News of the Day (March 2)

Tung Chee-hwa to resign? Reports abound (United Press International via Washington Times, CNN, BBC, Cybercast News,) that Tung Chee-hwa – Hong Kong’s widely unpopular Chief Executive – will resign for “health reasons.” The real reason, according to CNN’s Willy Lam, was the public ripping he received by Communist China’s leader Hu Jintao. With Tung out of the way, the Communists now have a “fresh start” in their bid to subdue the democratic will of the people of the city. Chief Secretary Donald Tsang would be the acting Chief Executive for at least six months, until the Communist-appointed committee that “elected” Tung twice chooses a permanent replacement who could then serve for four years – bypassing the 2007 date when the Hong Kong people were hoping to choose their own leader (BBC).

Most of Hong Kong newspapers happily reported Tung’s departure – the exceptions being the pro-Communist Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao, which chose to “ignore the story” (BBC). Geoff Hiscock, CNN, sketches Tung’s journey from a 1950’s Communist refugee in Hong Kong to the regime’s financial beneficiary, and political lackey, today.

Communist China’s grip on Latin America strengthens: Communist China is continuing to make deals with Latin American leaders “to find new sources of fuel to power its huge economic engine” (Newsmax). It now has agreements with Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil, but the biggest prize is easily Venezuela, whose vast oil fields are under the control of caudillo Hugo Chavez. Chavez openly invited “the great Chinese fatherland” (yes, he really used those words) to replace the U.S. as his country’s largest oil importer.

Taiwan independence groups steamed at Bill Clinton: Former President Bill Clinton’s trip to Taiwan left no one happy. The Communists were angry that he met with elected President Chen Shui-bian, while Chen’s supporters – especially former President Lee Teng-hui’s Taiwan Solidarity Union – heaped scorn on Clinton for loudly endorsing the ludicrous “one China” policy – which accepts the Communists’ claim to Taiwan despite the fact that they have never set foot there. Report: Cybercast News

Communist China responds to State Department report: Communist China had nasty words for the U.S. State Department’s human rights report, accusing the U.S. of “double standards on human rights” and “interfering in the internal politics of China” (BBC).

On the persecution of Falun Gong: Yuan Hongbing ripped intellectuals who claim to be “impartial” about Falun Gong during a speech (reprinted by the Epoch Times) at a Sydney (Australia) forum on the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party.

Stalinist North Korea demands apology from United States: The Kim Jong-il regime is not happy with the label “outpost of tyranny” – given to it by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice – and is now insisting the U.S. apologize and “renounce its hostile policy aimed at regime change” (BBC) before it returns to the woeful six-way talks on its nuclear weapons program. Of course, the Bush Administration policy on SNK, such as it is, doesn’t even come close to liberation, which is still desperately needed.