News of the Day (September 13)

Stalinists demand “peaceful” nuclear program: Stalinist envoy Kim Gye Kwan insisted his nation had a “right” (BBC) to a nuclear energy program that “is neither awarded nor needs to be approved by others.” Kim made the comments just before six-party talks resumed on the Stalinists’ nuclear weapons program. U.S. envoy Christopher R. Hill has earlier called such a demand “not exactly a showstopper” (see also item), which, according to the BBC, “could mean he would be prepared to fudge the wording in any agreement.” Will they never learn? Also reporting: CNN

On Communist China and the War on Terror (warning – echo chamber moment): The Epoch Times reprinted Part II and Part III of yours truly’s three-part post on Communist China’s role in the War on Terror.

U.S. may take in Tibetan refugees in Nepal: The Bush Administration informed Tibet’s government in exile that it “is willing to consider resettling Tibetans in the United States as part of its refugee program” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times). The Tibetans in question are those currently in Nepal, which has recently been sending escaped Tibetans back to the Communists (last, last, last, seventh, and sixth items). The cadres have responded with arms for dictatorial monarch King Gyanendra (ninth item).

On Hu Jintao and visiting: Exiled dissident Fang Jue examines the Communist leader’s upcoming visit to New York (Boxun). Meanwhile, Xin Fei, Epoch Times, talks to exiled dissident Zhang Weiguo about the incentives the Communists dole out overseas to recruit welcome rallies for visiting cadres; Li Dan, Epoch Times, also weighs in.

Clinton says he didn’t know about Shi Tao: After an internet conference speech in Hangzou where he conveniently forgot to discuss human rights (eighth item), former President Bill Clinton was pressed on why he didn’t mention the Shi Tao/Yahoo outrage (fourteenth, fifth, lead, third, eighth, and seventh items). His claimed that “he only heard about the Shi Tao case . . . after he addressed the summit” (Cybercast News).

Zhang Lin goes on hunger strike: Dissident Zhang Lin, recently sent to a Communist prison for “subversion”, went on a hunger strike “to protest against his five-year prison sentence and to demand to be allowed to see his lawyer, Mo Shaoping” (Boxun). Meanwhile, an unnamed writer tells Boxun what he/she knows of Zhang’s captivity.

On China Telecom vs. non-Communist VOIP: Edward Lanfranco, UPI via Washington Times, examines the Communist-owned firm’s battle against SkypeOut’s voice over internet protocol (eighth item).

Peasants attack polluting mines, local villages heads band together with them: Polluting mines and factories, rivers dying, angry peasants, it’s just another day in Communist China’s rural interior – except that the peasants “used farm tools and their bare hands to destroy more than 200 mining sites” (Washington Post). What’s more: “village leaders have joined forces against the central government in an unauthorized organization” to help the revolt. The villagers who talked to the Post were all chosen in Communist-sponsored “elections;” previous leaders have run into trouble when they have chosen to stand by the people rather than the Party (thirteenth item).

IMF recommends Communist float currency: The International Monetary Fund advised Communist China to end the peg on its currency (BBC). Communist China made a miniscule revaluation it its currency this summer, but it’s still devalued enough to damage both American manufacturing and the export sectors of our Asian allies.

Zeng Qinghong welcomes Disney – but not democracy – to Hong Kong: Communist Vice President Zeng Qinghong visited Hong Kong for the opening of its new Disney theme park and call for “the people of Hong Kong to speed up the city's development and to seek harmony and the common good with a generous mind” (UPI via Washington Times). Of course, democracy was pointedly absent from Zeng’s list of priorities, as one country, one-and-a-half systems rolls on.

News of the Day (September 12, 2005)

Cadres planned to steal U.S. intelligence data, wanted families of rouge agents dead: Communist China “secretly tried to buy U.S. electronic equipment that would allow Beijing to intercept U.S. intelligence data sent to the ground by satellites” (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). However, the agents sent to buy the equipment disappeared with the money, and the cadres decided the following: “disclosure of the purchase attempt would be ‘far more detrimental to [China] than the loss of the money.’” So they ordered their agents in the U.S. “to find the men” and – yes, you read this right – “Chinese intelligence was prepared to kill the men and their family members.” All of this comes from papers seized from Katrina Leung, the FBI agent and Republican fundraiser whom the FBI now believes was one of the most dangerous Communist double agents in America. The government is appealing the idiotic dismissal of her case.

Hu Jintao avoids protestors in Canada as criticism of him mounts in United States: Communist leader Hu Jintao came to his hotel in Toronto “via the underground parking garage” (Epoch Times) rather than face the Falun Gong and Tibetan protestors who jostled for position with the usual group of bribed welcomers (fourth item). Hu took time out of his joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to rip the Dalai Lama for “considering Tibet independence” – something Tibet’s spiritual leader has actually ruled out. Meanwhile, Congressman Christopher Smith (R-New Jersey) wrote President Bush demanding he “raise our urgent human rights concerns during your meetings” (Epoch Times) in New York with Hu this week.

Bo Xilai sued by practitioner in Canada: Why was Bo Xilai a no-show in Hu’s delegation (sixth item)? Here’s why: “One day before the arrival of President Hu Jintao of China in Canada, a Canadian Falun Gong practitioner initiated a lawsuit to sue the Chinese Minister of Commerce, Bo Xilai for crimes of torture” (Epoch Times).

More on Hu’s visit to North America: Anthony Spaeth’s symposium in Time Asia on what President Bush should discuss with Hu Jintao includes some leading lights, but too many dim bulbs. Li Tu, Epoch Times, has a better analysis of Hu’s visit. The paper’s editors call on overseas Chinese to refuse the aforementioned welcoming bribes.

