Between May and August of this year, a scientific investigation team organized by the state made the first comprehensive investiga• tion of , an uninhabited area on the -. The team's findings lift the veil of this area known as "a mysterious land." Rising on an average 5,000 metres above sea level, Hoh Xil covers a total land area of 250,000 square kilometres. In addition to the varied icebergs, lakes, marsh and hot springs, there are many types of wild animals and hardy plants.

1. Top: The lofty zig• zag through the Hoh Xil area.

2. Centre: A herd of wild . Many rare animals including the wild , Tibetan ante• lope and wild donkey roam about this "natural paradise for wild animals."

3. Bottom Left: A massive glacier on the Kunlun Mountain. Photos by Ma Qianli Beijing«^!!- VOL. 33, NO. 48 NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990

President Yang on China's Reunification CONTENTS • In an interview with the Taiwan-based China Times, Presi• dent Yang said he would like to see the two sides of the Taiwan Straits reunify as soon as possible under the concept of "one country, two systems." The first thing right now for both sides, the President said, is to initiate direct exchange of mail, trade NOTES FROM THE EDITORS 4 and air and shipping services and establish channels to facili• tate direct talks between the two sides, (p. 7). China's Economy Out of Slump

EVENTS/TRENDS 5-6 The Strengttis and We

Road Building in China Albania: New Changes in Diplomacy .[f, 26 • The reform programme has given an impetus to the con• Mexican Economy Comes to Life 27 struction of highways, including expressways, in China, which, in turn, has greatly promoted the country's economic develop• BOOKS 28 ment and further opening up to the outside world

CULTURE/SCIENCE 32-34 Tibetan Population Outgrows Average COVER: The Dayangfang Overpass on D According to this year's census, Tibet's population has the Beijing—Tianjin—Tanggu express• increased at a rate above the national average, reaching 2,196,- way. 010. The population increase is due to relaxed family planning Photo by Song Lianfeng policies and improved conditions in public health and living standards, (p. 6).

General Editorial Office Published every Monday by BEIJING REVIEW Subscription rates (1 year): Tel; 8314318 24 Baiwanzhuang Road, Beijing 100037 Australia.. ..A.$ 30.50 TLX: 222374 FLPDA CN The People's Republic of China New Zealand ..NZ.$40.50 FAX: 8314318 Distributed by China International Book UK ..£16.50 English Dept. Tel: 8315599 Ext. 546 Trading Corporation (GUOJI SHUDIAN) USA.. US$30.50 P.O. Box 399, Beijing, China Canada. ..Can.$30.50 NOTES FROM THE EDITORS

China's Economy Out of Slump by Li Yongxia hina has successfully im• ed that total grain output for the crease in the nation's foreign ex• proved the economic envi• year will top 420 million tons; change reserves was the largest ronment by rectifying the both total output and per-hectare since since 1985. Ceconomic order and deepening the yield reaching new records. Rich With the upturn of domestic reform. As the factors restricting harvests were also reported for consumer demand, the total value production and circulation have such major cash crops as cotton, of retail sales of commodities wit• been gradually eliminated, the oil- and sugar-bearing crops. nessed a growth of 3.6 percent economy has speeded up its recov• Construction of key projects in September compared with the ery. The gross national product has picked up and there has been same period last year. (GNP) reached 1,197.7 billion a successful readjustment of the The rate of retail price increases yuan in September, a 2.7 percent investment structure. Between has gone down monthly. Between increase over the same period last January and September, an in• January and September, the total year, indicating that the economy vestment of 26.8 billion yuan, or retail sales price level rose 2.3 per• has gotten over its slump and tak• 67.2 percent of that planned, has cent from the same period last en a turn for the better. been made for construction of 200 year, the lowest rate since 1985. The speed of industrial produc• key state projects, exceeding the Although the economy is now tion began to pick up in ^arch, 57 percent rate of national invest• out of a slump, there are still increasing from -0.9 percent to 1.4 ment for capital construction. difficulties, the most notable of percent in March and up to 12.7 The construction of energy and percent in October, gradually communications projects has been which are: reaching the level of a normal strengthened, although the pro• Market sales remain weak. Be• year. Between January and Sep• portion of investment in ordinary tween January and August, the tember, the output of coal, crude processing industries has dropped. total retail sales value was down oil, pig iron, steel, rolled steel, Between January and Septem• 1.19 percent from the same period coke, sulphuric bcid, chemical fer• ber, among investments in units last year; the sales value of the tilizer, farm chemicals and gener• owned by the whole people, the consumer goods market was down ated power output all increased value of investment made in ener• 1.3 percent; and that of the capital slightly over the same period last gy industry went up 22.1 percent goods market by 5.9 percent. year; the output of cement, plate from the same period last year, its Serious overstocking of finished glass, generating equipment, proportion to the total investment products. The value of finished machine tools, automobiles, mini- rising from 26.7 percent to 36.3 products of budgeted state-owned tractors and rolling stocks, on the percent, the highest ever since the industries reached 109.7 billion other hand, dropped somewhat. 1980s. The value of investment yuan by the end of July, up 34.5 Between January and October, the made in transportation and te• billion yuan from the same period nation's industrial enterprises at lecommunications climbed 16.3 last year, a 45.9 percent increase. and above the township level re• percent, its proportion increasing A slip in economic returns. Be• gistered a total output value of from 13.5 percent to 14.6 percent. tween January and September, 1,571.6 billion yuan, up 4.1 per• The nation's balance of pay• profits and taxes registered a de• cent from the same period last ments has notably improved and crease of 21.5 percent, of which year. The mix of industrial prod• foreign exchange reserves have profits made up 57.9 percent. The ucts was readjusted and the prod• picked up. According to customs number of loss-making enterprises uction of products needed in the statistics, between January and and the value of losses both in• market remained stable. September, the total value of ex• creased. There was an all-round rich ports was US$41.4 billion, up 14.2 The state's financial difficulties agricultural harvest, putting an percent from the same period last increased. Between January and end to the fluctuation of a few year; the total import value was August, domestic financial in• years ago. The summer grain yield US$36.5 billion, down 14.6 per• come increased by 13 percent over reached an all-time high of 99.35 cent, eliminating a balance of pay• the same period last year but ex• million tons. A good autumn har• ment defict which has continued penditures increased by 18 per• vest is also expected. It is estimat- for several years running. The in- i cent.

4 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 EVENTS/TRENDS

The emphasis of current econo• mic work is on getting the market in gear. Using structural readjust• Busy Season for Chinese Diplomacy ment and efficiency improvement as our focus, we should bring ovember 11-17 was a busy Jiang told Soeharto that about a moderate increase in week for Chinese diplo• China has ah/ays believed coun• production. N macy. On November 14 tries should handle their rela• The solution to the problem of alone, China hosted four visit• tions in accordance with the a sluggish market lies in readjust• ing dignitaries. Five Principles of Peaceful ing both the product mix and the The dignitaries included In• Coexistence. It is up to the peo• industrial structure. As long as donesian President Soeharto ple of a country to decide what the products are geared to market and Argentine President Carlos social system they should prac• needs, they may sell slowly but Saul Menem, who were on state tise, he said. For example, Jiang they well eventually sell. The visits; and Thailand's Prime added, China practises social• shortage of capital construction Minister Chatichai Choonhavan ism, but "we have no intention funds is also a cause behind the and Slamin Amour, Tanzania's of forcing other countries to do depressed market. The govern• second vice-president and con• the same." The principle of non• ment will allow more funds for currently president of Zanzibar, interference in each other's in• capital construction in order to who were on working visits. Ar• ternal affairs constitutes the bring about a moderate increase riving in Beijing on November core of the Chinese Communist in basic industrial projects, infras• 15 on his way home from Ja• Party's four principles for de• tructure facilities, the most ur• pan, Mongolian President Pun- veloping relations with foreign gently needed projects and pro• salnaagiin Ochirbat met with countries and political groups, jects which will yield good econo• Chinese President Yang Shang- Jiang said. mic and social results. kun. In another meeting with Soe• In order to raise economic effi• The busy season for Chinese harto, President Yang Shang- ciency, efforts will be made to im• diplomacy can be attributed to kun said that the normalization prove enterprise management and China's independent and peace• and further expansion of Sino- operation, quicken the pace of ful foreign policy and the policy Indonesian relations not only technical innovation and transfor• of opening to the outside world. conforms with the interests of mation, launch a persistent and China has also made remarkable both nations, but also is con• extensive campaign to increase in• progress in maintaining and im• ducive to the well-being of the comes and reduce expenditures, proving relations with neigh• Asia-Pacific region. "I hope increase production and deepen bouring countries under the our two countries will develop a enterprise reform. The goal is to Five Principles of Peaceful friendly, co-operative relation• gradually change from an econo• ship in a long-term and compre• my of speed to an economy of Coexistence and in its work for hensive ilianner based on the efficiency, and from an extensive unity and co-operation with oth• to an intensive economy. er third world countries. Five 'Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the 10 Prin• It must be kept in mind that Soeharto's Visit. Soeharto was agriculture is the foundation of the first Indonesian leader to set ciples of the Bandung Confer• the national economy. Although foot in China in the past ence," the Chinese president the agricultural situation is good 26 years, in reciprocation to said. this year, the foundation is still Chinese Premier Li Peng's visit Soeharto expressed his hope weak. China will continue to in• to Jakarta in August, when the that relations between the two crease its support for agriculture, two nations ended a 23 year- countries will enjoy a contin• particularly in farmland capital break in bilateral relations. ued smooth development, des• construction, so as to create condi• Meeting with Soeharto on pite their different social sys• tions for long-term, steady agri• November 16, China's Party tems. cultural development. leader Jiang Zemin said that he The Chinese premier and In• Through continuing economic appreciated his guest's decision donesian president reached i readjustment and deepening of re• to normalize Indonesia's re• broad agreements concerning bi• form, the underlying problems of lations with China. In return, lateral relations and common re• China's economy, such as an Soeharto said that his country is gional and international issues. unreasonable industrial structure willing to expand co-operative When exchanging views on and poor economic efficiency, will and friendly relations with the Cambodia issue, Li spoke gradually be resolved. • China. highly of Indonesia's efforts in

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 1, 1990 5 EVENTS / TRENDS

seeking a political solution to the problem. Both believe the establishment of a Cambodi• an national supreme council, chaired by Prince Sihanouk, is a top priority at the moment and promised to continue efforts for a political solution to the Cam• bodia issue. They also expressed concern over the increasingly grave si• tuation in the Gulf, voicing op• position to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and support for the UN Security Council's relevant reso• lutions. • Tibetan Popuiation Outgrows Average

his year's census reveals an Science, Peace Vieek in Beijing above-average increase in T Tibet's population ^com• eijing's Cultural Palace of tific knowledge. It was an oppor• pared to the 1982 census but the the Working People was tune time for subscription cam• Han Nationality population in B one of the venues for the paigns launched by a dozen or Tibet has sharply dropped. Science and Peace Week which so scientific and technological Relaxed family planning poli• began November 11. newspapers and magazines. Doc• tors from army hospitals and cies have led to a rapid growth The activity, attracting more than 120 units from Beijing, psychologists offered free ser• of population in Tibet which, as Tianjin and Hebei, was spon• vices. Housekeeping eletrical the census proves, has reached sored by China Scince, Technolo• commodities and goods for per• 2,196,010, a 16.04 percent in• gy and Information magazine to sonal care were also demonstrat• crease over the 1982 figures. Ti• spread technological and scien• ed and sold. Li Bin bet's annual population growth rate is almost two percent, while the national rate is about 1.4 skills, the Hans were able to are illiterate or semi-literate. percent. go home. The State Council al• The literacy rate has increased The population increase has lowed Tibet to begin this year's much to do with improved con• two percentage points since census registration on June first, ditions in public health during 1982, but is still lower than the one month ahead of the rest of the past three decades. The abol• national average. the country, making it possible ition of serfdom in 1959 set the One possible reason for the in• for Tibet to process its prelimi• stage for steady improvements creased illiteracy rate is that in nary figures in a timely manner. in the standard of living. the labour-deficient Tibet, many The census shows more than Nearly 17,000 local people parents encourage their children 95 percent of the people in the have assisted in collecting data. to quit school early and help region are Tibetan and the re• All the figures have been with the farm chores. • maining 3.7 percent are Hans, double-checked and verified whose population has decreased during random sample inspec• CORRECTION: In the first by more than 11 percent since tions. The complete data are still line, third paragraph of the mid• 1982. being processed by computers, dle colum of P.5 in our last is• Tens of thousands of ethnic but the statistics for the total sue, "By the end of the 1989 Han people moved to Tibet in population were compiled by third quarter" should read "By the 1960s and 1970s to assist hand. the end of the 1990 third quart• local construction efforts. As One disappointing fact is that er." We apologize for this mis• more Tibetans mastered the 44 percent of Tibet's population take!—Ed.

