Subject: CND (US), Mar 22, 1991

From: Zuofeng Li <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 91 18:27:35 CST

*  *  *   C H I N A    N E W S    D I G E S T   *  *  *

                             Mar 22, 1991

        +-+-+-+- ( China News Digest,  US Section Service) -+-+-+-+

         - - - - - - T a b l e   o f   C o n t e n t s - - - - - -
No. Subjects                                                    # of Lines
1. News Brief...........................................................68
2. Fang Lizhi and Li Shuxian Address the APS...........................101
3. CND Q&A Back Issues Now Available by Internet ftp Command............14

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1. News Brief...........................................................68
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Opinions on the MFN Issue Solicited -- Human Rights Tribune, a bi-monthly
journal published bu Human Rights in China, Inc., will publish opinions of
Chinese students on the following question in its April 30 issue:

"Should the US government punish China for its human rights abuses by
suspending the Most Favored Nations status of China? Why?"

The publication is soliciting opinions from people concerned about the
issue.  Opinions can be expressed by sending an e_mail message of 100-250
words to [email-masked] before March 30. (From: Xiaorong Li,
<[email-masked]>)

Soviet Delegation at UF -- The Soviet group and their IFCSS hosts have
arrived at Gainesville, Florida. It has been decided that meetings for most
of the delegation at the New Jersey Institute of Technology should be
cancelled.  Therefore, any campus interested in hosting the remaining eight
Soviets somewhere between Florida and New York on Monday or Tuesday in the
week of March 25 should contact John Capece via e-mail before Saturday.  So
far, despite the schedule problems, the trip is going very well. The Soviets
are establishing some good contacts and plans for the future.  Mr. Bogdanov
has expressed an interest in pursuing some additional cooperative projects
with IFCSS and NAGPS. (From: John Capece, <[email-masked]>)

Prof. Fang Lizhi presented a lecture about the future of China in the
Fermilab's Auditorium of Chicago, on Friday March 15 from 8:00 pm to 10:00
pm.  There were about 2,000 audiences including hundreds of Chinese students
and scholars from mainland and Taiwan. According to Prof. Fang's prospect,
the economy of China will be developing rather fast and the economic level
of China will be higher than the economic level of the Soviet Union in a
short period.  But the basic human rights of freedom of speech and freedom
of the press are not improved in China. Prof. Fang said China will be a
democratic country, but it needs a long time schedule. After the old
generation passed, the new generation will adopt some democratic system. If
the power of the central government were weak and the province governments
had more independence, then China would be more democratic.

On Tibet, Prof. Fang said the Tibet problem is a part of Chinese human
rights problems. On the unification of mainland and Taiwan, he said after
both sides have a democracy system, to unify two sides is easy, but now it
is impossible. (From [email-masked])

Taiwan Radio News Broadcast -- Starting from February 2, 1991, the
Broadcasting Corporation of China's China News Broadcasting Network has been
transmitting "Good Morning China," the latest news from Taiwan, live to
North and South America by way of short-wave radio broadcasts.  The program
is aired daily, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm (U.S.  Eastern Standard Time) in
Chinese.

Short-wave broadcasting frequencies are as follows:

Eastern United States and Canada:  5950 kilohertz
Central United States and Canada: 11775 kilohertz
Western United States and Canada: 15440 kilohertz
Central America: 11855 kilohertz
South America: 15130 and 17805 kilohertz

If you encounter any technical problems while attempting to receive the
news, please contact Lee Nan-yang at (212) 373-1800.
                                           (From [email-masked])

6/4 Exhibition Material Wanted -- As part of the local activities in memory
of June 4 anniversary, the Association for Human Rights and Democracy in
China, Lansing, Michigan will hold an educational exhibition on the Michigan
State University Campus. The Association would like to borrow an exhibit for
one week during the month of May. Please send all information to
[email-masked]. (From: [email-masked])

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2. Fang Lizhi and Li ShuXian Address the APS...........................101
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>From: Huang Ciping, <[email-masked]>
Date: Wednesday, Mar 20, 1991

On Mar 19, Prof.'s Fang Lizhi and Li Shuxian gave speeches at the meeting of
American Physical Society in Cincinnati, Ohio, on their experience of human
rights in China. The talks were invited by the Committee on the Inter-
national Freedom of Scientists of the APS, and were attended by about 500
people, many standing and sitting on the floor.

Prof.'s Fang and Li discussed the human rights issue as it pertains to
scientific freedom and the right to pursue and publish research, to attend
meetings, and to communicate with colleagues around the world in their
speeches.  They stressed that communication with the Chinese people is the
best way to strengthen human rights and freedom. However, they emphasized
that one should insist the principle (of human rights) must be respected as
the first condition.