Woe Canada! Ezra Levant, Calgary Sun, reminds his readers of the Communists’ tyrannical actions in Canada (including the 1,000 espionage agents). Meanwhile, Brian McAdam, a Canadian expert on Communist Chinese espionage (and Member since 2005), discusses the Communist threat to Canada, and explodes some “engagement myths” (reprinted by Prime Time Crime, link courtesy Kevin Steel, Western Standard on the Friendly Blog Shotgun).

Charles Li’s health deteriorates: Charles Li – Falun Gong practitioner, American citizen, and prisoner in a Communist half for over two-and-a-half years – “is suffering from heart palpitations and shortness of breath” (Epoch Times) as a result of torture.

Yahoo still trying to spin its way through damning Shi Tao case: Jerry Yang, Yahoo’s co-founder, insisted his firm did nothing wrong in helping the Communists find and arrest reporter Shi Tao (fourteenth, fifth, lead, third, and eighth items). Yang parroted the company line: Yahoo followed the law. That led to the Title of the Day, from Edward Lanfranco (United Press Int’l via Washington Times): “The China Yahoo! welcome: You've got Jail!” John Simpson, BBC, also weighed in (although the piece is subpar).

Clinton punts on internet freedom as Communist crackdown expands: Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton, who happened to be at an internet conference in Hangzhou, had the audacity to only mention the internet crackdown as a possible dent against future commerce (Washington Times). As he was punting on human rights, Communist China publicly mdae a vague promise to drop the “state secret” label from natural disaster information (BBC), while at the same time banning some voice over internet protocol (VOIP) telephone service (UPI via Washington Times).

More on Communist China and the United States: Ethan Gutmann, author of Losing the New China, visiting fellow at Project for the New American Century, and Member since 2004, responds to Cisco’s hissy-fit after he caught them playing up their ability to help the Communists enforce their police state (Taipei Times). Lev Navrozov devotes his latest Newsmax column to a hearty endorsement of Gutmann and his efforts. Longtime dissident Wei Jingsheng repeats his warning of the Communists’ readiness for nuclear war (Epoch Times). The editors of the Washington Times split the middle on the flood of Communist textiles into the U.S. Finally, the Epoch Times reprints the speculation from yours truly on the Hainan outrage’s possible role in the 9/11/01 attacks.

Communists send warship to disputed region as Koizumi wins big in Japan: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi scored “an overwhelming victory in lower house elections” (BBC). Koizumi’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner “will have a key two-thirds majority in the new parliament.” The opposition Democratic Party of Japan, which has talked about moving away from the U.S. in favor of Communist China (fourth item), lost over 60 seats. Just days before the vote, Communist China sent a guided-missile destroyer and four naval ships to the Chunxiao gas field, where the Communists are drilling despite Japan’s concern that some gas is being extracted from Japanese territory (Japan Times).

Secretary of State talks to Communist China about sanctioning Iran: That’s right; Ms. Rice actually called on the Communists to “back US threats of imposing sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program” (BBC). Given the Communists’ extensive history in Iran, one would have to say it was not time well spent.

Communists ban Catholic bishops from Vatican synod: Four Catholic bishops, including three in the Communist-run “Patriotic” church, were invited by Pope Benedict XVI to attend a synod in Rome next month. Communist China has banned them from attending, and ripped the pope for inviting them, for good measure (UPI via Washington Times). Millions of Catholic worship “underground” and risk arrest because they refuse to put the Chinese Communist Party between themselves and their God.

More on human rights in Communist China: Hannah Beech, Time Asia, goes to Linyi Province – where Chen Guangcheng has made his stand (tenth, second, ninth, and ninth items) – and examines the horrors of the Communists’ “one child” policy: “the most brutal mass sterilization and abortion campaigns in years.” Jiang Weiwei, Epoch Times, peeks behind the curtain of supposed white-hot growth in Communist China and finds – as one would expect with no legal independent unions – rampant worker abuse.

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Today’s prize goes to Richard Halloran, Washington Times, for an assumption he tacks on the possibility the U.S. could walk away from the six-party talks on Stalinist North Korea’s nuclear weapons (which itself is a fine idea, so long as liberation is part of the plan): “An unspoken stipulation to the Chinese and South Koreans: It would be up to Beijing and Seoul to resolve this issue – or see North Korean nuclear arms deployed just across the Yalu River from China and across the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea.” Does Halloran really think Communist China would feel threatened? Will they never learn?

More on Stalinist North Korea: The Stalinist are now saying they “would no longer receive food aid from U.S.-led international relief agencies” (UPI via Washington Times) due to “information leaks during relief agents' monitoring of distribution,” i.e., “outside information (which) could damage the decades-long cult worship” by Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il and his father, the late Kim Il-sung.

On the War on Terror, Part III: Communist China’s Support for anti-U.S. Terrorists

Four years ago today, America suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history, and the worst attack of any kind since Pearl Harbor. Today, the nation is examining where we are in the War on Terror, and where we need to go. For most, Communist China will not be a topic of conversation. This is a tragic mistake. While I made this clear in a brief post in July, just after the London subway attacks, this post will have far more detail on Communist China’s role as the largest benefactor of international terrorism on Earth.

In the myriad of pro-democracy, anti-Communist events that I have been fortunate enough to attend, I am usually the only one who brings up the War on Terror (and I have nearly every time, in large part because I have written a book on this subject). Sadly, the consensus inside and outside the “movement” is that Communist China and the War on Terror are separate and distinct issues. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, when one examines our enemies in the War on Terror – the Taliban, al Qaeda, the Ba’athists in Iraq, and for the more expansive among us, the regimes of Syria, Iran, and Stalinist North Korea – one finds only two things they all hold in common: hatred for America, and support from the Chinese Communist Party.

