June 21, 1989
Excerpts from the "Los Angeles Times"
from the front page:
"Bush Orders a Cut in China Contacts, Will Oppose Loans"
By James Gerstenzang, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush cut off most high-level contacts between the United States and the Chinese government Tuesday [June 20, 1989] and ordered action to block China's access to loans from international financial institutions.
The new measures, a break from the Administration's strategy of using diplomatic pressure rather than sanctions against the Chinese, were imposed to protest the death sentences given to 11 protesters for attacking soldiers or vehicles during pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing and Shanghai.
Administration officials hope that the tactic will prompt Chinese leaders to pull back from widespread arrests and prosecutions of protesters and perhaps head off executions.
"The President felt it was necessary to send a strong signal of unhappiness with the arrests and death sentences," said a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The suspension of top-level diplomatic exchanges does not include recalling U.S. Ambassador James R. Lilley from Beijing. Bush has argued that such a step would be counterproductive because it would block U.S. access to information about developments in China.
The immediate impact of the decision would be to cancel a trip to China scheduled for next month by Commerce Secretary Robert A. Mosbacher. Over time, a halt in contacts between Cabinet and sub-Cabinet officials and their Chinese counterparts would impede progress in U.S.-Chinese relations relations and would be likely to curb Chinese access to U.S. goods and financing.
from page 17:
"Beijing Enforcing Rule on Exit Permits"
By Karl Schoenberger, Times Staff Writer
BEIJING - Long lines of people were observed Tuesday [June 20, 1989] at the Beijing Public Security Bureau as authorities began enforcing a requirement that all Chinese obtain special exit permits before they are allowed to apply for visas at foreign embassies.
The new regulations, announced Sunday [June 18, 1989], invalidate exit documents issued before Tuesday as the government moved to tighten its nationwide dragnet for suspected participants in the pro-democracy movement. Chinese guards outside foreign embassies and consulates turned away visa applicants without the proper permits.
The new requirements ensured that the police will have a second chance to make background checks on travelers to determine whether people who obtained passports and exit permits before the crackdown had anything to do with the pro-democracy protests.
As if to underscore the threat, the Supreme Court issued orders to the lower courts to "severely punish counterrevolutionary elements who have been charged," the People's Broadcasting Radio Station reported Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in what may be an indication of things to come, a group of 18 Chinese "boat people" arrived in the Philippines last week, prompting a U.N. official there to warn of a possible exodus from China as the political atmosphere becomes more repressive.
Excerpts from the "Los Angeles Times"
from the front page:
"Bush Orders a Cut in China Contacts, Will Oppose Loans"
By James Gerstenzang, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush cut off most high-level contacts between the United States and the Chinese government Tuesday [June 20, 1989] and ordered action to block China's access to loans from international financial institutions.
The new measures, a break from the Administration's strategy of using diplomatic pressure rather than sanctions against the Chinese, were imposed to protest the death sentences given to 11 protesters for attacking soldiers or vehicles during pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing and Shanghai.
Administration officials hope that the tactic will prompt Chinese leaders to pull back from widespread arrests and prosecutions of protesters and perhaps head off executions.
"The President felt it was necessary to send a strong signal of unhappiness with the arrests and death sentences," said a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The suspension of top-level diplomatic exchanges does not include recalling U.S. Ambassador James R. Lilley from Beijing. Bush has argued that such a step would be counterproductive because it would block U.S. access to information about developments in China.
The immediate impact of the decision would be to cancel a trip to China scheduled for next month by Commerce Secretary Robert A. Mosbacher. Over time, a halt in contacts between Cabinet and sub-Cabinet officials and their Chinese counterparts would impede progress in U.S.-Chinese relations relations and would be likely to curb Chinese access to U.S. goods and financing.
from page 17:
"Beijing Enforcing Rule on Exit Permits"
By Karl Schoenberger, Times Staff Writer
BEIJING - Long lines of people were observed Tuesday [June 20, 1989] at the Beijing Public Security Bureau as authorities began enforcing a requirement that all Chinese obtain special exit permits before they are allowed to apply for visas at foreign embassies.
The new regulations, announced Sunday [June 18, 1989], invalidate exit documents issued before Tuesday as the government moved to tighten its nationwide dragnet for suspected participants in the pro-democracy movement. Chinese guards outside foreign embassies and consulates turned away visa applicants without the proper permits.
The new requirements ensured that the police will have a second chance to make background checks on travelers to determine whether people who obtained passports and exit permits before the crackdown had anything to do with the pro-democracy protests.
As if to underscore the threat, the Supreme Court issued orders to the lower courts to "severely punish counterrevolutionary elements who have been charged," the People's Broadcasting Radio Station reported Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in what may be an indication of things to come, a group of 18 Chinese "boat people" arrived in the Philippines last week, prompting a U.N. official there to warn of a possible exodus from China as the political atmosphere becomes more repressive.
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