Wednesday, November 30, 2005

News of the Day (November 30)

Canada’s election date is set – January 23. Read our endorsement of the Conservative Party of Canada here and/or here.

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Member One Free Korea’s guest blogger Andy Jackson attended a lecture by
Kang Chol-hwan, a former child prisoner in Stalinist North Korea. Meanwhile, the Communists’ would be colony sent “670 secret dispatches to the South over the last four years” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times).

Chi Mak admits to passing military information to Communist China: Chi Mak, brother of Phoenix TV engineering/broadcasting director Tai Mak (second item), “admitted passing data on U.S. Navy arms technology to China for 22 years, including information on next-generation destroyers, an aircraft carrier catapult and the Aegis weapons system” (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). The Mak brothers were arrested by the FBI for their role in the espionage ring earlier this month. The information has done grave damage to American security (second item).

Communist China developing long-range cruise missiles: Meanwhile, Communist China “has been working hard on developing an indigenous long-range land-attack cruise missile” (UPI via Washington Times). While the Communists are “focusing on acquiring the relevant technology from Russia and Ukraine,” they also gleaned information from “U.S. cruise missiles fired in August 1998 at al-Qaida training camps in Afghanistan. European intelligence sources say that 40 of the 75 missiles launched during the raid never exploded and were sold by Osama bin Laden to China, where they were disassembled and reverse-engineered” (emphasis added), which just happens to confirm a report first relayed by this quarter (fifth item).

Amid more Communist religious arrests; Reverend Palau backtracks: Oregon-based evangelist Luis Palau retracted and apologized for his assertion (fourth item) that “underground” Christian churches should register in Communist China and allow themselves to come under Party control: “It's not my role as an evangelist to suggest that churches in China should register” (Cybercast News). Meanwhile, reports of more Communist arrests of Tibetan Buddhist came to light (Cybercast News).

Cadres insist Harbin water is “safe”; locals not so sure: Local Communists “declared safe” (BBC) the water in Harbin city. Several residents were skeptical – understandable given the cadre’ lies on the pollution of Harbin’s water and the Petrochina explosion in Jilin that caused it (seventh, fourth, and ninth items). Said “Slick of Lies” led the editors of the Washington Post to note in the Enlightened Comment of the Day: “Rather than acting to contain the country's latest environmental disaster, Chinese authorities offered a demonstration of why their political system poses a menace to global health.”

Mongolia inks coal deal with Communist China: The Communists will help Mongolia “develop its coal fields” (BBC) in exchange for “coal to burn in (their) power plants.”

Commentary on Communist China: John Derbyshire, National Review Online (and Member since 2002), examines the growing concerns in Asia about Communist China, the perceived lack of American resolve in resisting them, and the Jilin-Harbin fiasco. Quentin Sommerville, BBC, examines the Communists’ lies about the people of occupied East Turkestan. Rick DelVecchio, San Francisco Chronicle, examines the debate at the University of California (Berkeley) surrounding Jung Chang and Jon Halliday’s Mao: The Unknown Story. Nataly Teplitsky, Epoch Times, finds a letter from Leo Tolstoy to “a Chinese Gentleman,” and marvels at its relevance more than a century later.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

News of the Day (November 29)

China Support Network posted the endorsement of the Conservative Party of Canada.

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Member One Free Korea has a quick survey of recent links on Stalinist North Korea (here’s the Seattle Times op-ed that fueled yesterday’s OFK comments on refugees from the Communists’ would be colony.

Expert on CCP puts death toll at 77 million: R. J. Rummel, a retired political science professor, updated his estimate on the number of murders committed by the Chinese Communist Party to 77 million. The revised number was due to Rummel’s acceptance that the deaths caused by the 1958-61 famine were “intentional” (World Net Daily).

Cadres in welfare system caught selling babies: The head of the Hunan Hengyang County Social Welfare Institute and the institute’s Communist Party chief are lead suspects in a baby trafficking scheme. The institute bought – yes, bought – babies from a trafficker, used the children to secure foster care money, and then proceeded to “sell these babies to other welfare homes” (Central News Agency via, Taiwan, Epoch Times).

Mine death toll reaches 146; relatives banned: The death toll from the Heilongjiang Longmei Mining Group explosion (twelfth item) “reached 146 on Tuesday” (BBC). Meanwhile, the managers of the Communist-owned mine have refused to let in relatives of the miners. At least one relative ripped the Communists for ignoring safety concerns.

Rally held for ex-Communists in Florida: Miami Beach hosted a celebration for “nearly six million Chinese people quitting the CCP” (Epoch Times).

U.S. says cadres are not manipulating their currency: The U.S. “declined yesterday to accuse China of manipulating its currency for competitive gain” (Washington Post). Apparently, the Bush Administration was more worried about the Schumer-Graham currency-corrective tariff (fifth item) than the Communists’ currency devaluation, which has damaged not only American manufacturing but also other exporters around the globe.

Russia awaits Communist-caused chemical spill: The Russia city of Khabarovsk “is bracing itself as the people nervously await the arrival of the poisonous chemical spill” (Epoch Times). The spill was caused by an explosion at the Petrochina plant in Jilin, and was so toxic that the water in Harbin was cut off (seventh, fourth, and ninth items).

On the Communist Chinese economy: He Qinglian, details how foreign investment-driven “democratization” and “profitability” in Communist China are myths (Taiwan News Weekly via Epoch Times). Perhaps someone should mention this to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which insists Communist China’s economy will grow by more than 9% (BBC).

What Communist prisons are like: Dr. Wang Bin, Falun Gong practitioner and former prisoner in Communist China, details the horrors of imprisonment in the Epoch Times.

Monday, November 28, 2005

Our Message to Canadians: Please vote Conservative

As of this evening, Canada's Parliament voted a lack of confidence the governing Liberal Party. Under Canadian law, an election is mandated to occur sometime after the new year. It is a very critical election, one that will not only determine the fate of Canada, but Communist China, America, and possibly the entire globe. The following is the statement of the China Support Network and the China e-Lobby endorsing the Conservative Party of Canada in the upcoming election.

Over the last few months, this blog has acquired a considerable readership in Canada, and for that we must thank our friends from north of the 49th parallel – the folks at the Western Standard (and their Shotgun blog), the Sun newspaper chain, and, of course, the Friendly Blog Small Dead Animals. Long before that, however, I acquired a deep interest (some would say obsession) in Canadian affairs, particularly its politics, which for years has continued to be far more entertaining than the American version.