In his address, Prof. Fang noted that "The Tiananmen massacre shocked many
people.  It marked the first time the outside world could see for itself how
cruel and violent the behavior of the Chinese authorities can be.  I would
say, since the Tiananmen incident, Human Rights in China are still very far
from having seen any real improvement.  Incidents of violation and
infringement of human rights continue as ever.  Today, even as we speak,
many of our friends, colleagues, and students in China are still beset with
hardship, still deeply trapped in environments that are far more difficult
than we had."

On the specific situation of human rights as pertaining to scientific
research, Prof. Fang said, "Science is international in scope and depends on
the unrestricted communication of scientific information.  Infringements of
those freedoms not only hinder the pursuit of scientific inquiry but also
adversely affect the progress and potential of human society.  It is why the
violations of scientific freedoms in China is not only the problem of
Chinese scientists, but also affects the progress of scientific community
all over the world.

"Only because their political views differ from those of the authorities, a
number of my colleagues and friends who remain inside China are unable to
pursue normal scientific research.  Some of them are prohibited from
publishing scientific books and articles; others are prevented from
traveling abroad to attend scientific meetings.  Others have had their right
to accept graduate students revoked."

A number of examples were given by Prof. Fang to illustrate the political
suppression on normal scientific research in China: e_mail communications
are centralized; publication of articles in foreign journals requires
approval from provincial authorities as well as the university authorities;
and attendance at scientific meetings are restricted.

Prof. Fang went on to point out that, "More serious is that the Chinese
authorities have intensified the repression of those fighting for human
rights in China.  Recently, they have resumed the trials of students and
scientists who took part in the peaceful demonstrations at Tiananmen.  Then,
Liu Gang, a former graduate student of theoretical physics of Beijing
University, has received a sentence of 6 years.  Wang YouCai, also a
graduate student of the Physics Department, was sentenced for 4 years.  This
is a new desecration by the Chinese authorities of the universal principles
of human rights."

Finally, Prof. Fang appeals that "everyone who is here today, as well as
everyone who cares about the dignity of humanity, to show vigilant concern
for the condition of human rights in China, and to use your own moral
strength and your own various methods to prevent the Chinese authorities
from further trampling on human rights."

In her speech, Prof. Li Shuxian pointed out that "the Tiananmen Incident was
not an isolated incident. It was an exposure of underlying conditions in
China, and especially of the true face of the rulers."

On the exchanges between China and the rest of the world, Prof. Li said that
"In the long term, exchanges in science and culture can only serve to
advance everything that represents intelligence, truth, progress, and
beauty, and correspondingly serve to reduce all that represents ignorance,
falsity, backwardness, and ugliness."

Prof. Li recalled the many political campaigns experienced by Chinese
intellectuals, and pointed out that these have caused, among others, lower
absolute as well as relative income; a sharp drop in social status; and
reduced freedom, most importantly in three respects: a) loss of freedom to
work independently; b) loss of freedom to move one's employment from one
place to another; c) loss of freedom to publish, for the intellectuals.
"With each successive movement the controls on intellectuals have grown
tighter, and the political and economic status of intellectuals has fallen
lower," Prof. Li said.

Prof. Li emphasized that foreign scientists "should not isolate the
Chinese people." "It is the autocratic rulers of China who
should be isolated, exposed, and compelled to move forward. It is
right to maintain scientific and cultural exchange with the Chinese
people. One way of addressing China's autocratic rulers is to
express concern publicly for human rights in China, or for certain
named individuals, asking to see them, and extending invitations to
them. Another method is to issue reasonable challenges, whether
overt or subtle, to the ways of the autocrats, for example by naming
certain persons you would like to have involved in exchanges or
cooperative projects, or by attaching certain conditions to those
projects."

Prof. Li concluded her speech on the note that "there are people in China who
would pull the country back into isolation from the world....But this is
impossible. It has not been easy for human beings to move from ignorance
into partial understanding of the world; but to try to move them back from
understanding into ignorance would be even harder, indeed simply
impossible."

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3. CND Q&A Back Issues Now Available by Internet ftp Command...............14
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>From: Bo Xiong <[email-masked]>
Date: Wednesday, Mar 20, 1991

CND back issues are now available by internet ftp besides bitnet listserv
commands announced before.

1) By internet ftp:
   From an internet machine, CND back issues (including CND Q&A, Job Packages,
   Tax Packages and etc.) can be retrieved by ftp from the machine:
   ahkcus.org   (login name: anonymous, type any characters as password), look
   for cnd-** directories for desired files.  Please contact [email-masked]
   for further assistance.

2) Via bitnet listserv:
   CND back issues have been available at [email-masked] by standard
   listserv commands, for further assistance, contact [email-masked]

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