6 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 CHINA

Yang Shangkiin on China's Reunification

The following is the full text of am very glad to meet with our friends from China President Yang Shangkun's speech to Times. In recent years, reporters of the Taiivan-based "China Iyour newspaper has given wide- Times" on September 24. The president ranging coverage of the ex• said that he world like to seethe two sides changes between the two sides be reunified as soon as possible. "One of the Taiwan Straits. Taiwan's news media sent many reporters country, two systems," President Yang to cover the Asian Games and said, means Taiwan will be a special televised live its opening cere• administrative region under the mony. This is very good, and jurisdiction of one China and that Taiwan represents a link between the will be able to practise a social system two sides. different from that of the mainland. The situation in the relation• "You can carry out your 'Three ship between the two sides of the Straits is much better now than People's Principles' and I can practise my the situation of several years socialism. We will not interfere with each ago. First, visitors from the is• other. Taiwan can retain its armed forces. land have continued to increase. The mainland will not send any person to They have included not only Taiwan to take part in governmental those coming to visit their rela• tives or for sightseeing, but also administration. We welcome Taiwan many scholars in the intellectual sending some personnel to the mainland to circles and government func• participate in the central government. The tionaries as well as some high question of how to realize the goal of 'one officials of 4he KMT. Before the country, two systems' should be negotiated death of Chiang Ching-kuo, this by the Kuomintang (KMT) and the was not the case; at that time, there was a strict blockade. In Communist Party of China (CPC) on the addition, the press in Taiwan basis of equality. 'The three exchanges' is now sending journalists here are aimed at gradually eliminating whenever there is an important antagonism between the two sides and event. This has greatly benefited increasing mutual understanding. The the making of a link between the most important thing at present is to have two sides of the Taiwan Straits. We hold that the two sides a link and establish a channel that will should be reunified as soon as facilitate direct negotiations between the possible. Taiwan has originally two sides."—Ed been a part of China and a member of the big family of the Chinese nation. Through the ages, there have been occasions of separation of Taiwan from the mainland, all of which were

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 7 CHINA

CUl BAOLIN On September 26, Yang Shangkan receives Chang Hsueh-sen (3rd from left), brother of Chang Hsueh-Iiang, a former senior KMT official. caused by outside forces. The land." At the same time, we were I can practise my socialism. We current separation of the two thinking about how to realize will not interfere with each oth• sides which has lasted more than reunification and put forward er. In addition, Taiwan can re• 40 years is a result of the strug• the position of "one country, two tain its armed forces. The main• gle between two political parties, systems," a position raised by land will not send any person to namely the KMT and CPC. It, i Deng Xiaoping. It was then dis- Taiwan to take part in govern• was man-made. Since the found• ' Cussed by the Political Bureau of mental administration. Howev• ing of New China, the KMT the CPC Central Committee and er, we welcome Taiwan sending went to Taiwan, and we have expounded on by Deng Xiaoping some personnel to the mainland always wanted to solve the Tai• in his meeting with Yang Li-yu to participate in the central gov• wan issue. Mao Zedong once as a means to inform the Taiwan ernment. proposed that it would be bet• authorities. We advocate "three ex• ter for the two sides to nego• "One country, two systems" changes" (the exchange of mail, tiate reunification and make a means Taiwan will not be the the exchange of trade and the concerted effort to reconstruct same as the other provinces in exchange of air and shipping ser• China. the mainland, but a special ad• vices). The problem now is that After the death of Chiang ministrative region under the the exchange between the two Ching-kuo, Taiwan has become jurisdiction of one China. It will sides of the straits has not be• more open and exchanges be• enjoy a higher degree of autono• come two-way; it is unfair. So tween the two sides of the straits my than the autonomous regions far, the number of visitors from have increased. During his life• in the mainland and will be able Taiwan to the mainland has sur• time, Chiang Ching-kuo persist• to carry out a different social passed 1.6 million while that ed in the position of "one system from that of the main• from the mainland to Taiwan is China." He tuned down the slo• land. You can carry out your only between 6,000 and 7,000. gan, "Counterattack the main• "Three People's Principles" and This is out of proportion. Tai-

8 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 CHINA wan has taken very strict precau• their Party memberships. There to see backwardness here and | tions against and imposed many are 50 million CPC members people from the mainland going | restrictions on those coming on the mainland. They will, of to Taiwan to see the prosperity | from the mainland. However, course, not go if they are re• there. This is not true. It is the j we have imposed no restrictions quired to fill in a form to give up Taiwan authorities' policies that i against those from Taiwan. Gov• their CPC memberships. As a do not allow us to go. I've read | ernment functionaries and high result, many relatives of people many newspapers of Taiwan and officials of the KMT are all wel• in Taiwan cannot go to Taiwan found that some people who vis• come to the mainland. Members to visit their kith and kin be• ited the mainland have spoken of the Democratic Progressive cause they are CPC members. well of the mainland after they Party have also been here. Even On the contrary, we have never returned to Taiwan. It is the more ordinary people who reside showed concern about the politi• same with us; we would not con• in Taiwan or have settled abroad cal status of those coming from sider everything in Taiwan good. have been here. Taiwan, never asked them We have never evaded the prob• "The three exchanges" are whether they are members of the lems in the mainland and have good methods for Linking the KMT, and never demanded they also held that there are some two sides of the straits. For ex• give up their KMT member• things in Taiwan worth learning ample, we have advocated direct ships. Therefore, "the three ex• from. If more people come, they trade, something which has not changes" at present are unfair. will observe with their own eyes yet been realized. Taiwan needs Among the population of 20 mil• and draw their own conclusions. coal produced in the mainland; lion in Taiwan, 1.6 million have One should appraise a society we would like to supply it. Since been to the mainland while only with a fair attitude; every socie• there is no direct trade now, several thousand out of the 1.1 ty has its merits. If one looks for however, entrepot trade has to billion people in the mainland a bone in an egg, he will always be done, thus increasing the have been to Taiwan. This is not find shortcomings in everything. costs. In the exchange of person• equal. Some Taiwan authorities have nel, Taiwan has practised politi• In the past, some people on the not understood this truth. First, cal discrimination against people island said that we on the main• they are afraid that we might from the mainland by demand• land were afraid of people in develop our united front. Se• ing that CPC members give up Taiwan coming to the mainland cond, they are afraid that we

General Secretary Jiang Zemin receives a group from Taiwan's Hsin Chn Communication University led by Prof. Chen Yi-yang on September. 2. .MA JUNTIAN

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 CHINA two sides can develop trade, which means supplying each oth• er's needs. For ex• ample, the mainland produces one billion tons of coal and over 100 million tons of oil a year. Taiwan lacks iron and steel, coal and oil, while the mainland has rich re• sources and can sup• ply Taiwan. If the two sides hold an ex• change on an equal basis all such ques• tions can be solved. After several decades of construction, it is possible to make a fair comparison and LI KAIYUAN consider each side's On Febnury 27, Premlei U Peng with chairmen and general managers of Taiwan-funded achievements. Since ' enterprises in Xiamen. the mainland has 16 million new births might ideologically reform those Some people in Taiwan say each year, it is necessary to make from Taiwan and turn them into that the living standard of the a great effort to solve the ques• our spies. In fact, we have prohi• mainland is lower than that of tions of food, clothing, educa• bited such activities from the Taiwan and so reunification tion and employment for the very beginning because this will should be postponed. I consider growing population. harm reunification. this unreasonable. Taiwan's po• We have proposed, therefore, "The three exchanges" are pulation is small. By compar• that the two parties sit down and aimed at gradually eliminating ison, the mainland has many have unconditional, peaceful ne• antagonism between the two things that Taiwan has not, such gotiations based on the principle sides and increasing mutual un• as large iron and steel works, of "one country, two systems." derstanding. So long- as this is large machine-building plants However, negotiations have done the relations between the and sophisticated electronics. not started yet. This is unfortun• two sides of the Straits can be Taiwan is better than us in man• ate. If negotiations had started more harmonious. In this field, agement expertise, but we are five years ago it would have be• we have done more than Taiwan. learning. Thus, not everything nefited and promoted the devel• How to realize the goal of "one in Taiwan is better than on the opment of both sides. I know it country, two systems" should be mainland. is difficult for Taiwan to furth• negotiated by the KMT and the In terms of overall strength, er develop its industry because, CPC on an equal basis. Though Taiwan is a lean and the main• basically, the industrial base some messages have been con• land a fat person. Per-capita in• there is a processing industry. veyed in recent years, a link be• come cannot be taken as a Though Taiwan has some elec• tween the two parties has not precondition for reunification. tronics enterprises, they are been established. Of course, bar• Moreover, the reunification of small. riers may exist, but so long as the the two sides of the Straits is not We advocate "one country, two sides are willing to talk, it is aimed at confiscating the wealth two systems"—you go your way not necessary to start negotia• of the Taiwan people, nor at "ov• and I go my way. Taiwan imple• tions between senior officials; erthrowing local tyrants." Our ments the "Three People's Prin• they may start with junior offi• policy is to promote the develop• ciples." Also, we practise our so• cials who can put forward any ment of the mainland as well as cialism—you don't destroy me opinion they have. the development of Taiwan. The and I don't destroy you. Unfor-

10 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 CHINA tunately, some people in Taiwan of our great tolerance and pati• have entrusted personnel to send still don't believe this. ence. At the same time, there is a copy of the Basic Law of Hong The most important thing at no room for retreat. Kong to Taiwan, asking the au• present is to have a link and By no means can we recognize thorities there to read it and establish a channel that will fa• that Taiwan and the mainland voice their opinions as to what cilitate direct negotiations be• are two governments on an equal changes should be adopted in tween the two sides. In recent footing. That would mean two the case of Taiwan. As of today, years, many people from Taiwan Chinas. Now, some people in there has been no reply. have claimed that they represent Taiwan have racked their brains We are anxious about China's the Taiwan authorities; quite a and come up with the slogan reunification because it has been few are political speculators. In "one country, two regions." To postponed for 40 years. order to have real negotiations, realize reunification, however, There are great changes taking the most important thing is to establish links between leaders or institutions of the two sides. The negotiations may start from the lower levels and proceed step by step. Finally, official negotia• tions can be conducted. The reason why we have sug• gested negotiations between the KMT and CPC is based on a consideration of the situation on the Taiwan side. If negotiations are not held between the two parties it will be difficult to re• solve the issue of the local gov• ernment of Taiwan. To avoid this problem, we advocate that the KMT and CPC have negotia• tions on an equal basis. There• fore, when Lee Teng-hui was elected chairman of the KMT we sent a message of congratula• WANG JINGYING tions in the name of the gener• He Zhenliang (right), chairman of Chinese Olympic Committee, greets the Taibei al secretary of the CPC Central Olympic Committee delegation headed by its chairman Chang Feng-hsn. Committee, expressing the hope of early reunification. But when the central government must be place in the world. Currently, he was elected "president" we located in Beijing and be of the Taiwan's position is untenable could not congratulate him be• People's Republic of China. This internationally as it has no status cause there is only one China — is the supreme, non-negotiable in international law. Since the the People's Republic of China. principle. In order to avoid a Second World War, it has always China has only one government, situation wherein Taiwan people been clear that Taiwan is a part based in Beijing, and Taiwan has feel that we are out to annex of China. At that time, Chiang always been a province of China. Taiwan, however, we put for• Kai-shek represented China to This is unchangeable. In the be• ward the principle of "one coun• accept Taiwan's return to the ginning, this question can be put try, two systems." This principle motherland. aside, and negotiations can focus was raised before the solution to Today, Taiwan's position is on trade and cultural exchanges the Hong Kong issue and it has not stable and there is a danger and other questions dealing with been successful in resolving that of its being taken over by others. exchanges between the two sides. and the Macao issues. Since Tai• Thus, we cannot promise to for• Of course, these measures will wan is different from Hong ego the use of military force in not solve the question of politi• Kong and Macao, it can have a order to prevent Taiwan split• cal reunification but we have no different relationship with the ting off from China. This doesn't intention of bullying a smaller central authorities from that of mean we intend to attack Tai• counterpart. This is an example Hong Kong and Macao. We wan. The Taiwan people are our