Therefore, I understand that as an American my influence will not be very dramatic. This is as it should be, for as much as I admire Canada and its people, it is not my country. Still, it can have a dramatic impact on my country from time to time, and for those of us in the anti-Communist movement (a term I use to distinguish us from “anti-China,” which we are not), this is such a time.

Canada may not be aware of it yet, but it is now involved in the most important election campaign since its founding – more important than the free trade election of 1988, more important than the myriad campaigns of the 1960s, more important than any election involving Pierre Trudeau – for this campaign will pit a government very sympathetic to “engagement,” i.e. appeasement, with Communist China (the Liberal government of Paul Martin) against what is arguably the most anti-Communist political party in the democratic world (the Conservatives). For anyone who is concerned about the Chinese Communist Party’s abuses of its own people, its harassment and saber-rattling against its democratic neighbors, and its support for some of the world’s most brutal dictators and terrorists, this Canadian election is impossible to ignore. So I hope the Canadian public will forgive us for offering our opinions and advice. That advice is this: the China Support Network and its China e-Lobby division hereby endorse the Conservative Party of Canada in the upcoming election.

In order to explain why we have done this, it would be best to re-examine the recent past. For those of us who cast a worrying eye toward the growing, hostile power that is Communist China, Paul Martin’s brazen, backhanded treatment of human rights in the People’s Republic and his absolute refusal to recognize the danger the Communist regime poses to the security of his own nation has been maddening (fifth and sixth items). Of course, if this sort of thing were the worst of the Liberal government’s sins, it might not be worth discussing (especially in light of similar nonsense spewing out of Washington).

However, the Liberals have also allowed Communist China to get its hands on important pieces of Canada’s greatest asset – its natural resources. For months, Communist China tried to buy out Noranda, the third largest mining company in Canada. Prime Minister Martin made no effort to block the Communist would-be acquisition (but the Conservatives and the New Democrats tried). The Noranda deal fizzled, but Communist-controlled oil firms have been able to acquire chunks of Alberta oil concerns (third item) and a Canadian firm operating in Kazakhstan (third item).

Meanwhile, just this past summer defectors from Communist China in Australia revealed a Communist spy operation in Canada that in part was being used to intimidate Chinese-Canadians into silence. They even had documents detailing Communist espionage against Falun Gong practitioners in Ontario; while former Canadian intelligence official Michel Juneau-Katsuya estimated that Communist Chinese industrial espionage cost Canada $12 billion annually.

Only one party was upset enough about this to bring this up in Parliament: the Conservatives. In fact, the Liberal government would not even entertain eliminating, or even reducing, the $50 million-plus in “foreign aid” Canada handed over to Communist China this year (even the New Democrats joined the Conservatives in calling for the aid to be cancelled).

Finally, earlier this fall, the Conservatives attempted to bring forth a bill that would provide some recognition to Taiwan, where a democracy was built from scratch over the last eighteen years – and in the teeth of the Communist dictatorship just across the Taiwan Straits. In response, Liberal MP Dan McTeague smeared a pro-Taiwan witness unmercifully and, as Paul Wells noted on his Macleans blog, incoherently. While one MP certainly need not represent an entire caucus, when it’s McTeague, the parliamentary secretary to Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew . . .

The reason for this government’s behavior regarding Communist China is not of great concern here. Some have noted personal connections that point to corruption (Western Standard). However, whether perfidy or delusion is behind the policy, the policy itself remains the problem, and it needs to end.

We understand there are several alternatives to the Liberals – after all, they only won 36% of the vote and 44% of the seats in the House of Commons. Additionally, the New Democrats have opposed the $50 million-plus for Communist China, and the Bloc Quebecois are supportive on Taiwan (and Tibet, for that matter). However, only the Conservatives have consistently taken, and refused to abandon, the anti-Communist, pro-democracy position.

In fact, this position is not one dependent solely upon the leader, Stephen Harper. In fact, the leading lights within the Conservative Party on this issue are foreign policy critic Stockwell Day (anyone who still considers him a Neanderthalic throwback should read and re-read his Toronto University speech from this past May, reprinted by the Epoch Times) and international trade critic Helena Guergis (a recently elected Conservative MP from – ahem – Ontario).

So, what would a Conservative government mean for Canada regarding Communist China? For starters, any “foreign aid” to the Communists would come to a quick halt. That’s over $50 million that can be spent by or on Canadians, rather than going to prop up the Communist regime, however unwittingly. Furthermore, based on their record, the Conservatives would do everything they could to bust up the Communist espionage network in Canada. This would do more than simply stop industrial espionage. It would also end the reign of terror the CCP imposes on Chinese-Canadians, and finally grant them the freedoms they are too terrified to enjoy now. Meanwhile, Canadian resources would once again be for Canadians, not Communists. All of these things are possible even with a minority Conservative government.

Moreover, an elected government that supports democracy in China, and refuses to follow the “engagement” line, would send shock waves around the world. The effect on dissidents inside Communist China cannot be estimated. Exile groups would also have new hope.

As an aside, we would also note it might force a certain large neighbor to the south to take note of its own problems with Communist espionage, and act accordingly, ditto on the issue of Communist infiltration into the U.S. economy.

In fact, from down here, one of the most important effects of a Conservative victory would be the impact on the American debate on Communist China. Contrary to popular belief, Washington is no anti-Communist hotbed. “Engagement” has ruled the roost here for nearly two decades. A firmly anti-Communist, pro-democracy government might very well force the America to examine her conscience on this issue, and remove what has become a major blemish in her foreign policy.

Canadians have always prided themselves on what they have done for the world at large, whether it’s the “hard power” sacrifices made in World Wars I and II – both of which saw Canada involved long before the United States – or the “soft power” diplomacy of recent years. I do not intend to wade into the argument of which was (is) more important, for the free world will need more hard and soft power to face the threat of the Chinese Communist Party. However, with a Conservative government in Ottawa, Canadians can quickly restore their place as the conscience of the world. In fact, by forcing the free world to take notice of this threat, Canada might just save the world.

This is why the China Support Network and the China e-Lobby are endorsing the Conservatives in this election. For those of you outside the Conservative base, if you have only one Conservative vote in you, if in your lifetime you intend to vote Conservative only once, let it be this time. Let this be the election in which that vote is cast.

This election really is that important; the eyes of the world are on Canada. Please do not let us down. Please give us hope. Please vote Conservative.

D.J. McGuire: Co-founder of the China e-Lobby and President of the China Support Network

CORRECTION: As noted in the first comment, yours truly rather brilliantly left a blatant typo - the national capital! It has now been corrected, and there's still enough egg from my face to make a tasty omelette. Who wants mushrooms?

