As one would expect, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Beijing was the leading news regarding the Chinese Communist Party - and not in a good way. The Secretary not only threw the victims of the CCP under the bus (New York Post), but then proceeded to embarrass herself and her fellow Americans even more by pleading with the cadres to keep buying American debt (Agence France Presse via Breitbart). The cadres were more than happy to agree, and score highly undeserved political capital in Washington for it (AFP via Yahoo).
The regime was sickeningly gleeful at how obsequious the Secretary was (AFP via Yahoo), but such is the cost of ensuring the cadres will continue to lend to us, right?
Wrong.
To understand why the Secretary's appeasement was so unnecessary (and thus, all the more maddening), we need to look at what else the cadres are doing abroad.
In Australia, Canada, and France, the CCP is looking for firms desperate enough to need capital now - and finding them in abundance (Christian Science Monitor). The regime is building a special sovereign wealth fund to buy up foreign resource firms (London Telegraph) - at least the ones not already dependent upon regime-run banks for loans (International Herald Tribune). High-ranking cadres are going on import tours in Europe (AFP via Yahoo), and the regime is already buying half of Australia's mineral exports (Bloomberg).
All of which would be taken as signs that the regime is spreading its economic wings and effectively buying geopolitical power - which it is. It will also be taken as a sign that the CCP has arrived as a major global power in all realms - which is also true.
Finally, it will be seen by some as a "tipping point," revealing that with America weakened by the global downturn, the Chinese Communist Party is taking the wheel and driving the global economy. That's where the narrative jumps the track.
While the regime does indeed look strong from afar, get closer in and the picture looks very different. As Zhongnanhai prepares to gobble up chunks of the global economy, the regime's national pension fund posted its first ever loss (Bloomberg). Meanwhile, the details released on the CCP's "stimulus" are so vague that a lawyer in Shanghai (Yan Yiming) is threatening to sue for more information (Bloomberg) - and in a very clear sign that the cadres themselves haven't figured out their own thinking, Yan is not only still out of prison, but being quoted approvingly by Communist mouthpieces. Given what the regime would normally do to such gadflies (Epoch Times), one can only assume at least some of the CCP's factions are cheering Yan on, which would mean a deep division on the most important issue the regime faces: how to get the Chinese economy out of the ditch.
So what can we take from the regime's recent actions? What does it mean when the tyrannical elite will invest in prostrate foreign firms but steer clear of its own pension fund? What can we infer from the cadres' complete clarity on what to do for, with, and to other economies when coupled with the fog of confusion about fixing their own?
I would humbly submit that the regime is not investing abroad because it wants to do so, but because it has to do so.
First, we have to remember that the regime is dependent upon expanding its influence and power abroad to distract the people at home. This has been the cadres' modus operandi ever since the Tiananmen spring. So it should be no surprise that they are moving into the economic realm now that they appear to have the resources needed.
However, there are two other factors that cannot be forgotten. The more obvious one is the cadres' dependence on their exports. Despite the advice of nearly every economist on the planet to shift from an export-centered economy to a domestic-demand-centered one, the cadres know that such a move would (as all adjustments do) cause some serious hardship in the transition. Since the cadres have been relying on a wealthy, urban elite to defend its "mandate from heaven," any transition that would turn said elite into a poor and angry one is not in the cards. Thus, the Communists, trapped in their export dependence, must rely on foreign spending to keep them in power.
In America, that means the regime cannot pull the plug on its massive debt holdings. In fact, it is facing the exact dilemma I predicted last year. Any attempt by Beijing to force American policymakers to do its bidding by unloading American bonds would either drive down the dollar so far that American exports become competitive with their CCP counterparts, have absolutely no effect as others snap up the bonds the cadres sell, or (most likely) somewhere in between these two extremes. More importantly, such a move would certainly reduce or eliminate any appearance of Communist leverage over the American economy (and appearance is all it is), while moving American politics an decidedly anti-Communist direction.
For these reason, the CCP can't afford to sell its American debt holdings. In fact, they can't even afford to stop buying more - especially with U.S. Treasury notes continuing to be a safe haven for just about every investor on the planet.
In other words, Secretary Clinton didn't need to beg Beijing to keep buying American debt. If anything, the cadres need to lend us money more than we need to borrow it from them. That the Secretary of State felt the need to do it anyway - almost certainly at the behest of her boss, the President - is a very troubling sign of what we can expect from both of them regarding the CCP.
Sadly, it appears we must wait until 2013 for an anti-Communist Administration - and in many ways, that could be too late.
Showing posts with label nationalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nationalism. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, October 27, 2008
The CCP's priorities do not include the Chinese people
The two links juxtaposed in my inbox (many thanks to the membership for continuing to send them along) summarized the CCP's situation very well.
First, there was the fact that the economic crisis that started with a Wall Street panic has reached Guangdong (Epoch Times):
Rest assured, the Communists were responding with a rescue package for - Pakistan (Canada Free Press):
That news may come as a surprise to some, but for those of us who have been watching the CCP operate, it's par for the course. Even as the massive closures were being reported, Communist Premier Wen Jiabao feted foreign leaders and basked in the glow of their admiration (Washington Post), rather than admit that the financial problems which brought them together have afflicted his countrymen, too.
In part, this may be driven by simple denial, but I suspect there is more to it than that. The CCP has always focused more on foreign approval than on the fate of the Chinese people. This is especially true in the aftermath of the Tiananmen massacre, when radical nationalism became the regime's sole justification for its continued existence - and thus evidence that the CCP was advancing Chinese "honor" became the gold standard for propaganda aimed at the Chinese people. This is why the melamine scandal was largely ignored until the poison surfaced off the mainland (BBC, Epoch Times, and Taipei Times).
There is a lesson to be learned here - not for the Chinese people (who are already sure to be aware of it) - but for those who are coveted by the regime, namely the people of Taiwan and possibly Korea. Their future can be found not in Beijing's flowery words but in its thuggish actions - be it on the mainland, where homeowners who refuse eviction are murdered (Epoch Times), or Macau, where the "one country, two systems" chicanery continues to melt away (Epoch Times).
