News of the Day (December 5)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Democratic China comments on Taiwan’s local election (see fifth item below). One Free Korea laments the lack of concern in Seoul (and Washington) for refugees from Stalinist North Korea, and how it will likely cost one refugee her life – this issue was also brought up by OFK guest blogger Andy Jackson. OFK also rips United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan – and for good reason. More on the Communists’ would be colony is at the end of today’s post.

Anson Chan joins Hong Kong democrats in protest march: Hong Kong’s democrats took to the streets Sunday in protest of Communist-appointed Hong Kong Chief Donald Tsang’s faux political “reforms” (BBC), calling for the right to freely elect the next leader of the city. One of the new marchers was former Chief Cabinet Secretary Anson Chan: “I just feel there are moments in one's life when you have to stand up and be counted” (Cybercast News). Organizers put the number of marchers at roughly 250,000.

The latest on the Falun Gong War: A middle school teacher in Jiangxi Province was beaten to death by police for “telling others the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong” (Epoch Times), and two female practitioners were taken to the Dongchengfang Town Police Station (Hebei Province) and brutally raped (Epoch Times, warning: photos are graphic). Meanwhile, a group of Australian practitioners heard encouragement from Chris Bowen, an opposition MP: “you are not alone” (Epoch Times).

As petition circulates to free Tan Kai, Communists now saw Xie Zhenhua was fired: After being forced to admit to the Petrochina plant explosion in Jilin and subsequent pollution in the northeastern provinces (seventh, fourth, ninth, fourth, fourth, and fifth items), Communist China is now trying to score some points by claiming Xie Zhenhua’s resignation as head of the environmental protection agency was actually a firing (Washington Post). Meanwhile, Human Rights in China “received an open letter circulated by several activists on behalf of detained environmental activist Tan Kai” (Boxun), the imprisoned co-founder of Green Watch (sixth item).

France bans anti-Communist protests during Hu Jintao (Oops! Wen Jiabao) visit: Repeating its hideous performance during Hu Jintao’s visit to Paris last year, the French government has once again banned any protests during the Communist leader’s upcoming visit (Epoch Times). CORRECTION: As noted above, it's Communist Premier Wen Jiabao whose upcoming visit led to the ban; apologies for the error.

Taiwan’s opposition wins big in local elections: The opposition Nationalist Party and its allies won more than two-thirds of the local elections in Taiwan this weekend, a stinging blow to President Chen Shui-bian bad his Democratic Progressive Party (BBC). The DPP (this quarter’s favorite in Taiwan), is mired in a corruption scandal that cracked the anti-Communist coalition that re-elected Chen in 2004. Chen tried, and failed, to inject anti-Communist issues into the local vote. The good news is that legislative and Presidential elections are two and three years away, respectively (Cybercast News).

Hu Jintao tries to “modernize” Marxism: Hu Jintao has become the latest Communist leader looking to “modernize Chinese Marxism” (Washington Post) rather than move away from the “unrelentingly Leninist policing of information, association and political thought.” Parapundit founder Russell Parker (Member since 2003) weighs in here.

U.S.-Communist China trade results – better cadre weapons and bad radiators: Charles Smith, Newsmax, details how Communist China is using trade with the U.S. and its allies to improve its military, violating the very enabling trade deals in the process. Meanwhile, our supposed benefit in the deal – inexpensive products – fell a bit in value as over 200,000 radiators exported from Communist China are now being recalled due to “a burn and fall hazard to consumers” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times).

Airbus signs major plane deal with Communist China: Airbus, Europe’s major competition to Boeing in the aircraft building, “agreed to sell 150 A320 planes to China in a deal worth almost $10bn” (BBC). Of course, Boeing singed a plane sale deal of their own, despite the fact that one of their earlier planes is now a military plane (ninth item).

Communist-owned firms lost over $11 billion in 2005, so far: For the first ten months of this year, “the total loss of state-owned enterprises and state-owned holding companies reached 92.8 billion yuan (US$11.51 billion) in the past 10 months” (Epoch Times).

BP gets 20% stake of China Aviation Oil: BP now has its 20% stake in China Aviation Oil (BBC), the Communist-owned firm that took investors to the cleaners by falsifying losses last year (twelfth, seventh, and eighth items).

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Today’s winner is William Hawkins of the U.S. Business and Industry Council, who makes note of Communist China’s leadership of an anti-democratic “bloc eager to see America fail” (Washington Times).

Ignorant Comment of the Day: The more dubious prize goes to J.T. Young formerly of the Office for Management and Budget, for an examination of Asian economics that was completely void of any geopolitical analysis (Washington Times).

More Commentary on Communist China: The Epoch Times reprints yours truly’s recent post on Communist China and al Qaeda. Edward Lanfranco, UPI via Washington Times, comments on Communist China’s attempt to pull the wool over United Nations torture fact finder Manfred Nowak. Cai Hong and Ya Mei, Sound of Hope Radio (via Epoch Times) excerpt a speech by current affairs commentator Sheng Xue at a Toronto forum on the anniversary of the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party.

On the Communists’ would be colony of Stalinist North Korea: Amid continuing “concerns that the food will not reach those who need it” (Washington Times), the U.S. “canceled a planned shipment of 25,000 tons of food aid to North Korea later this month.” However, while his people starve, Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il “ordered his nation’s tiny film industry to begin competing in the big leagues” (Washington Times).