News of the Day (November 28)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Member One Free Korea comments on Communist China’s treatment of refugees from the Stalinist North, and America’s refusal to follow its own law to help them. OFK also examines SNK’s ties to Iran, denial of public executions (see also Cybercast News), its effect on South Korean politics, how it gets away with genocide, and the U.S. Ambassador speaking to a South Korean dove haven. More on the Communists’ would be colony can be found at the end of this post.

U.S. asks Communist China to push Iran to stop nuclear weapons program: Does Gregory Schulte think the SNK “agreement” debacle is a model? The U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency actually called on Communist China “to put pressure on Iran to abandon its efforts to develop nuclear weapons” (Washington Times, last item). Perhaps is Schulte saw this, he’d realize he’s wasting his time.

Communist espionage could lead U.S. to cut back on foreign researchers: Due to the intelligence community’s concern that “China in particular could be using some of its more than 150,000 students in the US to spy on behalf of Beijing” (Financial Times, UK, via MSNBC), the U.S. “is poised to propose rules that could restrict the ability of Chinese and other foreign nationals to engage in high-level research in the country.”

Oregon “evangelist” ripped for comments sympathetic to cadres: Luis Palau, a self-styled evangelist based in Oregon, told a cadre-sponsored event in Communist China that “underground” churches there “can't get away with defying order” (Washington Times) and should register as official churches. The fact that registered churches are controlled by the cadres seems to mean nothing to him, but it means quite a bit to his many critics.

Founder of Senate Taiwan Caucus meets President Chen: Senator George Allen (R-Virginia), a co-chairman and co-founder of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, visited President Chen Shui-bian in Taipei over the weekend (Taiwan News).

Woe Canada! Pro-Communist organization gets $12.5 million: The Canadian government’s efforts to atone for a 19th Century Chinese “head tax” have the Chinese-Canadian community up in arms. The money slated for compensation - $12.5 million – will all go to one organization: the National Congress of Chinese Canadians. NCCC has a history of toeing the Communist line, and just happens to be close to Multiculturalism Minister Raymond Chan. Report: Epoch Times

Japanese investors shifting away from Communist China: It’s not just American investors (third item); Japanese investors have “slowed the pace of new investment in China because of rising labour costs, yuan appreciation, and the rising cost of utilities such as water and electricity” (Bangkok Post, Thailand). Investors looking to make a profit are now focused on Southeast Asia instead.

Communist China hands more arms over to Nepalese King: Communist China “provided guns and ammunition” (BBC) King Gyanendra, Nepal’s absolute ruler. Nepal was a democracy until the king dissolved the Parliament, claiming it had been corrupt and incompetent in a civil war with Maoist rebels. The cadres are his only arms supplier.

Paul McCartney launches boycott of Communist China over animal abuse: Dogs and cats “packed by the dozen into wire cages little bigger than lobster pots” (BBC) and “being thrown from a bus, and into boiling water” – all part of Communist China’s fur industry – has infuriated singer/songwriter Paul McCartney so much that he has “vowed never to perform in China” and plans “to stay away from the 2008 Beijing Olympics” (Observer, UK) – which we applaud. Speaking of boycotting the 2008 Games . . .

Communist cover-up on Jilin explosion exposed; waterless Harbin furious: The cadres’ attempt to cover up the explosion at a Petrochina plant in Jilin – and the subsequent pollution that made the water in three-million-strong Harbin undrinkable – already sprang a leak last week (seventh and fourth items). Over the weekend, it blew wide open (Epoch Times, Time Asia, BBC, Washington Post), despite Premier Wen Jiabao’s complete silence on the subject when he visited the city (Washington Post). Water has now been restored (BBC), but the locals are not happy. Even the national cadres have been spooked enough to throw their local counterparts under the bus (BBC). Meanwhile, the Communists apologized for the spill – to Russia (BBC), which will soon feel its effects (CNN, BBC). Elizabeth Economy, of the Council on Foreign Relations, examines the aftereffects of the explosion in Time Asia.

Japanese virologist says he hears bid flu deaths in Communist China at 300: At the University of Marburg in Germany, Dr. Masato Tashiro, a leading Japanese virologist, told a meeting of fellow virologists that has reports of 300 bird flu deaths in Communist China, with roughly 3,000 infected overall, “including seven cases of human-to-human transmission” (Epoch Times). The doctor refused to confirm the information he heard, but he didn’t give much credence to the Communist line on the disease either (only three deaths – Ming Pao News via Epoch Times). Meanwhile, Dr. Lili Feng, a Baylor University Associate Professor, talks to the Sound of Hope Radio (via Epoch Times) about the Communist mishandling of the bird flu outbreak.

Communist China conducting probe of Gao Zhisheng: Having found that closing Gao Zhisheng’s office has not silenced him, Communist China is resorting to “a series of secret investigations” (Epoch Times) against the human rights attorney. They have also sent nearly two dozen policemen to watch him (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, Gao’s wife resigned from the Chinese Communist Party (Epoch Times), joining the nearly 6 million who have left the Party since the publication of the Nine Commentaries (Epoch Times).

Another Communist-owned mine explodes, killing over 130: An explosion at a mine owned by the Heilongjiang Longmei Mining Group has killed at least 134 people “with 15 miners still trapped underground” (BBC) as of 10:30 this morning. Heilongjiang Longmei is the latest of several cadre-owned firms that suffered the consequences of unsafe mining conditions (last item).

Taikonauts on propaganda visit to Hong Kong: Communist China sent astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng to Hong Kong “for a visit aimed at boosting Chinese nationalism” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times). The visit comes as the city’s Communist-appointed regime is in the midst of a battle with pro-democracy groups (second, sixth, and ninth items). Meanwhile, Communist China’s space program continues apace, as noted by Jing-dong Yuan, Ph.D., of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, in the Jamestown Foundation’s China Brief.

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Today’s winners are Dan Blumenthal and Tom Donnelly, of the American Enterprise Institute, for their excellent column on what the U.S. should do about Communist China in the Washington Post.

More on Communist China and the United States: Willy Lam, China Brief, examines the differences between the U.S. and Communist China the surrounded the Bush-Hu summit. Sarah Shenker, BBC, looks at the modern “Great Game” in Central Asia.

On Communist China and the Rest of the World: Duncan Freeman, in China Brief, examines Hu Jintao’s recent visit to Europe. Ian Story, Assistant Professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, reviews Communist China’s relations with Brunei, and how Brunei’s oil has strengthened said relations, in China Brief.

