Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

December

• US INTELLIGENCE / CHINA VOA 28 Dec 2004 -- Challenges and shortcomings in the U.S. intelligence system made headlines this year, as President Bush signed into law the intelligence system's largest overhaul in decades. The solutions may be new, but problems in intelligence gathering are old. Recently declassified documents show American intelligence had difficulties obtaining accurate information during the Cold War, especially when the target was Communist China.
• China's National Defense in 2004 Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, December 2004, Beijing
• CHINA/ TAIWAN VOA 27 Dec 2004 -- China has threatened to crush Taiwan at any cost if the island declares independence. The belligerent rhetoric is at the center of a new national defense policy.
• CHINA-IRAQ VOA 23 Dec 2004 -- The Iraqi foreign minister is in China to strengthen bilateral relations. China is also hosting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is expected to sign an energy deal with Chinese leaders
• CHINA / TAIWAN / JAPAN VOA 23 Dec 2004 -- China has officially protested Japan's decision to allow Taiwan's former leader to visit.
• CHINA/ KOREAS TALKS VOA 21 Dec 2004 -- A senior South Korean official is in China this week in an effort to restart multi-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
• CHINA US TAIWAN VOA 21 Dec 2004 -- Beijing has condemned a new U.S. plan to replace its civilian defense contractors in Taiwan with active duty military personnel. As VOA's Benjamin Sand reports from the Chinese capital, Washington's plan reverses a 25-year practice of avoiding a direct U.S. military presence in Taiwan.
• CHINA/MACAU VOA 20 Dec 2004 -- Chinese President Hu Jintao hailed the success of the "one-country, two systems" policy in Macau Monday, as he led 5th anniversary celebrations of the former Portuguese enclave's return to China. But the Chinese leader expressed dissatisfaction with the leadership of Hong Kong
• CHINA/ TAIWAN LAW VOA 18 Dec 2004 -- Taiwan angrily denounced a proposed anti-secession law being considered in Beijing. As VOA's Benjamin Sand reports, officials in Taipei say the new law could provide mainland China with a legal pretext for a military assault on Taiwan.
• CHINA/JAPAN/NOKOR VOA 17 Dec 2004 -- Seven people believed to be North Koreans have entered a Japanese school in Beijing seeking refuge. As VOA's Benjamin Sand reports from the Chinese capital, the incident comes as Japanese relations with both North Korea and China are worsening.
• CHINA TAIWAN JAPAN VOA 16 Dec 2004 -- China has condemned Tokyo's decision to allow the former president of Taiwan to visit Japan. The conflict comes during a period of heightened tensions between China and Japan.
• CONGRESS / CHINA VOA 14 Dec 2004 -- U.S. lawmakers have renewed a call for China's government to free a woman who has campaigned against Beijing's one-child family policies.
• Russia/China: Beijing Announces Joint Military Exercises With Russia RFE/RL 14 Dec 2004 -- The government in Beijing says China and Russia will hold their first-ever joint military exercises in 2005. Moscow has long been the major arms supplier to its massive eastern neighbor. The announcement could signal that the former Cold War rivals are now seeking closer ties in order to act as a counterbalance to U.S. dominance. But one military analyst says the exercises will be more show than substance.
• CHINA-TAIWAN REAX VOA 13 Dec 2004 -- Chinese state media are lashing out at Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian, saying his party's loss in recent legislative elections is no guarantee that he will stop pushing his pro-independence agenda.
• E.U. WON'T NECESSARILY LIFT ARMS EMBARGO AGAINST CHINA IN 2005: ROC REP CNA 10 Dec 2004 -- The European Union will not necessarily lift its arms embargo against China in the first half of next year, Taiwan's representative to France said Friday.
• EU MIGHT LIFT CHINA ARMS EMBARGO IN FIRST HALF 2005: FOREIGN MINISTRY CNA 09 Dec 2004 -- Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said Thursday that the European Union is likely to lift its arms embargo against China during the first half of next year and that Taiwan is closely monitoring the development.
• EU / CHINA VOA 08 Dec 2004 -- The European Union says it is not yet ready to lift a 15-year-old ban on selling arms to China, but is working toward that goal. The arms embargo dominated a one-day EU-China summit in the Netherlands that both sides said strengthened their so-called strategic partnership.
• U.S. Official Warns EU About Lifting Arms Embargo Against China Washington File 07 Dec 2004 -- Any decision by the European Union (EU) to lift its arms embargo against China would have significant consequences for U.S. military exports to the EU, a State Department official says.
• CHINA-TIBET-MONK VOA 02 Dec 2004 -- China is suggesting it will go ahead with plans to execute Tibetan monk Tensin Deleg Rinpoche - convicted of a fatal bombing in 2002. The action would be despite protests from the United States and from the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
• U.S.-China-Iran VOA 01 Dec 2004 -- The United States said Wednesday it has imposed sanctions against four Chinese business entities and a North Korean state company for selling missiles or weapons of mass destruction technology to Iran. The proliferation issue also figured in State Department talks Wednesday between senior U.S. and Chinese diplomats.

  November

• CHINA/TAIWAN VOA 30 Nov 2004 -- Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's decision to hold a national referendum on revising the constitution in 2006 has further strained relations between the island and mainland China. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and says any moves toward independence will be countered by force. Analysts say the relationship between Beijing and Tapei will continue to be strained.
• CHINA-TAIWAN VOA 17 Nov 2004 -- Taiwan is again attempting to regain admission to the United Nations, and China, as usual, has quickly and loudly objected. Mainland officials on Wednesday had harsh words for the island's leaders, saying Taiwan is unfit to be a member of the world body.
• JAPAN/SUBMARINE VOA 16 Nov 2004 -- Japan says China has apologized for one of its submarines sailing into Japanese waters last week. China has refused to confirm the apology, saying only that a "diplomatic" resolution has been reached.
• CHINA-UNREST VOA 10 Nov 2004 -- China has been hit by a spate of riots in recent weeks due to ethnic, labor, and land disputes. The latest occurred in the major commercial city of Guangzhou, where reports say dozens of ethnic Uighurs clashed with police last weekend.
• CHINA-NOKOR REFUGEES VOA 09 Nov 2004 -- China is not confirming South Korean reports that it deported as many as 70 North Korean refugees. The reports come as China restarts efforts to revive the stalled multi-party negotiations on North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
• CHINA BUSH POLICY VOA 02 Nov 2004 -- China's government is playing down an editorial in an official newspaper that slammed President Bush's foreign policy on the eve of U.S. elections. The opinion article - written by China's former foreign minister - prompted U.S. officials to request a clarification.
• US / CHINA CRITICISM VOA 01 Nov 2004 -- The State Department said Monday U.S. diplomats are seeking clarification from Beijing after a sharply critical commentary on Bush administration foreign policy by China's former Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Quichen.
• CHINA-MARTIAL LAW VOA 01 Nov 2004 -- Chinese authorities have imposed martial law on parts of China's central Henan province after deadly clashes between China's ethnic Han majority and members of the Muslim Hui minority.
• CHINA / U.S. FOREIGN POLICY VOA 01 Nov 2004 -- On the eve of the U.S. presidential election, China has accused President Bush of trying to rule the world and says the Iraq war has made global terrorism and ethnic conflicts worse. This is the first time China has been outspoken on issues impacting Tuesday's presidential election.