The people of Taiwan may very well be listening (BBC and Epoch Times). Of course, no one in northern Korea can do much against the colonial viceroy (One Free Korea), but South Koreans should take heed, and remember that Beijing has no interest in Korean reunification (the Vietnamese might want to be careful, too, all niceties from Beijing notwithstanding - BBC).
Meanwhile, the Chinese people continue to be silenced, abused, and closely watched to make sure they say nothing about their plight (Voice of America via Epoch Times). After all, the Communists drive to get and keep power never had anything to do with them in the first place.
First, there was the fact that the economic crisis that started with a Wall Street panic has reached Guangdong (Epoch Times):
According to an Eastern Daily report, the Association of Foreign Investment
Enterprises estimates that by January2009, about 9,000 factories out of the 45,000 factories in Dongwan, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou will be forced to close down due to their orders being reduced sharply as a result of the current financial tsunami.About 2.7 million mainland Chinese workers could lose their jobs by next year as a result.
Rest assured, the Communists were responding with a rescue package for - Pakistan (Canada Free Press):
China is quietly working to provide Pakistan a soft loan of $1.5 billion to overcome its financial crisis in addition to more than $3.7 billion to be invested in the telecom and power generation sectors in the next two to three years, Chinese officials told The News here on Friday.
That news may come as a surprise to some, but for those of us who have been watching the CCP operate, it's par for the course. Even as the massive closures were being reported, Communist Premier Wen Jiabao feted foreign leaders and basked in the glow of their admiration (Washington Post), rather than admit that the financial problems which brought them together have afflicted his countrymen, too.
In part, this may be driven by simple denial, but I suspect there is more to it than that. The CCP has always focused more on foreign approval than on the fate of the Chinese people. This is especially true in the aftermath of the Tiananmen massacre, when radical nationalism became the regime's sole justification for its continued existence - and thus evidence that the CCP was advancing Chinese "honor" became the gold standard for propaganda aimed at the Chinese people. This is why the melamine scandal was largely ignored until the poison surfaced off the mainland (BBC, Epoch Times, and Taipei Times).
There is a lesson to be learned here - not for the Chinese people (who are already sure to be aware of it) - but for those who are coveted by the regime, namely the people of Taiwan and possibly Korea. Their future can be found not in Beijing's flowery words but in its thuggish actions - be it on the mainland, where homeowners who refuse eviction are murdered (Epoch Times), or Macau, where the "one country, two systems" chicanery continues to melt away (Epoch Times).
The people of Taiwan may very well be listening (BBC and Epoch Times). Of course, no one in northern Korea can do much against the colonial viceroy (One Free Korea), but South Koreans should take heed, and remember that Beijing has no interest in Korean reunification (the Vietnamese might want to be careful, too, all niceties from Beijing notwithstanding - BBC).
Meanwhile, the Chinese people continue to be silenced, abused, and closely watched to make sure they say nothing about their plight (Voice of America via Epoch Times). After all, the Communists drive to get and keep power never had anything to do with them in the first place.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Is Stalinist North Korea's present to be Communist China's future
Yesterday, I wrote on the similarities between Communist China and its Korean colony. As it turns out, that analogy may be stronger than even I knew.
Ji Da of the New Epoch Weekly presented a detailed, focused, and frightening account of how the Communist regime has knocked the domestic food market badly out of whack. I'd recommend reading the whole thing (Epoch Times), but the final two paragraphs are critical:
In other words, the famines wracking northern Korea could cross the Yalu River very soon. Given how the Stalinists have reacted (BBC and One Free Korea), this is a cause for grave concern. To see why, just combine Kim Jong-il's brutal starvation of his own people and nuclear brinkmanship with the large, modernizing "People's Liberation Army," Beijing's long and deep ties to terrorism, and the regime's desperate reliance and radical nationalism to survive.
This is a danger barreling in from the horizon. The democratic world must take heed. America and her allies will never be secure until China is free.
Ji Da of the New Epoch Weekly presented a detailed, focused, and frightening account of how the Communist regime has knocked the domestic food market badly out of whack. I'd recommend reading the whole thing (Epoch Times), but the final two paragraphs are critical:
In the mid-1990s, residents of four major Chinese cities (Beijing, Shanghai,
Guangzhou, and Shenzhen) consumed an average of 600 kilogram of grain each year.
Even if the nationwide standard of living increases to that of these four cities in the 1990s, China’s grain consumption will increase by more than half. In other words, China needs 750 billion tons of grain to meet domestic demand.However, to the Chinese government, purchasing food from the international market does not provide real security. A significant portion of the imports may need to come from the United States, Canada, and Australia. On the other hand, it is not realistic for China to meet its own domestic demand in the longer term. Two-thirds of China’s land mass consists of mountain, desert, and arid regions. Very little new land can be developed for agriculture use. Urban expansion, pollution, and limited water resources also constrain the growth of food production. In fact, Chinese food production has been flat for the last decade. This will be an issue of increasing global concern.
In other words, the famines wracking northern Korea could cross the Yalu River very soon. Given how the Stalinists have reacted (BBC and One Free Korea), this is a cause for grave concern. To see why, just combine Kim Jong-il's brutal starvation of his own people and nuclear brinkmanship with the large, modernizing "People's Liberation Army," Beijing's long and deep ties to terrorism, and the regime's desperate reliance and radical nationalism to survive.
This is a danger barreling in from the horizon. The democratic world must take heed. America and her allies will never be secure until China is free.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
When nationalism goes awry (and what it will mean)
The Chinese Communist Party has come to rely on radical nationalism as its regime's raison d'etre for nearly two decades. It is their only response to outrages like poor export control (Epoch Times), questions about its ties to corrupt and cruel dictators (like, say Fidel Castro - Washington Times), and especially the appalling brutality against its own people (Epoch Times) and the occupied nations (BBC and the Washington Times). The Communists' only answer is to insist that they are defending Chinese pride and honor against pernicious outsiders, and that all who disagree are enemies of the Chinese nation. So one can imagine what the reaction has been to the newest political disaster in Hong Kong, where the local democrats actually managed to outflank the cadres on the nationalism issue.