Let’s begin with al Qaeda and their Taliban hosts. As mentioned in my post yesterday, Communist China has tried to claim that they are al Qaeda’s victims, and as such America’s allies in the War on Terror. What follows are the facts that the cadres are hoping to conceal with their lies.

In 1998, after the American cruise missile attack on al Qaeda, Communist China paid up to $10 million to the terrorist group for American unexploded missiles. The so-called People’s Republic bought the missiles to “reverse engineer” them, i.e., use them to be able to advance its own cruise missile capabilities (Washington Post, link archived).

In 1999, a book by two Communist Chinese officers presented a scenario in which the World Trade Center is attacked as a situation that the United States would find difficult handle. The two colonels recommend Osama bin Laden by name as someone with the ability to orchestrate the attack of that magnitude via his al Qaeda group (Newsmax).

Communist China initially opposed United Nations sanctions against the Taliban, even after it refused to hand over Osama bin Laden to the United States for al Qaeda’s role in terrorist attacks against American Embassies and the U.S.S. Cole. The regime maintained its opposition until the proposed sanctions were weakened in late 2000 (CNN).

Communist China signed a pact on economic cooperation with the Taliban on the morning of September 11, 2001, the very day the World Trade Center fell (Washington Post, link archived).

Communist China’s Xinhua press agency later produced a video on the 9/11/01 attacks “glorifying the strikes as a humbling blow against an arrogant nation” (London Telegraph).

The Communist leadership considered al Qaeda as “a check on U.S. power” (CNN) and only decided to back away from the terrorists after deciding that “now is not the time to take on the United States.”

Days after September 11, as Pakistan was mulling over a request from the United States to allow its troops to be based there for operations against the Taliban, Communist China – a 50-year Pakistan ally – announced it would “oppose allowing foreign troops in Pakistan” (Washington Post, link archived). This likely made efforts to convince Pakistan to accept U.S. troops – while still successful – much more difficult.

After September 11, U.S. intelligence caught the Communist Chinese military’s favorite technology firm – Huawei Technologies – building a telephone network in Kabul (Washington Times, link archived).

Raids of al Qaeda hideout by U.S. Special Forces and allies have netted, on more than one occasion, a large cache of weapons from Communist China, including surface-to-air missiles, mere weeks after the U.S. government warned that al Qaeda terrorists in the U.S. would try to use said missiles to take down American planes (Washington Times, link archived, and CNN).

Also during the liberation of Afghanistan by the U.S. Special Forces and local anti-Taliban Afghans, Communist China, through public statements, and behind-the-scenes actions, tried to prevent what they called “a pro-American regime” in Kabul (CNN).

Then-Communist Chinese leader Jiang Zemin even went so far as to rip the U.S. military presence in Central Asia during a visit to Iran (CNN, more on the mullahcracy later).

In the late summer of 2002, almost a year after Afghanistan was liberated, a three-man delegation from the Taliban, - led by Ustad Khalil, purported to be Mullah Omar’s right-hand man – spent a week in Communist China (Newsmax) meeting with cadres, at their invitation.

At roughly the same time, intelligence from the post-Taliban Afghan government revealed that Communist China had turned a part of Pakistan deemed under their control (most likely “Aksai Chin,” the piece of disputed Kashmir Pakistan gave its longtime ally in the 1960s) into a safe haven for al Qaeda.

In mid-2004, it was revealed that the Communist Chinese intelligence service had used some of its front companies in financial markets around the world to help al Qaeda raise and launder funds for their operations.

Remember this list the next time the cadres claim to be our “allies” in the War on Terror.

Regarding Iraq, I understand there are many (including founding Members of the China e-Lobby), who remain unconvinced it is (or was prior to March 2003) a theatre in the War on Terror. This post will not attempt to convince you otherwise (although the book does). However, Communist China certainly believed Saddam Hussein could be useful against the United States (that “check on U.S. power” line applied to him, too). The evidence is as follows.

Starting in 2000, Communist China’s favorite military technology firm – Huawei Technologies (they of the telephone network in Kabul) – supplied Saddam Hussein with high-tech fiberglass for his air defense facilities (BBC). In January 2001, Communist China was found to be selling Saddam Hussein missile technology (Washington Times, link archived).

In February of 2001, the U.S. military bombed an Iraqi fiber optic network (Washington Post: link archived) installed by Huawei Technologies and ZTE (CNN) to help the Iraqi dictator integrate his air defense network. Well over a year later, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pointedly refused to rule out continuing Communist involvement with Saddam’s air defenses: “Whether they are currently in there, I don't know” (Washington Times).

In November of 2002, a Communist Chinese shipment of missile launching patrol boats to Iraq was intercepted by the U.S. Navy (Washington Post: link archived).

Communist China had a deal with Saddam Hussein in 1997, to be executed as soon as United Nations sanctions were lifted, for access to the Al-Ahdab oil field – worth 90,000 barrels a day – and was in the process of securing rights to the 300,000-barrel-a-day Halfayah oil field.

As detailed in the Duelfer Report, the Northern Industrial Corporation (Norinco) – owned by the Communist military – received 15.5 million barrels worth of oil-for-food vouchers from 2000 to 2002 in exchange for missile technology and parts. Communist China was also listed as one of the “the top 12 countries that sold Iraq arms despite sanctions.”

Of course, Communist China strongly opposed the U.S. military action in Iraq, although they preferred to let France do the heavy lifting (CNN).

These are, of course, the two areas where Communist actions have led directly to a further loss of American life. The other issues described in detail below (Syria, Iran, and Stalinist North Korea) do not involve the U.S. military in combat – although there are still tens of thousands protecting South Korea from the Stalinists – but they do involve terrorism and anti-Americanism.

