UNITED24 - Make a charitable donation in support of Ukraine!

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


January 2005 - China Special Weapons News

  • CHINA / ZHAO FUNERAL VOA 29 Jan 2005 -- China has held funeral services for purged Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang nearly two weeks after his death. Mr. Zhao spent 15 years under house arrest for advocating reform during the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy demonstrations. Officials again used the day to criticize Mr. Zhao.
  • CHINA / TAIWAN FLIGHTS VOA 29 Jan 2005 -- Nonstop flights between China and Taiwan took off Saturday for the first time in more than half a century as part of a temporary plan to ease tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
  • CHINA-TAIWAN TALKS VOA 28 Jan 2005 -- China says it is willing to reopen negotiations with rival Taiwan if the island's government halts what Beijing officials see as moves toward independence. As VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from the Chinese capital, Beijing's overtures came hours before the start of the first nonstop flights between the mainland and Taiwan.
  • CHINA/ZHAO FUNERAL VOA 27 Jan 2005 -- Chinese Communist Party leaders and the family of the late purged party chief, Zhao Ziyang, have agreed to bury him on Saturday, nearly two weeks after his death. The burial has been delayed because of Beijing's fears that his funeral might spark anti-government protests.
  • CHINA-TAIWAN TRADE VOA 26 Jan 2005 -- China says trade between the mainland and Taiwan reached a record high last year - 70 billion dollars. The figure highlights growing economic links between the two rivals, and it was announced just a few days before the first direct flights across the Taiwan Strait since 1949. However, remarks by a mainland official suggest the two sides remain as politically distant as ever.
  • U.S.-CHINA ARMS VOA 25 Jan 2005 -- The United States Tuesday reaffirmed its opposition, on human rights grounds, to the lifting of the European Union's 15-year-old arms embargo against China. Bush administration officials have discussed the issue this week with the visiting British and German foreign ministers.
  • INDIA-CHINA TALKS VOA 24 Jan 2005 -- India and China have held their first-ever strategic dialogue in the Indian capital. The dialogue marks a significant step forward in bilateral ties between two countries that were at odds throughout the Cold War.
  • China: Explosives Suspected In Xinjiang Bus Blast RFE/RL 21 Jan 2005 -- Chinese media reported today that "explosive material" was responsible for a blast aboard a bus that killed 11 people in the northwest Xinjiang region. There is no word on who or what may have been responsible. Blasts caused by the careless handling of explosives and other hazardous materials are common in China. But officials say they cannot exclude Uighur militants, who have been accused of previous blasts in the restive region.
  • CHINA / TSUNAMI AID VOA 21 Jan 2005 -- China this month pledged a total of 83 million dollars in aid to Asian nations devastated by last month's tsunami, embarking on what Beijing says is its largest foreign relief operation ever. The amount is small when compared to that contributed by richer nations such as Australia, Japan, and the United States. But the package highlights China's growing profile in Southeast Asia.
  • EU: Row With U.S., Japan, Looms As Union Seeks To Lift Arms Embargo On China RFE/RL 20 Jan 2005 -- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is starting a visit to China amid a brewing row between the European Union, the United States and Japan over arms sales to China. Straw has said the EU's arms embargo on China could be lifted within six months. EU leaders last month agreed to work toward lifting the embargo, which the union imposed 15 years ago after China's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. Washington is pushing for the EU not to lift the ban, fearing an escalation of tension between China and Taiwan. Tokyo is also worried about regional stability.
  • ZHAO / LEGACY VOA 18 Jan 2005 -- The death of former Chinese Premier and Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang, who was seen as a reformer and a moderate, raises questions about his legacy. Mr. Zhao opposed the use of force to clear protesting students from Tiananmen Square in 1989. He lost a Chinese leadership power struggle, was ousted from his position and spent his last 15 years under house arrest in Beijing.
  • CHINESE MILITARY VOA 18 Jan 2005 -- The rapid growth of China's economic power around the world is, by now, an old story. What other countries are watching with less certainty, and perhaps more interest, is the development of the two-and-one-half million member Chinese military - the largest armed force in the world. This issue was examined at a recent panel discussion in Washington sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the National Defense University and the Library of Congress.
  • U.S. Expresses Condolences at Passing of China's Zhao Ziyang Washington File 18 Jan 2005 -- On January 18, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher released a statement of condolence to the people of China and the family of former Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, who died on January 17.
  • US Sanctions Seven Chinese Companies for Helping Iran VOA News 18 Jan 2005 -- Seven Chinese companies have been penalized by the United States for selling ballistic missile technology to Iran.
  • China Defends Tiananmen Crackdown Following Zhao's Death VOA News 18 Jan 2005 -- China is defending its 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators at Tiananmen Square following the death this week of purged Communist Party leader.
  • CHINA / ZHAO DIES VOA 16 Jan 2005 -- China's former Communist Party chief, Zhao Ziyang, died Monday at the age of 85 at a Beijing hospital after spending his last 15 years under house arrest.
  • Former Chinese Communist Party Chief Zhao Ziyang Dies VOA News 17 Jan 2005 -- China's former Communist party chief Zhao Ziyang, who was removed from office for opposing the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, has died after an extended illness
  • CHINA / TAIWAN FLIGHTS VOA 15 Jan 2005 -- China and Taiwan have agreed to allow direct commercial flights for a limited time between their territories for the first time in 55 years. The move is expected to ease tensions in one of Asia's most contentious political disputes.
  • CHINA-KOREA LOCKDOWN INCIDENT VOA 13 Jan 2005 -- China says four South Korean lawmakers acted illegally when they tried to hold a news conference at a Beijing hotel, and said the politicians should apologize. The incident has prompted a protest from Seoul.
  • CHINA / KOREAN DIPLOMATS LOCKDOWN VOA 12 Jan 2005 -- Chinese security agents have prevented a group of South Korean legislators from holding a news conference on the status of North Korean refugees in China. Scuffles broke out as agents moved in to prevent the South Korean officials from speaking.
  • CHINA-TAIWAN FLIGHTS VOA 03 Jan 2005 -- Chinese state media reported Monday that Beijing will consider allowing non-stop flights between Mainland China and Taiwan. The proposal could end a 55-year ban on direct travel between the political rivals.



NEWSLETTER
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list