Foreign tourists visiting the Ming Tombs enjoy a souvenir photo of them• selves dressed in imperial clothing. These two tourists laugh it up as they pretend to be "emperor and empress of the Ming Dynasty." Photo by Shi Li R Beijing ^-jr' VOL. 33, NO. 30 JUtY 23-29,1990 .Intelleetuals Contribute to Modernization CONTENTS • Respecting knowledge and talent is the watchword in China, and the government makes it a point to raise the political and EVENTS/TRENDS 4-7 social status of intellectuals, improve their working and living Easing Sanctions Takes More Than conditions and encourage them to play their part in socialist Words modernization, (p. 13). Companies Slashed by One-Third Sino-CanadianTies: Dispelling Clouds Willingness to Ease Sanctions not Enougli Power Transition Without a Hitch Chinese Win IMO Title • Speaking at a recent State Council plenary meeting, Chinese Over 30,000 Back From Abroad Premier Li Peng said that a willingness on the part of the seven Anti-Drug War Makes Headway industrial nations to ease sanctions against China doesn't go Multi-Party Ties Stressed Again far enough. He also said that China's economy has generally China Launches Heavy Duty Rocket taken a turn for the better, and another record harvest of China Sets Up New Launching Pad summer grain has been reaped, (p. 4). INTERNATIONAL Biased Economic Order Hurts Poor Countries Problems Surrounding German Unification 8 • North-South economic disparity, the result of an irrational Iran-Iraq Negotiations Take Favourable Turn 9 international economic order, has proved a major obstacle to Biased Economic Order Hurts Poor the development of economically backward countries. Only a Countries 10 shift in the current economic order can lift poor countries out Latin America Speeding Towards of abject poverty and boost the world economy on a sound Integration 11 basis, (p. 10). CHINA Intellectuals Contribute to Forest Protection Tightened Modernization 13 Protecting Consumer Rights 17 • Through legal, economic and technical means, China has Forest Protection Strengthened 22 achieved tangible results in its move to protect forest re• sources. There has been a crackdown on indiscriminate felling PICTORIAL Centrefold of trees; forest fire hot-spots are carefully watched; the out• Chinese Intellectuals break of a variety of diseases and insect pests is being prevent• 26 ed, (p. 22). BOOKS 27-29 BUSINESS/TRADE Safeguarding Consumer Rigltts 30-31 FROM THE CHINESE PRESS • Along with the rapid economic growth since 1979, violations 32-34 of consumer rights have become a common occurrance. To CULTURE/SCIENCE protect consumer rights, consumer organizations have been set COVERi Feng Changgen (second left), a professor of the mechanical engineering up to handle a wide range of complaints. On International department of the Beijing Institute of Consumer Day, March 15, various publicity activities were Science and Engineering, and his stu• organized as China demonstrated its determination to protect dents in the laboratory. consumer rights and interests (p. 17). Photo by Xn juncliao 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 EVENTS/TRENDS marketing sector. Figures from 30 provinces Easing Sanctions Taices More Than Words and municipalities showed that 88.8 percent of all enter• hinese Premier Li Peng the premier said the economy prises affiliated with govern• told a recent State has generally taken a turn for ment or Party organizations C Council plenary meet• the better thanks to the effort were closed or merged, while ing that a willingness on the that began early this year to the rest were taken away from part of the seven industrial na• rectify the economy and dee• their original owners. tions to ease sanctions against pen the reform. Since March, The figures also indicate China doesn't go far enough. China's industrial production that 96.4 percent of all 49,300 "We have taken notice of has registered a gradual recov• the fact that the seven West• ery, Li said. Party and government offi• cials who currently held posts ern countries expressed will• He also noted that anoth• in the companies have given ingness at their recent econo• er record harvest of summer mic summit in Houston, the grain has been reaped. The to• up such posts, while the rest United States, to loosen their tal output is expected to reach will do so after they finish sanctions against China," Li 98 million tons, an increase of their contracted duties in said. "This step, however, is four million tons over 1989. foreign-related firms. not yet big enough." For the second half of this During the screening, 95,- Noting that China is a de• yeajr, Li