 1987. During the decades of its rule, the KMT believed in eventual reunification with the mainland, thus the main issue was when and how.

For many years there has been an independence movement in Taiwan, but it was small until 1986, when with the founding of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, it gained momentum. The independence momentum was given an even bigger boost in the 1990s when the then KMT president, Lee Teng-hui, began to reveal his pro-independence sympathies.

By that time, Taiwan had developed itself into one of the world's leading economies and in the political arena there has been a relatively peaceful transition from martial law to democracy. In the early 1990s, when Taiwan's economy was booming and China's was still faltering, the financial clout of Taipei and the appeal of the newborn democracy were swaying politicians and businesspeople worldwide to consider independence an issue. Yet despite much blabber not much happened.

For years Taiwan has been spending tens of millions of dollars putting together a network of the best Washington lobbyists, private research institutions, and congressional and academic contacts. As direct donations to US politicians or their campaigns by foreign entities is strictly illegal, Taiwan found other means to influence while staying within the law. For years, Taiwanese academics and industrialists - all with strong political connections - have given generous donations to Washington's independent think-tanks or the private libraries of leading congressmen. US Justice Department documents show that a whopping 26 US lobby firms have registered to serve Taiwan, providing access to top businesspeople, academics, Congress and leading political circles.

By the late 1990s, with Taiwan's economy heavily dependent on Beijing's goodwill, and Taipei's democracy tainted by scandals, suspicion of corruption and rowdy parliamentary wrangles, these actions became even less likely to bring results. (7, 8, 9) Historically speaking, the stability of the democratic government in Taiwan has not yet been proved. The island is systematically losing its political independence also by pasting its fiscal fortune to the mainland. The United States, for its part, time and time again sharpens its political-military commitment to do "whatever it takes" to help the island's newborn democracy defend itself from any Chinese (communist) attack.

The 1989 Tiananmen massacre
In 1987, the popular Communist Party general secretary Hu Yaobang was forced to resign. He was replaced by Zhao Ziyang. By that time, the Communist Party had entered an unclear situation, created by a double leadership with Deng Xiaoping as head of the Military Commission and Zhao as the secretary general of the party. Deng was officially lower in the hierarchy. This two-year power struggle is thought to have led to the Tiananmen movement (10).

On April 15, 1989, Hu Yaobang died. His death marked the early days of protests, when students initially demanded his posthumous rehabilitation (11, 12). Throughout the weeks of demonstrations, one of the protesting students' main demands was that rampant corruption among cadres be addressed (13). The suppression of the student-led pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square left hundreds, perhaps thousands, of civilians dead.

To this day, Beijing remains highly nervous when the 1989 June 4 Massacre is mentioned. The subject is heavily censored by domestic media. By keeping silence, the Chinese leadership is repressing the calls for anti-corruption, justice and legal accountability. Furthermore, for more than a decade, the Anglo-Americanized media have been capitalizing on the incident, continuously nurturing - or creating - the premise that the demonstrators had been calling for an end to dictatorship and installation of democracy (14).

Example 1: CNN. When reporting on China, CNN time and time again links democracy to justice, pasting the two together inseparably. When reporting on the 1989 Tainanmen Massacre, the story of pro-democracy and justice combined together wins hands down against just a simple pro-justice call.
"Despite the fact that memories about the June 4, 1989, crackdown have lapsed, Beijing remains highly nervous about the rightists' attack on the CCP's refusal to overturn the verdict on the massacre. Beijing's top concern is to prevent dissidents, such as the June 4 mothers - a few dozen parents of students killed in the June 4 crackdown who are lobbying for the restitution of democracy and justice - from winning this year's Nobel Peace Prize." - CNN, "Jiang prepares for political showdown", May 15, 2002

Example 2: CNN. Time and time again, CNN keeps on connecting the past and the present. When reporting on the nationwide preparations for this month's 16th Party Congress, the US news network ended its reporting with a reminder of the bloody 1989 massacre. By doing so, CNN fixed the 1989 perceptions - linking them with the present, thus suggesting (consciously or unconsciously) a stiff, unchanging Chinese government.
"As China's ruling Communists try to ensure a critical party congress comes off without a hitch next month, a 1,000-strong army is patrolling Beijing's Tiananmen Square, removing a troublesome scourge - chewing gum. Ranks of cleaners have toiled in the vast square for 18 days to scrape off an estimated 600,000 wads of chewing gum, the official Xinhua news agency said ... Lying at the heart of the Chinese capital, Tiananmen Square was the focal point of huge pro-democracy demonstrations in 1989 crushed by the army with heavy loss of life." - CNN, "China patrols Tiananmen Square - for chewing gum", October 16, 2002