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 11 CHINA compatriots. How can we attack have come to invest in the main• military forces 300 km from the our compatriots? Our possible land. We welcome them. Our coast of Fujian Province. This is use of military force is main• side has many senior members of ridiculous. We have cut down ly aimed at foreign countries, the KMT, such as Zheng Dong- the size of the Chinese People's countries which want to take guo and Hou Jingru, who have Liberation Army by 1 million Taiwan away from China. Many many contacts and relatives in and abolished the Fuzhou Mili• friends in Taiwan and other Taiwan. They should be allowed tary Area Command which was places have suggested that we to visit Taiwan. When Mr Chien formerly stationed opposite Tai• give up the military option. But Mu passed away, for example, wan and there is now only a very we have repeatedly explained the Taiwan authorities did not limited number of troops there. the reason why we cannot do so. allow his relatives from the If our troops should be drawn The Taiwan authorities under• mainland to attend the funeral back by 100 km and if we called stand this clearly. service. It was the same case for a reciprocal withdrawal, a During negotiations between when Zhang Daqian passed drawing back by 100 km from the two sides, the questions con• away earlier. This is unreason• Taipei, where would Taiwan cerning central and local gov• able. Attending a fjjneral service troops withdraw to? In the mod• ernments can be postponed. This is a part of traditional Chinese ern warfare, a distance of dozens does not mean that such a ques• ethics rather than "communist of or 100 km costs only a few tion does not exist. In fact, these propaganda." minutes by air. Therefore, such are crucial. But it is necessary In a word, at present there is a a demand shows the opinion to promote continuous links be• lack of mutual trust between the only of a layman. If the main• tween the two sides now. At pre• people of the two sides across the land were hostile to Taiwan and sent, Taiwan is ruled by the Taiwan Straits. There is consen• had planned to use force, there KMT. Of course, the present sus, but to differing degrees. The would be, rather than the cur• KMT is not the same as existed press, fortunately, can stand rent very limited troops, a de• previously. The present regime quite aloof and criticize what is ployment two to three, or even on Taiwan can send people to wrong and so I hope you in the ten times larger in Fujian. carry out negotiations not neces• mass media to do something to We pin hopes on two factors in sarily focused on reunification. increase mutual trust and con• Taiwan—one is on the Taiwan Various programmes can be dis• sensus between the two sides of authorities and the other on the cussed. the Straits. The method lies in Taiwan people. It is necessary to Although mass organizations more contacts, more links, an af• have more exchange and links and other parties can also parti• firmation of consensus, enhanc• between the two sides. Now, cipate in the negotiations, there ing mutual trust and exchange. there are not enough exchanges must be a main negotiating At present, the KMT in Taiwan for the Taiwan authorities and body. We want to solicit opi• has not enough links nor trust in the Taiwan people. Contacts nions from other parties and or• us but has, instead, too many with the Taiwan authorities ganizations in Taiwan and wel• doubts. should not be conducted in a come their visits. We can go Some people in Taiwan said casual way but should be held there and pool the wisdom of that we deliberately smuggled fi• between authoritative or repre• all fields and let people decide rearms to Taiwan in an attempt sentative personnel. As for links which programme is practical. to carry out subversive activities with the Taiwan people, we wel• Some people, however, have sug• there. I can say responsibly that come talks with the Taiwan peo• gested proceeding from econo• we have made consistent efforts ple and mass organizations who mic to political links. This is not to crack down on the smuggling can come on tour or on a visit to infeasible. of firearms, rather than deliber• relatives. Some 80 percent of the Unfortunately, some people in ately taking part in such acts as Taiwan people have relatives in Taiwan recently have put for• some people claim. However, the the mainland. Even the Demo• ward the idea of "cooling the coastline of Fujian Province is cratic Progressive Party is wel• mainland rush." This is not good too long to prevent such acts come as well as dozens of other for building links between the completely. But who would be so parties. We can talk and pool two sides. We believe that links stupid as to raise an insurrection opinions on various aspects of should be expanded. What we using only hundreds of smug• current problems in order to fear is not a rush, but a cooling gled firearms? reach a consensus. The link is down. Some other people have de• very important. Don't limit it. Many Taiwan entrepreneurs manded that we draw back the Don't fear it.

11 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 CHINA

I can also put forward another point. If Mr Lee Teng-hui invit• ed me, I would visit Taiwan so long as my safety was guaran• teed. When Chiang Ching-kuo was alive, I sent the same mes• sage, because he and I were school mates. Only by more con• tacts can we realize consensus and mutual trust; in just such a meeting like we are having to• day. During the second round of co-operation between the KMT and CPC, Mr Zhou Enlai main• tained contacts for several years before the official negotiation started. It was finally made public in Lushan. Now, howev• er, there is no effective channel for contacts. I say we are anxious for the reunification because when Mr Chiang Ching-kuo was alive, he sent some messages which indi• cated his intent to solve the issue of reunification of the two sides. So we were optimistic. Now, it seems improper to be too hasty. At the same time, it will not do to be too slow. Mr Deng Xiaoping has proposed that it is better for both the mainland and Taiwan to establish contacts and realize the goal of the country's reunification when the senior leaders of the CPC and KMT in Taiwan are still alive. The prob• lems concerning the Taiwan is• sue can be resolved easier when people who know the history of both CPC and KMT are alive. If the issue is further postponed, CHENG ZHI5HAN there are many questions the Taibei handball players at the Tiananmen Rostrum August last year. younger generation of the two parties do not understand. This not do, though, if the process of do not want reunification and is the reason behind the anxiety. reunification proceeds too slow. intend to advocate the independ• Still, Mr Lee Teng-hui has his It is possible that people of my ence of Taiwan. advantages because he was not age may not live to see the day Another Chinese saying goes: involved in the disputes between when China is reunified. But it "When the water comes, a chan• the KMT and CPC and thus has will not be good if the people nel is formed." We should help no burdens left over by history. General Secretary Jiang men• here today fail to see China reu• the water move more quickly; tioned in his speech that he nified. A popular saying in it is better to add a pump and hopes Mr Lee Teng-hui can China goes: "A long night is make the slope steeper so as to promote the process of the reuni• fraught with dreams." Unfor• facilitate a faster and smoother fication of the two sides. It will tunately, some people in Taiwan flow of water. •

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 13 CHINA

The Advantages and EKsadvantages of Socialism

—Chinese scholar He Xin's talk with Japanese Professor Yabuki Susumu (11)

This is the second part of Chinese 6. Which of the Two Systems Is scholar He Xin's talk on August Superior? 15,1990 with Yabuki Susumu, S: It seems that you do not trust the capi• professor of economics at Japan's talist free market system. Yokohama Ciiy University. Mr He: No, I don't. Ten years ago, however, I believed in the myth that the free market He believes that events in economy was better, an idea I got mainly Eastern Europe do not herald the through the writings of P.A. Samuelson of end of socialism. The first part of the United States. the talk, entitled "The Current In the last ten years, through an observa• World Economic Situations" tion and comparison of the economic re• appeared in our issue No. forms in China, Eastern Europe and the 47.—Ed. Soviet Union and through a more in-depth theoretical study, I've become convinced that, on the whole, the socialist economy is essentially stronger than the capitalist economy. S: Oh? Why is that? He: Well, I think Japanese economists should have some experience in this regard. One book. Modern Japanese Economy com• piled by a Japanese economist, says that in the late 19th century, in order to quickly extricate itself from a backward economy, Japan introduced the "state socialist econo• mic system" in which the state controlled the principal economic departments and made them directly serve state objectiyes. Following World War II, after "being ifor- given by various countries in Western Eu• rope and America," Japan introduced a policy of government planning and regu• lation which was different from the free market system of Western countries. Japan practises capitalism, which is dif• ferent in principle from the Chinese sys• tem. If the state ownership system and the planned economic system have nothing su• perior, why did Japan imitate such a sys• tem when its economy was not so strong?

14 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 CHINA

S: That's right. I'm familiar S: Then, what is there any su• military means to cut the social• with the book. periority of the socialist econ• ist countries off from the world He: Well, let's consider China's omy? market under their control. current economic problem. As He: Because of its strong macro- The West's blockade has an economist you may under• control mechanism, socialism is forced the Chinese to live fru• stand the current problem is a able to control, to a certain ex• gally. Between the 1950s and result of an economic cycle. If tent, the cycle of the commodity 1970s, it was very difficult for China's sluggish market of 1989 economy and thus can at least China to acquire the "compar• had taken place in capitalist reduce its destructive impact. ative economic interests" des• countries, it would have led to Fundamentally, which of the cribed by David Ricardo the close of numerous enterpris• two systems is superior? Let's through foreign trade and the es, banks and shops, unemploy• make a comparison. Let's ima• international division of labour. ment, bankruptcy, the collapse gine an equal contest between In the past 30 years, China had of the stock market and even socialism and capitalism under to rely on its domestic market to social disturbances. China, how• the same conditions. generate the finances required ever, by relying on the regula• S: What sort of comparison do to develop its industry, science tory lever of the state macro- you mean? and technology, modernize it• economic policy, has effectively He: Let's suppose that the Unit• self and catch up with the adv- resisted crisis-oriented changes, ed States or another capitalist • anced nations. thus ensuring the operation of country had shut its economic The West, however, always ri• the national economy and the doors or been economically and dicules China's economy as "an maintenance of social stability. technically under a blockade for economy of shortage," saying If we had not relied on social• ten or 20 years. Would its free that our country's economic dif• ism but, as some people suggest• market economic system have ficulties are the result of our ed, followed a policy of total been able to survive in the ten system. This is extremely unfair. privatization, liberalization and to 20 years? Would it still have In fact, the West has set a a thorough shareholding system been able to maintain a high difficult question for China and in our economic system between standard of living? Which of the all the countries which have tak• 1987 and 1989, the results of such two systems would develop fas• en the socialist road to answer. economic cycles would have ter under a blockade? Which Only when they give up so• been quite different. system would more effectively cialism will the West allow them resolve the various complicated to enter the world market sys• 7. Why Does Socialism Also social problems? tem under its control and grant Have an Economic Cycle? I don't think any Western them such rights as membership country would stand a chance in in the General Agreement on S: Why is there also an econo• such a competition. Tariffs and Trade and other mic cycle in the socialist system? S: Of course, ours has always world economic organizations He: This question cannot be been an open economy. and the most-favoured-nation explained thoroughly without status. But, if they forsake going into great detail. Social• 8. Why Does the West the socialist system, underdev• ism also practises the commodi• Blockade Socialism? eloped nations will lose their ca• ty economy. Moreover, both the pacity for economic and politi• scope and extent of commercial He: Yes, that's just the point. cal, self-defence and will easily enterprises in China have been The fact is that your economy be dominated by developed na• expanded since the beginning of has always relied on the world tions through economic means reforms. market and, in this market, the (we've witnessed this already in Mao Zedong said all commod• development opportunity for some East European countries). ity production should follow advanced and backward nations In the end, they would, like certain common economic laws. is lopsided. The industrially and most developing countries, be• What he referred to at that technically advanced nations come peripheral economic zones time were chiefly laws govern• have occupied a commanding depending on a few developed ing prices and exchange. In my position. countries and even slaves to the view, the cycle of expansion and In the past decades, moreover, debt of the modern world econ• shrinkage of supply and demand the West has always enforced a omy. is also a universal law governing blockade against socialism and On the other hand, if they re• the commodity economy. has used pohtical, economic and fuse to give up socialism, the

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1*90 15 .CHINA West will carry out various eco• sources in order to attain great in the 20th century. Now, some nomic, political, cultural and accomplishments. His remark is people say that socialism was ideological strategies to enforce very profound. introduced too early in these a blockade or instigate domestic The resources he referred to countries and that they replaced turmoil to subvert them. were, first, manpower and, se• reality with a Utopian ideal. Just a decade or two ago, for cond, material strength. Public These people don't realize that example, the Soviet Union and ownership allows the state au• this kind of economic system is East European countries were thorities to concentrate the na• the most suitable social system rising industrial nations. Today, tion's resources so that society's for developing countries as they however, some of these coun• most urgent needs can be tac• are transformed from a pre• tries' economies are declining or kled. This is the reason why capitalist society to one under• bogged down in difficulties. China's achievements over the going rapid industrialization. As a matter of fact, they have past 41 years have been more (In a way, hasn't Japan's econo• been cleverly put to rout on the impressive than some develop• mic development proved this?) ideological, economic and polit• ing nations that practise a free In the early 1950s, during ical fronts in the acute interna• market economy. its industrialization campaign, tional competition in the eco• S: Oh? China lacked both capital and nomic, industrial, scientific and He: Socialism's other advantage technology. Moreover, it was technological fields. lies in its strength in foreign af- confronted with complicated so• One of the ways the West will , fairs. This social system is able cial problems. Under these cir• try to defeat socialism is to is• to combine the nation's human cumstances, the country, by re• olate and separate the socialist and physical resources into a lying on the strength of the state economy from the world market closely knit "group." Political• and public ownership, was able dominated by Western forces. ly it can resist external bully• to concentrate its limited social This is the true implication of ing and safeguard state interests. resources and achieve consider• the cold war. Economically, it can concen• able development. History has In short, the developed na• trate the national power to de• proven this is a shortcut. This tions will try every means to fend the national economy. fact is accepted worldwide and maintain and consolidate their Thus, the country will have suf• is a source of pride to the own wealth and advanced posi• ficient strength to resist the Chinese people. However, it tion. .They don't want to see monopoly forces of internation• seems to have been forgotten by the underdeveloped countries al capitalism in the world econ• people in recent years. march towards prosperity and omy. Some people are now criticiz• development. This is the grim . There is a trend in developed ing China. It has practiced so• reality of today's competitive countries to instigate people liv• cialism for 40 years, they say, world. ing in socialist countries to des• but, despite its supposed super• troy this socialist "group." I'm iority, the country's economic 9. Advantages of Socialism afraid this is the real motive be• achievements and living stan• hind their actions; it is not be• dards are not on a par with those S: Then, even in the sense of cause they love us or really care of the United States and other a pure economic system, you about political and democrat• developed capitalist countries. don't believe the socialist system ic development of our socie• The response to this ridicu• has defects? ty. Don't you agree? lous statement is to point out He: Of course it has shortcom• S: I'm afraid there is also the China's economic, political and ings. Why would we carry out question of values. social situation 40 years ago. At reforms if there were no de• He: The pure concept of val• that time, China was one of the fects? Everything has its advan• ue? If they were not concerned most underdeveloped nations in tages and disadvantages. In re• about real gains, I don't think the world. Today, what is the gard to socialism, however, one the developed Western countries gap between China and the de• should first look at its advan• who haggle over every penny veloped nations? Has it widened tages before talking about its would invest generously in the or narrowed? Furthermore, un• drawbacks. "democracy movements" in so• der what internal and external S: Advantages? cialist countries. conditions has China succeeded He: Deng Xiaoping said that the Socialism first appeared in in narrowing the gap? What oth• advantage of socialism is that economically underdeveloped er developing country with an it can concentrate society's re• European and Asian countries economic level equal to China