It all began when the Communist-appointed leader of the city, Donald Tsang, decided to make seventeen political appointments to his staff, on the notion that "political appointees would provide more accountable government than bevies of civil servants" (BBC). Local democrats seized on that fairly quickly:
At this point, it's still a normal (well, normal for HK) argument between the democrats and the Communists over political power, freedom, and accountability. Then things took a very ominous turn for the cadres (emphasis added):
For the Communists, this was an absolute nightmare. One of their lead propagandists in Hong Kong was exposed as what we would call a "dual citizen" - giving the democrats to the chance to accuse him and his fellow cadre-blessed pols as having divided loyalties. Even worse, the democrats actually won the argument:
One can easily see how this could be disastrous for Beijing. It wasn't outside forces who were damaging the Middle Kingdom; nor was it angry dissidents who were dividing the Chinese people. The Hong Kong cadres themselves were caught without sufficient patriotism, and even worse, the dissident-democrats were the ones who exposed them and grabbed the flag for themselves.
As word of this spreads, the regime will find itself on the defensive on the one issue that is essential to its survival. In the long run, that could bring closer the day when the Chinese people rise up and take their country back.
In the short run, however, we can expect from Beijing more repression at home (Boycott 2008), more historical justification what is both ahistorical and unjustifiable (Times of London), more suspicion towards "outsiders" (Boycott 2008), and more overseas intimidation (Epoch Times). Of course, the anti-American policies that have defined Communist China's foreign policy for years will also continue.
The free world must be prepared to ride out this storm and band together to contain, isolate, and undermine the Communist regime. That means a recognition that international "improvements" with Beijing are superficial at best (BBC), and that disputes am0ng ourselves must be minimized (Washington Post and Washington Times). America and her democratic allies will never be secure until China is free.
It all began when the Communist-appointed leader of the city, Donald Tsang, decided to make seventeen political appointments to his staff, on the notion that "political appointees would provide more accountable government than bevies of civil servants" (BBC). Local democrats seized on that fairly quickly:
The obvious problem with the theory, pointed out by Hong Kong's feisty democratic camp, is that without proper elections, there is no mechanism for getting rid of ministers and none has yet taken responsibility for anything. Instead, say the critics, the appointees are government loyalists who get in the way of professional managers at the expense of taxpayers.
At this point, it's still a normal (well, normal for HK) argument between the democrats and the Communists over political power, freedom, and accountability. Then things took a very ominous turn for the cadres (emphasis added):
The pan-democratic opposition mounted a concerted campaign, questioning the opaque nature of the appointment process, the US$17,000 (£8,600) to US$28,600 monthly salaries being paid to allies of the chief executive, and the new staffers' claimed loyalty to Hong Kong.
The most prominent new appointee, Greg So, is deputy chairman of the pro-Beijing political party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB). Alongside his Hong Kong identity and Chinese nationality, he also holds a Canadian passport.
The question was raised: How patriotic can Mr So be if he has kept his foreign nationality? It then came to light that most of the new appointees held dual nationality.
For the Communists, this was an absolute nightmare. One of their lead propagandists in Hong Kong was exposed as what we would call a "dual citizen" - giving the democrats to the chance to accuse him and his fellow cadre-blessed pols as having divided loyalties. Even worse, the democrats actually won the argument:
So not only did the cadres have to hear accusations of being unpatriotic, they had to respond to them and alleviate them. In other words, after the democrats claimed the Communist-backed appointees weren't fully patriotic, the appointee ceded the point and changed policy.The government mishandled the affair from the start - refusing to reveal the salaries on offer only to be forced into a humiliating apology and full disclosure.
On the nationality issue, it first stated that the Basic Law, Hong Kong's constitution, did not require deputy ministers to relinquish second passports. Then it refused to reveal who did or did not have extra passports.
Finally, public pressure forced most of the new appointees to say they would give up their foreign citizenship, to "prove" their patriotism.
One can easily see how this could be disastrous for Beijing. It wasn't outside forces who were damaging the Middle Kingdom; nor was it angry dissidents who were dividing the Chinese people. The Hong Kong cadres themselves were caught without sufficient patriotism, and even worse, the dissident-democrats were the ones who exposed them and grabbed the flag for themselves.
As word of this spreads, the regime will find itself on the defensive on the one issue that is essential to its survival. In the long run, that could bring closer the day when the Chinese people rise up and take their country back.
In the short run, however, we can expect from Beijing more repression at home (Boycott 2008), more historical justification what is both ahistorical and unjustifiable (Times of London), more suspicion towards "outsiders" (Boycott 2008), and more overseas intimidation (Epoch Times). Of course, the anti-American policies that have defined Communist China's foreign policy for years will also continue.
The free world must be prepared to ride out this storm and band together to contain, isolate, and undermine the Communist regime. That means a recognition that international "improvements" with Beijing are superficial at best (BBC), and that disputes am0ng ourselves must be minimized (Washington Post and Washington Times). America and her democratic allies will never be secure until China is free.
Friday, May 09, 2008
News of the Day (May 9)
Communist persecution of Falun Gong continues: Xin Fei (Epoch Times) discusses how Communist China perverts its legal system to send Falun Gong practitioners to jail. The United Nations' top human rights official has more question for the cadres about organ harvesting (Between Heaven and Earth).
Enterovirus-71 death toll hits 32, number infected passes 24,000: How many could have been spared this had the cadres been honest about the outbreak from the beginning may never be known (CNN).
On "nationalism" in Communist China: Vaclav Havel once explained the mass participation of Czechs in Communist marches and propaganda events as their way of doing whatever they had to do to keep the Commissar off their backs. It should come as no surprise that the people trapped inside Communist China must resort to the same tactics (Epoch Times).