  October

• CHINA-TAIWAN/POWELL REACTION VOA 27 Oct 2004 -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell upset leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait this week with comments he made about Taiwan. China's leaders are rejecting his call for a dialogue with Taiwan, and Taiwan's president has angrily reaffirmed his view that the island is an independent country.
• POWELL/CHINA VOA 24 Oct 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell is in China as part of a three-nation Asian tour to try to restart multi-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program.
• CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS: CHEN'S 'CHARM OFFENSIVE' IRKS PRC MEDIA US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 21 Oct 2004
• Talks Held between Kim Yong Nam and Wu Bangguo KCNA 20 Oct 2004 -- Talks were held between Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, and Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, at the Great Hall of the People Monday.
• Kim Yong Nam Pays Courtesy Call on Hu Jintao KCNA 20 Oct 2004 -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, on an official goodwill visit to China paid a courtesy call on Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the People's Republic of China, on Tuesday.
• CHINA-NORTH KOREA VOA 19 Oct 2004 -- Chinese officials report that a senior North Korean leader says his country wants to remain on track with six-nation negotiations on its nuclear ambitions. The comments would be a departure from earlier North Korean statements that the talks were useless and its push for talks with just the United States.
• Reply Message to Kim Jong Il from Chinese Party and State Leaders KCNA 18 Oct 2004 -- Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, and Pak Pong Ju, premier of the Cabinet, on Oct. 12 received a message from Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC and president of the People's Republic of China (PRC), Jiang Zemin, chairman of the Central Military Commission of the PRC, Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and Wen Jiabao, premier of the State Council, in reply to their message of greetings on the occasion of the 55th national day of the PRC.
• CHINA-TAIWAN VOA 13 Oct 2004 -- China says the Taiwan president's offer for a peace dialogue is meaningless and that the island's leader is angling to declare independence.
• KOREAS RELATIONS VOA 13 Oct 2004 -- China is working to get stalled talks about North Korea's nuclear weapons development back on track. This comes as South Korea's military is on the lookout for North Korean submarines that may have entered the South's waters.
• EU: Arms Embargo On Libya Lifted, But Decision On China Delayed REF/RL 12 Oct 2004 -- EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg yesterday, brought a formal end to the bloc's economic sanctions against Libya. The move, which included the lifting of an 18-year-old arms embargo, follows a decision by Libya last year to give up its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. EU officials say a desire to enlist Libyan help in combating illegal immigration was also a key factor in their decision. Meanwhile, the EU foreign ministers were unable to reach an agreement to lift the bloc's arms embargo on China following intense pressure from the United States.
• CHINA/TAIWAN VOA 11 Oct 2004 -- China has rejected Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's call for dialogue and peace talks. President Chen made the overture during a much-publicized National Day speech in Taipei on Sunday.
• CHINA/US/TAIWAN VOA 08 Oct 2004 -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has called on President Bush not to sell weapons to Taiwan. The appeal came in a telephone conversation between the two leaders.
• FRANCE / CHINA -ARMS EMBARGO VOA 07 Oct 2004 -- French President Jacques Chirac says he will lobby the European Union to lift its arms embargo on China, despite divisions within the EU on lifting the ban and opposition from the United States.
• Reception on Anniversary of DPRK-China Diplomatic Tie KCNA 07 Oct 2004 -- The Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the Central Committee of the Korea-China Friendship Association gave a reception at Pyongyang Koryo Hotel Tuesday on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and the People's Republic of China. Minister of Public Health Kim Su Hak who is chairman of the C.C., the Korea-China Friendship Association, addressing the reception, said the two peoples have steadily strengthened and developed friendly and cooperative relations in the political, economic, cultural and other fields over the last 55 years.
• Anniversary of Opening of DPRK-China Diplomatic Ties Observed KCNA 07 Oct 2004 -- Newspapers Wednesday dedicate editorial articles to the 55th anniversary of the opening of the DPRK-China diplomatic relations.

  September

• U.S.-China-Korea VOA 30 Sep 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Thursday they remain committed to six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, even though Pyongyang's refusal to attend scuttled hopes for a new round of negotiations in September.
• POWELL/CHINA/TAIWAN VOA 30 Sep 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell and his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, Thursday held what Mr. Powell termed a candid meeting at the State Department. They agreed on the need to continue Chinese-sponsored talks on North Korea's nuclear program, but clashed publicly over the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
• CHINA TAIWAN VOA 29 Sep 2004 -- China lashed out at Taiwan after the island's prime minister said it would defend itself by firing missiles at Shanghai in the event of an attack by China.
• CHINA/NOKOR REFUGEES VOA 29 Sep 2004 -- Diplomats in Beijing say at least 44 people claiming to be North Koreans have stormed the Canadian embassy in an apparent bid for asylum.
• CHINA LEADERSHIP TRANSITION: 'HU'S ON FIRST' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 22 Sep 2004
• CHINA U.S. WEAPONS VOA 23 Sep 2004 -- China has criticized U.S. sanctions against a state-run weapons supplier for exporting missiles.
• CHINA UIGHURS VOA 21 Sep 2004 -- China has protested to the United States after members of China's Uighur minority group announced the creation of a government in exile in Washington.
• China: Hu Consolidates Power RFE/RL 20 Sep 2004 -- Chinese President Hu Jintao yesterday took over leadership of the military from his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, marking the end of a two-year transfer of power in the world's most populous nation. Hu now holds China's three top posts: the Communist Party leadership, the presidency, and the central military commission chairmanship. What will he do with his newly acquired status?
• CHINA/JIANG REACT VOA 20 Sep 2004 -- Chinese President Hu Jintao's accession to full power and the final retirement of former President Jiang Zemin is being hailed as the start of a new era in Chinese politics. But few Chinese expect any fundamental changes in the Communist Party's control of the political system.
• CHINA-POLITICS VOA 19 Sep 2004 -- China's former President Jiang Zemin has retired from his post as chairman of the powerful central military commission, completing the transfer of power to President Hu Jintao. Communist Party leaders announced their decision Sunday after a secretive four-day meeting.
• CHINA POLITICS VOA 16 Sep 2004 -- Leaders of China's Communist Party have opened a four-day plenum amid reports of internal jockeying between supporters of President Hu Jintao and former President Jiang Zemin.
• CHINA-TAIWAN VOA 15 Sep 2004 -- China has lashed out at Taiwan after its leaders proposed using the name "Taiwan" more often than the island's official name - the Republic of China. The condemnation is the latest in what critics say is a renewed campaign by the mainland to isolate the self-governed island.
• CHINA PARTY POLITICS VOA 15 Sep 2004 -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has ruled out ever enacting a Western-style democratic system in his country. Chinese Communist Party leaders are preparing to open their annual meeting Thursday, amid wide speculation about possible changes in the party leadership.
• HONG KONG/ ELECTIONS VOA 13 Sep 2004 -- Pro-democracy candidates made slight gains in Hong Kong's legislative elections, but fell short of expectations. VOA's Benjamin Sand reports from Hong Kong, where the people turned out in record numbers to cast what analysts said was a vote for stability.
• CHINA-NOKOR VOA 09 Sep 2004 -- A high-ranking Chinese delegation led by Communist Party Politburo member Li Changchun is set to leave for North Korea in an effort to restart talks on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs.
• Export Licenses for Chinese Nuclear Reactor Components Issued Washington File 03 Sep 2004 -- NRC approves transfers of nuclear technology to China for civilian uses

  August

• CHINA/US/UIGHURS VOA 17 Aug 2004 -- China has expressed displeasure with a U.S. decision not to return to China a group of Chinese Muslims, known as Uighurs, who might soon be freed from detention in Guantanamo Bay.
• CHINA/TAIWAN VOA 16 Aug 2004 -- China has written a letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, condemning Taiwan's latest bid to join the world body. China's government accuses Taiwan of bringing relations to what it describes as the "brink of danger."
• CHINA/PAKISTAN MILITARY VOA 06 Aug 2004 -- China and Pakistan have held joint anti-terror military exercises in China's predominantly Muslim northwestern region.
• US CHINA TAIWAN VOA 03 Aug 2004 -- A leading U.S. senator says Washington will continue to sell weapons to Taiwan, despite opposition from the Chinese government. The arms deal dominated discussions between a U.S. Senate delegation and the head of China's parliament.