16 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 CHINA 40 years ago has surpassed competition is still far from opment of individual character. China economically or in inter• over. Ten years from now, if As a matter of fact, Mao Zedong national status? China does not have any more took notice to this theoretically S: What about the four small social disturbances and if its ma• and often stressed the need for dragons of Asia? jor economic and political devel• both democracy and centralism. He; With regard to the so-called opment principles are correct, it He also noted there should be four small dragons, let me point is hard to say what an economic both a unity of will and a situa• out three facts: picture Asia will present. tion in which people have ease First, the high-speed develop• of mind. Regretfully, however, ment of their economies in the 10. Reform Aims to the acute struggle during his 1970s and 1980s was the result of Promote the Good lifetime and the various histori• special conditions. If these spe• And Abolish the Bad cal restrictions made it impossi• cial conditions were to disap• ble for his dialectical theory to pear, it is unlikely that they S: (Laughing) You are really be embodied in policy and car• would be able to maintain such sharp. But, tell me, what are ried out in practice in its truest an impressive rate of growth. If the disadvantages of the social• sense. you don't believe this, take note ist system. of their development in the next He: (Laughing) Disadvantages, The merits of socialism also ten years. as Lenin might say, are some• find expression in earmarking S: What do you mean by "spe• times the improper extension of money and materials from rich cial conditions"? advantages. to poor areas and allocating He: These special conditions are Socialism's merits lie in its grain from areas of a bumper related to the birth of New high degree of centralization, harvest to places suffering from China in the East and the Un• which Mao Zedong called the a crop failure. All this calls for ited States' economic blockade unity of will, steps and actions. state macro-regulation and con• and strategic encirclement of Its disadvantages lie, first, in the trol. In terms of the distribution China in the 1950s. Each of the blind swelhng of state power, of social products and in terms four small dragons in Asia grew characterized by extremely rigid of the difference between the by relying on the capital, aid control over everything. I exper• rich and the poor,-socialism is and technology of the United ienced this during the "cultural more reasonable and fair than States. Without the existence of revolution." capitalism. New China, the United States Meanwhile, the abuse of state- But this gives birth to the de• would not then have given them bestowed power by officials fects. When it is too reasonable such assistance. (This is perhaps can easily engender a bloat• and fair, there occurs equalitar- one reason why the four small ed bureaucracy, excessive privi• ianism. Equalitarianism is not dragons arose in Asia but not leges, corruption and other conducive to mobilizing people's in other regions of the world.) problems. But this is not unique initiative through the means of Their brilliance lies in the fact to the socialist system. It occurs individual interests. In addition that they lost no time in captur• in the political life of Japan and to this, there are other problems ing and making full use of this the United States too. Cases in but, on the whole, the socialist historical opportunity. point include any number of system brings more advantages Second, even today, the scale, political scandals. than disadvantages to economi• strength and overall technical Second, if there is an overem• cally backward countries. When level of their economy do not phasis on centralism and uni• viewed from the angle of the surpass China. They can only be ty, any serious mistakes made world history, China's socialism, proud of their per-capita GNP. at the highest decision-making which embodies the special crea• This figure is significant, but it level will exert an impact on tion and wisdom of the Chinese is not so large that people should all of society. This happened in people over the last 40 years, has be frightened by it. Unfortun• 1958 (the "great leap forward" been an especially successful ex• ately, many underdeveloped —Tr.) and 1966 (the "cultural ample. countries are heavily in debt revolution"—Tr.). I understand that the socialist and on the brink of an economic Third, if the public will is im• reform initiated by Mr Deng collapse even though their per- properly stressed, there will be a Xiaoping is aimed at promoting capita GNP exceeds that of sacrifice or suppression of in• the advantages and abolishing China. dividuals (particularly intellec• the disadvantages of the social• Third, this round of economic tuals) and of the creative devel• ist system.

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 17 CHINA 11, More Gains Than Losses defects in the Chinese social sys• tries. It is because of this, we see in the Ten-Year Reform tem. It can safely be said that that socialism in the 20th centu• the ten years of reform have re• ry is not an event but a great S: What is your view of foreign vealed contradictions in the na• historical trend during which comments labeling you a neo- tion's economic, political, ideo• numerous developing countries conservative? logical, cultural and social life. have tried to follow the system He: I am not conservative. I But, concurrently, there arose a economically and politically af• support Deng Xiaoping's policy trend of thought that negat• ter winning independence. of socialist reform without the ed not only the achievements This trend has not come to a slightest reservation. In regard China has made in construction halt because of events in Eastern to the orientation of the reform, over the last 40 years but also Europe. And the historical pro• I am simply a world apart from the national spirit and cultural gress has not come to an end in those who have fled to the West. tradition of the Chinese nation Eastern Europe either. That's all. over the past 5,000 years. Ob• Recently, I read an essay enti• S: It seems to me that some of viously, this is a negative aspect tled The End of History by an these people were your friends. of the reform. American. The author said that Liu Zaifu for example. events in Eastern Europe indi• He: (Laughing) He was my lead• 12. Prospects for Sociaiism cate that the progress of the er and an academic colleague. Around the World human society will eventually But personal friendship could come to a halt at capitalist so• not gloss over political differ• S: What's the situation in the ciety, and, from that point on, ences. Since 1985, Liu (and oth• world today? Isn't it true that there would be only politics, but ers) and I have had differences socialist countries are decreas• no history, in the world. I have over some important questions ing in number worldwide? rarely read a more arrogant, su• (including the so-called "mod• He: As an economist, I think perficial theory than this one. ernist school" of the Chinese lit• you realize that the debate over Some people in the West be• erature). Many people in acade- which is superior, the state econ• lieve that socialism has suffered mia are familiar with this. omy or the free market econo• an irretrievable historical loss S: So, how do you evaluate Chi• my, has actually been going on worldwide. I think this conclu• na's reform of the last ten years? for a long time. I remember, sion is premature. He: I think the most important particularly, that Friedrich List, S: Why? achievement of the decade-long a famous German economist in reform since 1979 is the introd• the 19th century and father of uction of enormous energy and the theory on Germany's indus• 13. A Road to Justice vitality into the socialist system. trialization, criticized Adam He: Recently I have always been Anyone involved in an objective Smith's theory on free market. pondering the question: From study must observe and analyse List said that, in the world a global point of view, as we such changes with a rational market, economic powers al• know, the problems confronting mind. Personally, I think that ways had special demands for the development of human so• in the last ten years of reform, free trade and a system of free ciety are now more acute and more has been gained than lost. market in order to smash the more thorny than ever before. I remember that Mao Zedong defensive capability of the in• At the same time, moreover, the once criticized socialism in the dustrially backward countries, trend towards world economic Soviet Union. By refusing to ac• to sacrifice those countries' in• and political integration is gain• cept the fact that there existed terests. The backward countries ing momentum at an unprece• contradictions and drawbacks in would have to rely on state in• dented scale. a socialist society, the Soviets, tervention to defend their young So, in regard to those grim •Mao said, did not dare to face industry and national market. global problems such as the ex• various social problems theoret• Otherwise, they would be econ• haustion of natural resources, ically and so were unable to im• omically plundered by the stron• the contamination of environ• prove and progress. Mao's criti• ger economic powers. ment, and the crisis in food cism was very incisive. The socialist system is a social and population, the question is On the other hand, China's re• system which, first and fore• whether they can be solved by form over the ten years between most, can protect the national a further privatization of the 1979 and 1989 fully revealed the economic interests of the indus• world resources and a laissez- contradictions, drawbacks and trially underdeveloped coun• faire global economy. Or, can

18 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 CHINA they be solved under a new im• four cardinal principles. With• ample, when the Kakuei Tanaka perialist system under which the out this idea, which is actually faction made mistakes, another world is dominated by one, two an invention of Mr Deng Xiaop• faction opposed and toppled it. or three economic and military ing, I think China would either This conforms with the princi• superpowers (a solution which dissolve or suffer other troubles. ple of political democracy. would benefit only a small num• As a matter of fact, any state He: Mao Zedong pnce said, ber of the most developed coun• system must have a legal, polit• "Outside any party there are tries)? Or, rather, can they be ical and ideological basis that other parties; inside, there are resolved fundamentally when could justify its existence. For groupings." This is also Chinese the resources, labour and wealth China, the four cardinal princi• politics. of this planet are owned and ples constitute the nation's mor• You seem to indicate from shared by all of mankind, al and ideological basis. It is your question that the current through the overall regulation on this basis that the current Chinese political system is not and co-operation of a unified Chinese system survives. as good as the system practised plan for the world economy? This basis did meet with a ser• during the Meiji period. I am I think the answer is evident ious challenge in the last few afraid that the two systems are without further explanation. years, which I am sure you are worlds apart. For scores of years Otherwise, I believe, the world well aware of. Last year, China after the Meiji, Japan fell under will never have peace and stabil• narrowly escaped being pushed the rule of militarists. Even by ity and there will be repeated onto the brink of nationwide the Western standards, that was crises, wars and turmoil. turmoil and separation. not a genuine political demo• If we can agree that the in• Shaking hands with capitalists cratic system. This is evident. creasing global problems which is a practical continuation of Japan completed its primitive plague mankind call for an in• the open policy initiated by stage of industrial accumulation tegrated solution benefiting all Mr Deng. The open policy has under the para-dictatorship pol• mankind, then I would argue proved necessary because world itical system and through a war that socialism is inevitable no industrialization of the past 200 of economic plunder of Asia. years demonstrates that the de• matter how tortuous the road Why didn't the Japanese re• velopment of industry and will be, and it is a road leading volt? Because the Japanese have science and technology requires to the just history. a strong national consciousness a huge amount of capital and Even though socialism has and the concept of state integra• that, if funds are simply raised failed temporarily in some coun• tion between the monarchy and from the domestic market, the tries, its ideal and practicality its subjects. will eventually be reunderstood accumulation of capital will With regard to the modern by the people. I also believe that proceed at a limited speed. Chinese political system, al• future socialist movement will S: After the Meiji Reformation, though we recognize its various certainly draw lessons from past Japan accomplished the reform problems which need to be re• failures and become more so• of its political system. The solu• solved, I am afraid it cannot be phisticated and mature; this is tion of the problems of separa• placed on par with Japan's polit• also true regarding the develop• tist local regimes which existed ical system during the Meiji per• ment of democracy. prior to the reform was followed by the political unification of iod. I wonder whether you have the country. China, however, been influenced by Hong Kong 14. The Necessity of magazines which always accuse The Open Policy has practiced one-party rule over the last 40 years. It is a modern China of engaging in S: It is contradictory for China system which blocks moderniza• "feudal politics." I assume they to oppose bourgeois liberaliza• tion. don't have a real understanding tion while shaking hands with He: Although Japan follows the of the term "feudalism" in histo• foreign capitalists and encourag• multi-party system, it actually ry. Such a cliche is not worthy ing them to invest in China. Mr has been under the rule of the of rebuttal. He, what is your view on this? Liberal Democratic Party since If we were to discuss feudal• He: Deng Xiaoping has said that 1954. It is a period also of some ism in a more serious manner, I opposing liberalization is of pro• 40 years, isn't it? would argue that the vestiges in found and direct political sig• S: But the Liberal Democratic Japan of imperial politics from nificance in China, the core of Party has many factions and an the Meiji period bear stronger which is the adherence to the inner-party democracy. For ex• traits of feudalism. •

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 19 CHINA

Ref onti Brings Vigour to Road Construction Thanks to the policy of reform and opening up to the outside world, China has achieved considerable progress in road construction during the 1980s. In the 1990s, more construction projects for roads, including expressways, are planned.

than a Grade 1 highway. In ad• The Way Out for Road Building dition, it is more suitable for transportation than a first grade by Our Staff Reporter Li Ping road, to which every type of ve• ecently good, news in system. hicle has access. Therefore, it China's road construction The construction of express• gains a rapid expansion in China. R kept pouring in: ways is a major advance. Since Presently, several such highways On September 1, China's long• the beginning of the Shenyang- have been completed, including est expressway — the Shenyang- Dalian Expressway project in one from Changzhou in Hebei Dalian Expressway in the Liao- 1984, altogether there are eight Province to Dezhou in Shandong dong Peninsula was opened to expressways on the mainland Province, one from Shenyang traffic; which have been completed or to Taoxian Airport in Liaon- On September 12, the main are still under construction. ing Province, and one from portion of the Beijing-Yangchun These expressways, totalling 900 Zhangjiagang to Shazhou in section of the Beijing-Tianjin- km long, are between Shenyang- Jiangsu Province. Tanggu Expressway was com• Dalian, Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu, In the past, China's highways pleted and put into service; Shanghai-Jiadin, Guangzhou- were frequently interrupted by On September 28, the Datong- Foshan, Xian-Lintong, Xin- rivers due to a lack of bridges. Yuncheng Highway, running ac• zhuang (Shanghai)-Songjiang; Now, the situation has improved ross Shanxi Province, the coal Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Zhuhai, significantly. There are over base, was completed; and a ring road in Guangzhou. 160,000 highway bridges. Over On October 2, a Grade 2 high• Recent years have also wit• the past decade, in particular, way linking Nannin, capital of nessed the development of China has made breakthroughs the Guangxi Zhuang Autonom• motors-only highways. The cost in the structures, forms and tech• ous Region, and Beihai, a port of this type of highway is only niques of bridge-building. China city, also opened. half of a Grade 1 highway and has every type of bridges found occupies 40 percent less land in foreign countries, such as arch