News from the occupied nations (East Turkestan and Tibet): Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti is to be tried for his faith (China Aid via Uyghur American Association). Meanwhile, CSRwire (via UAA) notes one very important Tibetan resource Communist China is intent on stealing - water.
The Long Arm of Lawlessness gets the color orange banned in Greece: Its most well-known success prior to this was making yellow illegal in France (Adrift in a Sea of Phlegm).
India dealing with cyber-attacks from Communist China: Among the victimized websites over the last year and a half was the Ministry of External Affairs (Epoch Times).
More opposition to the Singapore Surrender: The editors of the Washington Times speak out again, and Congressional Republicans are getting louder (One Free Korea - which also has other news from "another Chinese province").
Enterovirus-71 death toll hits 32, number infected passes 24,000: How many could have been spared this had the cadres been honest about the outbreak from the beginning may never be known (CNN).
On "nationalism" in Communist China: Vaclav Havel once explained the mass participation of Czechs in Communist marches and propaganda events as their way of doing whatever they had to do to keep the Commissar off their backs. It should come as no surprise that the people trapped inside Communist China must resort to the same tactics (Epoch Times).
News from the occupied nations (East Turkestan and Tibet): Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti is to be tried for his faith (China Aid via Uyghur American Association). Meanwhile, CSRwire (via UAA) notes one very important Tibetan resource Communist China is intent on stealing - water.
The Long Arm of Lawlessness gets the color orange banned in Greece: Its most well-known success prior to this was making yellow illegal in France (Adrift in a Sea of Phlegm).
India dealing with cyber-attacks from Communist China: Among the victimized websites over the last year and a half was the Ministry of External Affairs (Epoch Times).
More opposition to the Singapore Surrender: The editors of the Washington Times speak out again, and Congressional Republicans are getting louder (One Free Korea - which also has other news from "another Chinese province").
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
News of the Day (May 7)
Is the Communist regime "a mature fascist state"? That's the question Michael Ledeen ponders in the Far Eastern Economic Review. Ledeen (one of yours truly's favorite writers) makes a compelling case (although I would quibble with his clean division of Communism and fascism), both in his analysis and his recommendations for American reaction (h/t Uyghur American Association). Columnist Kin-ming Liu sees similar parallels, and concludes: "I can only pray that the West will find another Churchill and Roosevelt" (Post Global via Boycott 2008).
Speaking of the Long Arm of Lawlessness, Wang Dan becomes a victim in New York (Epoch Times) as Makina (Between Heaven and Earth) laments its effects in Canada.
Ignorant Comment of the Day: I hate to do this to Joshua Kurlantzick, who usually is well-versed on the subject of Communist China. However, his discussion on the "young nationalists" (Los Angeles Times via UAA) makes no mention of the Long Arm of Lawlessness that represses overseas Chinese very day, and even falls for the foolish Enlightened Dictator nonsense that has polluted our policies on East and West Asia for decades.
Communists justify crackdown against Tibetans: The Communist regime insisted the brutal repression that began last spring was "completely correct" (Epoch Times), even as talks with the Dalai Lama's aides were being held. The regime threw in a few more lies about the Tibetan leader's "separatist activities" (Agence France Presse via UAA).
More Christians arrested in occupied East Turkestan: Nearly four dozen worshippers were arrested for refusing to put the Chinese Communist Party between themselves and God (One News Now via UAA).
Enterovirus-71 has now sickened over 15,000, of whom 28 have died (CNN). The virus deaths are now being reported in places far from the initial outbreak in Fuyang, Anhui. The cadres suppressed news of the virus for weeks.
Google Earth running afoul of the Communists: The cadres are apparently unhappy with the Google feature due to what they "could reveal . . . about aspects of Chinese life, from labour camps to military installations" (London Telegraph). While Google self-censors its China-specific site, "much of its operations are hosted on Google servers elsewhere, over which the Chinese authorities have no authority, though they can order them to be blocked by the so-called 'Great Firewall' of China."
South Koreans expressing more anger at Communist China's treatment of northern Koreans: In film and on the streets (One Free Korea), more and more Koreans from the democratic South are venting their fury at the Beijing regime that props up Kim Jong-il - in part by sending back any escapee it finds.
More news on "another Chinese province": The Singapore Surrender earns one more critic (Washington Post), while One Free Korea hears that military food supplies are being rerouted "to other members of the elite."
Hu Jintao warmly greeted by Japanese PM: The Koizumi era is definitely over (BBC and Washington Times).
Speaking of the Long Arm of Lawlessness, Wang Dan becomes a victim in New York (Epoch Times) as Makina (Between Heaven and Earth) laments its effects in Canada.
Ignorant Comment of the Day: I hate to do this to Joshua Kurlantzick, who usually is well-versed on the subject of Communist China. However, his discussion on the "young nationalists" (Los Angeles Times via UAA) makes no mention of the Long Arm of Lawlessness that represses overseas Chinese very day, and even falls for the foolish Enlightened Dictator nonsense that has polluted our policies on East and West Asia for decades.
Communists justify crackdown against Tibetans: The Communist regime insisted the brutal repression that began last spring was "completely correct" (Epoch Times), even as talks with the Dalai Lama's aides were being held. The regime threw in a few more lies about the Tibetan leader's "separatist activities" (Agence France Presse via UAA).
More Christians arrested in occupied East Turkestan: Nearly four dozen worshippers were arrested for refusing to put the Chinese Communist Party between themselves and God (One News Now via UAA).
Enterovirus-71 has now sickened over 15,000, of whom 28 have died (CNN). The virus deaths are now being reported in places far from the initial outbreak in Fuyang, Anhui. The cadres suppressed news of the virus for weeks.
Google Earth running afoul of the Communists: The cadres are apparently unhappy with the Google feature due to what they "could reveal . . . about aspects of Chinese life, from labour camps to military installations" (London Telegraph). While Google self-censors its China-specific site, "much of its operations are hosted on Google servers elsewhere, over which the Chinese authorities have no authority, though they can order them to be blocked by the so-called 'Great Firewall' of China."