  July

• EAST ASIA'S 'LARGE-SCALE WAR GAMES' SPUR WARNINGS OF 'ESCALATION' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 30 Jul 2004
• NOKOR / TALKS VOA 29 Jul 2004 -- China and the United States have begun talks on ending the nuclear standoff with North Korea. The move comes as Pyongyang lashed out at Seoul for taking in a record number of North Korean refugees this week.
• CHINA/U.S. SPY VOA 28 Jul 2004 -- A Chinese-born American citizen will soon go on trial in China, accused of spying for political rival Taiwan.
• INDIA/CHINA TALKS VOA 27 Jul 2004 -- India and China have ended two days of talks on a boundary dispute that has troubled relations between the two countries for decades.
• CHINA / U.S. / TAIWAN VOA 23 Jul 2004 -- The Chinese foreign minister told a top U.S. commander Friday that military exchanges between Washington and Taipei must come to an end. The comments were made as both Taiwan and China begin military exercises and as cross-strait relations are strained.
• CHINA-U.S. WEAPONS VOA 20 Jul 2004 -- U.S. experts are calling on China to help prevent nuclear weapons from ending up in the hands of terrorists.
• Wu Bangguo Meets DPRK Military Delegation KCNA 15 Jul 2004 -- Wu Bangguo, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Tuesday met and had a friendly talk with the DPRK military delegation led by Vice-Marshal Kim Il Chol, member of the DPRK National Defence Commission and minister of the People's Armed Forces, at the Great Hall of the People.
• CHINA-U.S.-TIBET VOA 13 Jul 2004 -- China has rejected U.S. calls for dialogue between Chinese government and the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
• CHINA / RICE VOA 09 Jul 2004 -- China's leaders have stressed their concerns about U.S. ties with Taiwan to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. Ms. Rice wrapped up two days of meetings with Chinese officials before heading to South Korea, the next stop of her Asian tour.
• CHINA/RICE VOA 08 Jul 2004 -- Warm words, but also serious discussions on issues including North Korea and Taiwan marked the start of U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice's trip to China.
• CHINA/RICE VOA 08 Jul 2004 -- Warm words about U.S.-China relations marked the start of U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice's trip to Beijing. She is expected to discuss North Korea's nuclear weapons and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan with China's leaders.
• HONG KONG DEMOCRACY / CHINA VOA 07 Jul 2004 -- Less than a week after hundreds of thousands of people protested for greater democracy, Hong Kong's leader says he is powerless to ask Beijing to reconsider its decision to deny universal suffrage to Hong Kong's people.

  June

• CHINA-CENTRAL ASIA SUMMIT VOA 17 Jun 2004 -- Leaders of China, Russia, and four Central Asian republics have agreed to bolster their new security alliance. At a meeting in Uzbekistan, they pledged to support Afghanistan's efforts to maintain stability.
• CHINA / N. KOREAN REFUGEES VOA 17 Jun 2004 -- South Korea has summoned the ambassador of China, after Beijing repatriated seven North Koreans who crossed illegally into China. North Koreans who are returned face harsh treatment.
• U-S / CHINA VOA 15 Jun 2004 -- The bipartisan U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission is warning Congress that current trends in the U.S. relationship with China will lead to long-term threats for U.S. economic and national security interests. The commission's annual report was released in Washington.
• China sets 6-way talks on N Korea nuke issue June 23-26 IRNA 14 Jun 2004 -- China has decided to hold the third round of six-nation talks on North Korea`s nuclear ambitions June 23-26 in Beijing, conference sources said Monday.
• U-S-CHINA-TIANANMEN VOA 04 Jun 2004 -- The United States marked the 15th anniversary of China's violent crackdown on protesters in Beijing with a call on Chinese leaders to reassess the 1989 events in Tiananmen Square. China has long defended its use of force against students as necessary to end a "counter-revolutionary" rebellion.
• BEIJING'S MAY 17 STATEMENT HAS SOME POSITIVE ELEMENTS: STATE DEP'T CNA 03 Jun 2004 -- A senior U.S. State Department official said Wednesday that although Beijing's statement issued May 17 was filled with personal criticism against Taiwan's leadership, there were some elements that people across the Taiwan Strait could focus on to work toward a peaceful resolution to cross-strait differences.
• BEIJING MILITARY BUILDUP DESTABILIZING: U.S. CNA 02 Jun 2004 -- The United States considers the mainland Chinese military buildup as destabilizing, according to the spokesman for the U.S. State Department.
• U.S. Concerned Over Possible End of EU Arms Embargo against China Washington File 02 Jun 2004 -- Following is the answer to a reporter's question on the possible lifting of the European Union (EU) arms embargo against China. The question was taken at the June 1 regular State Department briefing and posted later that day
• CHINA ROUNDUP: BEIJING'S 'TENSE' RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN AND HONG KONG US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 02 Jun 2004
• CHINA / NOKOR VOA 01 Jun 2004 -- Some six people identifying themselves as North Koreans entered the compound of the German school in the Chinese capital on Tuesday seeking asylum.

  May

• CHINA/U-S VOA 30 May 2004 -- President Bush has reaffirmed his commitment to the "one-China" policy in a conversation with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao. As Celia Hatton reports from Beijing, the reassurance came after China criticized the United States for allowing Taiwan's vice president to make transit stops in the United States en route to and from Central America.
• Department of Defense Releases FY04 Report to Congress on PRC Military Power 29 May 2004 -- The Department of Defense has released its annual report to congress on military power in the People's Republic of China.
• BEIJING FORGED DOCUMENTS OF TAIWAN'S INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES: ICHRD CNA 28 May 2004 -- The Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy (ICHRD) of China criticized Beijing's Ministry of State Security Friday for forging documents of Taiwan's intelligence agencies to accuse exiled mainland Chinese pro-democracy activists of working for the Republic of China government.
• Pakistan, China to hold regular naval exercises IRNA 29 May 2004 -- Pakistan and China have decided to continue holding naval exercises, particularly in non-traditional security fields to strengthen their defence capabilities and enhance processional skills.
• BEIJING AMPHIBIOUS CAPABILITY INSUFFICIENT IN FIVE YEARS: U.S. REPORT CNA 29 May 2004 -- The U.S. Pentagon said in a military capability report of mainland China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) that mainland China will probably be unable to conduct large-scale amphibious warfare within five years.
• CHINA-TAIWAN VOA 24 May 2004 -- China has broken its silence following last week's inaugural speech by Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian. Chinese officials on Monday accused him of lacking sincerity in efforts to improve relations.
• Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China 23 May 2004 -- Historical facts indicate that the institution of regional ethnic autonomy in Tibet was the natural result of social progress in Tibet, and that it accords with the fundamental interests of the Tibetan people and the inexorable law of development of human society. The institution of regional ethnic autonomy in Tibet is the logical outcome of the Tibetan people's adherence to development along the road of Chinese-style socialism under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and also the basic institutional guarantee for Tibetans to be true masters of their own affairs.
• China Says No Autonomy for Tibet VOA News 23 May 2004 -- Beijing released a lengthy report Sunday saying its controversial "one country, two systems" policy does not apply to the region, saying Tibet has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times.
• Export Controls Aimed at China Facing Administration Opposition Washington File 20 May 2004 -- The Bush administration is likely to oppose a provision in a House of Representatives defense bill for tightening export controls in order to prevent increased arms trade with China, a Department of Commerce official says.
• Curbing "Taiwan Independence" Urgent Task Xinhuanet 17 May 2004 -- The Office for Taiwan Affairs under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCCPC) and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council were authorized to issue a statement on current cross-Straits relations on Monday.
• Taiwan Affairs Office Issues Statement on Current Cross-Straits Relations (17/05/04) At present, the relations across the Taiwan Straits are severely tested. To put a resolute check on the "Taiwan independence" activities aimed at dismembering China, and to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits are the most pressing tasks before the compatriots on both sides of the Straits.
• CHINA-TAIWAN VOA 17 May 2004 -- China is warning Taiwan it will crush any move toward independence thoroughly and at any cost. The warning comes as Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian prepares to deliver his inaugural speech this week.
• CONGRESS/CHINA VOA 13 May 2004 -- Members of Congress have sharply criticized China for sentencing a U-S based political dissident, Yang Jianli, to five years in prison on charges including espionage. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill call the sentence, coming after two years of detention for Mr. Yang, unjustified and urged Beijing to release him.
• BRITAIN/CHINA VOA 10 May 2004 -- China has expressed concern about instability in Iraq and has called for the United Nations to take the lead in handling the situation. The issue came up at talks in London between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
• HONG KONG / CHINA VOA 08 May 2004 -- China has warned Hong Kong's legislature it has no right to criticize a ruling by Beijing limiting the development of democracy in Hong Kong. The warning was the first attempt by Beijing to restrict legislative debate in Hong Kong since the colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
• PAKISTAN / CHINA / NUCLEAR VOA 04 May 2004 -- China has signed an agreement to build a second nuclear power plant in Pakistan.