Example 3: AP. When reporting on China, foreign media use terminology that enriches the objective information provided with additional psychological and metaphorical meaning. This additional meaning stands in line with Anglo-Americanized beliefs.
"China's communists stepped into a new age Thursday, sending President Jiang Zemin toward retirement, pushing a younger generation of leaders forward and changing their mission to welcome the nation's emerging capitalist class ..." - Yahoo, AP, "China readies for Hu's leadership, November 14, 2002

The Mandate of Heaven

The communist lineage is a kind of dynasty that can be placed alongside the Qing and the Ming. Its legitimacy derives, among others, from Confucianism, culture and history - not from Karl Marx. Throughout history, the source of power for any ruling sovereign derives from the "Mandate of Heaven" (sets of rules, norms and morals) on the one hand and the masses on the other. Any dynasty, any sovereign emperor, acts as the governing body - reflecting the "Mandate of Heaven" to serve the people. Once in power, sovereigns have to adjust themselves to the society, as the legitimacy for their ruling is determined by the Han people. In terms of duration of power, a certain lineage's rule ranges anywhere from months to centuries. Leadership can preserve its power only by the ability to provide prosperity and morality. If it fails these two objectives, it is replaced. At various times in China's history, the manner in which a sovereign is replaced has changed: power can be inherited by birth, formed by the use of power or won through appointment by internal elections.

Chinese national pride is rooted in the memory of an immense country that, for most of its existence, considered itself so wealthy that it did not need to trade with the Western powers. In past centuries, it was nearly able to deny the existence of the rest of the world (15). Today, foreigners judge China by its tragic layers of history, the thousands who died building the Great Wall, the chaos of the Cultural Revolution and the shocking massacre at Tiananmen Square. Foreigners are entranced by the epic sweep of the Middle Kingdom, while the Chinese themselves talk endlessly of their 5,000 years of civilization.

The irony, though, to borrow from historian Francis Fukuyama, is that China has reached the end of its history. The 1966-76 Cultural Revolution began the destruction, razing centuries-old temples and condemning China's imperial past as feudal and superstitious. Twenty years after the terror ended, even the middle-aged, who suffered the brunt of those horrible years, are resolutely moving into the future, their dreams ever more expansive (and expensive): televisions, mobile phones, fully wired million-dollar mansions (16).

Time and time again, the Anglo-American media nurture the notion that China must be democratized (17). For years various news media have kept on suggesting that the most stable solution to China's complicated challenges (ranging from corruption in business and legal system social stability, to the economic gap between rural and urban, unemployment, etc) is democracy. An example: "There are hundreds of demonstrations each day in the Chinese countryside and cities. Some are small; others involve thousands of people. The rising tide of corruption threatens to engulf Beijing's leaders ... In reality, the only thing that can reignite the stalled reform process and save China is real reform of the political system" (iht.com, "China stumbles toward a crisis", November 8, 2002).

The current Chinese political reality suggests that the Communist Party will keep its power, not lose it through social instability or corruption. Thus, a moral reform, not a political one, is needed. The "coming collapse of China" theory must not be ignored.

In terms of China's own historical political logic, the undemocratic nature of the Communist Party, if used wisely, has an advantage over Western democracy political reforms. In modern China, when forced to choose between a future democracy and the current Chinese-characteristic communism, the latter is more suitable.

The last time China tried to replace its values on a large scale level was during the Cultural Revolution. Mao Zedong replaced the old sets of customs and morality, vaguely defined as "Confucian". Nobody was allowed to own more than anybody else. Everybody had to be equal. Marxism-communism provided the Chinese with the only morality: to be equal with the richer. The revolutionary wave deluded the people for a time, and then the truth revealed itself: the Chinese people had been left without morality (18).