South Koreans expressing more anger at Communist China's treatment of northern Koreans: In film and on the streets (One Free Korea), more and more Koreans from the democratic South are venting their fury at the Beijing regime that props up Kim Jong-il - in part by sending back any escapee it finds.
More news on "another Chinese province": The Singapore Surrender earns one more critic (Washington Post), while One Free Korea hears that military food supplies are being rerouted "to other members of the elite."
Hu Jintao warmly greeted by Japanese PM: The Koizumi era is definitely over (BBC and Washington Times).
Monday, May 05, 2008
News of the Weekend (May 3-5)
South Koreans liken pro-Communist Olympic violence to "Nazism": Repercussions form the Olympic torch violence in Seoul continue to reverberate, with South Koreans finding their own parallels between 2008 and 1936 (Epoch Times). One very perceptive Central University noted the following:
Meanwhile, the bloggers from within Communist China revealed completely how much the party controls them by refusing to even acknowledge that the violence happened (One Free Korea).
Ignorant Comment of the Day: Dexter Roberts of Business Week takes the prize for this ChiCom propaganda piece masquerading as analysis.
More on "nationalism" and Communist China: Exiled dissident Yang Jianli breaks down the various forms on nationalism in Communist China (Washington Post). Meanwhile, the cadres are considering an end to the latest outburst to prevent it turning against them (Epoch Times).
Olympic chief organizer tortured Falun Gong practitioners: Liu Qi, the fellow who has organized the Communist Olympiad, "was responsible for the illegal detention and torture of two Chinese nationals and a sexual assault against a French woman in China," according to a U.S. Circuit Court cited by Shahien Nasiripour (via Boycott 2008). The senior American on the International Olympic Committee was indifferent to the news.
More Olympic news: The torch is now in Communist China, meaning the cadres will make sure no one is complaining (BBC and the Washington Post). Another Uighur exile calls for a boycott of the Games (Agence France Presse via Yahoo, h/t Uyghur American Association). Senator Sam Brownback exposes a scheme to spy on athletes in Beijing (Voice of America via Epoch Times). Canada's Rob Anders - one of the loudest critics of the regime and the Olympics - gets another defender (Calgary Herald).
State Department ripped for softness on Communist China: The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedoms noted Communist China's continuing persecutions against faith, and laments the "unfortunate signal" (CNN via UAA) sent by Foggy Bottom through its silence.
State Department finds Communist claims of terrorism in East Turkestan wanting: In a lengthy and detailed report on genuine terrorist threats around the world, State found "no concrete evidence " (CNN via UAA) to back up the cadres' already debunked claims of terrorist activities in the nation they have brutally occupied since 1949.
Communist China holds talks with Dalai Lama's aides, and agreed to hold more talks in the future (CNN and the Washington Post).
Taiwan Vice Premier faces flak over missing millions: Chiou I-jen trusted two friends with $30 million to combat Communist China's use of cash to win over Papua New Guinea in the battle over diplomatic recognition. Those friends stole the money instead. Chiou has left the Democratic Progressive Party (which will soon be out of power), but refuses to leave his government post despite demand from the DPP and Kuomintang that he quit (AFP via Yahoo).
Enterovirus 71 victims number more than 8,500: The disease Communist China didn't want to reveal has now spread beyond Anhui and has killed 26 people so far (BBC).
Did cadres in the northeast (previously known as Manchuria) steal $128 million in grain? That's the question being asked as the Communists admit that "stock valued at 900 million yuan have been lost" (Epoch Times). There are about six or seven cadres under arrest, including the director of the pilfered silo.
The Singapore Surrender takes in more criticism: The Washington Times reports on this phenomenon and adds to it on its editorial page.
We can extrapolate how horrible the situation in mainland China is right now when we see how people who have been exposed to freedom overseas are still doing things like this.
Meanwhile, the bloggers from within Communist China revealed completely how much the party controls them by refusing to even acknowledge that the violence happened (One Free Korea).
Ignorant Comment of the Day: Dexter Roberts of Business Week takes the prize for this ChiCom propaganda piece masquerading as analysis.
More on "nationalism" and Communist China: Exiled dissident Yang Jianli breaks down the various forms on nationalism in Communist China (Washington Post). Meanwhile, the cadres are considering an end to the latest outburst to prevent it turning against them (Epoch Times).
Olympic chief organizer tortured Falun Gong practitioners: Liu Qi, the fellow who has organized the Communist Olympiad, "was responsible for the illegal detention and torture of two Chinese nationals and a sexual assault against a French woman in China," according to a U.S. Circuit Court cited by Shahien Nasiripour (via Boycott 2008). The senior American on the International Olympic Committee was indifferent to the news.
More Olympic news: The torch is now in Communist China, meaning the cadres will make sure no one is complaining (BBC and the Washington Post). Another Uighur exile calls for a boycott of the Games (Agence France Presse via Yahoo, h/t Uyghur American Association). Senator Sam Brownback exposes a scheme to spy on athletes in Beijing (Voice of America via Epoch Times). Canada's Rob Anders - one of the loudest critics of the regime and the Olympics - gets another defender (Calgary Herald).
State Department ripped for softness on Communist China: The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedoms noted Communist China's continuing persecutions against faith, and laments the "unfortunate signal" (CNN via UAA) sent by Foggy Bottom through its silence.
State Department finds Communist claims of terrorism in East Turkestan wanting: In a lengthy and detailed report on genuine terrorist threats around the world, State found "no concrete evidence " (CNN via UAA) to back up the cadres' already debunked claims of terrorist activities in the nation they have brutally occupied since 1949.
Communist China holds talks with Dalai Lama's aides, and agreed to hold more talks in the future (CNN and the Washington Post).