  April

• NORTH KOREA TALKS VOA 29 Apr 2004 -- China has confirmed working meetings will convene next month on the North Korean nuclear issue. The May discussions are aimed at resolving obstacles to a third round of high-level talks.
• Fact Sheet:China: Nuclear Disarmament and Reduction of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China 27 Apr 2004
• Fact Sheet:China: Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China 27 Apr 2004
• Fact Sheet:China: Nuclear-Weapon Proliferation Prevention Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China 27 Apr 2004
• China to Donate Emergency Relief Goods to DPRK KCNA 26 Apr 2004 -- The Chinese government decided to donate emergency relief goods worth 10 million Renminbi Yuan to the DPRK in connection with the wagon explosion that occurred due to carelessness at Ryongchon Railway Station, North Phyongan Province on April 22.
• U-S / CHINA VOA 22 Apr 2004 -- Progress on trade between the United States and China is the highlight of a visit to Washington this week by Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi. But at the same time, as V-O-A's Stephanie Ho reports, U-S officials have more sobering assessments on human rights and defense issues in China, in testimony today (Thursday) before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
• FBI Director Looks Forward to Building Strong Ties with Beijing Washington File 22 Apr 2004 -- Robert Mueller, director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), says he looks forward to good cooperation between Beijing and the United States in the area of law enforcement.
• HONG KONG FBI CHIEF VOA 22 Apr 2004 -- The head of the U-S Federal Bureau of Investigation says Washington's partnership with Beijing and Hong Kong is strong in the fight against terrorism - but warned the need for vigilance remains high.
• CHINA/NOKOR VOA 22 Apr 2004 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is back home, after a short and secretive visit to neighboring China. Chinese authorities are confirming he did not return to Pyongyang empty-handed.
• HONG KONG CHINA VOA 22 Apr 2004 -- China has barred two Hong Kong opposition lawmakers from entering the mainland - where a meeting on the future of Hong Kong political reforms is being held.
• CHINA-NOKOR VOA 21 Apr 2004 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has concluded a secretive, three-day visit to Beijing, where he agreed to carry on with negotiations to end his country's nuclear standoff with the United States.
• CHINA-NOKOR VOA 20 Apr 2004 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has met with senior Chinese leaders during his secretive visit to Beijing. Officials on both sides have refused to discuss the visit.
• CHINA / NORTH KOREANS VOA 19 Apr 2004 -- Tens of thousands of North Koreans, fleeing the starving conditions in their country, have tried to make lives for themselves on the Chinese side of the Sino-Korean border. But the conditions there are also precarious. On Monday, panelists testified to a U-S government commission that Washington should pressure Beijing to allow the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations to help the North Koreans.
• CHINA/NOKOR VISIT VOA 19 Apr 2004 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has arrived in Beijing for a secretive visit, just days after U-S Vice President Dick Cheney left.
• MAC CLOSELY MONITORING REPORTED BEIJING SPY CRACKDOWN CNA 17 Apr 2004 -- The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) will closely monitor developments in a reported new mainland Chinese crackdown on Taiwan espionage activities in mainland China, a senior official said Friday.
• CHINA U-N HUMAN RIGHTS VOA 16 Apr 2004 -- China is praising the United Nations Commission on Human Rights' decision to block a U-S motion to condemn Beijing's human rights record.
• INTELLIGENCE UNIT MUM OVER REPORTS ABOUT BEIJING SPY CRACKDOWN CNA 15 Apr 2004 -- The Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) stayed buttoned up Thursday amid reports from Hong Kong that Beijing cracked down on a Taiwan spy ring before the March 20 presidential election, arresting several officers of the People's Liberation Army.
• EU: Brussels Unlikely To Lift Arms Embargo On China Despite Warming Ties RFE/RL 15 Apr 2004 -- Romano Prodi, the president of the European Commission, this week became the first head of the EU's executive arm to visit China. Prodi met the Chinese president and prime minister to discuss a wide range of issues with one of the EU's foremost "strategic partners." However, he could do little to address the key Chinese concern -- to secure the quick lifting of an EU weapons embargo.
• CHENEY-ASIA VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- U-S Vice President Dick Cheney concluded his visit to China Thursday with a warning about North Korea's nuclear weapons program and a reaffirmation of Washington's long-standing policy on Taiwan
• CHINA/TAIWAN VOA 14 Apr 2004 -- China is lashing out at Taiwan's president for advocating a new constitution for the island, which Beijing claims is a veiled timetable for independence. China's warning comes as Vice President Dick Cheney is in Beijing, discussing Taiwan with Chinese officials.
• CHINA/BRITAIN/HONG KONG VOA 08 Apr 2004 -- China has rejected concerns expressed by Britain over Beijing's re-interpretation of Hong Kong's mini-constitution, or "Basic Law."
• CHINA/HONG KONG VOA 07 Apr 2004 -- A senior Chinese government official is in Hong Kong for what some observers are calling a "charm offensive." His delegation aims to ease fears over a controversial ruling by the central Chinese government.
• KOREAS/TALKS VOA 06 Apr 2004 -- China may make it easier for North Korean refugees to pass through its territory on their way to South Korea. In the meantime, talks about restoring transportation links between the two Koreas appear to be getting back on track.
• HONG KONG/REAX VOA 06 Apr 2004 -- Hong Kong democracy activists reacted with alarm after China's central government asserted its right to final authority over the territory's political future.
• CHINA-HONG KONG VOA 06 Apr 2004 -- China says Hong Kong's government must petition Beijing if it wants to make any changes to its electoral laws. The ruling is prompting outrage among pro-democracy advocates in the former British colony.
• CHINA/TIANANMEN ARRESTS VOA 02 Apr 2004 -- China says it has released three women detained this week for their efforts to seek justice for relatives killed in the government's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
• CHINA-U-S TAIWAN VOA 01 Apr 2004 -- China is accusing the United States of breaking promises it made more than three decades ago to recognize Beijing as the only legitimate government of China. The accusation came as Chinese officials called on Washington to stop selling weapons to Taiwan.

