CHINESE AFFAIRS

Created: 8/2/1976

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Chinese Affairs

STAFF NOTES

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CIC6 August6

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Still Needling Jakarta

Officials in Jakarta have said they would be ready to consider seriously resumption of diplomatic relations with Peking after Indonesian generalThe elections are now less than nine months away, and the Chinese appear to be doing little to pave the way. On the contrary, Peking continues to hold Jakarta's feet to the fire over East Timor and to advertise China's connections with the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party.

Jakarta's formal annexation of East Timor last month, for example, prompted the most explicit and extensive Chinese criticism of the Suhartosince the Indonesian invasion of the former Portuguese colony late last year. NCNA and People's Daily commentaries of Julyndespectively denounced the Indonesian movecheme" and an act of "naked aggression." Both articles mentioned President Suharto by name. In addition to replaying numerous Fretilin statements and battle reports in the past several weoks, NCNA also picked up an article from the Vietnamese party daily Ithan Dan, rebuking Jakarta for the annexation, and re-broadcast anti-Indonesian statements aired by Phnom Penh on the occasionisit to Cambodiaretilin delegation.

Peking has been equally heavy-handed in its treatment of official messages from Jusuf Adjitorop, the exiled leader of the Indonesian Communist Party who hasuest in Peking since. NCNA has publicized the receipt of five separatefrom Adjitorop this year. Among these wasreeting ono the ChineseParty onh anniversary which included the following passage:

The Communist Party of China resolutely supports and assists the IndonesianParty and the Indonesian revolution.

August 2,6

This is an immense encouragement to the Indonesian communists and revolutionaries who are now fighting for the overthrow of the Suharto fascist militarywhichackey of US imperialism...

While Chinese policy toward Timor can beby factors largely unrelated to Peking's attitudes toward Jakarta (see Chinese Affaira,t is hard to interpret the handling of Adjitorop's message onhas anythingeliberate effort to needle the Indonesians. Chinese propagandists could easily have edited out tha most heavily loadedstandard practice with messages from fraternalparties in Asian countries that have formal ties witha practice the Chinese applied to messages from the Indonesian communists at times in the past when Jakarta appeared to be showing genuine interest in mending fences with Peking.

Jakarta's history of foot-dragging on the re-establishment of relations with China may, in fact, have much to do with Peking's current pricklinesa: the Chinese may believe that there is no moreto tha current Indonesian line that movement toward normalization can be expected "after the elections" than there was in similar statements in years past. Peking probably sees no compelling reason to begin improving its image. If the memory of Peking's involvement in tha abortive coup5 still lingers on among Indonesian officials, so has Jakarta's subsequent campaign of terror against overseas Chinese remained fresh in the Chinese mind. In goading Jakarta over Timor and the Indonesian Communists, Peking is only doing what comes

August 2,6

Original document.

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