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April 22, 1998 Web posted at: 4:52 a.m. EDT (0852 GMT)
BEIJING (AP) -- Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule has prepared Beijing to handle the return of the Portuguese colony of Macau next year, Premier Zhu Rongji told his Portuguese counterpart.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres, on a five-day visit to China, said his country hoped to make Macau's transition to Chinese rule a smooth one, and that the territory would remain a bridge between China and Europe, state-run media reported Wednesday.
"We have had the experience of resolving the issues of Hong Kong, so the issue of Macau should be resolved in a better and smoother way," Zhu was quoted as saying.
Since Hong Kong's July 1 return to Chinese sovereignty, the government in Beijing has made a point of strictly adhering to its policy of not interfering in the territory's internal affairs.
The "one country, two systems" policy, allowing Hong Kong to retain its freedoms and freewheeling business practices, can also be used in Macau, Zhu and Guterres agreed.
The report did not mention Chinese concerns over a recent surge in gang-related killings and other crimes in the tiny gambling and manufacturing enclave on the coast of south China.
On Tuesday, another murder apparently linked to the gambling industry was reported, the seventh so far this year in a population of 450,000.
After their 90-minute meeting, the two leaders signed agreements on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion; on cooperation between police; on setting up a history of science center and on exchanges between schools of administration, Xinhua said.
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China dissident in hospital in U.S.
Monday, April 20, 1998
By John Hughes, The Associated Press
DETROIT -- A weary Wang Dan thanked the U.S. government for lobbying to free him from a Chinese jail as he pleaded from his hospital bed for the release of more prisoners of conscience.
Wang, a leader of the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests who has spent nearly 6 1/2 years in prison, could be discharged as early as today from Henry Ford Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
Doctors planned an MRI and other neurological tests today for Wang, who was tired but in good spirits after his release Sunday from a Chinese prison.
In a statement, Wang thanked the U.S. government "for its efforts in pressing for my release."
"At the same time I greatly hope that those democracy activists who continue to be imprisoned in China can soon obtain their freedom," he said.
The Chinese government has acknowledged that several thousand political dissidents are imprisoned, though human rights groups say the numbers are higher.
Wang, 29, is the second major Chinese dissident to be released in six months. The latest release comes just two months before President Clinton's planned visit to Beijing.
China has tried to use such prisoner releases to improve the diplomatic atmosphere before high-level contacts, prompting human rights groups to accuse it of playing "hostage politics."
Another prominent Chinese dissident said Sunday that Wang's release was a "pawn" in a larger strategy to ease criticism of China's human rights record.
"I think the Chinese Communist Party wants to diminish the pressure that's being exerted on it," said Wei Jingsheng, who spent 18 years in prison before being released in November. "That's why they are liberating us one by one."
Such releases suit China's recent policy of encouraging dissidents to leave, in hopes they will lose their political effectiveness in exile.
"It is good news for Wang Dan as an individual, except that once again, it appears to be a release conditional on exile," said Catherine Baber, spokeswoman for Amnesty International in Hong Kong.
The official Xinhua News Agency said Wang was released on medical parole but offered no details. Wang for months has suffered from a throat infection and headaches his family believes may indicate a brain tumor.
"He's in generally pretty good shape," said Dr. Robert Hyzy, Henry Ford's director of critical care. He said Wang will undergo tests for a chronic cough -- perhaps linked to allergies or bronchitis -- and lingering headaches.
Hyzy said doctors also will examine Wang's vision. "I don't think he's seen a dentist in a while. I think he could probably use it," he said.
Wang will soon speak publicly, according to Shen Tong, president of the Democracy for China Fund in Newton, Mass., and a former classmate of Wang at Beijing University.
"He's doing great. I'm so happy to see him doing so good," Shen said. "He's in very good spirits. He's very upbeat. I think all those prison years made a difference, but it's a positive difference."
The Clinton administration cheered Wang's safe arrival in Detroit.
"It's very welcome news," said White House national security spokesman Eric Rubin, who was with Clinton in Chile for the Summit of the Americas. "This is something we've raised repeatedly with the Chinese and we consider it a very positive step."
As a student, Wang led marches and gave speeches during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. After the army violently crushed the protests, Wang's name topped the government most-wanted list.
Wang served 3 1/2 years in prison and emerged unrepentant in 1993. Over 27 months -- before he was again taken away by police in May 1995 -- Wang criticized the Communist Party in essays published abroad, met with other activists and petitioned for democracy.
In series of letters to Chinese authorities, Wang sought rights improvements, the release of political prisoners and a climate of "political tolerance."
White House officials notified the Henry Ford Hospital of Wang's impending arrival late Saturday, said Dr. Thomas C. Royer, the hospital's chief medical officer.
"He has some fatigue. He's been through a lot in the last 48 hours," Royer said.
From The Pittsburgh Post- Gazette
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