Taiwan Vice Premier faces flak over missing millions: Chiou I-jen trusted two friends with $30 million to combat Communist China's use of cash to win over Papua New Guinea in the battle over diplomatic recognition. Those friends stole the money instead. Chiou has left the Democratic Progressive Party (which will soon be out of power), but refuses to leave his government post despite demand from the DPP and Kuomintang that he quit (AFP via Yahoo).
Enterovirus 71 victims number more than 8,500: The disease Communist China didn't want to reveal has now spread beyond Anhui and has killed 26 people so far (BBC).
Did cadres in the northeast (previously known as Manchuria) steal $128 million in grain? That's the question being asked as the Communists admit that "stock valued at 900 million yuan have been lost" (Epoch Times). There are about six or seven cadres under arrest, including the director of the pilfered silo.
The Singapore Surrender takes in more criticism: The Washington Times reports on this phenomenon and adds to it on its editorial page.
Monday, April 28, 2008
News of the Weekend (April 25-28)
The Singapore Surrender continues to rack up opponents: As news of the Stalinists' aid to Syria's nuclear ambitions continued to reverberate (National Review Online, One Free Korea, Washington Post, and Washington Times), the Bush Administration is scrambling to put lipstick on the pig (Washington Times). Judging from the reactions of the editors of NRO, Winston Lord and Leslie Gelb (Washington Post, h/t OFK), and Senator Sam Brownback (OFK), the effort is failing spectacularly.
Pro-Communist students attack Olympic protesters in Seoul: One Free Korea has the story on the latest violence by demonstrators sent by the regime to drown out anti-Communist protesters (the Epoch Times has more on the cadres' role). Things went much more smoothly in "another Chinese province" (BBC and CNN).
More news on "another Chinese province": A lieutenant from the Stalinist military defects to South Korea (BBC and CNN); James Zumwalt talks about the new wind blowing in South Korea (Washington Times).
Interpol falls for the Communist propaganda on Olympic "terrorism": The head of Interpol cited "recent reports of thwarted plots in China" as evidence of the need for greater security (CNN); the fact that at least one of those reports was debunked was not discussed.
More Olympic news: Tibetan cadres are threatening anyone who would "excite popular feelings" during the Olympic torch relay in the occupied nation (Washington Post). The Int'l Olympic Committee returns to its apologist role (United Press Int'l, h/t Andrew Stuttaford at NRO - The Corner). Serge Schmemann discusses the popular outcry over the Communist Olympiad (Int'l Herald Tribune via Uyghur American Association).
Meanwhile, in occupied East Turkestan, a king is reduced to a tourist attraction (Christian Science Monitor via UAA) and those who support an end to Communist occupation risk imprisonment, or worse (Channel 4, UK, via UAA).
On nationalism and the CCP: Stephanie Ho (Voice of America) examines effect of Communist-fanned nationalism on the Olympics, and vice versa (via UAA). Zhang Tianliang finds the notion of the Communists as the defenders of the Chinese people to be utterly laughable (Epoch Times). Xing Fei (also in the Epoch Times), examines the true meaning of patriotism.
Zimbabwe arms ship still looking for a port: A British Trident submarine is keeping an eye on it; it may head to Venezuela (World Net Daily). Meanwhile, Michael Sheridan (Times of London) details the Communist-run COSCO's ties to Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe.
The Canada File: Bob Rae, the foreign policy spokesman for the opposition Liberal Party, dutifully spouted the party line on "engagement" with Communist China (Epoch Times), and quickly earned the opprobrium of Peter Worthington (Toronto Sun, h/t Between Heaven and Earth). Meanwhile, Falun Gong demonstrators lose a court battle in Vancouver (BH&E).
More on Communist China and the rest of the world: Falun Gong practitioners in New York mark the ninth anniversary of the April 25, 1999 protest (Epoch Times). The Australian Resource Minister comments on Communist investments in his country (AAP via Epoch Times). Finally, Stephen Hutcheon (Brisbane Times via UAA) examines the Communist hacker brigade.
Communists open the door to talks with the Dalai Lama's aide, then rip him: The cadres' back and forth is tracked by AAP (via Epoch Times), the BBC, CNN, and the Washington Post.
Pro-Communist students attack Olympic protesters in Seoul: One Free Korea has the story on the latest violence by demonstrators sent by the regime to drown out anti-Communist protesters (the Epoch Times has more on the cadres' role). Things went much more smoothly in "another Chinese province" (BBC and CNN).
More news on "another Chinese province": A lieutenant from the Stalinist military defects to South Korea (BBC and CNN); James Zumwalt talks about the new wind blowing in South Korea (Washington Times).
Interpol falls for the Communist propaganda on Olympic "terrorism": The head of Interpol cited "recent reports of thwarted plots in China" as evidence of the need for greater security (CNN); the fact that at least one of those reports was debunked was not discussed.
More Olympic news: Tibetan cadres are threatening anyone who would "excite popular feelings" during the Olympic torch relay in the occupied nation (Washington Post). The Int'l Olympic Committee returns to its apologist role (United Press Int'l, h/t Andrew Stuttaford at NRO - The Corner). Serge Schmemann discusses the popular outcry over the Communist Olympiad (Int'l Herald Tribune via Uyghur American Association).
Meanwhile, in occupied East Turkestan, a king is reduced to a tourist attraction (Christian Science Monitor via UAA) and those who support an end to Communist occupation risk imprisonment, or worse (Channel 4, UK, via UAA).
On nationalism and the CCP: Stephanie Ho (Voice of America) examines effect of Communist-fanned nationalism on the Olympics, and vice versa (via UAA). Zhang Tianliang finds the notion of the Communists as the defenders of the Chinese people to be utterly laughable (Epoch Times). Xing Fei (also in the Epoch Times), examines the true meaning of patriotism.
Zimbabwe arms ship still looking for a port: A British Trident submarine is keeping an eye on it; it may head to Venezuela (World Net Daily). Meanwhile, Michael Sheridan (Times of London) details the Communist-run COSCO's ties to Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe.