More Commentary on Communist China: Rémi Fidèle, Epoch Times (France), revisits the Communists’ “self-immolation” spectacle (sixth item). Yun Feiyang, Epoch Times, examines the “change” in Communist China over the years, and finds “that China really has not changed much, at least not in the areas I was thinking about, such as political parties, systems, and state dictatorship.” Exiled dissident economist He Qinglian, also in the Epoch Times, finds that Communist China’s export driven economy “is harvesting the crops of future generations, destroying their future, plundering workers' lives and abusing their human rights.” Edward Cody, Washington Post, revisits Taishi, and finds reason for hope: “outraged local farmers for the first time received help from outside political activists and Beijing-based intellectuals whose politics were shaped in part by the 1989 democracy movement.”

On Stalinist North Korea: As the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization finally ended the light-water nuclear reactor project in SNK (Washington Times, second item), Dmitry Kosyrev, of RIA Novosti, takes the Pollyannaish view of SNK (UPI via Washington Times), and David C. Kang, of Dartmouth, makes the case for reunification, which he assumes would also include liberation for the north, in the Washington Post.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

News of the Day (November 23)

Happy Thanksgiving to the American readership, the next News of the Day will be on November 28.

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Member One Free Korea rips former UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson for her
being AWOL on the Communists’ would-be colony during her tenure. He also makes note of the increasing weariness over South Korea in the United States, and highlights the words of a South Korean columnist who brilliantly dissects the dovish Administration of Roh Moo-hyun and its refusal to condemn SNK’s horrible human rights atrocities. For more on said atrocities, we have the blog Plato’s Stepchild, the chilling testimony of former political prisoner Kim Chol-soo in the Scotsman, and Donald MacIntyre in Time Asia.

Is the United States to weak to stand up to Communist China? This is a question many nations in Asia are asking themselves, and according to Insight, the answer is “yes.” This has led one of our favorites here, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, to recommend “other means to counter China” such as “economic containment” (no quarrel on the suggestion from this quarter). Communist China is also increasingly confident about its growing geopolitical power, as Melinda Liu (Newsweek) noted. This may explain why Japan is more willing to rewrite its pacifist constitution (United Press Int’l via Washington Times) in order to face up to the Communist threat.

More Bush trip fallout – church leader released; Falun Gong blacklisted in SK: House church pastor Zhang Mingxuan, who was kidnapped by Communist China just before President Bush touched down in Beijing, was released after Bush left (China Aid Association via Epoch Times). Meanwhile, a disturbing incident during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit revealed that South Korea is starting to follow the cadres’ lead in keeping out Falun Gong practitioners and activists (Epoch Times). As for the President himself, his speech in Japan won praise from Duncan Currie, Weekly Standard.

Investors getting more skittish about Communist China: After years of fawning over “one billion customers,” investors are finally starting to notice the underlying problems in the Communist economy, and are now “starting to hedge their China bets” (Newsweek). Sadly, DuPont seemed to miss the memo (UPI via Washington Times), as did Cisco (UPI via Washington Times), although their history is far more sordid (fourth item).

Benzene in Harbin water: Communist China is now admitting that the water in Harbin is badly polluted with benzene (BBC), after hedging on the subject yesterday (seventh item). Harbin’s problem may be extreme and new, but when it comes to polluted water, its far from alone, “70% of China's rivers and lakes are polluted - and more than 100 cities suffer from extreme water shortages” (BBC).

Commentary on Communist China: Zhao Ming, Epoch Times, praises the Nine Commentaries. Juan Xu, a Falun Gong practitioner who escaped to Australia, tells James Burke, Epoch Times, of the abuses committed by Communist China. Tian Jing, Asia Times (via Epoch Times), calls on the cadres to apologize for “complicity in the current spread of bird flu” due to deception and incompetence. Alan Connor, BBC, finds that many blogs in Communist China insist they are not being censored. However, he fully recognizes that is one has to say in a place like Communist China, and as such spares himself the ignominy of the Ignorant Comment of the Day (which had no “winner”).

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

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.”

Monday, November 21, 2005

An Announcement

The News of the Day can be found here.

If you’ve checked out the website today, you’ve probably noticed a small change – the incorporation of the China e-Lobby into the China Support Network. The folks over at CSN had a reorganization. As part of the reshuffle, as it were, I was invited to be CSN’s President, an invitation I graciously accepted. Soon after, with the agreement of co-founders Greg Eatroff and Dave Albert, the China e-Lobby was merged with CSN, and is now a part of it.

This was done for two reasons. The first was simple convenience; it would have been more than a little strange being a liaison between myself and – myself. The other reason was because I feel the two organizations complemented each so well that the whole is greater than the some of its parts. The China Support Network has history (it was formed in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre), and the name recognition within the dissident community; the China e-Lobby has a wealth of information going back over five years and (some) better contacts in Washington, DC, and Canada.

What changes will it mean for the blog? Not much. CSN links will be more prominent, but outside of that, the blog will be just as it always is (for better or worse).

Outside of the blog, I consider this a tremendous opportunity for the China e-Lobby, the China Support Network, and the anti-Communist movement as a whole. Together, we can make this an international movement that can bring together anti-Communists around the world, advance the election of anti-Communist, pro-democracy governments throughout the free world, and better help the Chinese people liberate themselves from their Communist oppressors.

News of the Day (November 21)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Member One Free Korea expresses growing alarm at Communist China, laments the imminent return of famine to SNK, and fires more well-deserve rhetorical shots at dovish South Korea. More on Communist China’s would-be colony can be found at the end of this post.

Bush wraps up Asia trip: President Bush is on his way home after his trip to Japan, South Korea, Communist China, and Mongolia. While inordinate attention was paid to President Bush’s visit to a Communist-run church (Washington Times, Cybercast News, Voice of America via Epoch Times, BBC), many noted his disappointing performance on pressing human rights concerns (Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, United Press Int’l via Washington Times). In fact, roughly a dozen dissidents were “detained or put under house arrest . . . in advance of President Bush's visit to keep them from making their complaints heard” (Washington Times). Meanwhile, Louisa Lim, BBC, noted that even on the issues for which the President shunted human rights, he won essentially zip.

