News of the Day (June 10)

U.S. intelligence blew it on Communist China: A new intelligence report "concludes that U.S. spy agencies failed to recognize several key military developments in China in the past decade" (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). Among the things Communist China managed to sneak past American intelligence were new missiles, a warship based on stolen U.S. designs, a new submarine, and lots of Russian military technology and weaponry. Sadly, the report doesn’t point the finger where it belongs, at the intelligence groups themselves – in particular the Central Intelligence Agency, which downplayed the Communist threat for a decade.

Australian government hearing it from opposition on Chen Yonglin: As Chen Yonglin resigned from the Communist Party (Epoch Times) and talked about losing his father to the cultural revolution (Epoch Times), Australian Prime Minister John Howard "said in Sydney that Chen's request for a special visa allowing him to stay in the country was ‘not going to be influenced by the amount of iron ore or coal that we sell to China’" (Cybercast News). Howard, whose government originally tried to coax Chen back to the Communists, is getting an earful from opposition parties in Australia. Greens Party Chairman Bob Brown accused him of "putting Australian security at risk by failing to investigate claims made by a Chinese diplomat currently seeking asylum that 1,000 Chinese spies and informants are currently in Australia" (United Press Int’l via Washington Times). Meanwhile, Falun Gong practitioners took Howard’s Foreign Minister to court for the seizure of pro-Falun Gong signs outside the Communist embassy in Canberra (Epoch Times). This corner’s call for the U.S. to grant Chen asylum still stands.

Hao Fengjun says Canada has 1,000 Communist spies, too: Meanwhile, Hao Fengjun, the former Falun Gong persecutor who saw the light, defected, and backed Chen’s accounts of a massive spy network in Australia, told the Epoch Times that the Great White North "has a similar number of spies as Australia – roughly one thousand." Hao also quit the CCP, and told his story to the paper.

Communist China arrests more "underground" Christians: Of course, the usual persecution goes on. IN a mere three weeks, the cadres of Jilin Province rounded up 40 leaders, and 500 believers, of unofficial Christian churches. In Communist China, the only legal churches are those controlled by the Party. Over 10 million Catholics and at least 4 times as many Protestants are forced to worship in secret – at risk of the same arrests – because they refuse to put the CCP between them and their God. Report: World Net Daily

Resignations from the Party top 2.2 million: The news of the mass exodus from the Chinese Communist Party – and the Nine Commentaries that spawned it – have reached Guangxi and the consulates of Eastern Europe (both stories via the Epoch Times).

European Union and Communist China make textile deal: Communist China has agreed to "limits (of) growth in imports of 10 categories of Chinese made clothing and fabrics - including T-shirts and flax yarn - to 10% a year until 2008" (BBC). The EU pushed for the deal after a currency-devaluation/wage-suppression surge in Communist textile exports (fifth item). The United States, also concerned about this, imposed its own restrictions on Communist textile imports (second item).

China Aviation Oil agrees to pay 54% of what it is owed as ex-CEO is charged: Chen Jiulin, the disgraced former head of China Aviation Oil, faces charges of forgery and insider trading for his role in the Communist-owned firm’s attempt to hide massive losses from investors (twelfth item). Meanwhile, the firm’s creditors, including many of those investors who took it on the chin, "backed a deal which gives them 54 cents of every dollar borrowed over the next five years" (BBC).

On Communist China and the United States: Victor Davis Hanson, National Review Online, warns of Communist China’s rise, and predicts it will force many to hate the U.S. quite a bit less. Suzanne Fields, Washington Times, echoes Hanson’s warnings (without the prediction on the rest of the world). Rich Lowry, also in NRO, believes Senator Clinton is being hypocritical on Communist China, but sadly, uses it to knock down all who would rather not trade with the regime. Jim Hoagland, Washington Post, has an excellent column on India and Japan rivaling Communist China as the leading Asian power. Donna Borak (UPI via Washington Times) examines how Japan sees itself vis a vis the U.S. and Communist China. Finally, the Epoch Times reprints yours truly’s remarks at the Nine Commentaries forum in New York City.

Remembering the Tiananmen Square massacre: Li Dong, then a visiting professor at Northern Arizona University, remembered the shock and dismay upon hearing of the carnage, as does then-college student Michelle Brazeau (both accounts via Epoch Times).

Other Commentary on Communist China: Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament, talks to the Epoch Times about what can be done to help the Chinese people liberate themselves from the Communist Party (lifting the arms embargo is not among his suggestions). The paper also reprinted Amalia Rubin’s speech to the Nine Commentaries Forum in Philadelphia about the persecution of Tibet. Gu Qing-er, also in the Epoch Times, details how Communist China’s hideous "one-child" policy, "has brought untold mental agony, physical pain and humiliation to the women of China." On the weak side, Bill Thompson, BBC, recommends giving Communist China rewards for less restriction on internet use – even if it falls short of real freedom.

Presidents Bush and Roh present "united front" on SNK: Dovish South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun met with President Bush today, and the two men "presented a united front on getting North Korea to return to six-party talks about Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal" (CNN). Sadly, said "front" does not extend much beyond the desire for the Stalinists’ to return to the overhyped talks (BBC, UPI via Washington Times), which have done little but lead to significant American concessions.

SNK is building more nuclear weapons: Meanwhile, Stalinist North Korean Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan told ABC News that his regime "is boosting its arsenal of nuclear weapons" (BBC).

WFP says food situation getting worse: Stalinist North Korea’s food shortage "very much a crisis already," according to UN World Food Program spokesman Gerald Bourke (BBC). However, once again, Bourke did not discuss the issue of the Stalinists hoarding aid to feed their military (fifth item, ninth item) and using food as a political weapon (fifth item). The WFP’s previous refusal to address these concerns led the rest of the world to cut back on aid contributions in the first place (last item, next to last item).

Japan to buy U.S. unmanned planes to protect against SNK: Growing concern about Stalinist North Korea has led the Japanese military to buy American unmanned planes "to strengthen the surveillance of airspace around Japan" (UPI via Washington Times, last item). Japan had planned to build the planes itself, but scrapped that idea for fear it would take too long.

Stalinists holding up film they approved due to slight of Kim Jong-il: In what he calls "a neutral take on North Korea" (Washington Post), Daniel Gordon films the near-perfect propaganda piece, with one exception: "After countless days of hard training by the two girls for the Mass Games – a North Korean spectacle of gymnastics and theatrics to honor Kim – the film shows that Kim did not even turn up to watch the performance." Now, Gordon "still trying to win approval from North Korean officials to broadcast it."

On John Bolton: Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (and one of this corner’s favorites), examines the record of UN Ambassador-designate John Bolton, and gives him the credit he deserves for creating the anti-SNK Proliferation Security Initiative, in National Review Online.

Will they never learn? We have two columns that inspired the angry rallying cry: Edward Lanfranco (UPI via Washington Times) says the Stalinist regime "plays a dicey game testing the friendship and patience of China, its last true friend," while Selig S. Harrison, author of Korean Endgame, calls for a return to bilateral talks for another "freeze," with an American commitment to "peaceful coexistence" (Washington Post).