News of the Day (February 18)

Anti-“one China” resolution introduced in House: Representative Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican has introduced a resolution in the House “calling for the Bush administration to scrap its ‘one China’ policy and resume full, formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan” (World Net Daily). Tancredo ripped the “one China” policy – in which the U.S. has diplomatic relations with Communist China but not Taiwan – as “intellectually dishonest and antiquated.” Four fellow Congressman – Republicans Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Florida), Mark Souder (Indiana) and John Shimkus (Illinois), and Democrat Edolphus Towns (New York) joined Tancredo in sponsoring the resolution (Cybercast News).

Japan and U.S. to join forces on Taiwan: For the first time, Japan will join the U.S. in calling Taiwan “a mutual security concern” (Washington Post via MSNBC), or as the joint document will call it, a “common strategic objective.” The move will officially come in Washington tomorrow when Japan’s Foreign and Defense Ministers meet Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Japan is also ready to “take a greater role in conjunction with U.S. forces both in Asia and beyond.” The island democracy was thrilled to hear the news. Also reporting: BBC

Officials react to Goss on Communist China: CIA Director Porter Goss’s dramatic shift in how the Agency views Communist China caught the attention of Bill Gertz (Washington Times) and was echoed by Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also noted Communist China’s military buildup – particularly its Navy, although saying “we hope and pray” the Communists do not act in a hostile manner left yours truly very cold.

Amnesty International blows hole in Communist PR move: Communist China “will soon release 56 political prisoners,” according to Amnesty International. While the human rights group was thankful for this gesture, it called on the Communists not to “play the game of detaining and releasing, thereby placing more dissidents and religious adherents into prisons, forced labor camps and mental hospitals” (AI via Epoch Times). The “game of detaining and releasing” is indeed a ploy commonly used by the Communists, who always ensure the releases get more attention than the detainments.

Other Commentary on Communist China: Newsmax’s Lev Navrozov takes note of the U.S. trade deficit with Communist China (a record $162 billion) and the lack of an American response to the Communist investment in nanotechnology for possible military use. Shi Shan, Epoch Times, rips to shreds a Communist “safety. The editors of the Washington Post ask President Bush to call Communist China’s bluff on Darfur.

Communist envoy to visit Stalinist North Korea: Communist envoy Wang Jiarui will visit Stalinist North Korea this weekend, apparently to “press the North to resume six-nation talks on the nuclear stand-off” (BBC). SNK pulled out of the talks – which have largely produced only American concessions – when it boasted it had nuclear weapons.

Kim Jong-il turns 63: The London Telegraph noted of the choreographed celebration.