  March

• U-S-CHINA ARRESTS VOA 31 Mar 2004 -- The United States Wednesday called on China to release three women who had been campaigning for reparations for victims of the 1989 military crackdown on student protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The three women, who are mothers or wives of victims of the mass killing, were taken into custody last Sunday.
• CHINA / DETENTIONS VOA 30 Mar 2004 -- Chinese security agents have arrested three outspoken relatives of victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.
• HONG KONG / CHINA REFORMS VOA 29 Mar 2004 -- The United States has again said it supports wider democracy in Hong Kong, where a wide-ranging debate is underway about allowing direct elections. Beijing says it has the right to decide.
• NORKOR/PARLIAMENT VOA 26 Mar 2004 -- China's foreign minister says he has received assurances from North Korea that it will push ahead for a third round of six-party talks on its nuclear weapons programs.
• Kim Yong Nam Meets PRC Foreign Minister and His Party KCNA 25 Mar 2004 -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, met Li Zhaoxing, foreign minister of the People's Republic of China, and his party and talked with them in a friendly atmosphere at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
• Kim Jong Il Meets Chinese Foreign Minister KCNA 25 Mar 2004 -- Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, Wednesday received Li Zhaoxing, foreign minister of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and his party on a visit to the DPRK.
• NOKOR/REFUGEES VOA 25 Mar 2004 -- South Korea is trying to confirm reports that about 100 North Korean refugees at a detention center in China are on hunger strike to protest plans to repatriate them. The South Korean authorities say they are willing to accept North Korean refugees who want to go to the South.
• CHINA/JAPAN/ISLANDS VOA 25 Mar 2004 -- China is protesting Japan's detention of Chinese activists who landed on a disputed island in the East China Sea. Japan says it plans to return the activists to China after questioning them. The detention of the seven men has prompted protests outside the Japanese Embassy in the Chinese capital.
• PRC Foreign Minister and His Party Arrive KCNA 24 Mar 2004 -- Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China Li Zhaoxing and his party arrived here today at the invitation of Paek Nam Sun, foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
• Talks Held between DPRK and PRC Foreign Ministers KCNA 24 Mar 2004 -- Talks were held between Paek Nam Sun, foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Li Zhaoxing, foreign minister of the People's Republic of China, here today.
• N. KOREA / NUCLEAR TALKS VOA 24 Mar 2004 -- China's Foreign Minister met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il Wednesday, in hopes of pushing diplomacy forward on the issue of the North's nuclear weapons programs.
• U-S / CHINA VOA 23 Mar 2004 -- The United States is dismissing Chinese criticism of a U-S plan to seek a resolution criticizing Beijing's human rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
• Chinese Defence Minister for furthering Pak-China ties IRNA 23 Mar 2004 -- The Defence Minister of China, General Cao Gangchuan, has said that Beijing wants to further enhance and strengthen its relations with Islamabad in all areas concerning the three services, it was officially announced Tuesday.
• CHINA / NORTH KOREA VOA 23 Mar 2004 -- China's Foreign Minister is making a rare visit to North Korea for talks expected to try and find a way to bring about a resumption of stalled six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.
• China: How Significant Are The Recent Changes To The Constitution? RFE/RL 22 Mar 2004 -- Recent changes to China's constitution now recognize private property as being "inviolable" and say the state has an obligation to "respect and preserve" human rights. These are strong words for the world's biggest communist state. But it's unclear yet whether the amendments are simply words on paper or something more.
• ISRAEL/CHINA VOA 21 Mar 2004 -- A high-level Israeli delegation has flown to China for talks on rebuilding military ties between the two countries. The discussions are the first in more than three years, after Israel canceled the planned sale of spy planes to Beijing in the face pressure from the United States.
• Establishment of working group "indispensable" for six-paty talks: FM PLA Daily 19 Mar 2004 -- Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan said here Thursday that establishing a workinggroup as soon as possible is "indispensable" for the third round of six-party talks to make substantial progress.
• Qinshan nuclear reactor put into operation PLA Daily 18 Mar 2004 -- The No 2 reactor of the second phase project at the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant -- independently designed and built by China -- joined the nation's electrical power grid and began generating power at 12:18 am Thursday.
• CHINA/NOKOR NUKES VOA 18 Mar 2004 -- China will send its foreign minister to North Korea for the first time in five years. The two countries plan to discuss the next step toward solving the dispute over North Korea's nuclear programs.
• Carrier rocket for Shenzhou VI to be shipped in June or July,2005 PLA Daily 17 Mar 2004 -- China will see the shipment of the carrier rocket for Shenzhou VI, the country's second manned space flight to be launched in 2005, in June or July next year, revealed a top scientist Monday.
• Chinese, French navies hold maritime drill PLA Daily 17 Mar 2004 -- Two Chinese naval warships and two French warships ended a joint maritime drill Tuesday afternoon off the coast of Qingdao, a port city in east China's Shandong province.
• CHINA / CONGRESS VOA 15 Mar 2004 -- The amendment of China's constitution to include the protection of private property rights is being hailed as an important step in the country's transition from a socialist system to a free-market economy. But some analysts question whether the amendment will bring about any true changes.
• CHINA / CONGRESS VOA 14 Mar 2004 -- China's parliament ended its annual session Sunday with nearly three thousand delegates approving changes to the country's Constitution. The changes, which include the protection of private property rights, are seen as yet another push by China to build a more capitalist society.
• Powell-China VOA 12 Mar 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed China's human rights record in a telephone talk Friday with his Chinese counterpart foreign minister Li Zhaoxing. U-S officials say Mr. Powell told him the United States is all but certain to sponsor a resolution critical of China at next week's meeting of the U-N Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
• TAIWAN ELECTION PREVENTS QUICK E.U. REMOVAL OF ARMS EMBARGO ON CHINA CNA 12 Mar 2004 -- The Commission of the European Union feels that as Taiwan's presidential election is approaching, the E.U. cannot make a formal decision in its upcoming summit meeting to remove an arms sales embargo on mainland China, an influential French newspaper reported Thursday.
• TWO MEN INDICTED FOR SPYING FOR BEIJING CNA 11 Mar 2004 -- A former civilian worker of the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) was indicted Thursday by prosecutors for spying for Beijing, along with another civilian MIB worker who was accused of helping him.
• TAIWAN MONITORING BEIJING'S ROLE IN TALKS ABOUT NORTH KOREA: OFFICIAL CNA 11 Mar 2004 -- Taiwan is keeping a close eye on just-concluded multiparty talks over North Korea's nuclear program in Beijing, worried that Beijing's emergence as a leading player in the talks will give it extra diplomatic leverage against Washington and Tokyo, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.
• CHINA-CONGRESS VOA 06 Mar 2004 -- Amid rising tensions over Taiwan, China has announced it is boosting its military spending by more than 11 percent. Officials at the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress reaffirmed China's resolve to retain its claim over the island.
• CHINA-CONGRESS VOA 05 Mar 2004 -- China's main legislative body began its yearly 10-day session Friday with Communist leaders promising to work harder to close the growing gap between the country's rich and poor.
• POWELL / CHINA VOA 03 Mar 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell told Congress Wednesday the United States is likely to sponsor a resolution critical of China at the upcoming meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. He spoke as the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging the Bush administration to take such action at the U-N meeting, which opens in Geneva March 15th.
• CHINA SPY ARRESTS VOA 03 Mar 2004 -- Authorities in China's Guangdong province will issue a verdict in a few days against a British citizen charged with espionage. The man is one of three people arrested last year in China while traveling on Hong Kong travel documents.
• CHINA: Nuclear Export Control List Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China 02 Mar 2004
• China and the United States strengthen military exchanges PLA Daily 01 Mar 2004 -- On February 24-28, the Command Ship "Blue Ridge" of the Seventh Fleet of the US Navy, under its Commander Vice Admiral Willard, paid its third visit to Shanghai.