We’ll start with Iran, where in June 2001, the U.S. found evidence of two Communist-owned firms involved in arms sales to the mullahs that, according to Congressional staffers, “fell under the Chemical Weapons Convention” (CNN). There would be more sanctions against Communist Chinese firms for weapons sales to Iran, including missile part sales by Norinco, and an air defense system (Cybercast News, Washington Times: link archived). None of the above includes Communist China’s extensive support for Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

As for Stalinist North Korea – the final axis-of-evil regime – it should be remembered that Kim Jong-il’s brutal dictatorship wouldn’t even exist if his father hadn’t been bailed out by Mao Zedong (CNN). Most recently, as the Stalinists’ nuclear ambitions attracted world-wide attention, the Communists were trying to portray themselves as disinterested peacemakers (CNN). In reality, they have refused to push their Stalinist allies toward an agreement (CNN), and have sold tributyl phosphate – a chemical essential to making plutonium and weaponizing uranium– to Kim Jong-il (Washington Times: link archived). Just recently, it was also revealed that the Communist-owned Bank of China was linked to the Stalinists’ illicit money-raising schemes, including narcotics, used to fund their nuclear weapons program.

Syria is the home base for the Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah terrorist organization (no real surprise given that the Ba’athist Assad family has allied itself to the Khomeinists for over a quarter-century). This hasn’t stopped Communist China from inking other deals with the Ba’athists. In fact, it was in Syria where Hu Jintao – when he was merely a high-ranking but largely anonymous cadre – referred to Israel as a “colonialist plot aimed at detaching from the Arab nation a part that is dear to it – Palestine” (Lateline).

Then there is Sudan – Osama’s former home and current recipient of massive Communist oil investment (UPI) and jet fighters (World Net Daily) – and longtime Communist ally Pakistan – which may be an “ally” in the War on Terror to the U.S., but certainly isn’t to India (Washington Post, link archived).

Why would Communist China support anti-American terrorists in such an extensive fashion? For starters, we are the main obstacle to their plans for conquering Taiwan. More generally, Communist China has relied on radical nationalism as the regime’s raison d’etre ever since the Tiananmen Square massacre. That means replacing Japan as the lead power in Asia, and replacing the U.S. as the lead world power. We’re the obstacle on those, too. In other words, the Chinese Communist Party sees the United States as the chief threat to its survival in power.

This is why Communist China is fighting a cold war against the U.S. This is why the War on Terror has become part of the Second Cold War. This is why, the War on Terror can not and will not be won unless America sees the Chinese Communist Party for what it really is: an enemy. The road to victory in the War on Terror ends not in Kabul, Baghdad, Tehran, or Damascus, but in Beijing. America will never be secure until China is free.

On the War on Terror, Part II: East Turkestan

Tomorrow is the four-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks. For that reason, I have chosen to hold the more detailed indictment of Communist China for its support of anti-American terrorists until then. With this post, I hope to remove the smoke and mirrors the Communists throw up to distract attention from their own nefarious deeds and policies, namely their slanderous claims that they are fighting bin Ladenite terrorists in occupied East Turkestan (what the cadres call “Xinjiang”).

When the War on Terror is discussed, Communist China is almost always ignored or avoided. As such, the Communists’ role in providing aid and support to our enemies is hardly ever in the conversation. Of course, the cadres themselves have been very eager to make sure no one knows about their weapons sales to Saddam Hussein, their involvement in Iran’s nuclear weapons program, their economic deal with the Taliban, their laundering of drug money for Osama bin Laden, their continuing support for Stalinist North Korea, etc. However, they have been very effective in keeping attention away from the above information by insisting that they are victims of al Qaeda. In making this claim, they are, in fact, wrongfully slandering the most pro-American Muslim nation on the face of the earth, a nation that has suffered horribly at the hands of the Communists: occupied East Turkestan.

The lies the Communists spew on East Turkestan have hidden two critical aspects of the War on Terror. Before I get to those, a brief history of the occupation is in order.

In 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party defeated Chiang Kai-shek’s government on the mainland, they invited the leaders of East Turkestan, which at that time was still independent, to come to Beijing for talks on the country’s future. On August 27 of that year, the plane carrying the leaders of East Turkestan crashed, killing all on board. The Communist marched in and have occupied the overwhelmingly Muslim country ever since (they even renamed it “Xinjiang”).

The occupation has been beyond brutal: executed political prisoners, razed mosques, mass forced immigration of ethnic Chinese, deliberate economic discrimination in favor of said ethnic Chinese, “Sinicization,” etc. Folks who are familiar with the painful history of occupied Tibet will find all of this familiar. However, there is one additional outrage from which the Tibetans were spared: open-air above-ground nuclear tests that killed over 200,000 East Turkestanis. Among other things, this means that East Turkestan – not Palestine (however one defines it), and not Iraq – has suffered more deaths at the hands of a foreign military than any Muslim nation since World War II.

So the Communists certainly gave Osama bin Laden a perfect victim to exploit in his apparent war against the non-Muslim world. The trouble is, bin Laden’s supposed hatred of occupying infidels has not extended to East Turkestan. While he has spoken out against the American military presence in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, the Israeli military presence in the West Bank, and even the Spanish presence in Spain (last under Muslim control in the 15th Century), he has been completely silent on the brutal treatment of East Turkestan – despite it being right next door to his five-year headquarters in Afghanistan.

So, despite all the Communist post-9/11/01 ranting about bin Ladenite terrorists in East Turkestan, bin Laden himself has no interest in the place. This is for two reasons – which bring us back to those two critical aspects to which I hinted earlier.