New German government drops Schroeder push to end EU arms embargo: Jacques Chirac is on his own in his effort to lift the European Union arms embargo on Communist China: “a spokesperson for the foreign office of the CDU said that a discussion of lifting the arms embargo on China is possible only if Beijing improves its human rights record and abandons its military threat to Taiwan” (Epoch Times). The CDU (Christian Democratic Union) is the party of incoming Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Imprisoned Falun Gong practitioner reaches U.S.; Charles Li’s release date nears: Wang Huimin, a Falun Gong practitioner who “was kept in one of China’s forced labor camps and brainwashing centers for over three years” (New Tang Dynasty TV via Epoch Times), is now safely in the United States. Meanwhile, fellow practitioner Charles Li, an American citizen, is nearing the end of his three-year sentence (Epoch Times), although the effects of the Communist torture will not disappear.

Escapees detained in Australia could die on hunger strike: Two escapees from Communist China currently being held in a Sydney detention center “have been on a hunger strike for 30 days (and) are prepared to starve themselves to death” (AAP via Epoch Times) rather than risk being forcibly returned by Australian authorities. Australia has a history of weak behavior regarding Communist China, and the cadres have noticed.

Yet another land grab in Sichuan results in beatings, crop destruction: Sichuan Province, home of the Hanyuan County Massacre, has seen yet another example of corrupt, greedy Communists attacking local farmers. This time, it was in Jiefang Village, and thankfully, there wasn’t a slaughter of 10,000 people. However, several farmers were beaten, and “thousands of policemen uprooted all of the vegetables in the fields, destroying crops that the farmers had tended to for half a year” (Epoch Times).

Rally in New York to mark Nine Commentaries anniversary: Meanwhile, a rally in New York was held for the one-year anniversary of the first publishing of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party (Epoch Times), which have inspired over 5.7 million to resign from the Chinese Communist Party.

Boeing sells 737s to Communists who converted one such plane for military use: Communist China signed a deal for “seventy Boeing 737 aircraft” (BBC), just as Newsmax reported that the Communists “recently converted a Boeing 737 into an advanced military command aircraft.”

BP invests in corrupt Communist oil firm: Meanwhile, BP has decided to buy a 23% stake in China Aviation Oil (BBC), a Communist-owned firm that took investors to the cleaners by falsifying losses last year (twelfth and seventh items).

UN Torture official visits Communist China: For the first time, Communist China has allowed the United Nations rapporteur on torture to make a visit. However, since the Communists are directing the tour, don’t expect Manfred Nowak to find anything (BBC).

Dalai Lama visits Scotland and holds up local Parliament as model for Tibet: The Dalai Lama visited Edinburgh for a conference on Tibet’s future. During the trip, he “praised the Scottish Parliament” (BBC), calling it “a model which could be used to help give autonomy to Tibet.”

Chicago Mayor, inspired by Communist China, wants 6-day school week: Residents of the Windy City can only hope Mayor Richard Daley didn’t get any other ideas about governance from his recent trip to Communist China (World Net Daily).

Ignorant Comment of the Day: The dubious honor goes to Japan’s Asahi Shimbun (via Washington Times) for their moral equivalence on Communist China and the U.S.

Other Commentary on Communist China: The blog View from a Height has some suggestions for Communist China’s Olympic advertising (speaking of the Olympics, sign the petition calling of the U.S. to stay away). The editors of the Washington Post are deeply nervous about putting the Internet under “international” control. Lu Qingshuang and Guo Ruo, Epoch Times, talk to Cai Zhuohua’s attorney (fifth and eighth items).

Stalinist North Korea literally crushing Christians as part of its repression: The Communists’ would-be colony “is raising religious persecution to the same heights as ancient Rome” (National Post, Canadian). Among the preferred methods of executing Christians in the Stalinist North include “crushing the heads of underground church leaders under a steamroller.” Sadly, some folks prefer to turn their heads and pretend they don’t see, like the National Lawyers Guild, which rightly gets the rhetorical double-barrel for it from freelance writer Shawn Macomber in National Review Online.

APEC issues boilerplate statement on six-party talks: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea “welcomed the recent headway in the multilateral talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons drive, but demanded ‘substantial progress’ to end the three-year-long standoff” (UPI via Washington Times). They called this “headway”?

Friday, November 18, 2005

News of the Day (November 18)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Member One Free Korea fires another rhetorical double-barrel – and deservedly so – at South Korea’s dovish Unification Minister Chung Dong-Young (labeling him “North Korea's Minister for Southern Affairs” was especially creative), and has high praise for UN Ambassador John Bolton.

United Nations condemns Stalinist North Korea’s human rights abuses: The UN General Assembly’s social and humanitarian committee vote 84-22 in favor of “a resolution expressing serious concern about alleged human rights violations in North Korea” (BBC). As expected, dovish South Korea abstained.

More on Communist China’s would-be colony: President Bush and Vladimir Putin held a brief meeting on the Stalinists’ nuclear ambitions (United Press International via Washington Times); Anthony B. Kim, Heritage Foundation, calls for a U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement (National Review Online).

Australian PM calls for Communist honesty on bird flu; more outbreaks expected: Better late (lead and eighth items) than never. Australian Prime Minister John Howard “made a veiled warning to China not to cover up the extent of its bird flu problem” (AAP via Epoch Times). Meanwhile, the World Heath Organization “would not be surprised to see more scattered human cases of avian flu” (Voice of America via Epoch Times).

Hu Yoabang’s birth marked, but his legacy was ignored: Communist China officially marked the 90th birthday of Hu Yaobang, the reform-minded Communist whose death in April 1989 sparked the Tiananmen protests. Lest anyone think this was any harbinger of hope for the Chinese people: “According to Reuters news agency, 10 liberal intellectual friends invited to the memorial by Hu's family were told to stay away” (BBC).

On Communist China and the United States: The editors of the Washington Times improve greatly from their last comments on President Bush and Communist China and note the thwarting, for now, of the worlds’ dictators on Internet control. Lev Navrozov, Newsmax, opines as to how and why Communist China spies against the U.S. Frederick Stakelbeck notes that Communist China’s distaste for “protectionism” in energy does not apply to its own energy firms (Front Page Magazine). However, the Enlightened Comment of the Day goes to Dan DiMicco, Nucor Corporation, for his analysis of how Communist China has changed the rules on globalization (Washington Times).

On occupied East Turkestan: Quentin Sommerville, BBC, has a puff piece on the “Xinjiang” Production and Construction Corps that easily wins Ignorant Comment of the Day (if he had talked to Li Qike first, he might have spared himself the ignominy). Nury Turkel, Uyghur American Association, is much better in National Review Online.

On Gao Zhisheng: Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada writes an open letter to Hu Jintao (reprinted by the Epoch Times) calling on him to end the persecution of human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng (sixth, tenth, fifth, lead, and third items).