  February

• PLA PONDERING TAIWAN INVASION OPTION: U.S. PUNDIT CNA 29 Feb 2004 -- A U.S. scholar of national defense affairs said in Taipei Sunday that he has learned that the mainland Chinese military has been pondering a sweeping attack on Taiwan.
• China unveils lunar probe project details PLA Daily 27 Feb 2004 -- China's long-expected lunar probe program broke the ground Thursday, with its scientific targets, project targets and the development schedule laid out, said China's Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense.
• China slams US human rights report PLA Daily 27 Feb 2004 -- China on Thursday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the United States for its report condemning China's human rights record.
• Taiwan referendum condemned PLA Daily 26 Feb 2004 -- A Chinese government spokesman Wednesday reiterated the denunciation of the referendum to be called by the Taiwan authorities on March 20, claiming that the separatism intention could never be concealed.
• Nuclear free penninsula in interests of all six nations: Chinese official PLA Daily 26 Feb 2004 -- All sides in the six-party talks agreed that a nuclear weapon free Korean Penninsula is in the interests of all nations involved and conducive to peace, stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia, said a Chinese official here Wednesday.
• First day "important beginning" of six-party talks, FM PLA Daily 26 Feb 2004 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said here Wednesday that the discussions and various forms of contacts during the first day of the six-party talks marked "an important beginning" for seeking a solution.
• Shenzhou VI to fly five to seven days in space PLA Daily 24 Feb 2004 -- Shenzhou VI, China's second manned space flight to be launched next year, is scheduled to fly five to seven days, says Wang Yongzhi, chief designer of China's manned space program.
• Egyptian army leader meets Chinese military delegation PLA Daily 24 Feb 2004 -- Hamdy Weheba, chief of staff of the Egyptian armed forces, met with a Chinese military delegation hereon Sunday.
• China, Russia urge all sides to show flexibility and sincerity in six-party talks PLA Daily 24 Feb 2004 -- Chinese and Russian officials here Monday urged all sides of the six-party talks "to show flexibility and sincerity" and "avoid confrontations" when holding discussions on concrete problems.
• China plans to put two people into space in 2005 PLA Daily 23 Feb 2004 -- China, which last year became the third nation to blast a man into space, plans to send two astronauts up on a five-to-seven-day mission in 2005 and later build a space station, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.
• "One country" is premise and basis of "two systems" PLA Daily 23 Feb 2004 -- The principle of "one country, two systems" should be understood in a correct and all around way and should not be deliberately misrepresented, said a signed article published by Xinhua News Agency here Sunday.
• Deng Xiaoping on "one country, two systems" PLA Daily 20 Feb 2004 -- As the 14th anniversary of the promulgation of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region approaches, the Xinhua News Agency is authorized Thursday to republish late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's remarks on the concept of "one country, two systems."
• Heads of delegations to six-party talks fixed: China PLA Daily 20 Feb 2004 -- China on Thursday said that the heads of the delegations to the upcoming second round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue have been fixed.
• CHINA-TAIWAN MISSILES VOA 19 Feb 2004 -- China is criticizing Taiwan's plans to purchase anti-missile equipment from the United States.
• China to study Bush's address and PSI: FM spokeswoman PLA Daily 18 Feb 2004 -- The Chinese government will seriously study the recent speech by US President George W. Bush on non-proliferation and his proposals to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said here Tuesday.
• CHINA-U-S DEFENSE VOA 17 Feb 2004 -- China says it shares the United States' desire to secure peace on the Korean Peninsula, but stops short of saying it has reached an agreement with Washington on what demands to make of North Korea at talks next week.
• New round six-party talks to have substantial discussions:Chinese vice FM PLA Daily 16 Feb 2004 -- The second round six-party talks will have "substantial" discussions over the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said a visiting Chinese diplomat here on Saturday.
• CHINA/US/BOLTON VOA 16 Feb 2004 -- A top U-S security official says that whether negotiations next week ultimately lead to an end to the North Korean nuclear crisis will depend on Pyongyang. Undersecretary of State John Bolton has begun two days of consultations with Chinese officials.
• China urges EU to lift arms embargo at early date: FM PLA Daily 13 Feb 2004 -- China hopes the European Union (EU) will lift its arms embargo against China at an early date, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue here Thursday.
• U.S. OFFICIAL REPORTEDLY ASKS M'LAND TO REMOVE MISSILES AIMED AT ROC CNA 13 Feb 2004 -- A senior U.S. defense official told mainland Chinese officials earlier this week in Beijing that mainland China should withdraw its deployed missiles aimed at Taiwan.
• FM: China appreciates Powell's comments on Taiwan PLA Daily 13 Feb 2004 -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Thursday expressed China's appreciation for US Secretary of State Colin Powell's comments that the United States saw no need for Taiwan's "referendum" in the near future.
• China takes active part in non-proliferation: ambassador PLA Daily 13 Feb 2004 -- Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Hu Xiaodi said here on Thursday that China has been taking an active part in non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as the issue is growing salient in international security.
• China firmly opposes WMD proliferation: FM PLA Daily 13 Feb 2004 -- China firmly opposes the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery and will be making more domestic and international non-proliferation efforts, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue here Thursday.
• No "exact date" yet for lifting arms embargo on China: Solana PLA Daily 12 Feb 2004 -- EU foreign and security policy chief Javier Solana said Wednesday that the discussions on lifting arms embargo against China within the European Union (EU) are "on right track," but he could not tell the "exact date" for the lifting at present.
• EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER MAY ENCOURAGE BEIJING TO INVADE TAIWAN CNA 12 Feb 2004 -- The transfer of European technology to mainland China could encourage Beijing to invade Taiwan, Vice President Annette Lu warned Thursday.
• Chen Shui-bian's cross-Strait framework assertion deceitful words PLA Daily 12 Feb 2004 -- A Chinese government spokesman said Wednesday that the assertion by Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian that he would establish a so-called framework for cross-Straits peace and stability was deceitful.
• Chen's latest peace overtures "deceptive talk" China Daily 11 Feb 2004 -- With less than 40 days to go before Taiwan's "presidential" elections, Beijing Wednesday rejected the island leader's latest peace overtures as "deceptive talk."
• US-China-Taiwan VOA 11 Feb 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell told Congress Wednesday the United States is lobbying hard against a French-led effort to lift the European Union ban on arms sales to China. Weapons sales bans by the United States and E-U have been in place against China since the lethal 1989 Chinese military crackdown on democracy protestors in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
• Chinese defense minister meets US under secretary of defense PLA Daily 11 Feb 2004 -- Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan reiterated China's stance on the Taiwan issue here Tuesday, saying "Chinese people themselves are more eager than any other to realize the peaceful reunification of China."
• China rejects allegation of US military technology acquisition from Boeing PLA Daily 11 Feb 2004 -- The allegation that China obtained military navigation technology used on advanced US missiles and warplanes from US aviation giant Boeing is completely groundless, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tuesday.
• DPRK and China to Take Joint Action in Upcoming Six-way Talks KCNA 11 Feb 2004 -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA Tuesday as regards the recent visit to China by the DPRK vice foreign minister and his party: Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan visited China from February 7 to 10 at the invitation of the Chinese side.
• FM on Diaoyu Islands PLA Daily 11 Feb 2004 -- China resolutely opposes and will absolutely not accept Japan's attempt to impose pressure on it with a third country, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue here Tuesday.
• China, DPRK active on progress of six-way talks PLA Daily 10 Feb 2004 -- China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) promised on Monday their readiness to make joint efforts with all parties concerned to work for progressat the second round of Beijing six-way talks and to carry forward the process of the talks.
• CHINA-US DEFENSE VOA 10 Feb 2004 -- A U-S delegation is in China, where the two nations have opened the highest-level defense consultations in more than a year.
• East China Sea Fleet makes breakthrough in new fighter training PLA Daily 09 Feb 2004 -- On January 31, in the airspace above the East China Sea, a number of new fighters pierced the clouds and mist and successfully broke through the "enemy's" defense line by way of hedge-hopping flight and attacked the fleet of the enemy by firing air to ship missiles.
• Intelligence support capability of a Guangzhou MAC radar brigade greatly boosted PLA Daily 09 Feb 2004 -- A radar brigade of the Guangzhou Military Area Command Air Force has greatly boosted its intelligence support capability by conducting online confrontation exercises and radar mobile exercises under near-real war situations.
• CHINA-TAIWAN: PRC WARNS CHEN AGAINST 'PLAYING WITH FIRE' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 06 Feb 2004
• PLA to strengthen professional training for military system reform PLA Daily 05 Feb 2004 -- The enrollment in military schools is to be increased, and short-term training is to be instituted for newly appointed noncommissioned officers, to meet the needs of the ongoing military system reform, sources at the Headquarters of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said here Wednesday.
• Vice FM on upcoming second round of six-party talks PLA Daily 05 Feb 2004 -- China expects and believes that all parties concerned will continue their efforts to create a better atmosphere and conditions for the upcoming second round of six-party talks, said Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo here Wednesday.
• Olive Branch an Illusion China Daily 05 Feb 2004 -- On the surface, Taiwan "president" Chen Shui-bian's offer of "peaceful and stable interaction" with the mainland appears to be an olive branch that is difficult to resist.
• Alarm over Chen's Independence Moves China Daily 05 Feb 2004 -- Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian's decision to hold a referendum on March 20 is a serious incident, in that it overtly provokes the Chinese mainland by spelling out an issue that has hitherto been unspecific and murky.
• Experts rebuke Chen Shui-bian's peace talk as 'hoax' China Daily 04 Feb 2004 -- Leading mainland experts on Taiwan studies yesterday criticized Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian's latest peace overtures as "nothing new'' and "a hoax aimed at wooing votes.''
• China concerned about Japan dispatching troops to Iraq: FM spokeswoman PLA Daily 04 Feb 2004 -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said here Tuesday that China is concerned about Japan sending troops to Iraq.
• China to start astronaut training for Shenzhou VI PLA Daily 03 Feb 2004 -- China's astronaut team is to start training in March for the nation's second manned space flight on Shenzhou VI, reported the Beijing Youth Daily on Monday.
• US pressing EU to uphold arms embargo against China PLA DAily 02 Feb 2004 -- The Bush administration has quietly lodged a series of formal protests with the European Union and its members in an attempt to persuade the body not to lift its 14-year ban on weapons trade with China, the Washington Post reported.