First, there is Osama’s relationship with Communist China (the use of Communist financial front companies to launder his drug money for him, the Communists’ support for the Taliban (second and third items) and its Pakistan enablers, etc.). The Communists don’t want the rest of the world to know, but they have found bin Laden to be quite useful, or to quote CNN’s Willy Lam: “some kind of check on U.S. power.” So long as the Communists’ lies on East Turkestan are believed, the American people are far less likely to examine the Communists’ real history – in support of the terrorists.

Secondly, but just as important for bin Laden, is the people of East Turkestan itself. As numerous American reporters have discovered (third, third, second, and second items), the East Turkestani people (usually called Uighurs, who are the overwhelming majority among non-Chinese) are just about the most pro-American Muslim on Earth. I can attest to that personally from my numerous encounters with this proud people during and after I wrote my book on the Communists’ ties to terrorism.

On September 14, 2004 (on my advice) they formed the East Turkestan Government in Exile, to give those in occupied East Turkestan a voice once again, and let the American people – indeed, the peoples of all democracies – know that there was a Muslim nation that condemned terrorism and supported freedom. They have proclaimed that message ever since.

How would America view the War on Terror if they knew the Communists’ support of our enemies and the fact that the Muslim nation the Communists occupied are strongly pro-American and anti-Islamist (one member of the diaspora dismissively referred to Wahabbism as a “Saudi religion”)? This is one question the Communists do not want answered. As I mentioned above, I’ll go into detail on what the Communists do not want you to know tomorrow.

On the War on Terror, Part I: The Unexamined Effect of the Hainan Island Outrage

This is the first of three posts that were inspired by Sunday’s anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks. Tomorrow’s post will focus on occupied East Turkestan, which the Communists have used as their smokescreen to cover up their support of anti-American terrorists. The final post, on Sunday, will describe in detail those ties between Communist China and America’s enemies in the War on Terror. Today’s News of the Day can be found here.

This Sunday will be the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. For America, it is a time to remember the fallen, and to assess where we are in the War on Terror. For those not familiar with this blog and its author, one would expect perhaps that this day would pass by without notice here. That would be wrong. In fact, this is the first of three posts that will deal with 9/11 (the second will come tomorrow, and the third on Sunday, the anniversary day itself), and I suspect, it will be viewed as the most controversial.

Whenever I am asked if President Bush could have prevented 9/11, I always answer, “it’s certainly possible.” This usually stuns the person who asked me, because that’s not really their question. The real question they want answered (and thought they asked) is if the Bush Administration had enough foreknowledge of 9/11 to prevent it and was unable to act upon it due to incompetence or unwilling to act for pernicious political reasons. My answer to that question is “no,” but no one has ever asked it. So I am usually forced to explain that I believe the President could have taken action that would have led Osama bin Laden to postpone the attack, perhaps long enough to prevent it from happening. Often, I get quizzical looks, and a response of “how could he have done that?” That’s when the conversation goes to Hainan Island.

One argument defenders of the Bush Administration have used ever since September 11, 2001 was that the terrorists wouldn’t have planned the attacks of that dark day but for the weakness of the Clinton Administration, best revealed by the complete lack of reaction to the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. That argument is very effective, and quite true – until 2001, in particular the first day of April, 2001, when a Communist Chinese air force fighter plane collided with an American EP-3E surveillance aircraft flying off the coast of Communist China.

Among the kernels of information the Communists would rather not be known include the following: at the time of the collision, the EP-3 was on “autopilot;” after the collision, the American plane tried to leave Communist air space, but according to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, it was forced to land on Hainan by another Communist jet fighter; the Communists “wrestled a U.S. crew member guarding the entrance” and “threw the airman to the ground” in order to get into the plane (Agence France Presse: the link has since died). The Communists were far less adept at hiding the fact that the twenty-four member crew was taken off the plane and held captive on an island hotel.

This is where Osama bin Laden, and indeed all of us, saw President Bush in his first international crisis. The result made an impression, and it wasn’t good.

At first, the President held firm, demanding that the American crew be returned, and that the plane be left untouched (the Communists were so eager for the technology bonanza that came with the plane that they began ripping it apart before the latter demand before it was even made). However, as days went by, his tough talk on the crew went soft. The President never called the American crew “hostages”- preferring the value neutral and utterly silly “detainees.” Meanwhile, the demands for the crew’s return devolved into offers of “regret” and even a willingness to say “sorry.” Even this wasn’t enough for the cadres, who demanded an American apology for daring to fly a plane on autopilot in international waters when a hot-dogging Communist slammed into it.

In fact, contrary to nearly all American media reports, the Bush Administration actually did apologize, albeit in the Chinese-language version (Washington Times: link has been archived). Even the English-language version included the ridiculous concession to the Communists that the EP-3 had landed “without verbal clearance” on Hainan – especially outrageous given what the South China Morning Post reported.

All in all, it was the great two weeks for the Communists, who were “able to force the Bush team to yield one thing after another” (CNN’s Willy Lam). Here in the U.S., the “engagement” crowd was praising the President to the skies. However, two pundits William Kristol and Robert Kagan, cast a worrying eye to the future as the crew returned home:

. . . we have suffered a blow to our prestige and reputation, a loss that will reverberate throughout the world if we do not begin immediately to repair the damage. The problem is not merely that we have lost face – though the Chinese are right to believe that great powers should place a high value on their reputation. The bigger problem is that our reliability as defender of the peace and protector of friends and allies, especially in East Asia, has been thrown into doubt . . . Nor should anyone doubt that Saddam Hussein has studied this whole affair intently to see how the United States responds when faced with this kind of bullying. So far the lesson is all too clear: When you bully the United States, the United States searches for a way to apologize.