Thursday, November 17, 2005

What I Want President Bush to Discuss with Hu Jintao

The News of the Day can be found here.

By this time Saturday, President Bush will be in Beijing for weekend talks with Hu Jintao. The assorted punditry has been largely quiet, oddly enough, about what the President should discuss with Communist China’s leader. Only Wanqing Huang (Epoch Times) and the editors of the Washington Times have even brought up the subject, and given what the latter advises, it would have been better for them to keep quiet.

Given this unusual void, I’ve decided to step forward and offer my advice to President Bush on this subject. Whether he follows is or not is, of course, up to him.

Communist aid and comfort to America’s enemies in the war on terror: The President should make clear America will not tolerate Communist China’s increasing support for the mullahcracy of Iran – including helping Tehran become a nuclear power – nor has it forgotten how much the Communist regime helped Saddam Hussein in recent years, and also Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network (see also fifth item).

Stalinist North Korea: Communist China has pulled the wool over the world’s eyes for far too long on this issue. While the Communists claim to want a “denuclearized” Korea, what they really want is a de-Americanized Korea. How else can one explain the Communists selling tributyl phosphate to the Stalinist regime? What justification can there be for a Communist-owned bank helping Kim Jong-il sell drugs to the rest of the world? President Bush should make clear that, as far as America is concerned, the Communists are responsible for the behavior of their own satellite state/would-be colony – but at the same time, warn very strongly that Hu put an end to the latent campaign to justify a future Communist occupation of northern Korea (sixth item).

Taiwan: The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly claimed that it and it alone is the rightful ruler of Taiwan, despite the fact that it has never controlled one square inch of the island democracy. Even during the President’s laudable comments about Taiwan this week, he refused to make clear the Taiwan’s future is a matter for the people who live there, not for the CCP. Given the recent “anti-secession” law, and the continuing Communist military buildup, the time for the President to tell this to Hu is now.

Tibet and East Turkestan: Communist China would like us to believe that its occupation of these nations is ancient history. If that’s so, perhaps Hu would like to revisit his “colonialist plot” slander against the state of Israel. In the meantime, Hu should be told in no uncertain terms that Tibet and East Turkestan are in fact illegally occupied nations, and that is time the Communist military withdraw from them.

Democracy and human rights: The President took a nice step forward in this direction with his aforementioned comments on Taiwan, but he must go farther than that. He must tell Hu, in the strongest of terms, that false comments about “intra-party democracy” and other silliness will not be tolerated when juxtaposed with the Taishi outrage, the Hanyuan County massacre, the systematic erosion of freedom in Hong Kong (tenth item), and the continuing brutality against Falun Gong practitioners (sixth item), Christians (third and ninth items), and all faiths who refuse to bow to the Chinese Communist Party.

On China’s future: This may be the hardest part of the advice I give to the President, because, in effect, he will have to tell his host to leave, but if the President truly values democracy, he has to demand it come to China as well, and that can only come with the end of the Chinese Communist regime. Speaking truth to power is never easy, even for powerful men like President Bush, but it still must be done.

Will the President follow any of the advice I have given him? Only he has the answer to that. However, if he does, he will have accomplished a great deal, no matter how Hu Jintao responds. By raising these points, the President will make clear that he understands the true nature of America’s cold war with Communist China, and thus, greatly increase the likelihood that Cold War II will end Chinese Communism just as Cold War I ended European Communism.

News of the Day (November 17)

Bush visits South Korea; host speaks out of both sides of his mouth: President Bush came to South Korea, the second leg of his Asian trip, and met with his South Korean counterpart Roh Moo-hyun. Bush and Roh called for talks for “a final peace treaty to replace the ‘temporary’ cease-fire that halted the 1950-53 Korean War” (Washington Times), and “insisted that a nuclear-armed North ‘will not be tolerated’” (BBC). The dovish Roh further insisted that he and Bush “have no disagreement at all that this issue must be resolved” (Washington Post). How the issue “must be resolved” is something else again, as Roh himself made clear the day before when he joined Communist Chinese leader Hu Jintao in calling for “sincere flexibility” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times) in the six-party talks on the nuclear ambitions of the Communists’ would-be colony (is this what he meant?). Meanwhile, Wanqing Huang, chief editor of the Chinese Epoch Times web site, asked the President to highlight the case of his missing brother Xiong, a Falun Gong practitioner who has not been seen since his arrest in Shanghai in 2003, when he goes to Beijing on Saturday.

Info gathered by spy ring may give Communist military “a strategic advantage”: According to sources who spoke to Bill Gertz (Washington Times), the Communist espionage unit that the FBI busted last week has given Communist China “extremely valuable details about U.S. weapons systems, from submarines to aircraft carriers, that could give China's military a strategic advantage in a conflict.” Canadian military secrets could also be compromised, according to the Asian Pacific Post. Robert Marquand, Christian Science Monitor, detailed the cadres’ high-tech plans for their military.

Other Commentary on Communist China: Ross Terrill, Harvard University, examines Communist China’s quest for geopolitical power (albeit with a far too sanguine attitude) in the Boston Globe. Caylan Ford, Epoch Times, puts the travails of attorney Gao Zhisheng (sixth, tenth, fifth, and lead items) in the larger picture of Communist China’s deeply flawed legal system. Stephen Cviic, BBC, examines the Communists’ ability to fight bird flu, but oddly enough does not mention how the SARS-like coverup (lead and eighth items) have hindered things. Sharda Vaidyanath, Epoch Times, finds a “fair trade” craft store (Ten Thousand Villages) that follows through with its beliefs on Communist China: “Ten Thousand Villages does not buy from China . . . ‘We actually have people on the ground that go and visit the artisans’ groups to determine if they are abiding by fair trade rules,’ says Monica Scheifele, who is coordinating the November festival sale in Ottawa. ‘In China it is impossible to do that’” (emphasis added). The Epoch Times also highlighted Pei Pei, a language teacher battling to save the traditional Chinese language from the Communists, who have been hostile to it ever since Chairman Mao.

On Stalinist North Korea: It’s not just Christianity that is on the rise in the the Communists’ would-be colony. According to Chosun Ilbo (South Korea), which itself cited the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, “divination and shamanism are apparently finding enough of a following in North Korea to prompt those meant to crack down on the practice to consult fortunetellers themselves.”

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Zimbabwe: Communist China’s test case in making the world safe for dictators

The News of the Day can be found here.