Changes LIU HANDENG In the past few years, tourists visiting China often complained about poor road conditions. They will now find things are improv• ing. Over the past decade, China has built or renovated more than 4,000 kilometres of roads. Now highways extend to every tourist spot except on islands. Many of these roads are category Grade 1 or 2 near hot tourist spots, falling in the first two ranks of China's four-grade road classification

20 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 CHINA bridges, prestressed concrete bridges, cantilever bridges Sketch Map of China's Main State-Line Highway System and T-shaped steel-structured bridges. Moreover, China has its unique double-arch bridges. China has also given priority to bridge-building over large rivers. There are 24 bridges over the River and 56 over the Yellow River, the two longest rivers in China. In 1949, China's total highway length was only 80,000 km. In 1989, that figure rose to 1 mil• lion km. Except for Motuo County in , where geological condi• tions are poor and population is small, all cities and county towns have access to highways. These road networks have promoted the development of local econ• omies and provided conveni• ences in people's life. 5. Zhengzhou 6. Nanjing 7. Urumqi 8. Reform Hnagzhou 9. Shanghai 10. Ningbo 11. \ . i Lianyungang 12. Qingdao 13. Yantai " ' ' ' A major cause for the rapid 14. Dalian 15. Shenyang 16. Changchun development of highways has 17. Harbin 18. Holhot 19. Wuhan 20. / • . / been the government's emphasis Nanchang 21. Fuzhou 22. Xiamen 23. • ' ' on transportation as a part of Changsha 24. Guangzhou 25. Shenzhen ." • •' 26. Xian 27. Lanzhou 28. Xining 29. I ' ' ' / infrastructure and its subsequent Lhasa 30. Chengdu 31. Chongqing 32. / investment. But more important• Guiyang 33. Kunmin 34. Nanning 35. , • ly, it is due to a series of re• Zhanjiang 36. Haikou form measures introduced into the construction and manage• world towards a commodity hai had to cross four rivers by ment of highways. economy earlier than other prov• ferries each requiring one to two- Raising funds. Before 1979, inces, took the lead in raising hours. Now the time has been highways and bridges were re• funds for building roads and significantly shortened. garded as public facilities and bridges and collecting tolls. In December 1984, the State the state invested in their con• On November 25, 1984, the Council decided that express• struction. Each year the state first bridge ever on the ways, bridges and tunnels that collected a limited amount of Guangzhou-Zhuhai highway was are built with raised funds oth• maintenance toll from users. opened to traffic and a total of er than state investment are al• Therefore, China's highways 40,000 yuan was collected on the lowed to charge tolls, thus for• were virtually free of charge. first day. In 1984, all six docks mally sanctioning the reform Since so many highways and on the Guangzhou-Zhuhai and measures carried out in Guang• bridges needed to be built but the Guangzhou-Shenzhen highways dong. This practice has since state's financial resources were were turned into bridges with an spread across the nation, achiev• limited, many programmes were investment of 100 million yuan, ing remarkable economic results. suspended simply because of a none of which came from the Helping poorer areas. In the shortage of funds. It became in• state. These bridges were of huge interior and frontier regions creasingly evident that this situa• social and economic significance. there are many poor areas. The tion hampered the growing na• Take Guangdong-Zhuhai High• state allocates a considerable tional economy. way as an example. Before the amount of financial and materi• In 1983, Guangdong Province, completion of the bridges, a al resources to help these areas, which opened to the outside drive from Guangzhou to Zhu- which, in most cases, are beyond

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 2«-DEC. 2, 1990 21 CHINA

toll. During the following the high-grade Sanyuan- year, 200 kilometres of new Tongchuan Highway and the highways were built and motor-only Nanchang-Jiujiang 237 kilometres were up• Highway. graded, including 31 bridges and two tunnels. "Trunk Road" Project The completion of these projects has played an im• No doubt, New China has at• tained great achievements in portant role in raising the road building. However, the si• living standard of the peo• tuation that the transport indus• ple in these poor regions, try lags behind the economic de• stimulating exchange of velopment has not basically goods between urban and changed because in previous rural regions, promoting years the government failed to the development of rural pay .sufficient attention to bas• enterprises and developing ic industries, such as transpor• the culture and education tation. Highways fell short in The 74-km Beijing-Yangchnn section of the in the countryside. Bei)ing-Tianiin-Tangga Expressway has opened total length and were poor in Using foreign fimds. Since to traffic. SONG LIANFENG quality. 1979 China has begun us• Reports show that 800,540 kil• ing foreign funds to build high• the reach of highways or rail• ometres of the total 1,01 million ways and ports. The loan provid• ways. To help people there rise kilometres of roads are fourth- ed by the World Bank has been above poverty and become rich, grade and substandard highways. in late 1984, the State Council primarily used for highway con• Of the 106,000 total kilometres formulated a plan under which struction. of state lines, the fourth-grade farmers in poor areas contribute To date, China has utilized and substandard highways make their labour to building roads, US$538.6 million of World Bank up 43,800 kilometres. The aver• water irrigation projects and loans to construct six projects — age speed limit for motor vehi• water passages in exchange for highways connecting the state cles is only 30 kilometres because state assistance in the form of lines and country roads, the these highways are in poor con• grain and cotton cloth. This was Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Express• dition and they share the road different from the old practice of way, the high-grade Chengdu- with tractors and non-motor ve• the state providing relief to the Chongqing Highway, the high- hicles. In recent years, motor areas. This plan worked. Between grade Jinan-Qindao Highway, vehicles of different types have 1985 and 1987, the state used 3.7 billion kilograms of grain, 62,500 The first Grade-1 highway in Yunnan, the Konmin-Wandin Highway, has partly tons of cotton and 330 million been completed, alleviating the transport harden of Kanmin. LI YULONG metres of cotton cloth, a total value of 1.7 billion yuan, in building 120,000 km of roads, 78,700 km of which are highways that reach state standards. At the end of 1987, the State Council decided to prov• ide middle-and-low-grade indus• trial products as a substitute for relief when organizing the people to build highways. This innova• tive experiment was applied to 18 counties of extreme poverty in Sichuan and Jiangxi provinces and Ningxia Hui Autonom• ous Region, involving indus• trial goods valued at 19.45 mil• lion yuan and 15.273 million yuan of local budget and road

11 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. U-DEC. 1, 1990 CHINA

land trading centers. and under heavy traffic burdens. These highways pri• On the western side. Grade 1 marily serve the and Grade 2 highways should be medium- and -short- dominant because of lower traff• distance passenger ic volume. Preliminary estimates and freight transport verify 10,000 kw express high• between large cities ways among the 25,000 kw main and provinces and state lines with the balance being some long-distance Grade 1 and Grade 2 motor-only transport. The 12 highways. main state lines de• These state arteries will be signed in according to built in stages. Where passenger the needs of the de• and freight transport is busy and velopment of the na• economic conditions permit, ex• tional economy will press highways should prevail. reach all major parts In areas lacking such conditions, of the country when roads may be designed according they are completed. to the standards of the express The planned pri• highways and the first-stage en• mary state lines will gineering should prepare for the include express high• second-stage construction in or• ways, Grade 1 and der to avoid repetition. In con• Grade 2 motor-only sidering this, during the Eighth highways, providing Five-Year Plan (1991-1995), secure, fast and ef• China will build seven express ficient transport. In highways with a total length terms of technologi• of 1,000 kilometres, six express cal standards, express lines of 1,200 kilometres and highways will be built 1,300 kilometres of Grade 1 and in regions east of the Grade 2 motor-only highways. The road to Sichuan is no longer steep: a tmck on Beijing-Guangzhou When these lines are completed, the Sichoan-Shaanxi Highway. SUN ZHONGJIN line where local econ• the strained transportation will omies are developed be partially eased. • greatly increased and those for civil use increased 2.4 times com• pared with last decade. The pas• senger and freight transport vol• Express Highways in China umes have multiplied. Thus, many highways have been over• ihe Shenyang-Dalian Ex• viously. The designed capacity of loaded, surpassing four or five the highway is to carry 50,000 times their .^designed capacity. pressway, the first express cars per day, 80 million tons of The highways need to be up• T highway in China, was put goods and 100 million passengers graded so speed limits can be into service in June 1989. Re• increased, thus • advancing tran• cently I was fortunate enough to per year. sportation. drive its 375 kilometre length, Therefore, China's transporta• which is 47 kilometres shorter A Debate tion department has mapped out than the old Shenyang-Dalian the "backbone road" plan. Ac• road. It is 26 metres wide, with Although there are some ex• cording to it, China will, within four lanes separated by a three- press highways in China, the the period of several five-year metre-wide green belt. Since both question of whether China plans, build a highway network sides of the highway are com• should build express highways is of 25,000 kilometres composed pletely protected by a silver-grey still the focal point of debate of 12 arteries of state lines, con• fence, speed limits can reach during a discussion launched by necting all provinces, autonom• 100-120 kilometres per hour. It People's Daily last year. ous regions, provincial capitals, takes only four hours now to Opinions of opponents to the important cities, hubs of com• drive from Dalian to Shenyang building of express highways munication, major ports and in• as compared with 10 hours pre• are: 1. The cost of building ex-

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 2«-DEC. 2,1990 23 CHINA press highways is too high, re• hicles, traffic confusions often unloaded in the harbor at Tian- quiring nearly 8 million to 10 occur. As a result, it is difficult jin and shares the burden of pas• million yuan to construct each to fully tap the potential of these senger transportation between kilometre of road. As China is roads. Such an objective situa• Tianjin and Beijing. It provides a an under-developed country, it tion requires China to build ex• new outlet to the sea for Beijing. doesn't have enough strength to press highways in areas where The cargo unloaded at the har- develop such highways. 2. Con• the traffic is congested or expect• , bor of Tianjin can be transported struction of expressways will oc• ed to be heavy. to Beijing, via the express high• cupy too much cultivated land Results of the debate were that way, within one or two hours. and the per capita cultivated China should adopt the policy The completion of the area in China is small. 3. As oil of properly developing express Shanghai-Jiadin Expressway has is the primary power source for highways in regions where the greatly improved the investment the transportation on express economy is comparatively devel• climate in the Jiadin area. By highways, it will consume more oped and the traffic is heavy. 1989, there were 300 enterprises oil to transport via express high• The money needed to build ex• in Jiadin managed by Shanghai ways than that via railways. press highways .comes from the conglomerates, twice the figure However, China's per capita pe• loans provided by state or foreig• of 1988. The Shenyang-Dalian troleum reserves are very low. ners or is collected by the local Expressway, according to its de• This group of people have come governments. For example, the signed capacity, can save 400 to the conclusion: It is current• express highway from Shenyang million yuan annually by reduc• ly unsuitable to develop express to Dalian cost a total of 2.2 bil• ing transportation cost. Its con• highways in China. As a substi• lion yuan, 80 percent of which struction has undoubtedly been tute, some of these people advo• was collected by the local gov• a major improvement of the in• cate the development of railways ernments. The World Bank prov• vestment environment in Liao- while others propose to build ided US$150 million for the dong Peninsula, attracting more other types of high-standard construction of the Beijing- foreign investments in the Penin• highways. Tianjin-Tanggu Expressway. sula and all of Liaoning Prov• Proponents think differently. The general public is becoming ince. The freeway links Liaon- Before the 1970s, the Chinese more aware of the superiority of ing's five cities - Shenyang, transportation trade had fol• express highways. Eight express Liaoyang, Anshan, Yingkou and lowed a policy of relying on rail• highways were built during the Dalian, the Dalian Economic ways. The situation improved 1980s, and more will be con• and Technological Development lately with the development of structed during the 1990s, such Zone, the Yingkou Spanish road, air and pipe-line transpor• as those from Shanghai to Mackerel Processing Zone and tation. Each means of transpor• Changzhou in Jiangu Province, the Shenyang Tiexi Industrial tation has its own advantages from Hangzhou to Ningbobo in Zone. Furthermore, the Anshan and has played a role in the sys• Zhejiang province, from Jinan to Steel and Iron Company, Liaohe tem of transportation. The im• Weifang in Shangdong Province, Oil Field and the Liaoyang portance of road transportation from Kaifeng to Luoyang in Chemical Fibre Company are has become obvious with the de• Henan Province, from Zheng- also connected by the road. The velopment of the commodity zhou to Xuchang also in Hen• industrial cities along the road economy and the extension of an Province, from Shenyang to will form a new economic rim the open-door policy in China. Changchun in , boasting abundant resources and Since 1982, the transportion de• from Shandou to Shenzhen in a solid industrial base. The de• partment of China has trans• Guangdong Province and the velopment of the Liaodong Pen• formed and widened some vital eastern sector of the road around insula will enter a new era roads and built a number of Hainan island. with the construction of the high-standard highways. By the Shenyang-Dalian Expressway. end of 1989, China had built 2094 kilometres of Grade 1 of Great Benefits roads and 38,000 kilometres of The first eight express high• Experiences Grade 2 roads. Great economic ways built in China during the The Shenyang-Dalian Express• and social benefits have been ob• 1980s have brought great econo• way is the first such road built on tained since these roads were put mic and social benefits to China. the mainland. It is also the long• into operation. However, as they The Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu est freeway in China, including are not completely sealed and Expressway has taken on the task Taiwan. Despite the difficulties open to all kinds of transport ve• of transporting most of the cargo in the process of construction.

