News of the Day (January 10)

Albania given chemical weapons stash by Communist China in 1960s and 1970s: Albania’s government has found “16 tons of chemicals (which) theoretically contain enough poison for millions of lethal doses” (Washington Post). The chemicals, which were hidden throughout Albania by its Communist tyrant Enver Hoxha during the 1960s and 1970s, came courtesy of none other than Communist China. Even worse, there is no paper trail to the chemicals, meaning no one knows just how much was sent – and more importantly, how much may be missing.

Russia to hand over 100 square miles to Communist China: Already Communist China’s largest arms supplier, Russia “has begun demilitarizing a border zone that is to be yielded to China” (Washington Times). About 115 square miles are involved, including two river islands previously hosting Russian defense bases.

Some confusion on the U.S. trade deficit with Communist China: John E. Tamny, an infrequent National Review Online columnist, takes on those of us who are worried about the massive trade deficit with Communist China (which may pass $150 billion for 2004 once all the data is in). Tamny’s economic arguments aside, he doesn’t even deign to discuss the fact that said trade deficit (the largest bilateral imbalance on the planet) is enough to fund the Communists’ official defense budget more than four times over – and their real defense budget more than twice.

More on the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party: The Epoch Times, who published this detailed and damning indictment of the CCP, reveals how the Communists tried to freeze them out of the National Press Club (partial Q&A transcript of the event itself: here).

Is foreign investment in Communist China falling? That’s the word according to sources cited by the Epoch Times. Even the Communist-run Finance and Economics Daily “revealed for the first time that nearly half of foreign funds have been pulled out of China.” Since its inception in April 2000, the China e-Lobby has warned that anyone investing in Communist China was throwing good money after bad. Perhaps this fact is being noticed, at long last?

Taiwan: Yes, it’s a dull heading, but we have a wide range of links on the island democracy. Arnold Beichman includes a needless slap at doubly elected President Chen Shui-bian in his (Beichman’s) Washington Times column on the history of Sino-Soviet/Sino-Russian relations: “And in a few weeks, Russia and China will hold joint maneuvers. Such a military relationship is bad news for Taiwan. It would be a foolhardy Taiwanese president who would today raise anew the question of Taiwanese independence.” Not to be rude or – heaven forfend – “foolhardy,” but Taiwan’s independence is an established fact, not a “question.”

John J. Tkacik, Jr., has his own view of the Taiwan-Communist China situation, but in his National Review Online column, he places the blame squarely where it belongs – with the Chinese Communist Party and its enablers here in the United States. Wei Jingsheng, one of the most prominent Chinese dissidents exiled to the U.S., blasted the Communists for preparing itself a legal fig leaf to swallow up the island democracy (China Support Network).

As for news, Communist China signed a deal to allow direct flights from to and from Taiwan (BBC). The only trouble is: the deal is with opposition Nationalist Party, which has been cozying up to the Communists in an attempt to embarrass President Chen ever since his surprise election victory in 2000. In response, voters re-elected Chen this year due to his willingness to stand up to the Communists and their Nationalist would-be enablers, who clearly still don’t get it.