Whatever conclusions Saddam may have reached have now been relegated to the hypothetical realm. Osama bin Laden is another story. While the 9-11 Commission (which suddenly has a lot more to explain on other matters) did not examine possible reactions from Hainan, they did find that the “muscle” hijackers didn’t enter the United States en masse until late April 2001. The whispers in the terrorist camps that something big was going down didn’t start until mid-summer. Admittedly, this is circumstantial, but I wonder, had Osama seen something that led him to believe that President Bush, like Clinton, was unwilling to risk confrontation? Did it steel his resolve to go forward with the attacks?

Now, many upon reading this would counter: Osama was going to hit us anyway, even if he waited a few more months, what would it mean? In fact, it could have meant a great deal: on September 4, 2001, the President approved a de facto alliance with the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan, something the Clinton Administration had turned down twice (Washington Post). Nobody in Afghanistan had any knowledge of the Administration’s decision before al Qaeda murdered Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud on September 9 (four years ago today). The World Trade Center fell two days later – and I refuse to believe that was a coincidence.

Would Osama bin Laden have pushed back plans for the 9/11/01 attack if he had seen the Bush Administration act with firm resolve? By this point, Communist China was already helping Osama bin Laden launder money through its financial fronts around the world. What, if anything, would the cadres have told him about Bush if they had seen a tougher reaction from him regarding Hainan (I do not mean this to imply the Communists had any foreknowledge of the attack, an issue I will address on Sunday)? If Osama had postponed the attack – and admittedly, that remains a very large “if” – would it have been long enough for the new Administration policy to knock the Taliban out of the box in Afghanistan, or at least to keep Massoud alive? Finally, would either change to the timeline of events have led the 9/11 attack to be prevented or cancelled?

As far as I know, no one has even thought to ask these questions, let alone answer them. I’m not even sure they can be answered. That Osama bin Laden wanted to strike America is beyond doubt. That al Qaeda was, in 2001, planning to make such a strike is also beyond doubt. However, the factors bin Laden et al took into account when the time came for the final “green light” – in particular the anticipated American reaction – is still very much in doubt, and one very big but largely unexamined reason for this is the Administration’s weakness in April of 2001.

News of the Day (September 9)

Pentagon Sinologist says Communists consider U.S. “inevitable foe”: Michael Pillsbury, described by Newsmax as “an influential Pentagon adviser” on Communist China, has concluded that the Communist regime “sees the U.S. as an inevitable foe, and is planning accordingly.” Pillsbury’s analysis, while sounding eminently rational to this quarter, “has rattled many in Washington.”

Communist China to U.S. on regime’s ties to Iran and Zimbabwe – buzz off: Communist Chinese mouthpiece Qin Gang called his regime’s ties to Iran’s mullahcracy (which includes extensive help for its nuclear weapons program) and Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe (third, sixth, sixth, seventh, sixth, and ninth items) as “normal friendly relations” (AFX via Forbes) and insisted, “There is nothing wrong with that.”

More on Communist China and the United States: Ernest H. Preeg, senior fellow at the Manufacturers Alliance, sounds the alarm about Communist China’s rapid rise in the advanced technology sector, and calls for “an equally forceful U.S. strategy to maintain America's longstanding leadership position in technology innovation and application” (Washington Times), although he goes a little wobbly when it comes to specifics. Meanwhile, Edward Lanfranco, United Press Int’l via Washington Times, examines Admiral Fallon’s visit to Communist China (fifth column).

As Hu Jintao visits Canada, regime bribes expatriates into welcome convoys: Communist leader Hu Jintao began his visit to Canada yesterday, and was received by hundreds of enthusiastic Chinese-Canadians. However, the enthusiasm had more to do with the “offers of money, free meals, souvenirs, and good references that will help them get jobs” the Communists spread around to entice them to show up (Epoch Times). Former Communist consul Chen Yonglin told NTDTV (via Epoch Times) how overseas cadres used bribes and threats to make sure visits such as this went off without a hitch.

Communist Embassy staffer at vice consul general rank defects to Canada: Canada acknowledged that a staff member at Communist China’s Embassy in Canada had defected (Epoch Times), but wouldn’t say who it was. Hairdresser Yang Jianhua, along with his wife and son, had defected last month (second item), but according to the paper, “after Yang and his family’s defection, another Chinese official stationed in Canada with a rank at or higher than vice consul general had defected.”

More on Communist China and Canada: Among those not with Hu in Canada was leading Falun Gong persecutor Bo Xilai (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, the Communist-owned China Shipping Group joined with France’s CMA CGM to make a joint bid for Canadian Pacific Ships (UPI via Washington Times, see also third item), making the Communist seizure of yet another Canadian firm almost inevitable (fourth item).

Falun Gong in U.S. protests Communist persecution, which continues apace: At a Washington press conference, practitioners called for the six-year-plus persecution against their spiritual movement in Communist China come to an end (Epoch Times). As this Epoch Times story from Zhaoyuan makes clear, the persecution continued.

Yahoo defense ripped: Yahoo’s rather pitiful defense of its action in the Shi Tao arrest (fourteenth, fifth, lead, and third items) led Human Rights in China’s Nicolas Becquelin to raise a second point with the firm: the role of Yahoo’s Hong Kong division. Becquelin notes that even Yahoo’s unethically flimsy defense falls apart of the Hong Kong office was involved, because: “In Hong Kong a company will not be under any legal obligation to collaborate with an investigation by mainland authorities” (Cybercast News). Of course, if the Hong Kong branch was involved, it would be evidence not just of corporate cravenness, but also of what this quarter likes to call one country, one-and-a-half systems.

