Thursday, March 13, 2003

Chinese military blasts confusion at the top BEIJING - Military deputies attending the ongoing annual meeting of China's supreme legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), have launched a broadside at the state of confusion at the top hierarchy of the country. "Multi-center means no center, which will lead to no achievement," uttered deputies Gu Huisheng and Ai Husheng after listening to a speech given by Jiang Zemin, the incumbent chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), as reported by Tuesday's People's Liberation Army Daily. To make their point more figuratively, the two generals cracked Chinese characters. "One zhong and one xin together make one loyalty, but piecing two zhongs together to one xin gives one huan, a problem."ÊZhong meains "middle" and xin means "heart". Ê Zhongxin as a phrase means "the center". On paper, China's top political boss is Hu Jintao, the general secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The official order of precedence, however, puts Jiang above him as the CMC chairman. The question therefore hangs: who is superior, CCP or CMC? 6:10:18 PM      comment China blocking major-power UN meeting on N. Korea UNITED NATIONS, March 13 (Reuters) - China on Thursday acknowledged blocking major powers from discussing the North Korea crisis at the United Nations, saying it was pushing instead for a dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang. Council diplomats said the United States, backed by France and Britain, has been pressing for the Security Council's five permanent members to get together to draft a council statement condemning North Korea for failing to meet its international obligations to prevent the spread of nuclear arms. However China has objected to such a meeting, the diplomats said. The 15-nation council's permanent members are the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China. 1:25:44 PM      comment

© Copyright 2004 John W. Williams II. Last update: 11/5/04; 1:14:37 PM.