If China is to adopt democratic values, the chaos that characterized the Cultural Revolution might happen again. Under Chinese-characteristics democracy, candidates wishing to be elected every four years might use propaganda and knowingly (sometimes) lie to the masses by promising an unrealistic future to get elected. Once in power, they will find out that despite optimistic promises and good and honest intentions, the daily routine will force them to deal with solutions different from their previous pre-election intentions. Some of the problems will be political in nature, but as any other Chinese sovereign body would discover, the origin of many other problems is not political, but practical. The reason for this lies in the fact that governing 1.3 billion people on a daily routine is difficult. Any government, feudal, democratic or communist, will face problems, all the time.

The "coming collapse of China" theory can be minimized if Chinese leadership further embraces Confucian manners, a move that has already begun. This month, Time magazine reported: "Recently, China's leaders have even discussed the need to reintroduce Confucianism, that most traditional of Chinese philosophies. For decades, the teachings of Confucius were ignored as outdated relics of the nation's feudal past. But lately, the sage has made a comeback. His moral maxims appear in state newspapers, which herald him as 'the great Chinese wise man', and elementary-school classes study his theories on hierarchical society. Confucianism emphasizes morals without challenging the Party ... It is the perfect ideology to reintroduce to the Chinese people" (time.com, "True believers", November 6, 2002).

The Chinese news media

China craves to become a global economic political power in a multipolar world - undermining the unipolar political-financial-military superiority of the United States. However, the country will fail to do so if it neglects to pay equal attention to four sectors: politics (domestic and international), the economy, the military and the media (news and entertainment).

China's media industry is caught in a gray area. On the one hand the media are owned by the state, yet at the same time, they need to be financially profitable. There is a massive popular demand for "real" papers and magazines, and an equally strident demand from the government for the state-owned media - which means all of them, strictly speaking - to make money (19).

In today's China, people can have any opinion they want in private conversation, but the affairs of state are rarely discussed in the press. Only a few bold newspapers sometimes break the rules - and may get punished for it (20). More daring writers are willing to report on financial and sex scandals, natural disasters, corruption, and even lawsuits against the government (21). Self-censorship among overseas and local Chinese academics, foreign and domestic reporters, has increased in recent years (22). As a negative side-effect, fabricated reports in the media have become rampant due to fierce competition among publications and a lack of supervision of freelance reporters. A signed commentary carried by the People's Daily questioned why so many publications were willing to run unverified reports contributed by freelancers (23).

In addition to the national China Central Television, there are about 3,300 local TV stations across the mainland. In China, about 1.3 billion people own about 270 million analogue television sets. There are 90 million cable TV subscribers, mostly in cities (24). There are, for example, 18 newspapers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou that have their own websites (25). Foreign broadcasters (Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings, Star TV, Time Warner, CETV) operating in China, mostly in Guangdong province, are not allowed to beam their news channels into China (26). On the other hand, the illegal market for pirated satellite television technology is thriving as never before, and both the state regulator and approved foreign broadcasters are losing business (27).

State-controlled news
The CCP has always seen propaganda as vital to its success. The Party rose on propaganda, and firmly believes that power comes from controlling pens as well as guns. That is especially true now, since today's leaders lack confidence in their ability to maintain control (28).

In China, the mission of English-language publications aimed at foreigners, such as the official China Daily, is to give an impression of pragmatic government - that distortion can lead foreigners to misconstrue the country (29). State-produced articles are part of a broader effort to portray the United States as a hegemonic enemy despite the latter's positive contributions in investment and aid. Some analysts argue that Beijing systematically represents the US as an overbearing bully and a declining military power with important vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Others produce evidence to the contrary, claiming that Chinese coverage of the US, including Xinhua reports, is relatively balanced overall (30).

Ahead of this month's 16th Party Congress, state-run news media reported on President Jiang Zemin's call for both Chinese and international media communities to increase exchanges and cooperation as part of new efforts to promote mutual understanding among the people of all nations (31). Yet shortly afterward, congress spokesman Ji Bingxuan stated that the news media will continue to serve as the mouthpiece of the Communist Party. Ji admitted that as far as the domestic media are concerned, there will not be any change to rules that required strict adherence to the party line (32).