Chen Guangcheng is released, tells his story to Radio Free Asia: Anti-“one child” activist Chen Guangcheng (tenth, second, and ninth items) talked to Radio Free Asia about his 38-hour ordeal in Communist custody after being seized by Linyi police in Beijing. Chen says the local cadres – who followed him to Beijing “once they realized he had slipped through a security cordon outside his house” – arrested him to silence him.

On the Communist economy: Wu Fan, of China Affairs and the Alliance for a Democratic China, presents his second installment on the economy in Communist China (Epoch Times, see last item for Part I).

On Stalinist North Korea: Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, examines the argument within the Bush Administration on how to react to SNK’s demand for a nuclear energy program. The demand had previously been an obstacle to a deal at the six-party talks (SNK, the U.S., South Korea, Communist China, Japan, and Russia) on the Stalinists’ nuclear weapons program – talks which have already seen the U.S. make substantial concessions. Some within the Administration are rightly concerned about SNK hiding parts of its nuclear weapons program from inspectors – much easier to do with a civilian nuclear energy program. Others – such as the lead envoy at the talks, Assistant Secretary Christopher R. Hill – have led us to ask, again: Will they never learn?

News of the Day (September 8)

Communist-run Bank of China in U.S. probe of SNK rackets and nuke buys: Less than a month after Royal Bank of Scotland agreed to head a $3.1 billion investment into Bank of China (seventh item), the Communist-run bank was “named in media reports as the subject of a US inquiry into an illicit North Korean fund-raising network” (BBC). The investigation is focusing on the bank’s “links to criminal syndicates” involved in “lucrative North Korean enterprises producing narcotics, counterfeit US currency and fake cigarettes,” that the Stalinists used to fund its nuclear weapons program. Bank of China has a long history of corruption (eleventh, sixteenth, nineteenth, sixth, seventh, last, and tenth items), but this is the first public link to SNK and its nuclear ambitions.

Communists say SNK nuke talks to restart Tuesday: Meanwhile, Communist China announced that the six-party talks on the Stalinists’ nuclear ambitions will resume this upcoming Tuesday (BBC). Communist China has hosted and participated in all rounds of the overhyped talks, always claiming to be neutral despite the fact that it is a half-century-plus ally – and as we now know, a literal partner in crime – of SNK.

Yahoo tries to justify aiding in Shi Tao’s arrest amid boycott call: After getting ripped by Reporters Without Borders for helping Communist China find and arrest journalist Shi Tao (fourteenth and fifth items), internet firm Yahoo meekly said it “must ensure that its local country sites must operate within the laws, regulations and customs of the country in which they are based” (Cybercast News), i.e., since we’re in a police state, we’re going to help the police against dissidents. In response, Privacy International “called on Internet users to boycott Yahoo” (ZD Net, UK) – yours truly may very well change the e-mail address as a result. Meanwhile, RWB and Human Rights in China called on President Clinton – in Huangzhou for an internet conference (eighth item) – to raise the issue in his speech there (Cybercast News).

More on American technology firms and Communist China: Jane Wakefield, BBC, examines the argument between technology firms desperate to get into Communist China and the human rights activists appalled at how subservient those technology firms are willing to be. Meanwhile, at least one firm, Microsoft, is finding that getting into Communist China is not all it’s cracked up to be (Andrew Orlowski, The Register, UK).

Pacific Command head visits Communist China: Admiral William J. Fallon, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, announced while in Beijing that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will visit Communist China in October. The trip is “part of a U.S. effort to ease tensions and expand military ties with China” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times), which begs the question: has Rumsfeld seen his own department’s report?

Russians see joint exercise as a flop: According to Russia’s Independence TV station (cited by the Epoch Times), Communist China didn’t do too well in its joint military exercises (fourth item) with Russia: “The Chinese soldiers’ equipment and morale is worse than ours. It seems that they did not prepare in advance!”

More on Communist China and the United States: William R. Hawkins, of the U.S. Business and Industry Council, hopes a more low-key summit with Hu Jintao will mean President Bush can “deal seriously with emerging threats rather than perform in Beijing's public relations show” (Washington Times). Charles R. Smith, Newsmax, details Communist China’s military ambitions in space and other fields.

Woe Canada! According to the Supreme Court of Canada, Lai Changxing, the reputed author of the multi-billion dollar Xiamen smuggling scandal – and given how high the scandal rose, a lock for execution no matter what his real role – should be sent back to Communist China. However, Rodolfo Pacificador, accused of assassinating political opponents, can stay. British Columbia’s Asian Pacific Post is, rightly, aghast.

More Commentary on Communist China: Caylan Ford, Epoch Times, reviews the disturbing record of Communist leader Hu Jintao, and hopes “his first visit to North America as China’s leader will alter his course.” Ford also has an excellent piece on the real state of the economy in Communist China (with an assist from Brian Marple). Meanwhile, Chinese Rights Defenders (via Boxun), blast the Communists for arresting anti-“one child” activist Chen Guangcheng (tenth and second items).

On Taiwan: Ben Hurley, Epoch Times, calls on the international community to end the ridiculous “one China” charade and support the island democracy.

News of the Day (September 7)

Communist Chinese arrest of journalist aided by Yahoo! Reporters Without Borders blasted internet firm Yahoo! for “supplying information to China which led to the jailing of a journalist for ‘divulging state secrets’” (BBC). Yahoo! gave the Communists “information that helped link Shi Tao's personal e-mail account” to a computer from which he sent a message that “warned journalists of the dangers of social unrest resulting from the return of dissidents on the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.”
Shi Tao has been in jail since last November (Boxun, see also fifth and fourteenth items).