The Canada File: Bob Rae, the foreign policy spokesman for the opposition Liberal Party, dutifully spouted the party line on "engagement" with Communist China (Epoch Times), and quickly earned the opprobrium of Peter Worthington (Toronto Sun, h/t Between Heaven and Earth). Meanwhile, Falun Gong demonstrators lose a court battle in Vancouver (BH&E).
More on Communist China and the rest of the world: Falun Gong practitioners in New York mark the ninth anniversary of the April 25, 1999 protest (Epoch Times). The Australian Resource Minister comments on Communist investments in his country (AAP via Epoch Times). Finally, Stephen Hutcheon (Brisbane Times via UAA) examines the Communist hacker brigade.
Communists open the door to talks with the Dalai Lama's aide, then rip him: The cadres' back and forth is tracked by AAP (via Epoch Times), the BBC, CNN, and the Washington Post.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
News of the Day (April 23)
Communist police kill land-seizure protester in Saxi (Yunnan): Local in the town who protested their land being seized without compensation for a land mine were greeted with a hail of bullets (BBC). It is merely the latest in a long line of Communist land seizures, protests, and subsequent murders.
As April 25 approaches, the Taipei Times remembers the peaceful protest that made Falun Gong a household phrase - and short-hand for the Communists' brutal persecution against people of faith (h/t, Between Heaven and Earth).
Communist China's radical nationalism hits victim to torch "attack": Put aside the still open question of whether or not the cadres staged the attack on Jin Jing. It turns out Jin herself is now being vilified, because she "she expressed a word of caution about a boycott of Carrefour, a French-branded grocery store chain in China" (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, One Free Korea sees a precedent for the Communist reaction, and it's not a good one.
Enlightened Comment of the Day: Today's winner is Rob Breakenridge (Calgary Herald) for his defense of anti-Communist MP Rob Anders' call for an Olympic Boycott.
Other Olympic News: The torch comes to Australia (BBC), as do the protests (Epoch Times). The World Uyghur Congress calls for an Olympic boycott (Earth Times via Uyghur American Association). A pro-Tibet protester is kicked off Mount Everest by Nepalese authorities (CNN).
U.S. praises Zimbabwe neighbors for blocking Communist Chinese arms shipments: The Bush Administration went public with its opposition to the arms sale; at present, the arms still have not made landfall (Washington Post and Washington Times).
Top South Korean spymaster granted asylum in the United States: Surprisingly, an American judge has allowed Kim Ki-Sam to stay here despite the change of government in South Korea, leading One Free Korea to conclude that Kim "must know where a lot of the bodies from the 2000 North Korea summit scandal are buried." Indeed, Kim "is promising to reveal plenty of juicy detail" about the bribe to Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il that greased the skids for that summit with then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.
As April 25 approaches, the Taipei Times remembers the peaceful protest that made Falun Gong a household phrase - and short-hand for the Communists' brutal persecution against people of faith (h/t, Between Heaven and Earth).
Communist China's radical nationalism hits victim to torch "attack": Put aside the still open question of whether or not the cadres staged the attack on Jin Jing. It turns out Jin herself is now being vilified, because she "she expressed a word of caution about a boycott of Carrefour, a French-branded grocery store chain in China" (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, One Free Korea sees a precedent for the Communist reaction, and it's not a good one.
Enlightened Comment of the Day: Today's winner is Rob Breakenridge (Calgary Herald) for his defense of anti-Communist MP Rob Anders' call for an Olympic Boycott.
Other Olympic News: The torch comes to Australia (BBC), as do the protests (Epoch Times). The World Uyghur Congress calls for an Olympic boycott (Earth Times via Uyghur American Association). A pro-Tibet protester is kicked off Mount Everest by Nepalese authorities (CNN).
U.S. praises Zimbabwe neighbors for blocking Communist Chinese arms shipments: The Bush Administration went public with its opposition to the arms sale; at present, the arms still have not made landfall (Washington Post and Washington Times).
Top South Korean spymaster granted asylum in the United States: Surprisingly, an American judge has allowed Kim Ki-Sam to stay here despite the change of government in South Korea, leading One Free Korea to conclude that Kim "must know where a lot of the bodies from the 2000 North Korea summit scandal are buried." Indeed, Kim "is promising to reveal plenty of juicy detail" about the bribe to Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il that greased the skids for that summit with then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
News of the Day (April 22) - UPDATED
Communist China is " the U.S.'s biggest cyber menace": The words were from Business Week which summarized the view of top defense and intelligence officials in the United States.
Communist Chinese heparin caused "scores of deaths": The Communist-exposed version of the blood-thinner included over-sulfated chondroitin, which caused "hundreds of serious adverse reactions and scores of deaths among patients" (Washington Post). The cadres insisted their own research disproves that, based on its own research, but the firm whose samples provided the basis of that research contradicted them. UPDATE: Yours truly explores the product safety issue, and what it says about the lack of true economic freedom in Communist China, over at RWL.
The Boston Globe gets it on Communist China and nationalism: "It is not easy to determine how much of this nationalistic frenzy may have been fostered and organized by Chinese communist officials . . . nationalism has replaced Maoism or Marxism as the legitimating credo of China rulers" (h/t Boycott 2008). Xin Fei and Ren Baiming (both in the Epoch Times) discuss this further.
Will Communist China recall its Zimbabwe arms shipment? That has become a distinct possibility (BBC), as the United States began asking African governments not to let the ship dock (Mail and Guardian, SA). More surprisingly, the president of Zambia - who was backed heavily by Communist China in his re-election bid two years ago - "has urged states in southern Africa to ban the ship, the An Yue Jiang, from entering their waters" (Times of London).
Olympic torch draws more protests, this time in Indonesia (BBC and CNN).
"Education" campaign under way in Tibet: As expected, a large part of the plan is propaganda "in which the Dalai Lama will be denounced " (BBC). France may also be a target, especially after Paris made him an "honorary citizen" (BBC).
News on "another Chinese province": As the State Department's leading Korea expert visited the Stalinist North (BBC and CNN), Frank Gaffney rips the Singapore surrender in the Washington Times.