When it comes to major events that have shaped the history of the world, the myriad of historians and pundits agree on almost nothing, except this: Africa had no role in any of them. This time, however, they are very, very wrong. In Africa today, we are seeing the test case for Communist China’s latest effort to build a global anti-American coalition. That test case is Zimbabwe, which makes it one of the most important countries in the world at this moment.

Zimbabwe has had a sad history. For years, as Rhodesia, it was controlled by a cruel apartheid regime much like that in South Africa prior to 1994. However, unlike South Africa, Zimbabwe had no Nelson Mandela. What it had instead was Robert Mugabe, who took the reins of the country (and gave it the name it holds to this day) in 1980.

For most of the first decade of Mugabe’s rule, the country limped along. During the 1990s, however, as he and his coterie continued consolidating power and wealth, the country became visibly poorer. Meanwhile, the usual intimidation tactics ensured that Zimbabwean “elections” were a complete sham. As Zimbabwe slid into poverty, Mugabe seemed destined to take his place in a long line of African dictators-for-life who ravaged their own nations for personal gain (Slate).

Then, in 2000, the people rose up and shocked him. A constitutional referendum that would have given Mugabe more power to seize land and “redistribute” it was defeated. Stunned by the outcome, Mugabe began railing against any and all opposition figures, who soon tried to build momentum from that vote by creating the Movement for Democratic Change.

In the 2002 elections, the MDC put up its own candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, to oppose Mugabe. Unfortunately, Mugabe pulled out all the stops – intimidation, use of food as a weapon, ballot-stuffing, etc. – to “win” re-election. He then proceeded to exercise the power voters denied him two years ago, and seize rich farmland wherever he could find it. As a result, acres of farmland have gone unplanted, and Zimbabwe has fallen from the breadbasket of southern Africa to a breadless basket case. Meanwhile, Mugabe has railed against foreigners supposedly out to get him (especially Great Britain, or as he called it, “the gay United gay Kingdom” – BBC), and the rest of the world began to ignore and avoid him. But Communist China didn’t. Where everyone else saw a pariah, Communist China saw an opportunity, and it reached out with both hands.

Granted, in light of Communist China’s support for anti-American terrorists, it is hard to consider Zimbabwe important, but in the context of the Second Cold War, Zimbabwe is vital. Robert Mugabe was at one point the most vulnerable dictator relying on Communist Chinese support to stay in power. That Communist help includes radio jamming (Reporters Without Borders), K-8 fighter jets (Daily Standard), and massive amounts of “investment” money. In exchange, the Communists are getting large tracts of the aforementioned fertile farmland, and Mugabe’s police state has trained its eye on “any (native) competition to Chinese traders whose shops have sprung up around the capital over the past few years” (Daily Standard).

However, Communist China is looking for a lot more than mere economic gains from Zimbabwe. If the Communist regime is able to keep Mugabe in power, it can use him to show the dictators of the world how it can also protect them from the wrath of their own people. The mullahs of Iran, who are battling an unshaped but very widespread resistance movement, have already clung to the Communists to help them develop nuclear weapons and other military technology that will enable them to terrorize their own people. Saddam Hussein was moving in the same direction before the U.S. military knocked him out of the box.

In Zimbabwe, however, the plan to make the world safe for dictators appears to be succeeding; that certainly cannot be said of Iraq and is at the very least uncertain in Iran. Should Mugabe be able to survive, the Communists are sure to use him as an endorser for their dictator-protection-service (in fact, he has already begun advertising for the Communists – BBC.

The democratic world must take heed. The “color revolutions” that brought freedom to Ukrainia, Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia will be much harder to duplicate if Communist China can build on its anti-democratic success in Zimbabwe. In Cold War I, it was America’s willingness to support resistance groups in Soviet satellite states that helped accelerate the fall of European Communism. If the democratic world is to win the Second Cold War, it must be prepared to help those who fight from freedom in Communist China’s satellite states, including and especially Zimbabwe.

News of the Day (November 16)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Member One Free Korea rips South Korea’s dovish government for refusing to support the anti-Stalinist resolution at the United Nations, applauds Australia and the U.S. for refusing (for now) to give the Stalinists “development aid”, and comments on the status of Christianity in Stalinist North Korea.

Bush calls on Communist China to be more like Taiwan: In what is easily the highest praise he has given Taiwan in several years, President Bush “pressed China to grant its 1.3 billion people more freedom” (Washington Times) and cited the island democracy as a model for having “delivered prosperity to its people and created a free and democratic Chinese society” (Cybercast News). While Bush did not move off the ridiculous “one China” policy, the Communists were still furious (BBC). Meanwhile, Jefferson Morely, Washington Post, noted the ongoing diplomatic battle between Japan and Communist China, and Jonathan Marcus’ analysis of the President’s current Asia trip (BBC) was so shot through with conventional wisdom it nearly won Ignorant Comment of the Day.

Three held in major military high-tech espionage case indicted: A federal grand jury handed down indictments against three of the four arrested by the FBI for their role in a military high-tech espionage ring. The three, which included a broadcast/engineering director for the Communist-backed Phoenix television channel (second item), were charged with “acting as agents of China” (BBC). Also reporting: Newsmax

Internet safe from UN control, for now: The attempt by Communist China and others to put the internet under some form of international control was thwarted at a recent conference on the subject in Tunisia. There was an agreement to create an international “forum” on the internet, but “it would not have any policy-making power” (Washington Times). Some members of Congress, including California Republican Representative John Doolittle, are still worried: “Whether they call it a 'board' or a 'forum,' it's clear that the ultimate goal of the U.N. is still to wrest control of the Internet.” Claudia Rosette, Wall Street Journal, notes the support for a United Nations-controlled internet from the dictators of the world, while Helle Dale, Washington Times, highlights the dangers.

India growing more wary of Huawei and ZTE: Huawei Technologies and ZTE, best known as the Communist-run firms that helped Saddam Hussein integrate his air defense network, are running into major resistance to their plans in India. The Indian government “stalled on granting permission to Huawei Technologies of China to set up a $60 million telecom equipment-manufacturing unit” (Asia Times) due to espionage concerns. ZTE “also says that it has been waiting for government clearance for two years to start manufacturing in India, but issues raised by Indian security agencies ‘are posing as hindrances’ to its India plans.” Good to see Communist China’s longtime rival is seeing past economic matters to the geopolitical risks involved.

Communists finally admit to human bird flu may have killed Hunan girl: Well, it took long enough, but the cadres have finally acknowledged that bird flu has infected the brother of twelve-year-old He Yin (BBC). Of course, regarding the girl herself, “there is no word so far on whether she had the virus.” Don’t expect any word to come down soon – the Communists, during their SARS-redux phase, cremated her body (eighth item).

