News of the Day (May 24)

Communist China is more likely to use nuclear weapons against United States: A new report by the the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says Communist China is shifting from a nuclear deterrent strategy to one that assumes nuclear weapons will be used in any conflict with the United States. Wortzel also notes that the Communists' aggressive nuclear strategy could set off "an unnecessary nuclear conflict" (Defense News), i.e., a massive, hemispheric conflagration.

More on Communist China and the United States: Outside of an agreement for more air flights, trade talks amount to zilch (BBC); American health officials are probing toothpaste imports from Communist China (BBC); Alan Greenspan sounds the alarm on the Communist stock market (BBC); and Martin Walker (United Press International via Washington Times) examines the connections between Communist China's economic policies and its geopolitical objectives.

Communist China lets Burmese junta arrest whomever it wants: Right after the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) "pointedly called on Burma to release the Nobel Peace laureate (Aung San Suu Kyi)" (Washington Post), Communist China pointedly went the other way, insisting the jailing was "an internal matter for Burma's government."

Communist China's crackdown of Korean refugee network driven by Olympics: The Communist regime doesn't want refugees from Stalinist North Korea getting in the way of its propaganda bonanza next summer (Daily NK), so the crackdown on anyone involved in helping the refugees (and of course, the refugees themselves) continues and intensifies.

More news from "another China province": The Stalinists "used political prisoners to help prepare its nuclear test" (One Free Korea), adding a new dimension of outrage to the Beijing surrender (Daily NK comments on the older dimensions). Meanwhile, Kim Jong-il channels his inner Saudi Arabian by banning women on bicycles (Daily NK - read the whole piece for its description of the collapse of northern Korea).

Amnesty International rips Communist China: The Uyghur American Association reprinted AI's report on Communist China's human rights abuses; AI's Australian national campaign manager Gary Reese is pushing local cities and towns "to speak to their Chinese counterparts about breaches of human rights" (Epoch Times); and spokesman Joshua Rubenstein talks to Foreign Policy (h/t Boycott 2008).

More on Communist China and human rights: Several dissidents write International Olympic Committee head Jacques Rogge calling on him "to hold the Beijing Organizing Committee accountable for the lack of human rights progress in China" (Olympic Watch, h/t Boycott 2008); over 140 groups call for the Communists to allow Gao Zhisheng to travel to the U.S. to receive the American Board of Trial Advocates' Courageous Advocacy Award (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, activist Qi Zhiyong is arrested - on his birthday (Epoch Times).

Even the sponsors of Three Gorges Dam are suffering from connection to it: Granted, the lead force behind the monstrosity was Tiananmen butcher Li Peng, so his fall from grace has a sense of justice (Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times). Unfortunately, it is not the Chinese people who stand to benefit, but regime leader Hu Jintao.