In today's global village dominated by Anglo-American ethics, China's national economy, political influence and media image fall far behind those under US dominance. The examples below elaborate on several reasons for the lack of recognition of China's state-controlled media. The following items provide a brief spotlight on several statistical mistakes, unnecessary censorship and semi-censorship, which all lead to a psychological distrust. These examples are only the tip of the iceberg.

Example 1: The exact contribution of the private sector to China's national economy
Item 1: "By the end of last year, there were more than 24 million self-run businesses employing more than 46 million people, 2.03 million private enterprises, 110,000 non-state science and technology enterprises and 90 million township and village enterprises, according to official statistics. The self-employed individual businesses and private enterprises alone contributed 18 percent to last year's gross domestic product (GDP) in the country." - China Daily, "Commerce chief hails role of country's non-state sector", November 7, 2002

Item 2: "The country needs the private sector, which provides more than half of its $1.2 trillion gross domestic product." - businessweek.com, "Jailing tax cheats is just a start", October 21, 2002

Item 3: Privately run businesses now account for just over half of the gross domestic product and employ 130 million people - the lion's share of industrial workers, but only about one-fifth the total work force." - nytimes.com, "To be rich, Chinese and in trouble: 3 tales", October 13, 2002

Item 4: "China's private sector provides 25 percent of GDP and is set to boom over the next few years with greater market access and improved financial services, the official China Daily quoted a National Bureau of Statistics report as saying. Some Western economists, however, estimate that the non-state sector, including foreign firms, accounts for 50-70 percent of China's GDP." - feer.com, "China briefing", October 17, 2002

Item 5: "The official China News Service (CNS) reported earlier this week that more than 27 million people were hired by about 2 million registered private enterprises ... CNS estimated that around 100 million Chinese were working in the non-state sector, which includes private and foreign firms, joint ventures, as well as companies with mixed ownership. - CNN, "Returning students bring hope for China's future", October 4, 2002

Item 6: "Private business now accounts for more than one-third of the gross domestic product and is the engine of job creation ... China's 1.8 million private entrepreneurs ..." - washingtonpost.com, "Chinese capitalists gain new legitimacy", September 29, 2002

Item 7: "Consulting firm Accenture - in Hong Kong - ... More than 2 million private firms on the mainland employed about 27 million people last year ... It also estimated that the private sector was responsible for 21 percent of China's gross domestic product, compared with 4 per cent in 1990." - South China Morning Post, "Cut the red tape or firms stagnate, says consultant", September 27, 2002

Item 8: "... But today, private firms account for 50-70 percent of GDP and are the main source of urgently needed new jobs ... Private enterprises have created 12 million new jobs nationwide over the past three years. China's 2 million or so private firms employ at least 30 million." - Yahoo, "A capitalist treads carefully in communist China", September 22, 2002

Item 9: "It has stock markets, Starbucks, a crumbling welfare system, and a private sector that accounts for 50-70 percent of GDP." - Yahoo, "China's Communist Party dances to capitalist tune", September 18, 2002

Item 10: "The study also found that China's top 500 private companies had employed 46 percent more employees last year to reach 1.23 million. It is estimated the private sector accounts for 43 percent of GDP." - SCMP, "State body honours star companies", August 29, 2002

Item 11: "The private sector is estimated to employ 54 million people and accounts for 43 percent of the economy. The number of private companies has increased more than 19-fold since 1990." - SCMP, "Business input sought as forum tackles jobs crisis", August 28, 2002

Item 12: "An estimated 37 percent of China's GDP stems from the state sector, compared with 33 percent from the private sector. The rest is from the non-state sector, which often disguises de facto private enterprises that find it convenient for many practical reasons not to register as private companies." - Asia Times Online, China's private dilemma, April 20, 2002

Example 2: Trade value between China and the US in 2000
Item 1: "Trade between the US and China grew from US$63.5 billion in 1996 to US$116 billion in 2000, according to the United States-China Business Council." - SCMP, "ASEAN looks to China for export growth", October 21, 2002

Item 2: "In July 2001, in Washington, the House voted 259-169 to back President Bush's request to continue normal trade relations with China. The House voted to reject a measure to overturn Bush's decision, thus allowing China to ship its goods to the United States under the same low tariffs enjoyed by almost all nations. Two-way trade totaled US$100 billion in 2000, including about US$84 billion in Chinese exports to the United States and US$16 billion in US shipments to China." - CNN, "Congress backs normal China trade relations", July 20, 2002