  January

• China to launch new solid-fuel rocket PLA Daily 30 Jan 2004 -- China plans to launch a new generation of rockets later this year. The small satellite launch vehicle, Explorer I, will use solid fuel to carry a scientific experimental satellite into space. The new breed of rocket is needed to complement the Long March group, the country's large-scale liquid-fuel space launchers.
• Armitage arrives in Beijing for talks on North Korea, Iraq PLA Daily 30 Jan 2004 -- Deputy US Secretary of State Richard Armitage arrived in China for a visit that the US embassy said would focus on the year-long North Korean nuclear crisis and Iraq reconstruction.
• China urges EU to lift arms embargo PLA Daily 30 Jan 2004 -- The European Union's (EU) arms embargo on China should be lifted, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said here Thursday. Zhang said the arms embargo was a product of the Cold War era, which hampered cooperation between China and EU members.
• Timetable for six-party talks still not fixed: Chinese FM PLA Daily 30 Jan 2004 -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said here Thursday that the timetable for a second sound of six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue has still not been fixed.
• U.S. FAVORS CONTINUING BAN ON ARMS SALES TO M'LAND CHINA CNA 29 Jan 2004 -- Washington is of the opinion that the United States and the European Union should maintain their current ban on the sale of arms to mainland China, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Wednesday.
• Arms embargo on China makes no more sense: Chirac PLA Daily 29 Jan 2004 -- The arms embargo on China makes no more sense today, French President Jacques Chirac said here Tuesday at a joint news conference with his visiting Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao.
• EU considers lifting arms embargo on China PLA Daily 29 Jan 2004 -- The European Union (EU) is considering to lift the ban of arms sale to China, the foreign ministers' meeting of EU members and would-be members revealed Monday.
• EU SNUBS PARIS OVER ARMS FOR BEIJING CNA 27 Jan 2004 -- The London-based Daily Telegraph newspaper reported Monday that a French attempt to lift the European Union arms embargo against mainland China has been rejected by foreign affairs ministers of EU member states amid concern over Beijing's human rights record and belligerent attitude toward Taiwan.
• FRANCE/CHINA VOA 26 Jan 2004 -- France has called for the European Union to agree to lift its arms embargo on China. French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin made the proposal while China's president is in Paris to celebrate the 40th anniversary of French-Chinese relations.
• China concerned over unilateral oil bidding in disputed waters PLA Daily 21 Jan 2004 -- China is gravely concerned over the unilateral oil and natural gas bidding in water of dispute in the South China Sea done by certain countries, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan here Tuesday.
• China firmly opposes Taiwan Relations Act PLA Daily 21 Jan 2004 -- The Chinese government firmly opposes the so-called Taiwan Relations Act of the United States, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan here Tuesday.
• China concerned about Japan's troop deployment to Iraq PLA Daily 21 Jan 2004 -- China is concerned about Japan's deployment of its self-defense forces to Iraq, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan here Tuesday.
• State Councilor criticizes "defensive referendum" PLA Daily 20 Jan 2004 -- State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan on Monday criticized the so-called "defensive referendum", launched by Taiwan authorities, at a forum to commemorate the Ninth Anniversary of Jiang Zemin's Important Speech entitled "Continuing to Endeavor for the Accomplishment of the Grand Cause of Reunification of the Motherland".
• CMC Chairman Jiang's reunification speech anniversary marked PLA Daily 20 Jan 2004 -- A workshop was held at the Great Hall of the People, in central Beijing, Monday, to mark the ninth anniversary of an important speech on the reunification of China by then President Jiang Zemin, who is now chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
• China declassifies first diplomatic files PLA Daily 20 Jan 2004 -- China has declassified its first batch of diplomatic files after the founding of new China in 1949, including manuscripts of Premier Zhou Enlai, said an official with the Chinese Foreign Ministry here Monday.
• French support needed on Taiwan issue: official PLA Daily 20 Jan 2004 -- China hopes that France will support its stand on the Taiwan issue, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry official here Monday, on the eve of Chinese President Hu Jintao's upcoming visit to France.
• Chinese fishing boats back in Xiamen from Diaoyu islands PLA Daily 18 Jan 2004 -- Chinese activists aboard two fishing boats returned to Xiamen port Saturday morning from Diaoyu Islands after breaking through encirclements by Japanese warships and planes and ensuing attacks 9 nautical miles off the islands.
• China urges US to continue opposing Taiwan independence PLA Daily 18 Jan 2004 -- China urged the United States to abide by its promises and continue to oppose any activities of the Taiwan authority aimed at Taiwan independence, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan here Saturday.
• Chinese mainland condemns Taiwan's "referendum" as provocative PLA Daily 18 Jan 2004 -- The Chinese mainland said Saturday that it strongly opposes the attempt by Taiwan to hold a referendum on March 20, describing it as a unilateral provocation and a bid to prepare for "Taiwan independence".
• Chinese fishing boats survive Japanese warships' attack PLA Daily 17 Jan 2004 -- Chinese activists in the fishing boats survived Japanese warships' attack off Diaoyu Islands and began to return late Thursday after cast monument with an inscription that says "Chinese territory Diaoyu Islands" into the sea, a Chinese activist told Xinhua Friday.
• Top 10 news events in national defense industry PLA Daily 17 Jan 2004 -- Yesterday, the TOP 10 news events in China's science, technology and industry for national defense were unveiled and the first manned space flight of Shenzhou V ranked No.1.
• SARS VOA 17 Jan 2004 -- The government in China has confirmed that two more people in the country's southern Guangdong province have tested positive for the SARS virus, bringing the recent total to three.
• Japanese warships attack Chinese fishing boats in areas off Diaoyu Island PLA Daily 16 Jan 2004 -- Ten Japanese warships and a plane attacked two Chinese fishing boats using a water cannon Thursday night at areas off Chinese Diaoyu Islands, injuring one Chinese boatman, a Chinese activist told Xinhua.
• Taiwan man arrested on spy charge PLA Daily 16 Jan 2004 -- A Chinese mainland organization Thursday informed Taiwan of the arrest of Li Xianglong, a Taiwanese resident, on charges of spying for Taiwan's military.
