News of the Day (April 3)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: China Intel wonders why so many are surprised that Communist China is running interference for the Iranian mullahcracy; CI also notes the Communist regime's continuing rise in the Pacific. Between Heaven and Earth relays recent analyses on the Vatican, Zhongnanhai, and Taiwan; BHaE also reprints the second part of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong's report on Sujiatun (lead, seventh, second, seventh, third, fourth, fifth, last, second, and third items). The Korea Liberator examines Russia's ties to the mullahcracy, plus Communist China's possible plans for their Korean colony, the travails of escaped prisoner of war Lee Ki-choon, the battle between South Korea's dovish government and the hawkish part of its media, and the upcoming South Korean elections.

More on Stalinist North Korea: Daily NK focuses on the strength of the underground Christianity in SNK.

More on Taiwan: A Communist Chinese mouthpiece says the regime "may be open to consultation" (United Press Int'l via Washington Times) on the Vatican's insistence on appointing its own bishops - an agreement on that would mean the end of the Vatican's support for Taiwan; Dan Sanchez (Epoch Times) continues his coverage of Pepperdine University's Seminar: The Worth of U.S.-Taiwan Relations (fourth item).

More on organ "donations": Another doctor comes forward to the Epoch Times with his account.

Wen Jiabao visits Australia and signs uranium deal: Communist Premier Wen Jiabao visited Australia to witness the signing of a deal to sell Australian uranium to his regime (CNN). His host, Australian Prime Minister John Howard, hailed the coziness between Zhongnanhai and Canberra: "No relationship has been more greatly transformed over the last 10 years than our relationship with China" (BBC). Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer - freshly freed from a lawsuit by Falun Gong practitioners (AAP via Epoch Times) - insisted the uranium deal "would not make 'the slightest difference' to Beijing's nuclear weapons program" (Cybercast News). Not everyone was happy; practitioners staged a protest (AAP via Epoch Times), and even those less inclined to believe the horrors of Sujiatun - such as Mike Steketee (The Australian) found the Sino-Australian coziness unseemly.

Lenovo-State Department deal leads to a call for an investigation: The State Department's decision to buy 15,000 computers from Communist-owned Lenovo has the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission worried that "the PCs could be fitted with bugging devices to spy on the US government" (BBC). The firm insisted everything was on the up-and-up and said it was fine with a probe.

U.S. move to WTO on auto parts causes Communist "regret": Chong Quan, spokesman for the Communist Commerce Ministry, used that word to describe the regime's reaction to the U.S. and European Union's decision to lodge a complaint about Communist auto part exports to the World Trade Organization (eighth item). The Communists still have yet to make a formal response (UPI via Washington Times).

Investment in Communist China from Japan hits record high; but cash from U.S. falls: Japan's investment in Communist China "jumped 19.8 percent from a year earlier to a record-high $6.5 billion" (UPI via Washington Times) last year. However, American and South Korean investment fell.

ASEAN wants Communist China to push Burma to reform: Ong Keng Yong, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has figured out how to convince the military junta in Burma to reform after over forty years: "I think we should ask our friends in China and India to be more persuasive" (Washington Times). This would be the same Communist China that has been the Burmese military's closest ally.

Chen Guangcheng gone missing: The blind activist for victims of the hideous "one-child policy" (tenth, second, ninth, ninth, thirteenth, lead, tenth, and fifth items) has been missing for nearly three weeks (Epoch Times). He was last known to be in the custody of the Yinan County Public Security Bureau, i.e., the local Communist police.

More on the Wu Hao arrest: Ji Lisi (Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times) gives more detail on Wu's plans before his arrest (lead and seventh items): a documentary on the plight of non-Communist Christians in Communist China.

Practitioner makes it to United States: Yi Hong (Epoch Times) has the story of former labor camp prisoner Mu Xiangjie.

Oil theft now a capital offense: In response to a wave of oil thievery which "cost the industry more than 1bn yuan ($124.6m, £71.8m) and led to 2,877 arrests" (BBC), Communist China has now decided to add oil thieves to list of organ donors - ahem - criminals worthy of execution.