An official Cuban government and Communist Party delegation led by First Vice President and Revolutionary Armed Forces Minister Raul Castro began a two week state visit to China, the Mexican news agency NOTIMEX reports. "During the formal welcoming ceremony, Chinese Chief of State Jiang Zemin expressed his admiration of Cuba which has maintained its socialist policies despite external pressures against it... and said the visit will strengthen the unity and cooperation between the two countries and the two communist parties," notes China's Xinhua news agency.

"Castro also met with Hu Jintao, a permanent member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist party," NOTIMEX reports. "Hu said, 'China will continue supporting the work of the Cuban Communist Party and the efforts of the Cuban people to safeguard the sovereignty of the State, national independence and adherence to socialism.'"

During November, the Beijing-appointed 424 member election committee in Hong Kong chaired by Chief Executive Tung Chee-Wa selects nominees for China's National People's Congress. The selection process, reports Rev. Kwok Nai Wang in the Hong Kong Christian Institute Newsletter, has been dominated by under-the-table deals involving wealthy businessmen and pro-Beijing personalities. All former legislators from the New Democratic Party, Hong Kong's most popular political party and branded by Beijing as subversive, were denied nomination by the arbitrary election committee.

"The most controversial contender of all," Rev. Kwok observes, "is Jiang Enzhu. The director of the Hong Kong Branch of the Xinhua or the New China News Agency (NCNA). Traditionally, the head of the NCNA office simultaneously assumed the post of being head of the working committee of the Chinese Communist party in Hong Kong and Macau. In other words, Jiang is now the CCP boss in Hong Kong.

"Already, many of his supporters are openly advocating that once elected Jiang (who has resided in Hong Kong for only three months) should be leader of the National People's Congress delegation. This picture looks exactly like what is happening in China: the CCP controls every level of administration, from the State down to the local county. If this system should be enacted in Hong Kong, it will be the end of a highly autonomous government in Hong Kong and the people democratically ruling--two key principles promised by China and enshrined in both the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law."

Rev. Kwok cites that Hong Kong was promised, "one country, two systems," by Beijing, where the Chinese Communist system would not be introduced. "In previous public elections in Hong Kong," he reports, "the NCNA covertly coordinated the pro-China candidates. Now with Jiang's overt participation in the election... the NCNA definitely has the upper hand in Hong Kong's politics."

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All Rights Reserved.

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