News of the Day (June 22)

Chen Yonglin, given temporary residency, fears deal to send him back: Australia gave former Communist consul Chen Yonglin “temporary residence yesterday while the immigration department assesses his request for a protection visa” (Washington Times). However, the move gave Chen little comfort. In fact, he “heard through a source, that the Chinese consulate was ‘confident that they would take me back to China,’” (Epoch Times) due to “an agreement with the Australian authorities under the table.” If true – and we can only hope it isn’t – this is all the more reason to grant Chen, his family, and Hao Fengjun asylum in the U.S. Chen also went public with details of a Communist kidnapping in Australia, as a reminder that his life is still in danger. Meanwhile, Yuan Hongbing, who last week noted Communist China’s plans to make Australia a “political colony” (second item) went public with his asylum bid (Epoch Times).

Communist China Ju Lang-2 missile test successful: Communist China “successfully flight-tested a submarine-launched missile that U.S. officials say marks a major advance in Beijing's long-range nuclear program” (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). The missile in question, the Ju Lang-2 or JL-2, “is estimated to have a range of up to 6,000 miles, enough to hit targets in the United States.” According to the Air Force's National Air Intelligence Center, the missile “will, for the first time, allow Chinese [missile submarines] to target portions of the United States from operating areas located near the Chinese coast” – or hit any part of the U.S. from the deep sea (seventh item).

U.S. ties itself in knots in Hong Kong statement: In a message congratulating Donald Tsang on being appointed to lead Hong Kong by Communist China (sixth, seventh, and ninth items), the United States issued the following rhetorical pretzel: “We strongly support continued democracy in Hong Kong through electoral reform and universal suffrage as provided by the Basic Law” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times) – the same Basic Law the cadres used to nearly impose an “anti-subversion law” on the city.

Water shortage hits “hundreds of cities” in Communist China: Yes, you read that right: “400 of about 600 Chinese cities suffer from shortages” (Epoch Times). Several reasons are behind the shortage, among them water sources polluted by corruption-driven development (fourteenth item) and an astronomical water leakage rate of 20 percent.

Communist China on bird flu drug misuse: who, us? Communist China “denied Tuesday that the government had encouraged farmers to use an influenza drug intended for people to treat bird flu in poultry” (Washington Post). Of course, few expected the cadres to admit they had encouraged a practice that made the most plentiful anti-flu agent utterly useless and make an epidemic much more likely (tenth and fourth items).

On the resignations from the Chinese Communist Party: Sweden held a march and rally “in support of the (over) 2 million Chinese who have renounced their affiliation with the Chinese Communist Party” (Epoch Times). One of the speakers, exiled dissident Wei Jingsheng, “believes the actual number of people who desire to withdraw from the CCP is approximately 20 million” (Epoch Times).

Commentary on Communist China: William R. Hawkins, of the U.S. Business and Industry Council, sounds another badly needed warning about Communist China – in particular how corporate America seems tone deaf to the threat – in Front Page Magazine. Lev Navrozov, Newsmax, continues to be his ornery yet prescient self. David Bosco, Foreign Policy, notes the good history of SEC nominee Christopher Cox in The New Republic, and laments Cox’s exit from Congress. Martin Sieff (UPI via Washington Times) notes that John Bolton’s successor as Undersecretary of State for Arms Control – Robert Joseph – “regards the current missile threats from Iran and North Korea, and in the long run China, as the main threat to the United States.” Finally, Kerry Howley, Reason, isn’t all that concerned over Microsoft’s censorship of its own software in Communist China – some of her points make sense, others are spurious at best.

Stalinist North Korea news: The Stalinist regime “requested more food aid from South Korea during ministerial talks in Seoul” (BBC), and returned Chang Pan-sun, a prisoner of war for over fifty years, home to South Korea (UPI via Washington Times, third item).

More bad advice on SNK: Former Ambassador Donald Gregg and former Washington Post reporter Don Oberdorfer jointly call for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to visit Stalinist North Korea and commence “engaging Kim.” This corner asks, again: Will they never learn?