14 PEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 CHINA

China, after learning from advanced exper• iences in foreign countries, solely de• signed and built it. The materials used are also homemade. This jproves China's capability to build first-class express• ways. A basic principle guiding the designers and technicians is to integrate advanced foreign practices with the specific national conditions of China. Japan, for example, sets the standard for expressway roadbed width at 21-26 metres because the country's The Shenyang;-DaUa n Expressway has promoted liKal agriculture. LIU HANDING land is too precious, while in the United States, where were used to build the roadbed. tion. The engineers strictly ex• the land resources are more This not only saved money, dis• abundant, the standard is 30-50 amined the entire process of the posed of pollution but also se• metres. Proceeding from China's project to ensure everything was cured the quality of the roadbed. realities, the designers and techn• proceeding in strict accordance icians of the Shenyang-Dalian Several years of practice have with the economic contract and Expressway set the bed width at increased China's initially suc• the technical specifications. This cessful experiences in building 26 metres. This standard was la• effectively brought the quality, ter adopted formally by the state and managing expressways. The Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Express• overall investment and construc• for road construction. tion time of the project under Another practical question way was a project using World Bank loans and inviting tenders, control. The implementation of confronting the road builders is the FIDIC standards in the how to make optimum use of according to international prac• building of the Beijing-Tianjin- homemade materials and local tices. For the first time in China, resources so as to reduce engi• the project adopted standards Tanggu Expressway, which some neering costs. Chinese bitumen formulated by the Federation experts conclude will not need was once regarded as unsuitable International Def Ingenieurs- major repair within the next 20 for expressways. To tackle this Conseils (FIDIC). This system is years, has provided precious ex• problem, scientists and techn• a collection of project manage• perience for China to introduce icians in Liaoning Province ment experiences of major coun• reform measures in road build• tries throughout the world, fea• produced another kind of bi• ing. turing details of the responsibili• tumen, the Double-Happiness The Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Ridge Brand Bitumen, which ties, obligations and rights of the contractor, the owner and the su• Expressway, according to Qian could match the universally ack• Yongchang, minister of transpor• nowledged best-quality Albanian pervising engineers. Its core is tation, is the best freeway in Bitumen. It was not only used in the engineer-responsibility sys• the building of Shenyang-Dalian tem. In the course of the con• China yet — in terms of its de• Expressway and the Beijing- struction, a three-ladder super• sign, management system and Tianjin-Tanggu Expressway but vising system was established, engineering quality. It symboliz• also exported to Singapore, Thai• composed of an on-the-spot engi• es that China has reached an in• land and the Philippines. Furth• neer, a senior engineer and a de• ternationally advanced level in ermore, after studies and test• puty from the supervisor-general building and managing high• of the Ministry of Transporta• ings, lots of industrial residues ways, the minister added. •

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 25 INTERNATIONAL Albania: New Changes in Diplomacy

by Yu Yi

ince the beginning of this regarding the world body as a the changes are these countries' year, Albania, in an at• tool of the superpowers. But now internal affairs and that it wish• S tempt to break out of isola• it praises the organization as es to establish friendly ties with tion, has greatly readjusted its playing an important role in in• them. diplomatic policy. ternational affairs. In May, UN Albania's past foreign econo• During the 10th Plenary Ses• Secretary-General Javier Perez mic and trade policy prohibited sion of the Ninth Central Com• de Guellar visited Albania at its receiving foreign loans. Now Tir• mittee of the Party of Labour of invitation and was received with ana has taken measures, such as Albania held in spring this year, high diplomatic protocol. Tirana receiving grants, payment by in• Ramiz Alia, first-secretary of the indicated to the secretary-general stallments and compensation Party and president of Albania's that Albania would positively trade, to promote its foreign Presidium of the People's Assem• support UN's work and co• trade. Albania is negotiating the bly, stressed that because of the operate with it. establishment of joint ventures major changes which have taken In the past, Albania had al• with some countries, and has is• place in Europe and around the ways boycotted the Conference sued a series of laws and regula• world, Albania cannot continue on Security and Co-operation in tions protecting foreign invest• its old diplomatic tactics and Europe, and now wants to join ment. close itself but should widely the conference. In June, it was Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister contact and communicate with allowed to attend meetings as an Tian Zengpei visited Albania in the outside world. He said Al• observer. August and was accorded a bania is not hostile to any state Albania also has changed its and is willing to develop friendly warm welcome. Albania now attitude towards the European considers that the common relations with all other countries. Community. It saw the Com• This was regarded as a signal points between itself and China munity as the third superpow• are increasing with the develop• that the country would change er and refused to communicate ment of the situation, and that its foreign policy. with it. Now it has reversed its there are no obstacles on the Al• Diverting from its former pos• policy and hopes to establish di• banian side to the development ition of seeing the United States plomatic relations with the EC. of bilateral relations. During the and the Soviet Union as the most In June, Adil Carcani, chair• UN General Assembly, Alia met dangerous enemies and never man of Albania's Council of Chinese Foreign Minister Qian contacting with them, Albania Ministers, during his visit to Qichen and again expressed the this past April proposed to res• Turkey, stressed that Albania tore diplomatic relations with would develop positive relations desire to develop relations with the two countries. The move re• with its neighbouring countries. China. Moreover, on China's Na• ceived a positive response. Last September, while attending tional Day, Albania's newspa• Through negotiations, Albania the 45th Session of UN General pers praised China's achieve• and the Soviet Union signed, in Assembly and the World Sum• ments in construction and in• Tirana on July 30, a protocol mit for Children, Alia met pres• troduced to the public the de• normalizing their bilateral rela• idents from the United States, velopment of Sino-Albanian re• tions which had been suspended Federal Germany, Turkey, Ro• lations for the first time in ten for 29 years. Talks between Al• mania and Tanzania, prime min• years. bania and the United States have isters of Italy and Finland and Albania's diplomatic adjust• been accomplished smoothly and foreign ministers of China and ments have been well received at the two sides decided to formally the Soviet Union. He expounded home and abroad. The interna• announce the restoration of di• Albania's current foreign and in• tional opinion believes that these plomatic relations before the end ternal policies, indicating to ac• changes conform to Albania's de• of this year after a 51-year sus• tively develop foreign relations. sire to build the country and the pension. Albania, which had been critical trend of strengthening inter• Albania had always ignored of the drastic changes in East national co-operation and ex• the role of the United Nations, European countries, now says changes. •

16 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 INTERNATIONAL Mexican Economy Comes to Life n November 1, Mexican of October 1990, deposit rate was operation Conference agreed at President Carlos Salinas reduced by 2Xia0 percento Che.n As a re• their meeting in Jakarta to recom• O confidently announced in sult, the country's money market mend Mexico as an official mem• his second governmental report became stable and capital began ber of the organization so that to the Congress that Mexico had to flow back into the country. Mexico can participate the 8th achieved its two year goal of con• Internationally, President Sali• conference of the organization solidating economic stability and nas devoted himself to creating an scheduled for May 1991 in Singa• promoting the restoration of prod• international environment that pore. Mexico felt inspired and saw uction. This year, Mexico's gross would favour Mexico's develop• that this was a decisive step for domestic product will continue to ment. Beginning this year, after the country to strengthen co• grow for the second year, at a a series of arduous negotiations, operation with round-Pacific steady rate higher than the popu• Mexico finally reached debt res• countries and become an impor• lation growth rate. Inflation con• cheduling agreements with about tant and active member of the Pa• tinued to be kept under control. cific region. Last year financial deficits were 500 international commercial reduced by 50 percent, and this banks, reducing its total debt Mexico has attended the activi• year they dropped to the lowest from 60 j)ercent of gross domestic ties of the Pacific Economic Co• level of the past 25 years. These product at the end of 1988 to 40 operation Conference as an ob• signs show that the die-hard Mex• percent in the first half of this server since 1983. ican economy has pulled through year. Mexico's efforts in seeking to a crisis and begun to recover. The Salinas government has join the round-Pacific economic Presently, major Latin Ameri• also decided to expand openness. co-operation while simultaneously can countries are still experienc• By making use of its return to promoting free trade with the Un• ing difficulties due to their high the General Agreement on Tar- ited States, indicate that Salinas inflation rates. Economic recov• rifs and Trade, Mexico actively government's adjustments of its ery in Mexico is a direct result of took part in the Uruguay Round foreign economic strategy have the internal as well as internation• aiming to reduce or cancel the become mature. Mexico will base al efforts the country made to face country's tarrif as well as non- itself upon North America and the challenges in an ever changing tarrif barriers, enhance the com• expand to the Pacific region, div• world situation. petitiveness of its products in the ersify its foreign economic ex• Domestically, since he took off• international market, and finally changes and obtain opportunities ice, Salinas stressed financial and lay a foundation for future free- for its longHerm development. economic rules, reduced public trade negotiations with the United Not long ago, while touring expenditures and financial defi• States. some South American countries, cits, expanded sources of income, President Salinas decided that President Salinas stressed that put non-strategic state-owned en• Mexico will not join the North Mexico is a bridge between North terprises under a lower adminis• American Common Market, but America and Latin America. This trative level, and partly repri- will have free-trade negotiations means that the forthcoming free- vatized those banks that were wit]i the United States and Cana• trade negotiations between Mexi• nationalized by the government in da. At the same time, Mexico also co and the two north American the past. What was more impor• actively seeks to co-operate with countries are part of the Nc-'-i- tant was his insistence on tri• West European, Asian-Pacific I South dialogues. lateral consultations among the and other Latin American coun• In the last two years, Mexico government, the enterprises and tries in order to obtain markets has made significant achieve• the labour circle. He also insisted for its exports and realize a diver• ments by following a flexible and upon controlling inflation, stabil• sification of foreign investments. practical policy. Without a doubt, izing currency value and reducing In particular, Mexico has demon• Mexico's economy is becoming vi• by large margins internal savings strated a strong will to expand gorous, and the country has creat• deposit rate through economic co-operation with the Asian- ed favourable conditions both stability and development agree• Pacific region. at home and internationally for ments, which were actually social On September 10, the 15 coun• further recoveries and advances. contracts. From March to the end tries of the Pacific Economic Co•

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 27 BOOKS 1 A Success Story of China's Nuclear Industry n October 1951, when the ce• I distinguished scientists as Zhao atom bomb at 15:00 hours on lebrated French scientist Jo- j Zhongyao and Deng Jiaxian ail October 16, 1964. liet Curie (1900-58), a-Nobel j joined the effort, On June 17, 1967, China ex• IPrize winner, learned that his i Nothing succeeds like success. ploded its first hydrogen bomb. Chinese student of radioactive ! In 1949, when the Chinese nu- From the first atom bomb to chemistry, Yang Chengzong, was i clear expert Qian Shanqiang was the first hydrogen bomb, it took about to return to China, he told I participating in an international the United States seven years, him, "After you are in China, I conference on world peace, he four months; the Soviet Union please tell Chairman Mao Ze• I managed to raise sufficient funds four years, Britain four years, dong that if he is opposed to the ! for Chinese scientists Yang seven months and France eight use of the atom bomb, China Chengzong and Yang Deng- years, six months. China, howev• must have it. The atom bomb is I zhong, then studying in France er, spent only two years, eight not so terrific. The underlying j and Britain respectively, and the months, the most rapid progress principle is not an American in• I Joliet-Curies to ship scientific of all the world's great powers. vention." His wife, Irene Curie I equipment and books back to In September 1971, China (1897-1956), also a recipient of China. With the new resources, launched its first nuclear- the Nobel Prize, presented Yang Chinese scientists and engineers powered submarine into interna• with 10 grams of radium chlor• made their scientific break• tional waters.... ide as an expression of her sup• throughs in nuclear physics. Since the Third Plenary Ses• port to the Chinese people's re• In 1954, Chinese geologists de• sion of the CPC's 11th Central search of nuclear science. Committee in 1978, China has tected the first signs of uranium shifted the emphasis of its nu• This is just one of the many in the Guangxi Zhuang Auton• clear industry for civilian use. In historical details to be found omous Region. From 1955 on, the process, China has focused in the recently published book China undertook a national surv• on nuclear powers to generate China Today: Nuclear Industry. ey and wjthin a year, more than electricity. It has begun to build China's nuclear industry has 200 sites of abnormal radiation nuclear power stations in the long been a secret to the outside I were discovered in the nor- Daya Bay of Guangdong Prov• world. Apart from a news re• i thwest, southwest and north ince and Qinshan in Zhejiang lease announcing its successful 1 China. Of these sites, 11 were Province. nuclear experiment, there was no I slated to be developed. The During its more than 30 years coverage provided in the press on I mines laid a solid foundation for of development, China's nuclear scientific and technological de• further prospecting and exploita• industry had no casualties from velopments. This book, however, tion. an overdose of radiation. It has published under the policy of re• At the initial stage, China's had no incident of radioactive form and opening to the outside nuclear industry received friend• pollution nor any cases of acute world, provides experts and the ly aid from the Soviet Union. radiation diseases. general reader a comprehensive Due to an abrupt change in Si no- China Today: Nuclear Indus• and systematic guide to China's Soviet relations in the late 1950s, try, as one of the China Today past and present nuclear indus• however, 233 Soviet experts series, which are being published try. The book has a wealth of working in China's nuclear pro• by China Social Sciences Pub• important facts previously inac• gramme were ordered to with• lishing House, is a detailed and cessible to outsiders. draw with their blueprints and accurate account of an important China's nuclear industry start• materials, and their departure subject. ed from scratch. Before the left behind many half-finished The three-part, 460,000- char• founding of the People's Republ• projects acter book is illustrated with 110 ic in 1949, there were only 10 China suffered a lot from colour pictures. Informative and nuclear energy experts working this development. However, the well-written, it is the most au• independently throughout the Chinese people stood up to the thoritative account of China's country. New China not only pressure and withstood the test. nuclear energy programme and brought all these people together After many frustrations and reflects China's achievements in but also convinced a number of much uncertainty, Chinese scien• one aspect of its socialist con• Chinese scientists studying or tists and engineers finally suc• struction. working abroad to return. Such ceeded in exploding China's first by Luo Zhengjing