said that interest rates 827 cases of criminal offences veloping country with a large on loans will be lowered to a were uncovered among the population, Li said his country moderate level at a suitable companies, and so far investi• is willing to develop friend• time in order to reduce the gations into more than 90 per• ly and co-operative relations burden of enterprises and cent of those cases have been with all countries on the bas• create a more relaxed environ• completed. is of the Five Principles of ment for them. At the same China first started screening Peaceful Coexistence, and im• time, it will be necessary to state-run companies in 1985, prove its relations with West• introduce differential rates in cutting the number of com• ern countries. order to effect a rational in• panies to 180,000 from 320,- What China has done over dustrial setup. The banks, he 000 in a year's time. the past year is testimony to added, will provide adequate The State Administration the world that it will never loans for industries to reno• for Industry and Commerce, barter away principles or yield vate and replace their equip• which oversees the screening to foreign pressure, the pre• ment. effort, issued a statement con• mier said. Any country at• Prices will remain basically cerning the liquidation and tempting to isolate China will stable, the premier said, with settlement of those companies harm not only China, but the the rate of increase staying be• closed or merged on July 6 country itself as well. low 10 percent for the entire requiring governments at all The reason China is able to year. • levels to publicize the names stand firm in a complicated and changeable world situa• of the closed or merged com• tion, Li said, is that it has Companies Siashed panies and the methods used. maintained its domestic politi• By One-Third The document also required cal, economic and social stabil• that companies to be closed or ity. hina's efforts to screen merged must, starting from "Only by running domestic its state-run companies the first day they are given affairs well can we further C since the second half of official notice, stop all ac• break the economic sanctions 1988 have yielded remarkable tivities except clearing and create a more favourable results. Nearly one-third of work, which is to be completed international environment for the nation's companies, or within three months. the country's modernization 102,177 to be exact, had been Foreign-funded and private drive," he said. closed or merged by the end of enterprises and companies will Reviewing the domestic eco• April, 1990. Of those compan• not be affected by the screen• nomic and reform situation. ies, 55.3 percent were in the ing work. • 4 BEIJING REVIEW, JULY 23-29, 1990 EVENTS/TRENDS Sino-Canadian Ties: inflation. Chinese Win He also said that it was ap• Dispelling Clouds propriate for China to give IMO Title priority to agricultural prod• n a meeting with former uction. • r»^he Chinese team took the Canadian prime minister I title in the 31st In- I Pierre Trudeau on July 10 ternational Mathemat• in Beijing, Chinese Premier Li Power Transition ics Olympiad (IMO) with a to• Peng said there are some dif• Without a Hitch tal score of 230. ficulties in the current Sino- Teams from 54 countries Canadian relations, but "the ounger and competent and regions, including China, dark clouds will soon be leaders fully supported the United States, the Soviet cleared away." Y by veteran revolutionar• Union, West Germany, Ger• Trudeau, who was on his ies are a guarantee of long- man Democratic Republic, eighth visit to China, arrived term stability and develop• Hungary and Romania, com• in Beijing on July 9 at the ment in China, said Chinese peted in this year's IMO in invitation of the Chinese Peo• Vice-President Wang Zhen. Beijing on July 11-12. The So• ple's Institute for Foreign Af• The vice-president made the viet team ranked second. fairs. comment during a meeting This is the first time an The Chinese premier ex• with a delegation from the De• Asian country hosted the pressed his appreciation of mocratic Union of Central worlds's highest-level maths Trudeau's contributions to the Africa's National Assembly competition. Sino-Canadian friendship both headed by its president, Mich• In 1985, China, for the first during his 16 years as prime el Docko. The incumbent Par• time, sent two high school stu• minister and after his retire• ty leaders, including General dents to participate in the ment from Canadian politics, Secretary Jiang Zemin and maths Olympiad, bringing and hoped he would make new Premier Li Peng, are in their home a bronze medal.