News of the Day (November 22)

From the China Support Network: CSN Founder John Patrick comments on President Bush’s speech in Japan on Communist China and Taiwan.

Stalinist North Korea helping Iran hide warhead-carrying missile program: After seeing numerous reports of Communist China helping the Iranian mullahcracy develop nuclear weapons, one should not be surprised that the Communists’ would-be colony is taking care of helping the Khomeinists in the nuke-carrying missile department. In fact, according to Alireza Jafarzadeh, a former member of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, the Stalinists have helped Iran hide the missile program “in a vast underground complex near Tehran” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times). It should be noted the M e-K has a very ugly history, but its information on items such as this is considered very credible (third item).

President Bush gets panned for Communist China visit: The Washington Post editors score the Enlightened Comment of the Day for their negative review of President Bush’s visit to Communist China. While the editorial is terrific all the way through, its ending truly shone: “. . . Mr. Hu is making his huge nation a bulwark against Mr. Bush's freedom agenda. The president may not be able to reverse that policy. But he could, at least, more honestly describe it and energetically oppose it.” The Washington Times editors fall a little short in their review of the trip. Meanwhile, Zhao Zifa, Epoch Times, discovers more arrests committed by the Communists during Bush’s visit.

Communist China blocking foreign papers: The Communists have decided foreign newspapers are “saboteurs” (Newsmax), and as such the cadres “pulled the plug on plans to allow foreign newspapers to print in that country.”

More on Communist China, journalism, and the Internet: The Washington Post editors make note of the International Press Freedom Awards winners, particularly those unable to attend due to imprisonment, like Shi Tao (fourteenth, fifth, lead, third, eighth, seventh, third, fifth, eighth, and last items). Ethan Guttman, author of Losing the New China (and Member since 2004), notes that the Shi Tao arrests is far from the only time American technology companies aided in the Communist crackdown against its own people (full disclosure: his speech, reprinted by the Epoch Times, also discusses Communist China’s ambitions in the Middle East and just happens to mention yours truly). Former Delaware Governor Pete Du Pont adds his name to the chorus opposing “international” control of the Internet in the Wall Street Journal.

UN envoy says Communist China is “more aware” of torture use: UN torture envoy Manfred Nowak is, sadly, praising the Communists for letting him in: “I see this as an opening up of government policy” (BBC). Nowak “also said he was confident his recommendations would bring about change.” He may be, but I certainly am not.

Moldova military signs deal with Communists: Moldovan Defense Minister Valeriu Plesca signed a “technical assistance agreement” (UPI via Washington Times, second item) with his Communist Chinese counterpart for “equipment and hardware.”

Harbin’s water supply cut off; Communists cagey on the reason: The northeastern city of Harbin, home to over 3 million people, “is facing four days without water because of an unexpected mains stoppage” (BBC). The water is supposedly being cut off due to pollution caused by a petrochemical explosion in Jilin, over 200 miles up the Songhua River. Some cadres, however, claim there is no pollution (UPI via Washington Times).

Foreign investment in Communist China falls: In another sign foreign businessmen have noticed how the Communists operate, foreign investment in Communist China from January to October “decreased 2.12% compared to the same period last year” (BBC).

IMF calls for Communist China to raise currency value; lower factory building: Communist China’s deliberately devalued currency is creating trade imbalances so large they are “threatening the global recovery and stirring up protectionist pressures in the EU and the US” (BBC), according to the International Monetary Fund. Another issue that worries the IMF is this: “Investment (i.e., building factories) makes up 45% of China's entire economic output . . . double or triple the pattern in big industrialized countries.”

On the Hanyuan County Massacre: Jared Pearman, Friends of Falun Gong, spoke at the ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the slaughter in Sichuan.

On Australia and Communist China: Andrew Carlisle, Epoch Times, sees Australian authorities doing Communist China’s dirty work against Falun Gong practitioners at a joint business conference in Sydney, and wonders why the Australian government “ignores the issue of human rights in China and turns a blind eye, if not assists, the Chinese Communist Government suppression of Falun Gong abroad.”