Item 3: "The volume of trade between the two countries [China and the US] reached US$124 billion last year." - China Daily, "Racehorses wait for WTO gate to open", September 8, 2001

Example 3: Trade value between China and the European Union
Item 1: "With billions of dollars in trade flowing between them, the European Union's trade commissioner met with his Chinese counterpart to discuss a 'loaded agenda' - including a spat over both sides' banning of exported animal and food products ... Pascal Lamy and Shi Guangsheng, meeting at China's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, had no major problems of commerce between the EU and China to discuss; trade is now worth more than $101 billion." - chinanewsagency.com, "EU trade commissioner visits China", October 17, 2002

Item 2: "China-EU trade volume reached US$77.6 billion last year, up 15 percent from the previous year." AToL, Open up, China tells EU, March 29, 2002

Example 4: Trade value between China and Australia
Item 1: "Statistics revealed the Sino-Australian trade volume reached US$8.9 billion last year, up 6.5 percent on the previous year ..." - China Daily, "Gas contract avails ties with Australia", September 17, 2002

Item 2: "Last year's bilateral trade volume was US$13.6 billion, and the number is still rising." - China Daily, "Former Australian PM praises trade and education co-operation", July 30, 2002

Example 5: Trade value between China and Thailand
Item 1: "According to statistics, last year's trade volume between the two countries reached US$7.05 billion, an increase of 6.4 percent over the previous year. China has become Thailand's fourth-biggest trade partner." - China Daily, "Visit impetus for Sino-Thai relationship", September 6, 2002

Item 2: "The annual bilateral trade volume has exceeded US$6 billion largely because China has been one of the major importers of Thailand's agriculture products." - China Daily, "Sino-Thai ties promoted during leader's visit", July 23, 2002

Item 3: "Statistics indicated that Sino-Thailand trade stood at US$7 billion last year." - China Daily, "Thai leader praises co-op ties", July 17, 2002

Example 6: Taiwan's total investment in the mainland
Item 1: "China and Taiwan have been diplomatic and military rivals since their split after a civil war ended in 1949. But that has not stopped Taiwanese businessmen from investing up to $100 billion in China since the late 1980s." - reuters.com, "Taiwan's envoy to APEC sees hope for China ties", October 26, 2002

Item 2: "Taiwanese investment in China is variously estimated at between US$50 billion and $200 billion, not exactly pocket change for Taiwan's economy, which was worth $281 billion (measured by nominal gross domestic product) in 2001." - ATol, Cross-Strait links: US muddies the waters, October 8, 2002

Item 3: "Taiwanese firms have invested $70 billion in mainland operations since 1987." - BBC, "China fines Taiwan firms over label row", October 2, 2002

Item 4: "Taiwan businessmen have invested up to $100 billion in China since detente began in the late 1980s, lured by a vast market, low production costs and a common culture." - nytimes.com, "US envoy to Taiwan: China not economic threat", September 18, 2002

Item 5: "Taiwan's government estimates that its companies have invested a total of US$100 billion in China since the island lifted a ban on business dealings with the mainland a decade ago." - Yahoo, "China says Taiwan's investments jumped by 47 percent in first half of year", September 16, 2002

Item 6: "Taiwanese companies have already poured more than US$40 billion into the mainland." - SCMP, "Keeping politics out of cross-Strait business", September 5, 2002

Item 7: "Taiwan has already invested US$29 billion (HK$225 billion) on the mainland, and perhaps twice that much through indirect channels. Bilateral trade was up 4.6 percent in the first 10 months of last year and totaled US$26 billion." - SCMP, "Beijing's tone of tolerance for Taiwan", January 22, 2002

Item 8: "Conservative estimates put Taiwan's overall investment in China at US$60 billion. Many firms use loopholes to hide the total amount they have invested." - SCMP, "Taipei to ease restrictions on mainland investments", November 6, 2001

Item 9: "Taiwanese investments in China have continued to rise despite tensions between the two sides and now total an estimated US$70 billion." - taipeitimes.com, "China slams new cross-Strait moves", August 20, 2001