28 BErjING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 BUSINESS/TRADE New Japanese of iron dust emissions, galvan• ized wire, wire rope, installation China's Aircraft Loans to China of high speed wire uncoilers and Test Centre a welding wire plant. In all, Agreement for the first install• the projects will use more than After a visit to the Shang• ment of Japanese loans to China US$100 million in foreign in• hai Aircraft Instrument Exam• in 1990 was signed in Beijing in vestment. ination and Certification Centre, early November. Of these foreign co-operative an American aviation expert said In accordance with the Ja• projects, the rnost important is that he never expected China to j the setting up of a multipurpose panese government's promise have the capacity to examine and j iron and steel plant with a total two years ago, Japan plans to certify aircraft. However, the provide 810 billion yen in loans investment o'f US$230 million, one of the company's largest for• centre, founded one year ago, has for 42 Chinese construction pro• examined and certified 8 kinds jects between 1990 and 1995. This eign co-operative projects. The of aircraft and 4 types of engines, is the third batch of Japanese company will import or co• the first time China undertook loans to China. Loans for 1990 operate with foreign counter• a national certification pro• will be divided into three install• parts to produce alloyed, semi• gramme for imported and ex• ments. The first installment of finished metal continuous caster 36.5 billion yen will be funded and other equipment, manufac• ported aircraft. by the Overseas Economic Corp. ture different sorts of H-type The Shanghai centre, the first Fund of Japan at an annual in• steel with a designed annual of its kind in China, emphasiz• terest rate of 2.5 percent and output of 650,000-700,000 tons. es the examination and certifi• with a maturity of 30 years (in• Wang said that.currently the co• cation of large aircraft and hel• cluding a grace period of ten operative plan for the project icopters. Since late 1989, the years). This loan will be used for has been completed and that the centre has examined and ap• the construction of seven pro• Chinese side is conducting trade praised the technology for the talks with businessmen from the jects including the Hunan Yun-8 large freighter produced \ United States, Japan and other Wuqiangxi Hydroelectric Power by the Xian Aircraft Manufac- | countries. Station; the Liaoning Guanyinge turing Company. Meanwhile, the | Reservoir; water supply systems Wang said that foreign bus• centre pre-examined the technol- | for Tianjin, Hefei (Anhui Prov• inessmen could adopt wholly- ogy for Zhi-9 helicopter made by | ince) and Anshan (Liaoning funded, co-operative or com• the Harbin Aircraft Manufactur• pensation trade methods, and Province); the Shaanxi Weihe ing Company. This resulted in provide international financing. Chemical Fertilizer Plant; the laying a solid foundation for i In recent years, the company Inner Mongolia Chemical Fertil• sales of China-made aircraft in | izer Plant; the Yunnan Chemical used ^uch methods either to in• crease steel-smelting capability the international market. In ad- I Fertilizer Plant; and the Wuhan and expand the variety of prod• dition, the-Centre also undertook | and Huangshi highway bridges ucts or to achieve good economic technical examination and ap- ' in Hubei Province. • returns. praisal of the A300-600R, wide- The company, located in body jet airliners imported by Foreign Investment Maanshan City, Anhui Province, the China Tongfang Air Co., and is one of China's nine very large the Boeing 747-200F wide-body Helps Expansion iron and steel enterprises. Cur• jet cargo aircraft, the Boeing rently, its annual production is 2 737-300 jet passenger and three The Maanshan Iron & Steel million tons of iron, 2 million kinds of piston air engines im• Co. is making a huge plan of tons of steel, and 1.5 million tons ported by Air China. • foreign fund utilization and will of steel products. Products such invest some 2.683 billion yuan to as high speed wire, train wheels, technically upgrade its facilities and H-type steel are in high de• China Readjusts during the Eighth Five-Year mand in the international mar• Plan period (1991-95). Wang kets and their export volume will Exhibition Plan Xiuzhi, general manager of the reach US$10 million this year. company, revealed that the cur• The export volume is expected Cui Yushan, vice-chairman of rent fixed foreign co-operative to reach US$60 million by 1995. the China's Council for the i projects include more than 10 During this time, China will be Promotion of International j items to expand production lines capable of debt repayment. Trade (CCPIT), announced in : involving train wheels, reduction by Yao Jianguo Beijing on November 10 that i

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 29 BUSINESS/TRADE three post and telecommunica• will be the focus of development ment Zone in Shanghai and has tions exhibitions scheduled to be projects. held trade talks with chents from held separately will be merged by Kou Zhengling Hong Kong and Taiwan. into one starting in 1994. It will by Yao Jianguo be called the International Post, Telecommunications and Office Down Venture Automation Exhibition (P.T. & Established Tianjin Sees OA.). Brisk Investment Cui said that the Internation• A contract to set up a co• al Post and Communications operative down feather plant Foreign investment in Tianjin, Equipment and Technology Ex• by China's Wuhu Tianhe Down one of China's open coastal ci• hibition (P & T) scheduled to be Feather Plant of Anhui Province ties, has been brisk. Not only has held in 1994 will no longer be and a co-op in the Kazakh Re• the amount of investment in• held. However, the 1991 Interna• public of the Soviet Union will creased but the investment struc• tional Telecommunications and be signed before the end of 1990 ture has been much improved. Office Automation Exhibition in Wuhu City, according to The Tianjin Commission of (Tetecomp China 91) and the Shen Yongning, director of the Foreign Economic Relations and 1992 International Telecommun• Chinese plant. Trade notes that from January ications, Computer and Elec• Under the contract, the co• to October this year the city ap• tronics Exhibition (Expo Comm operative enterprise will be set proved the establishment of 101 92) will continue to be held. up in Alma-Ata, USSR, with foreign-funded enterprises in• The merged exhibition will be a total investment of 1 million volving a total investment of sponsored by the Ministry of Swiss Franc. Of this, the Chinese US$165 million, an increase of Posts and Telecommunications side will contribute 40 percent 25 percent over last year. So far, and CCPIT. It will be organized and the Soviet side 60 percent. the city has 522 foreign-funded by the China National Posts and The plant will produce eider• enterprises with a total invest• Telecommunications Equipment down (a high quality down feath• ment of US$1.58 billion. Of this Corp. and the China Internation• er) costumes and plume. figure, US$535 million was con• al Exhibition Centre. The exhibi• Shen said that his plant tributed by foreign investors. tion will be held once every two had signed an agreement with Foreign investments in Tianjin years and become a regular part Frank's Trading Group on Octo• have seen the following develop• of the country's exhibition sched• ber 25 to set up the Anbao Ei• ments: ule. derdown Products Co. Ltd. The Some transnational corpora• In some past exhibitions, Cui company, with a total invest• tions began to make investment noted, there was a repetition of ment of US$570,000, will be lo- in Tianjin. In August, for exam• similar exhibitions for foreign I cated in Wuhu and will 'man• ple, an American firm agreed businessmen. The mefged exhibi• ufacture eiderdown quilts for to invest US$300 million in the tion, however, will be one: of a export. city, followed by investments kind and allow both Chinese and The Wuhu Tianhe Down from Japan's NEC and IBM of foreign businessmen to display Feather Plant, set up in 1956, is th? United States for production products and hold pre-arranged one of China's largest eiderdown of programme-controlled tele• trade talks. The exhibition is ex• production facilities. The Swan phone exchanges and computers. pected to foster economic and brand eiderdown quilts, cush• The proportion of productive technological co-operation. ions, sleeping bags and other ei• and export-oriented enterprises Over the past few years, Chi• derdown costumes which it prod• increased dramatically as the di• na's post and communications uces are popular in the inter• rection of foreign investment be• have developed rapidly. Com• national markets. In 1989, it came more reasonable. Statistics pared with some developed coun• exported US$10 million worth indicate that among the joint tries, however, there is still a of its products to more than 20 ventures, co-operative and sole• long way to go. China needs to countries and regions including ly foreign-owned enterprises ap• import advanced foreign tech• the United States, Japan, Federal proved this year, 98 percent are nology and equipment to mod• Germany and Hong Kong. productive and 92 percent export ernize its post and communi• In addition to these two pro• at least half of their products. cations. Therefore, during the jects, the plant plans to establish The number of solely foreign- Eighth Five-Year Plan period two co-operative enterprises in owned enterprises increased rap• (1991 -95), China's post and the Shenzhen Special Economic idly. The investment forms used communications infrastructure Zone and the Pudong Develop• by foreign businesses are varied.

30 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 2«-DEC. 2, 1990 BUSINESS/TRADE

In the first ten months of this household air conditioners, Factory, built in 1955, is a year Tianjin approved the esta- which enjoyed brisk sales. In medium-sized producer special• bUshment of 44 solely foreign- September, the first batch of Ja• izing in leather, leather shoes owned enterprises with a total panese air conditioners com• and a variety of leather prod• investment of US$85 million. ponents and spare parts arrived ucts. Its products have aroused Foreign businessmen have in China, followed by a Japanese the wide interest of foreign busi• quickened their pace of invest• delegation of technicians. After nessmen. For example, a contract ment in the Tianjin Develop• ten days of evaluation, the Ja• to export 30,000 pieces of leather ment Zone. The number of pro• panese side expressed their satis• to Hong Kong is now under way jects worth at least US$10 mil• faction with the work and said and another contract for the ex• lion increased. In the first nine that the factory has the capacity port of 300,000 square feet of moullis of this year, for instance, ! for large-scale production. leather to Taiwan will be signed 41 new enterprises were found• At present, the first batch of soon. It is reported that in the ed with a total investment of 500 air conditioners, based on first nine months of this year, the US$(S3.94 million, a three-fold strict Japanese standards, have factory has exported 10.5 million increase on last year. • been assembled and will be ex• yuan worth of its products to Ja• ported to Japan soon. pan, the United States, France, I Air Conditioners by Meng Deshan Canada and some Southeast In Japan Asian countries. News in Brief • Jointly managed by the ' Located in Shijiazhuang, He- Hong Kong National Aim Lim• bei Province, the Shijiazhuang • The agreement for an Aus• ited and the Beijing Sanlian Air Conditioners Factory of tralian firm to purchase 30,000 Electrical Appliance Factory, the China Huanyu Electronics pairs of work shoes from the the Beijing-National Aim Diaper Group Co. is China's largest air Anqing Leather General Facto• Co. Ltd. was established recently conditioners producer. And it is ry, Anhui Province, was signed in Beijing. The company's prod• a Sino-Japanese co-operative pro• in late October. Under the agree• ucts are under a patent devel• ject which required two years to ment, the Chinese factory will oped by its manager Shen Jianp- begin operation. At present, the provide 10,000 pairs monthly ing. When a baby wets the bed, a factory is able to turn out 50,000 from November 1990 to January stored liquid layer immediately air conditioners annually. 1991. Prior to this, the factory has attracts the urine. In this way, Using imported Japanese already exported 10,000 pairs to the urine in the upper layer equipment, the factory trial- Australia. quickly dries while that below produced in May a number of The Anqing Leather General the layer will not soil other areas. The product is useful for both children aijd bedridden patients. • The Beijing Civil Admin• istration Industrial Technology Development Co. recently suc• ceeded in developing a medicinal tobacco product with the Harbin Great Wall Medicinal Tobacco Research Institute. The medi• cine, now being batch produced, can cure naevus. The medicine is prepared from traditional Chinese herbal medi• cine and ordinary cut tobacco. Chang Shuting combined a po• pular folk recipe with modern science and technology. •

CORRECTION: Telephone number for the advertisement on the back cover MONG DESHAN of issue No. 44 should read 3096879 and A Japanese technician (second right) shows how to assemble air-conditioners. the postcode should read 100032.