Fixed asset investment spiraling out of control: Communist China unable to slow down wasteful “fixed asset spending” (BBC), i.e., investment in industrial plants that risk flooding the domestic market with excess goods (last item). Of course, part of this problem stems from provincial cadres who re-label industrial projects as “agricultural” in order to get the loans needed to build (twenty-ninth and thirtieth items).

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Today’s prize, courtesy of Losing the New China author Ethan Guttman (Member since 2004), comes from Tom Plate, Seattle Times, who almost seems to revel in the rise of Communist China, and definitely revels in President Bush’s willingness to follow his predecessor and his father’s foolish “engagement” of the cadres.

Other Commentary on Communist China: Steve Maich, Macleans (Canada), does a nice job explaining how the business community will react when faced with Communist China’s antics combined with the appalling lack of concern about them from elected officials back home. Anthony Faiola, Washington Post, examines from where Stalinist North Korea is reaping “a series of economic and diplomatic rewards” recently, and finds the answers are: Communist China and dovish South Korea. Finally, Andrew Nagorski, Town and Country (via MSNBC) establishes himself as another near-miss for Ignorant Comment of the Day with his puff piece on Shanghai.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

News of the Day (November 15)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Member One Free Korea takes note of another Stalinist crossing of the Northern Limit Line, finds a South Korean poltician he acutally likes, rips one he doesn’t (and deservedly so), and sees signs of hope from House Int’l Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde and, of all things, the State Department.

Bush begins Asia tour in Japan: President Bush is now in Japan for the first leg of his Asia trip, which will include three days in Communist China. There was plenty of commentary on the President’s trip. The best came from Frank Gaffney, Jr., whose Washington Times piece easily wins the Enlightened Comment of the Day. The Ignorant Comment of the Day, ironically enough, comes from the Washington Times editors, who advise Bush to “huddle with the Chinese on a strategy for confronting the North Korean nuclear threat, which concerns Beijing as it concerns Washington” (will they never learn?). Meanwhile, Michael Scroccaro, in the Epoch Times, has seven excellent questions for the President vis a vis Communist China. Peter Brookes of the Heritage Foundation has high praise for Bush’s policy toward Japan in Cybercast News. John Barry (Newsweek) and Peter Baker (Washington Post) examine how Communist China’s rise will, or at least should, be a major issue for the President. Finally, Edward Lanfranco, United Press Int’l via Washington Times, gives a quick reminder of the failings of the elder President Bush vis a vis Communist China.

U.S. Trade Representative calls on Communist China to stop piracy, open markets: U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman called on Communist China to “open more to our exports and investment” (UPI via Washington Times) and “act vigorously to address intellectual property infringement” (UPI via Washington Times), i.e., end counterfeiting.

Zimbabwe gets Communist help in jamming opposition radio broadcasts: As part of its policy of making the world safe for dictators, Communist China is helping Zimbabwe jam the radio transmissions of Voice of the People, an independent Zimbabwean radio station (Reporters Without Borders). Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe has rapidly lost support from the rest of the world, but Communist China is sticking by him (third, sixth, sixth, seventh, sixth, ninth, second, and ninth items).

British Parliament hears about abuses in Communist China; cadre avoids lawsuit: During Hu Jintao’s visit to Great Britain (third item), “a seminar in Parliament discussed how to address the human rights abuses still rife in the regime” (Epoch Times). Among those who spoke were Chen Yonglin and Hao Fengjun. Meanwhile, Communist Commerce Minister Bo Xilai (third item) was saved from a Falun Gong practitioner lawsuit by a British magistrate who cited diplomatic immunity (Epoch Times).

Communist China and South Korea locked in kimchi trade battle: South Korea recently stopped importing kimchi from Communist China for health reasons: “parasite eggs were found in three of the products” (Epoch Times). Communist China responded with a ban of all kimchi imports from South Korea, citing the same health issue, despite the fact that Korean kimchi “has not had any problem passing the high standards of quality and the testing procedure in Japan.”

Uighur editor arrested for publishing story Communists don’t like: Korash Huseyin, chief editor at Kashgar Literature Journal, is now in jail for three years for “publishing the original short story ‘Wild Pigeon’ by Nurmuhemmet Yasin, currently serving a 10-year sentence for inciting Uighur separatism by writing it” (Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times). Meanwhile, the fate of Uighurs caught by the U.S. military in the War on Terror came up again, this time in a National Review Online column by Andrew C. McCarthy. It should be noted that as McCarthy and Sabin Willet argue the issue of Guantanamo Bay (second item), neither consider it to be the proper home for the innocent Uighur captives.

House church offers support for Gao Zhisheng and others: The Poshang Village Family Church, one of the myriad of “underground” churches that refuse to put the Chinse Communist Party between themselves and their God, offers an open letter of support – reprinted by the Epoch Times – for attorney Gao Zhisheng (sixth, tenth, fifth, and lead items), Dr. Fan Yafeng, Dr. Teng Biao, attorney Zhang Xingshui, attorney Jin Xiaoguang, Professor Wang Yi, Dr. Xu Zhiyong, and Mr. Cheng Yongmiao.

Communists will honor Hu Yaobang, but refuse to say where or when: In another comical atttempt to pass themselves off as “reformers,” the Communists intend “to mark for the first time the birthday of former leader Hu Yaobang, whose death in 1989 was a catalyst for the Tiananmen Square protests” (BBC). Of course, the bloddy crackdown against said protests themselves are still praised to the skies by the cadres. Meanwhile, the Communists couldn’t bother to mention when or where Hu will be honored.

Communist China to try massive poultry vaccination to fight bird flu: The latest Communist attempt to stem the H5N1 bird flu virus now includes a plan to “vaccinate all of its estimated 14 billion poultry” (BBC). Meanwhile, another outbreak hit occupied East Turkestan, and the World Health Organization is still “investigating the possible transmission of the disease to four people in Hunan province.” That refers to the case of He Yin, the twelve-year-old girl whose body was cremated after she died (eighth item).

On the Communist economy: Communist China is starting to worry about industrial overproduction, particularly in steel and cars (BBC). Xiong Jianjun, Epoch Times, finds the best way the Communists can help the economy: “doing nothing.” George Wehrfritz, Joe Cochrane, and Jonathan Ansfield (Newsweek) actually do a nice job analyzing the causes of rural poverty in Communist China, but miss the solution: ending the CCP reign.