News of the Day (March 29)

Australia looks to sell uranium to Communists: The Australian government “has begun negotiations with Chinese officials to sell uranium to the energy-hungry Asian giant in a deal that is expected to be signed within 12 months” (Christian Science Monitor). The Australian deal has a lot of people very worried. Sadly, the Bush Administration, which is busy helping Westinghouse in its effort “to sell four nuclear reactors to China,” is not among them. Communist China is hoping to build almost 50 nuclear power plants over the next twenty years. Be afraid; be very afraid.

Australian public against Taiwan war, sort of: Meanwhile, the Australian public has apparently decided not to support taking up arms to defend Taiwan should the Communists invade, according to a poll cited by CNN, although the wording of the question – which mentions a “war with China over the independence of Taiwan” – should give one pause, since the cadres are planning to invade no matter what Taiwan does.

Communist China wants to limit American weapons in space: Communist China is calling for a treaty to limit arms in space, in reaction to U.S. efforts to protect its satellites orbiting the globe (Washington Post). What the Communists don’t tell the paper is their desire to have a clear shot at those very satellites in the event of a conflict.

U.S. will promote democracy, but gives no specifics on Communist China: The State Department released a report announcing that the status of ties with other governments ‘depends on the treatment of their own people’” (Washington Times). However, the report said nothing about consequences for Communist China’s massive rights abuses.

Japan and Communist China meet on territorial dispute: The cadres sent a delegation to Japan for talks on “areas of the ocean the two countries both claim” (Voice of America via Epoch Times). Japan called the talks “very constructive,” but no progress was made.

Koziumi gets star power behind him on EU arms ban: Just one day after French President Jacques Chirac visited Japan and publicly differed with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the possible lifting of the European Union arms embargo against Communist China, the Japanese PM hosted Richard Gere, who publicly backed his efforts to convince the EU to keep the ban in place. Report: BBC

Resignations at 550,000 and counting: The number of resignations from the Chinese Communist Party has now hit 550,000, and the Communists are so spooked that they “began to require local governments to implement ‘anti-cult’ education and reinforce CCP’s ‘progressive’ position” (Epoch Times). Among the more recent ex-members are alumni of Tsinghua University, expatriate Chinese in Boston, and Liu Jiansheng, who of his discussion with a soldier who “shot down eight students” at Tiananmen Square and of a murder in the name of the “one child” policy (all links from the Epoch Times).

Commentary on the Chinese Communist Party: Guangshu, in the Epoch Times, blames the “the cult of Marxism and Leninism” for creating the CCP, and the 1930’s Japanese Empire for invading China and giving the CCP “its second birth.”

Grand National Party blasts Stalinist executions; Roh dovishness: The recent video of three executions in Stalinist North Korea reached democratic South Korea this week (Washington Times). As expected, the pro-American opposition Grand National Party and human rights activists demanded President Roh Moo-hyun “take a stronger stand on human rights violations.” Roh, narrowly elected in 2002, has repeatedly soft-pedaled any criticism of Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il.

Corruption scandals take down Roh minister, Uri legislative majority: South Korean Construction and Transportation Minister Kang Dong-suk resigned this week amid “allegations that he passed on insider knowledge on land deals to his sister and a school classmate” (BBC). Meanwhile, President Roh’s Uri Party lost its majority in the National Assembly when two members were removed for corruption, although Roh still has effective control in the legislature due to “the support of the opposition Democratic Labor and Millennium Democratic parties” (Chosun Ilbo, SK) on major issues.