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 31 CULTURE / SCIENCE ances. In the past few years, the first group of these diagnostic AIDS ChaUenge for China agents have been produced in fficials of the Ministry of With a lack of both effective China and successfully used in Health and experts in med• medicine and a vaccine for AIDS, diagnostic serum tests, for exam- Oical circles feel they are propaganda and education are pie. faced with a new, grim challenge being popularly adopted as prev• when a report on AIDS in main• entative measures. Specialists in The traditional Chinese medical land China was made public in medical circles have proved that way of probing into and treating late October. Between January although AIDS is an incurable di• AIDS has now become the sub• and September this year 252 AIDS sease at present, the spread of the ject of scientific research by both virus carriers were reported, as AIDS virus outside the human Chinese and foreign specialists. against the accumulated 194 cases body can be checked. If people Professor Wu Boping of the Bei• during the past five years. would live and make social con• jing Chinese Traditional Medicine In June 1985, when Beijing tacts in a scientific and hygienic Research Institute went with a Union Hospital accepted its first way, AIDS could be easily prev• medical team to Africa two years AIDS patient, 13 provinces, auton• ented. ago to carry out a clinical AIDS omous regions and municipalities During the past few years, treatment with Chinese medicinal throughout the country carried health, media and publishing de• herbs. In many cases, he discov• out tests for AIDS. The Ministry partments have edited large ered that Chinese medicinal herbs of Health established three state quantities of scientific material on could provide AIDS sufferers with laboratories for identifying the vi• the prevention and occurrence of a certain degree of immunity an4 rus antibody. The 446 AIDS virus AIDS; photos, films and TV pro• help prolong their lives. Fever, fes• antibody-positive cases (including grammes on this have been shown. tering and coughing among some five that were diagnoi«d as defin• In big cities such as Beijing, Tian- sufferers was eased, and their T4 itely having developed AIDS were jin, Shanghai and Guangzhou, ex• lymphocyte growth rate increased discovered after taking serum tests hibitions have been held where in some cases (the AIDS virus among 300,000 suspects. several millions of people have re• kills human beings by destroying An official of the Epidemic ceived information on this subject. the T4 lymphocyte immune cells Prevention Department of the At the end of September this year in the human body). Ministry of Health told this re• the State Committee of Specialists At present, specialists are ob• porter that most of those who had for the Prevention and Control of serving the results of using I been infected by AIDS virus lived AIDS was set up by the Ministry Chinese medicinal herbs on mon• I in China's remote border areas, of Health, the Health Education I such as the 368 cases discoverd and Social Services Research keys with AIDS and studying the : in the boundary areas of Yunnan Branch, one of the four branches cause and theoretical basis of its I Province, where education and under the 36-member committee, development. medical conditions are lacking is an authoritative organization In March of this year China and the danger of transmission is made up of famous specialists and the World Health Organiza• greater. and scholars whose purpose is to tion discussed and drew up a Intervenus drug taking, infec- promote AIDS education. three-year, mid-stage plan on the I tion from serum, the causes To improve the education of Prevention and Control of AIDS of transmission in AIDS cases medical personnel is also very im• in China. This plan makes detailed abroad, have been verified in portant. An official of the Minis• arrangements for the supervision, Chinese cases as well. Apart from try of Health stressed that China control and prevention of the 68 foreigners (including three has a great number of grass-roots spreading of AIDS by sex, serum AIDS sufferers), among the 378 medical workers in the country• and to infants. It especially men• mainland AIDS virus carriers who side, some of whom lack skills and tioned the systematic research of were tested positive, 368 were drug medical and health knowledge. and treatment with Chinese medi• j users, four patients were infected While making knowledge and ed• cine in clinical AIDS practice with by using imported blood infected ucation on AIDS available to the hope that it will contribute to with the AIDS virus, five were them, we should also teach the im• the control of AIDS for mankind. returned Chinese personnel who portance of using disposable nee• This month, the Ministry of had been working abroad and one dles so as to stop the possibility Health sent specialists to accom• was a venereal disease sufferer. of AIDS infection from medical pany World Health Organization One of the two mainland AIDS treatment. specialists to Yunnan Province to sufferers died in February in Yun- China has started to do research probe and study the AIDS virus j nan Province. He was a drug user on AIDS diagnosis using trad• antibody. ; and syphilis sufferer. itional Chinese medical subst• by Cui Lili

32 BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 1990 •••••ai *4

The dance had a unique style and changed nine times. Some dan• cers wore ancient dresses, some carried kites, and some disguised I themselves as birds and beasts. Ac• companied by the music, the dance was lively and colourful. In the ''fengxiao danCe," actors bowed with hands clasped and bent and stretched their bodies gracefully, re-enacting the simplicity of an• cient times. With various poses, the "bird dance" showed the beau• ty of females. In contrast, the "beast dance" portrayed the rough TV Series on Life of Confucius and powerful mettle of males. n April 1990, the Shandong series, millions of yuan have been When the music ended, a "phoe• TV Station and the Jinan TV spent in building an ancient city nix" flew in and danced lightly I Station began to produce Con• imitating the architectural style of with soft, exquisite movements fucius, a 16-episode TV play ser• Confucius' lifetime in Zibo city, —the climax of the music-dance. ies. The series will give a compre• Shandong Province. The picture An auspicious scene of unity and hensive reflection of the life of above is a scene from the TV ser• harmony appeared. this great Chinese thinker, educa• ies. According to Wang Mingxing, tor and statesman. To shoot the by Yang Xuefeng chief composer and choreographer of the music-dance, the history of the music-dance, Xiaoshao, traces back to 4,000 years ago. During The Debut of an Ancient Musical the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.l 1th t the 1990 International the rhythm gentle and slow. The century to 771 BC), the music- Confucian Cultural Festival music ended by striking the teqing, dance was spread far and wide and jointly sponsored by China's an instrument made of stone or became a model music dance for A jade shaped like a half moon or offering sacrifices to gods. It was Shandong Province and the Unit• ed Nations Educational, Scientif• crescent. also recommended and worshipped ic and Cultural Organization The song in the music-dance had by China's great thinker, Confu• (UNESCO), the City Drama only nine sentences and 37 charac• cius. Unfortunately, the tradition ters, but it expressed deep philo• was later lost. After three years of Troupe made its debut when it sophical ideas. The main idea of hard work researching documents performed Xiaoshao, an ancient the song is: the emperor should be and data, and incorporating mod• music-dance which had been lost wise and officials sagacious; only ern artists' interpretations of for 2,000-odd years and was highly if the emperor and officials sup• the ancient art, Qufu's Cultural praised by the great Chinese think• port each other and observe the Bureau at l^st wrote and created er, Confucius. It was a unique ar• law, can they succeed in ruling the this music-dance in the style of tistic treat for the Chinese and for• country. The song was bold, un• the ancients. The music-dance eign guests who participated in the constrained and full of power and Xiaoshao was highly praised by festival. grandeur. It was received enthu• critics in the performing arts. Blending music, song and dance, siastically by audiences. by Huang Wei the music-dance Xiaoshao is a comprehensive art. A set of At the opening ceremony of the I990 International Confadan Coltnral Festival, in chimes, a guqin (a seven-stringed Shandong Province, artists performing the mosic-dance Xmoshtw, plucked instrument), a xiao (a YANG X'.AOZHOLl vertical bamboo flute), a flute and various drums were played at the performance. The music-dance started by the beating of a chu, a wooden instrument that looks like a small square box, but sounds like a drum, with an even and steady rhythm, and rendering a simple sound. After that, all the instru• ments played in unison. The sound was harmonious and graceful, and

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DtC. 2, 1990 CULTURE / SCIENCE -2,100 Year' Celebration in Xian 2,100 years ago Chinese fore• the air to explode, t\yo ancient Small Goose Pagoda, a Tang Dy• runners of diplomacy, represent• forms of ground and low-flight nasty's structure. On display was ed by Zhang Qian of the Western fireworks shows, Ganhuo (pole large quantity of local artifacts Han Dynasty (206 .BC-24 AD), fireworks) and Panhuo (round such as embroideries, printed and travelled through the vast desert, fireworks) were presented. These dyed cloth, clay sculptures, wood• over the Pamir Plateau, and two forms of fireworks appeared en sculptures, jade sculptures, sha• reached Central Asia, the Medi• about 1,000 years ago and were dow play, puppet show, papercuts. terranean areas and Rome, open• popular until modern times. The New-Year pictures, ceramics and ing a trade route known to the origin of Chinese fireworks dates local knitware. These artifacts world as the . Through back to over 3,000 years ago and showed the vivid characteristics of the Silk Road, Chinese products, the invention of gunpowder in the Qin and Han dynasties arts. mainly silks, flowed to Central Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) Women of Shaanxi Province are Asia and European countries, and accelerated the development of skilled and talented at embroidery large-scale commercial and cultur• fireworks. The Tang Dynasty which was evidenced in the huge al exchanges between China and (618-907 AD) displayed large- embroidered cloth called One- Western countries took place. scale palace fireworks. Hundred-Flower Cloth. This huge "Chinese Silk Road—2,100 According to historical records, artistic piece was made of one Year" celebrations marking the the last pole fireworks show was hundred small embroidered cloths 2,100th anniversary of the open• held in 1881-109 years ago. The by one hundred women. ing of the Silk Road are under way so-called pole firework display is Young folk artist Wang Zhan in China's five northwestern prov• actually an arrangement of var• won high acclaim for his inces and autonomous regions in• ious types of fireworks on a cen• papercuts-r/je Nine-Dragon cluding Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, tral pole. When ignited, the fire• Screen, Nine Phoenixes Flying to Qinghai and . works begin to explode systemati• the Sun, Portrait of Sakyamuni Shaanxi Province presented a cally according to a designed order and Figures From Peking Opera. series of folk art shows in Xian. with a "Domino effect." The fire- Wang is a 20 year-old farmer who Xian had been the captial of more \s gradually explode into dif- loved papercutting when he was than ten Chinese dynasties from : ferent images and patterns in- small. the Western Zhou Dynasty of the I eluding human figures and natur- Apart from the folk arts show, a 11th century BC to the Tang Dy• ! al objects. dance drama called Rainbow on nasty of the 8th century AD. One or the pole fireworks the Silk Road was also presented. Countless historical and cultural named Monkey Climbing the Pole The dance drama, performed by relics have been unearthed here, was made by 45-year-old farmer the Shaanxi Song and Dance including the life-sized Qin Dy• Li Anming and his friends. It took Troupe, vividly presented the mu• nasty Terracotta Warriors and them over ten days to complete the sics, dances and folk customs in Horses, the underground palace 15-metre-high firework structure. Xian and other places along the and numerous treasures i.ndcr the The Panhuo is another group of Silk Road during the Tang Dynas• Famen Buddhist Temple and the fireworks which explode in mid• ty. The drama deepened people's finger bones of Sakyamuni. It is air. The steaks of fire swing and understanding that the Silk Road not exaggerating to say thai cul• i turn making various shapes and t was a bridge for economic and tural re'ics .i^-e buried in every images. I cultural exchanges between China inch eart;: in '.iian. The Shehiio (local illumina• \d other foreign countries in an• One oi tile .iiajC';' ^^.,ic;iuiuii; ;n tions) activities performed before cient times. Xian was the Fireworks fosMval 1 the fireworks were also very at- The Silk Road Relics of the Han held on October 12. I' w.?- n granId tractive. Shehuo is a variety show and Tang Dynasties were also on demonstration i:;ic i::-. ii;,d \g the lion-dance, dragon- display in the Xian Steles Forest. customs in Siiaanxi fTo\ittcc. The j lantern dance, walking on stilts More than 500 valuable cultural first oerforn'iance at the festival and the land-boat dance. Local relics, one third of which were was "Sou! of Qin Dymsty T';r- performers made various difficult shown for the first time, were dis• racotta Warriors and -iiiixs,"' a and hair-raising moves on over played to the public. group dance presenioc. by 80 ; one-metre high stilts. The brightly Activities in Xian also includ• young men l^. Qin Dynasty-styie : coloured costumes and the pecu- ed Silk Road stamp exhibitions, war costur-es. The whole perform• I liar make-up highlighted the local a photography exhibition and a ance was R:^ .':£;;tic and vigorous. 1 flavour. symposium on Silk Road studies. Unlike present-day fireworks The "Xian Silk Road Folk Arts by Lou Linwei which usuaiiv are shot hish into Show" was held in the renowned

BEIJING REVIEW, NOV. 26-DEC. 2,1990 The Farmer Returns Home After a Day's Work (silk screen engraving).

A Farmer's Cottage (woodcut). ART PAGE

Engravings by Huang Yongyong Huang Yongyong, born in Jiangxi Prov• ince in 1940, now works in the Shangrao Local Public Art Studio in Jiangxi Province. He is a skilled calligrapher, painter and engraver. These are some of his engraving works. Mother and Her Son (coloured woodblock print). BEIJING REVIEW A Window on China I

Beijing Review, China's only weekly foreign language current affairs magazine, was first launched in English in March 1958. It is now available in Engli.sh, French. Spanish, German and Japanese. As well as the regular English edition, a North American edition is printed and distributed in the USA. In January 1988, Chinafrique, a monthly in French, was published by Beijing Review for distribution in African countries. The six editions are essentially similar in content but vary to cater for the readership in different regions of the world. The magazine aims to • provide information on political, economic, cultural and social developments and trends in China; • offer insight into the theories, lines, principles and policies of the Chinese Communist Party; • acquaint readers with Chinese views' on major international issues. Beijing Review is an important source of information for overseas government officials, experts, scholars and business people interested in recent developments in China. It is often quoted by foreign media and is used by professors as a source of reference for students of overseas universities. The back cover of Beijing Review carries colour advertisements. Beijing Re\icw is airmailed to over 150 countries and regions. It is distributed by the China International Ik)ok Trading Corporation (Guoji Shudian), P.O. liox 399, Beijing, China.