Example 7: Trade value between China and India
Item 1: "Trade between the two countries is expected to rise to US$4 billion this year, from US$3.6 billion last year ..." - Yahoo, "China, India in partnership to host global trade fair", July 31, 2002

Item 2: "Bilateral trade between the two countries continues to grow. According to recently released figures of India's Ministry of Commerce, India's trade with China grew by 25 percent during 2000-01, rising to $2.29 billion against $1.82 billion in 1999-2000 with overall exports to China jumping a 53 percent during the period ..." - AToL, Indian business makes tracks for China, July 17, 2002

Statistical mistakes

Beijing's official statistics always promote a rosy outlook. Many investors seem to accept these data despite strong evidence that many of them are seriously inaccurate. Although the overall trend of China's growth cannot be doubted, China is often misunderstood and its growth overstated. For example, some experts suggest that China's electricity usage has not increased rapidly enough to warrant the official growth rate of 7-8 percent over the last four years. What's more, many investors have lost money in the country, and there are pitfalls in picking even popular big-cap investments. Much to be blamed are the misperceptions of people who extrapolate too much from sketchy data. (33)

In counties and districts scattered around the huge Chinese countryside, reported figures are produced in meetings. The local officials set the standards, a few points lower than the reported growth rate of some rich town nearby, but a couple of points higher than the poor village down the road. In sum, they have to agree roughly with the state-announced growth goal, and set the numbers at a level at which everybody is happy. Then everybody must be consistent. They simply do not know what the local production is, and so they try to cover their backsides, producing figures that won't have their superiors going after them. (34)

Since foreign investors rely heavily on data recorded by local statisticians concerning market conditions, a question arises as to whether billions of foreign invested dollars were wisely spent on China plays. (35)

In October, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji urged that the statistics departments across China should speed up their reforms and improve the accuracy of their data. Zhu made the remarks when inspecting the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics with Vice Premier Wen Jiabao. (35)

Censorship: Bad news is no news

Below are examples of unnecessary censorship.

Example 1: "Mainland authorities have been accused of trying to cover up an accident at a rural school in Sichuan province nine days ago which left at least one person dead and more than 30 others injured. A classroom of the Bachuan Primary School in Suining city collapsed, an official of Suining government said yesterday, confirming a statement released by New York-based Human Rights in China ... Government officials disputed Human Rights in China's claim that five children died, saying only one child was killed. The US group said officials had banned the mainland media from reporting the incident." - SCMP, "Cover-up claim over fatalities in school accident", October 18, 2002

Example 2: "A mountaineering tragedy that claimed the lives of five people this summer in Tibet has not dampened interest in Peking University's famous climbing club ... Five of their fellow students died on August 7 in an avalanche on Mount Shishapangma, the world's 14th-highest mountain at 8,012 meters. A group of 15 climbers was trying to reach the summit of the 7,292-meter western peak at the time. State media reports after the accident blamed the club for ignoring advice that the group should have been accompanied by a local guide. But Ms Ma said that there had been misleading reports in the press about the accident, causing resentment among students." - SCMP, "Student mountaineering club is thriving after avalanche tragedy", October 2, 2002

Example 3: "Lodi Gyari - who has just completed the first diplomatic mission to China on behalf of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader in 20 years - said direct links have been restored and that Beijing appeared open to the possibility of talks on Tibetan autonomy. Mr Lodi said: 'Since I had the opportunity to meet the Chinese leaders in Beijing in the early 1980s, what impressed us more this time was the much greater flexibility displayed by the current leaders.' Chinese media [were] silent on the subject. In recent days, officials have reiterated the government's position, condemning the Dalai Lama for seeking outright independence for Tibet." - independent.co.uk, "Tibetan leader resumes contact with Beijing", October 1, 2002

Example 4: "The Foreign Ministry has airbrushed its version of Prime Minister Zhu Rongji's press conference on March 15 after the annual session of the National People's Congress. Removed entirely from the official English and Chinese texts posted on the ministry's website are questions from two foreign news agencies related to Zhu's retirement plans. Zhu dodged both queries. Questions from CNN and the French news agency AFP were edited to remove journalists' references to the possibility of Zhu staying on for a second term as premier. A note at the bottom of the transcripts notes: 'Premier Zhu also took other questions from the press.'" - feer.com, "China briefing", April 21, 2002

Giving no details

The excerpts below are examples of semi-censorship, which creates a psychological distrust toward the Chinese media as a first-hand choice of information.

