News of the Day (April 26)

Taiwan’s opposition leader visits Communist China, and gets ripped at home: The leader of Taiwan’s largest opposition party – Nationalist Lien Chan – has begun his four-day visit to Communist China . Lien, who brought “senior officials from the Nationalist, or Kuomintang, party, and by more than 100 reporters” (BBC), will hold talks with Hu Jintao on Friday. As Nationalist leader Lien has been cozying up to Communist China for years, while President Chen Shui-bian, who defeated Lien in two elections in five years (BBC), has maintained a firm anti-Communist stance. Lien’s running mate from last year: People First leader James Soong, who “has also accepted an invitation to visit the mainland, and is expected to travel to China next month.” Taiwan’s newspapers largely split on Lien’s trip, depending on whether the paper leans in favor of Lien and Soong (“pan-blue”) or Chen (“pan-green”). Communist papers were, of course, ecstatic (BBC). Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Mark Stokes (retired), formerly a leading Pentagon official on Communist China and now a defense consultant in Taiwan, lamented the balance of power across the Taiwan straits – which is increasingly turning in the Communists favor. He also ripped Lien and his fellow Nationalists, who have blocked Chen’s attempts to win legislative approval for a major arms purchase and thus have “sacrificed long-term interests for short-term political gains” (Bill Gertz, Washington Times).

Communists arrest anti-Japan protestors – in Shanghai: Long after the windows of the Japanese Embassy were broken, Communist China decided to arrest 16 protestors. However, the arrests were not in Beijing, but Shanghai (Washington Post). As for the excuse the Communists used to start the riots – a textbook used by less than 1% of Japanese schools (fifth item) – the BBC’s Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has a powerful response: “Unlike Japan, in China the government really does control history.” Meanwhile, at least one Japanese firm in Communist China chose profits and “docile young workers” (Washington Post) over national security and helped the cadres squelch a strike that demanded an independent labor union – which is illegal in Communist China.

U.S. point man on SNK talks in Communist China: Christopher Hill, the lead U.S. negotiator on Stalinist North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, “is currently in Beijing for talks with Chinese officials on the latest efforts to persuade North Korea to return to the negotiating table” (BBC) for more talks on its nuclear arsenal. Hill ripped the Stalinists for “stalling” (Voice of America via Epoch Times) on the talks. Before trying to enlist the Communists’ aid regarding SNK (Will they never learn?), Hill met with South Korea’s dovish President Roh Moo-hyun (Cybercast News). As for the talks themselves – which include North and South Korea, Japan, Communist China, Russia, and the United States – past history shows restarting them is far from the optimal solution.

Sudan’s best friend in the UN – Communist China: As Sudan slaughters the residents of Darfur province, Communist China is pouring billions into the Islamic regime’s oil fields, and shielding it from any United Nation condemnation (Washington Times).

Australia skittish on East Asian “non-aggression” pact: The non-aggression pact Communist China and other members of the upcoming East Asian Summit are demanding Australia sign (fourth item) is giving the democracy pause, largely due to “its close political and military alliance with the United States” (Cybercast News).

On the Falun Gong War: Stephen Gregory, U.S. editor of the Epoch Times, marks the sixth anniversary (yesterday) of the spiritual movement’s protest in Beijing. The Communists banned the movement three months afterwards, beginning a brutal and deadly crackdown against its practitioners.

On the one million resignations and the Nine Commentaries: He Qinglian talks to Lu Qingshuang (Epoch Times) on the one million resignations from the Chinese Communist Party. The Epoch Times also has the speech of Zeng Zhen of the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang to Justice at the million resignation rally in New York last weekend, and the stories behind some of the million ex-cadres.

On Stalinist North Korea’s “strategic purpose”: Jong-Heon Lee adds another column long on words and short on actual substance – this time on the “strategic purpose” (United Press International via Washington Times) of the Stalinists’ nuclear ambitions. As usual, liberating northern Korea is not even discussed. Will they never learn?