Communist Chinese heparin caused "scores of deaths": The Communist-exposed version of the blood-thinner included over-sulfated chondroitin, which caused "hundreds of serious adverse reactions and scores of deaths among patients" (Washington Post). The cadres insisted their own research disproves that, based on its own research, but the firm whose samples provided the basis of that research contradicted them. UPDATE: Yours truly explores the product safety issue, and what it says about the lack of true economic freedom in Communist China, over at RWL.
The Boston Globe gets it on Communist China and nationalism: "It is not easy to determine how much of this nationalistic frenzy may have been fostered and organized by Chinese communist officials . . . nationalism has replaced Maoism or Marxism as the legitimating credo of China rulers" (h/t Boycott 2008). Xin Fei and Ren Baiming (both in the Epoch Times) discuss this further.
Will Communist China recall its Zimbabwe arms shipment? That has become a distinct possibility (BBC), as the United States began asking African governments not to let the ship dock (Mail and Guardian, SA). More surprisingly, the president of Zambia - who was backed heavily by Communist China in his re-election bid two years ago - "has urged states in southern Africa to ban the ship, the An Yue Jiang, from entering their waters" (Times of London).
Olympic torch draws more protests, this time in Indonesia (BBC and CNN).
"Education" campaign under way in Tibet: As expected, a large part of the plan is propaganda "in which the Dalai Lama will be denounced " (BBC). France may also be a target, especially after Paris made him an "honorary citizen" (BBC).
News on "another Chinese province": As the State Department's leading Korea expert visited the Stalinist North (BBC and CNN), Frank Gaffney rips the Singapore surrender in the Washington Times.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Spring cleaning with Communist characteristics
by Curry Kenworthy
China's Communists are working hard to tidy up the country before hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Of course, "cleansing" is nothing new for the heirs of Mao. Following other preparatory crackdowns, the latest project for the CCP clean-up crew has been getting rid of foreign missionaries.
Voice of the Martyrs reported on the expulsion of more than one hundred missionaries from April to June, marking the largest operation of its kind since 1954. The winds of this year's Operation "Typhoon No. 5" targeted religious workers from the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Australia, and Israel. Earlier reports this year noted increasing actions against Chinese Christians and house-church leaders, also motivated by the approach of the Olympics.
When Chinese citizens go "bad" (from a Communist point of view) and desire unconscionable things like freedom or faith, foreign influence always gets some of the blame. If we send the house-church leaders off to prison camp and then kick out the foreign church workers, the Reds may reason, we may finally put a lid on this thing.
But in truth, these problems worrying China's tyrants are movements that are very Chinese, carried out by China's own. The house-church movement is adding more than one million members per year. These people join despite facing incredible risks and mind-blowing persecution, and they are not passive members--they make huge sacrifices to spread their movement to others.
Far from being puppets of the West, some Chinese Christians actually question the state of their brethren's faith in Western countries such as the U.S. Why? Interestingly enough, because of a lack of persecution--at least at the severity level they are accustomed to seeing. The Bible speaks of persecution for believers, and they consider this a universal symptom, to be fully expected. In other words, Chinese underground believers are not going to be put off their faith by one more crackdown or by sending away the foreigners--they enter their faith expecting persecution as the natural result of their commitment, and the Christians of China plan to launch their own missionary movements to other parts of the world.
Falun Gong is another Chinese movement whose growth scared China's government, leading to massive crackdowns which have spread, rather than silenced, the beliefs and messages targeted. China's own political movements, too, have continued to press for freedom.
China's political and religious janitors are going to have their hands full scrubbing away at all the unsightly stains that keep spreading on their own, thwarting the shiny propagandistic veneer that the Communists would like to display at upcoming Games.
Curry Kenworthy is vice president of the China e-Lobby. Visit china-e-lobby.blogspot.com for China news, opinion, and action opportunities for making a difference.
China's Communists are working hard to tidy up the country before hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Of course, "cleansing" is nothing new for the heirs of Mao. Following other preparatory crackdowns, the latest project for the CCP clean-up crew has been getting rid of foreign missionaries.
Voice of the Martyrs reported on the expulsion of more than one hundred missionaries from April to June, marking the largest operation of its kind since 1954. The winds of this year's Operation "Typhoon No. 5" targeted religious workers from the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Australia, and Israel. Earlier reports this year noted increasing actions against Chinese Christians and house-church leaders, also motivated by the approach of the Olympics.
When Chinese citizens go "bad" (from a Communist point of view) and desire unconscionable things like freedom or faith, foreign influence always gets some of the blame. If we send the house-church leaders off to prison camp and then kick out the foreign church workers, the Reds may reason, we may finally put a lid on this thing.
But in truth, these problems worrying China's tyrants are movements that are very Chinese, carried out by China's own. The house-church movement is adding more than one million members per year. These people join despite facing incredible risks and mind-blowing persecution, and they are not passive members--they make huge sacrifices to spread their movement to others.
Far from being puppets of the West, some Chinese Christians actually question the state of their brethren's faith in Western countries such as the U.S. Why? Interestingly enough, because of a lack of persecution--at least at the severity level they are accustomed to seeing. The Bible speaks of persecution for believers, and they consider this a universal symptom, to be fully expected. In other words, Chinese underground believers are not going to be put off their faith by one more crackdown or by sending away the foreigners--they enter their faith expecting persecution as the natural result of their commitment, and the Christians of China plan to launch their own missionary movements to other parts of the world.
Falun Gong is another Chinese movement whose growth scared China's government, leading to massive crackdowns which have spread, rather than silenced, the beliefs and messages targeted. China's own political movements, too, have continued to press for freedom.
China's political and religious janitors are going to have their hands full scrubbing away at all the unsightly stains that keep spreading on their own, thwarting the shiny propagandistic veneer that the Communists would like to display at upcoming Games.
Curry Kenworthy is vice president of the China e-Lobby. Visit china-e-lobby.blogspot.com for China news, opinion, and action opportunities for making a difference.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)