Example 1: "The local Communist Party leaders of Beijing and Shanghai - both key allies of President Jiang Zemin - have been moved to posts in the party's central organization, possibly in preparation for being promoted at a party congress next month. Party secretaries Jia Qinglin of Beijing and Huang Ju of Shanghai have been 'moved to positions in the center', the official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday. Xinhua did not say what positions the two men would be given ... Xinhua said the party secretary of the sprawling western metropolis of Chongqing, He Guoqiang, also was being reassigned. But it did not say what his new post would be." - nytimes.com, "2 China leader allies get new posts", October 22, 2002

Example 2: The second-ranked officials of Anhui province and Chongqing municipality have been replaced in the latest reshuffles before next month's 16th Party Congress. An Anhui official confirmed Zhejiang deputy party secretary Wang Jinshan had been appointed as acting governor to replace Xu Zhonglin. The official refused to give further details ..." - SCMP, "Officials reshuffled in lead-up to congress", October 16, 2002

Example 3: "China has named a Buddhist master from Jiangxi province as the new chairman of its national Buddhist association. Master Yi Cheng, 75, succeeds Zhao Puchu as chairman of the Buddhist Association of China. Zhao, who was not a Buddhist monk, headed the association for two decades until his death two years ago aged 93. Master Yi Cheng has been the abbot of Baofeng Monastery at Shimen Mountain since 1999. The monastery is regarded as one of China's top Buddhist sites. Zhao was also a vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The agency did not say if Master Yi Cheng would succeed his position on the advisory body." - China Daily, "Buddhist master to head association", September 23, 2002

Example 4: "The first news of the Tibetans' trip came in a September 9 statement from the Tibetan government-in-exile in India. At scheduled press briefings thereafter, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan would only say that 'some Tibetan compatriots' were visiting China in a private capacity, and he had no details. All questions and answers about the envoys were edited out of transcripts of the briefings on the ministry's website. At a briefing a day after a senior Tibet official told foreign journalists in Lhasa that he had met the envoys, Kong declined to describe them as such. He acknowledged 'relevant leaders' had briefed them, but said their trip was for 'sightseeing and visits to relatives and friends'. He still declined to call them 'envoys'." - feer.com, "China briefing", September 26, 2002

Example 5: "Beijing's top representative in Hong Kong is leaving his post and will be succeeded by his deputy, a Hong Kong government statement said. It did not say when Jiang Enzhu, director of Beijing's Liaison Office in Hong Kong, will be departing the territory. No reasons were given for his departure. Jiang, 63, will be succeeded by his deputy Gao Siren, the statement said. Jiang, a former Chinese ambassador to Britain, was appointed to China's Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong in 1997, shortly after the return of this British colony to Chinese sovereignty." - nytimes.com, "Beijing's top rep leaving Hong Kong", August 21, 2002

Example 6: "China's military is planning exercises in mid-August aimed at Taiwan. Involving land, sea and air forces, they will be held in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, which face Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, and in part of the province of Guangdong. 'The strategic target of the exercises is Taiwan Island,' the China Daily newspaper said, citing unidentified 'military insiders' ... The report didn't say how many would take part this year but said they would practice simulated attacks and landings. It didn't mention recent comments by Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian. Mainland leaders have refused to talk to Mr Chen since he warned last week if they didn't work with him, the island would walk down its 'own Taiwanese road'. - heraldsun.news.com.au, "China to flex its muscles", August 5, 2002

Example 7: "China said it was in talks with the British Broadcasting Corp over its axed satellite signal, adding that restoring transmission would depend on the media company's 'reaction'. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Thursday the BBC had 'violated an agreement' with China International TV Corp (CITV), but gave no details of that agreement." - Yahoo, "BBC, China in talks to resume satellite broadcasts", July 11, 2002

Example 8: "A follower of the Falungong in northeastern China has been sentenced to death for strangling a daughter she believed was possessed by a demon, a state-controlled newspaper reported Friday. Guan Shuyun was convicted in Heilongjiang province of murder and other charges related to her alleged involvement with the banned spiritual movement. The court granted her a two-year reprieve before the sentence is to be carried out, the Legal Daily reported. The newspaper said 31 other Falungong practitioners were also sentenced but didn't give details ..." - nytimes.com, "Falun Gong member gets death penalty", October 18, 2002