• Outstanding units and individuals in manned space project commended PLA Daily 16 Jan 2004 -- Recently the Ministry of Personnel, the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense and the General Armaments Department of the PLA, made the decision to cite the advanced units and individuals who have made outstanding contributions in China's manned space project
• Official with Taiwan Affairs Office on the bottom line for use of force People's Daily 15 Jan 2004 -- Wang Zaixi, vice-minister of China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council espoused candidly China's stance of the Taiwan issue and recent policies on his arrival in New York in front of over 400 Chinese overseas on January 13,2004.
• China, U.S. Making Progress on Military Relations AFPS 15 Jan 2004 -- The United States and China are making progress on security issues, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said today following meetings with senior Chinese leaders.
• China tests European satellite positioning system PLA Daily 15 Jan 2004 -- China tested the European global satellite navigation system EGNOS on the Yangtze River Saturday. EGNOS is the first phase of the GALILEO navigation system, which China joined last October.
• China to launch 10 satellites in 2004 PLA Daily 15 Jan 2004 -- China plans to launch 10 satellites this year while preparing for the country's second manned space flight and starting development of the country's first lunar-probing satellite, a top space official said Wednesday.
• China, US agree to promote bilateral military ties PLA Daily 15 Jan 2004 -- Liang Guanglie, chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), conferred here Wednesday with Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US armed forces, in which they agreed to promote bilateral military relations.
• Chinese military leaders meet top US general PLA Daily 15 Jan 2004 -- Guo Boxiong, vice-chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission (CMC), and Cao Gangchuan, CMC vice-chairman, state councilor and minister of defense of China, met here Wednesday with Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US armed forces respectively.
• Beijing prepared to crash separatist activities PLA Daily 15 Jan 2004 -- The referendum being proposed by Taiwan's leader Chen Shui-bian and the island's authorities is an attempt to pave the way for a referendum on independence, and a serious threat to peace across the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese government warned Wednesday.
• China hopes for early six-party talks PLA Daily 14 Jan 2004 -- China hopes the second round of six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue will start as soon as possible and China is in constant talks with various parties, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan here Tuesday.
• CHINA/TAIWAN SPIES VOA 14 Jan 2004 -- China has released the names of seven of the 24 Taiwanese nationals it arrested last month on charges of espionage. The disclosure of the names is seen as a move by the mainland to discredit Taiwan's pro-independence president.
• CHINA-US MILITARY VOA 13 Jan 2004 -- top American military officer begins a two-day visit to China in what is being described as an important step in deepening bilateral understanding.
• U.S., China Intensify Nuclear Nonproliferation Cooperation Washington File 12 Jan 2004 -- The Department of Energy issued a press release January 12 announcing that the U.S. Secretary of Energy and the Chairman of China's Atomic Energy Authority had that day signed a Statement of Intent that establishes a process for cooperating with each other and for collaborating with the International Atomic Energy Agency on a range of nuclear nonproliferation and security activities.
• AVIC I launched seven new planes last year PLA Daily 12 Jan 2004 -- China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I ) made fresh progress last year, with 5 planes having passed evaluation and seven new planes completed their maiden flight.
• CHINA MAKES "STRATEGIC ERROR" IN TAIWAN'S REFERENDUM ISSUE CNA 11 Jan 2004 -- A co-chairman of the U.S. Representatives Taiwan Caucus has said that mainland China's strong opposition to Taiwan's proposed referendum is a "strategic error" that has highlighted the significance of the issue.
• CHINA / SARS VOA 10 Jan 2004 -- A team of experts from the World Health Organization is in its second day of investigation into possible new SARS cases in China's Guangdong Province. Their probe includes a restaurant where a woman now suspected of having the disease worked as a waitress.
• China working for early second six-party talks: FM spokesman PLA Daily 09 Jan 2004 -- China is working for an early holding of the second round of six-party talks on the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said here Thursday at a press conference.
• New lights on six-party talks PLA Daily 07 Jan 2004 -- China and Russia want the second round of six-party talks to take place soon, but a Chinese diplomat said Tuesday China has proposed better preparation for the next meeting so as to lay a foundation for further progress.
• China hopes for earlier second six-party talks this year: FM spokesman PLA Daily 07 Jan 2004 -- China hopes the second round of six-party talks on the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula will be held as soon as possible this year, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan here Tuesday.
• China conducts its first observation and control of an extra-distant satellite--"Probe No.1" satellite runs smoothly in orbit PLA Daily 06 Jan 2004 -- On January 4, Xi'an Satellite Observation and Control Center conducted a precision altitude control of the "Probe No.1" before the satellite completed a series of pre-set movements in space and settled down in its predefined position.
• China has no Mars probe plan: official PLA Daily 06 Jan 2004 -- Though China has been doing research on Mars, it currently has no plan to send a space probe to the planet, an official in charge of the national space program told Xinhua on Monday.
• China to place 10 satellites into orbit in 2004 PLA Daily 06 Jan 2004 -- China's growing space programme will take another great leap skyward this year.
• Shenzhou V escape capsule successfully destroyed PLA Daily 06 Jan 2004 -- Recently, a research institute of the Engineering Corps of the PLA General Staff Headquarters successfully accomplished the task of destroying the escape capsule of Shenzhou V manned spacecraft.
• China, Russia favor early second round of DPRK talks PLA Daily 06 Jan 2004 -- Both China and Russia favor a soonest possible holding of the second round of six-party talks on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear program, the Chinese embassy here said Monday.
• U-S / SINO RELATIONS VOA 02 Jan 2004 -- The United States and China marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations this week (Thursday).