Example 9: "Chinese authorities have exposed 10,000 phony police officers over the last five years, the Beijing Morning Post reported. It did not give details of what the fake officers did, but police in China wield wide, often unchecked powers, are feared by many citizens and are often accused of corruption." - itechnology.co.za, "Chinese cops bust 10,000 imposters", June 22, 2002

Sources

1. Asia Times Online, Risky business: Exporting the American dream, March 15, 2002
2. China Daily, "Asian media must seek larger role", April 15, 2002
3. AToL, "Another China", September 7, 2001. This e-book by Francesco Sisci is available in PDF format.
4. ATol, Beijing's fatal flaw, March 30, 2002
5. AToL, Chen ups the ante, August 7, 2002
6. AToL, Beijing's fatal flaw, March 30, 2002
7. AToL, "Another China", September 20, 2001
8. AToL, Beijing's hawks down but not out, March 19, 2002
9. South China Morning Post, "Fig leaf diplomacy", March 25, 2002
10. AToL, Hu steps up but Jiang stays on top, November 16, 2002
11. British Broadcasting Corp, "Timeline: China", May 5, 2002
12. Cable News Network, "Secret paper shows China 'rift' over Tiananmen", April 24, 2001
13. SCMP, "Crackdown on corrupt cadres hailed as big success", October 15, 2002
14. ncmonline.com, "China replaces Russia as America's global partner", November 2, 2002
15. AToL, The awakened giant, October 31, 2002
16. time.com, "Let one hundred cultures bloom", November 6, 2002
17. iht.com, "China stumbles toward a crisis", November 8, 2002
18. AToL, "Another China", June 2, 2001
19. SCMP, "Mainland's media opens up, but not without risk", September 30, 2002
20. guardian.co.uk, "Journalists hit the limits of China's reforms", November 4, 2002
21. newsmax.com, "China's Communists clamping down on defiant media", September 16, 2002
22. SCMP, "Scholars' arrest 'causing more self-censorship'", June 29, 2002
23. SCMP, "Fabricated reports rampant, says paper", April 22, 2002
24. thestandard.com.hk, "Guangdong leads in digital TV provision", September 22, 2002
25. AToL, Newspaper industry presses ahead, July 3, 2002
26. SCMP, "China licence delay cited for Phoenix woes", September 5, 2002
27. feer.com, "Very remote control", August 30, 2002
28. newsmax.com, "China's Communists clamping down on defiant media", September 16, 2002
29. feer.com, "Appearances can deceive", December 13, 2001
30. SCMP, "US study on mainland media tells two stories", July 18, 2002
31. xinhuanet.com, "Chinese president calls for more global media exchanges", November 6, 2002
32. SCMP, "Hopes are dashed for easing of media grip", November 8, 2002
33. CNN, "China growth myths dispelled", October 30, 2002
34. AToL, China's numbers game, May 3, 2002
35. scmp.com, "Rosy economy beggars belief", June 19, 2002
36. xinhuanet.com, "Chinese premier urges more accurate statistics nationwide", October 28, 2002

אדם, חוה והתפוח בגירסא המודרנית.... לפרטים ולכתבה:
http://www.nrg.co.il/online/15/ART1/660/299.html     
 

17.11.07

00:12

לאחר מחשבה קצרה, הוחלט כי בהעדרם של השלישיה (אולמרט, ברק וליבני) שישהו שלושתם בארה"ב בוויעדת אנאפוליס, המועצה העליונה לביטחון תדאג להקמת "שלשית צללים סודית" בישראל, ושפעולותיה וסדר יומה יפורסמו. חבריה יהיו: יו"ר הכנסת דליה איציק, יו"ר האופוזיציה בנימין נתניהו ונציג מטעם "המשרד" ראין הווארד, שיהיה גם יו"ר השלישיה. במקום שני מר נתניהו. במקום שלישי, בגלל שהיא אישה ונציגת הרשות המחוקקת, דליה איציק.

לקריאת סדר היום המתוכנן - והוועדה באנפוליס: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=ddkrf76v_921fh9kqj