Peasant who led suit against “one child” atrocities is now in prison: Less than two weeks after the Washington Post profiled Chen Guangcheng – the peasant who has led a class-action lawsuit against the hideous “one child” policy in Linyi, Shandong (tenth item) – police from that province followed Chen into Beijing, seized him, and dragged him back. While Zhongnanhai has tried to play itself off as sympathetic to Chen, forced abortion, infanticide, and murder are part and parcel of “one child.”

Falun Gong death last month at 61: At least 61 practitioners “were confirmed to be tortured to death in mainland China during the month of August” (Epoch Times).

Rice and Zoellick hoping talks with Communist China will lead to SNK deal: Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick told the Washington Post that he and his boss, Condoleezza Rice, “have begun to explore with Chinese leaders the economic and political future of the Korean Peninsula.” While the talks have included a message from the American side that “we would have to take defensive countermeasures of various types” against SNK’s nuclear ambitions, Zoellick also “said he urged the Chinese to consider scenarios for the Korean Peninsula that ‘would be benign to us and which would be benign to them.’” We have asked before, and now ask again: Will they never learn?

Communist China to U.S. on UN action against Iran – stuff it: Leo Jen Tung, Communist China’s Ambassador to the Khomeinist mullahcracy of Iran, publicly blasted the idea of hauling Iran before the Security Council for its nuclear weapons program. The cadre made the comments while celebrating Zhongnanhai’s “excellent ties with a strong and sovereign Islamic Republic of Iran” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times). Of course, he left out how the Communists aided Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

More on Communist China and the United States: Boaz Herzog, Christianity Today, has the latest on the case of Xiaodong Li (second item), who may be sent back to Communist China because the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals has stunningly decided that Communist China’s crackdown on churches outside its control were based on “laws on unregistered churches that it said China has a legitimate right to enforce.” The immigration board’s decision stunned Canadian blogger Russ Kuykendall, a.k.a. the Burkean Canuck (cross-posted to Friendly Blog Shotgun).

EU accepts textile deal: The European Union “approved a trade deal with China that aims to end a row over import quotas” (BBC). The deal, struck by EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson (tenth item), is the latest EU attempt to deal with a surge in textile imports from Communist China fueled by the January 1 end of worldwide textile trade curbs. Several developing nations who pushed for an end to the curbs have been crowded out of the EU and U.S. markets by the Communists (fifth, fourth, and second items).

On Hu Jintao: As the author of the Hanyuan County Massacre prepares to visit Canada (Cybercast News), the Epoch Times gathers together a symposium of leading anti-Communists (including yours truly), to offer their own words to Communist leader.

News of the Day (September 6)

Hu Jintao skips DC leg of trip in reaction to Hurricane Katrina: Communist leader Hu Jintao and President Bush “agreed to postpone their meeting next week because of Hurricane Katrina” (CNN). There is, at present, no rescheduled date, although Hu and Bush will meet in New York next week at the United Nations Summit (Epoch Times).

More on Communist China and the United States: In preparation for Hu’s truncated visit to America, the editors of the Epoch Times highlight the danger to the U.S. from Communist China. Two more Epoch Times columnists, Jason Loftus and Leeshai Lemish, also examine the Communist threat, particularly in light of cadre General Zhu Chenghu’s threat to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. Gabriel Martinez Cabrera, China Support Network, focuses on the Russia-Communist China military exercises, and the danger they poses to the U.S. Jared Pearman and Conan Milner, Epoch Times, provide largely conventional analyses of relations between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Patrick Goodenough, Cybercast News, also examined the ups and down between Zhongnanhai and Washington.

More on Hu Jintao: The editors of the Epoch Times called on the Communist leader to join the four million who have quit the party, as did Epoch Times columnist Wang Yifeng. Genevieve Long and Abraham Thompson, both of the Epoch Times, examine the problems Hu is leaving behind in Communist China. Finally, the paper’s New York staff condemns the Seattle Trade Development Alliance for banning it from covering Hu.

Chen Shui-bian to visit Governor Bush in Miami: Meanwhile, Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan’s elected president, “will visit with Florida Governor Jeb Bush . . . during a transit stop in Miami on his way to Central America later this month” (Newsmax).

Communist China letting SNK thugs kidnap refugees: Stalinist North Korea “has frequently kidnapped a high numbers of North Korean refugees at its border with China, along with South Korean citizens caught helping them” (Epoch Times). In many cases, the actually seizure occurs in Communist China itself, “due to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tacitly allowing” the refugees to be taken. Communist China itself sends back any Korean refugee it finds to the Stalinist North.

More on Stalinist North Korea: According to Congressmen Jim Leach (R-Iowa) and Tom Lantos (D-California), the Stalinist regime “intends to return to stalled nuclear negotiations this month” (Washington Post), but is still insisting on the “right to have a light-water reactor for energy production.” Of course, SNK already had that before they violated the 1994 Agreed Framework and admitted to a uranium weapons program. Meanwhile, a “group of some 140 South Korean civilian delegates” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times) are on their way to a “massive arts festival in Pyongyang.”

UN Human Rights Commissioner leaves Communist China: Louise Arbour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, left Communist China over the weekend (UPI via Washington Times). While Arbour pressed Communist China for “more information on its policy of capital punishment” (Voice of America via Epoch Times), she did not back away from her ill-advised “guardedly optimistic” (ninth item) comments on the regime’s treatment of its own people.

Amnesty Int’l calls on President Bush to hold Hu’s feet to the fire: T. Kumar, head of the Asia/Pacific branch of Amnesty International, “urged President Bush to send a clear message to Chinese President Hu Jintao about major human rights issues in China” (Epoch Times). Kumar also called on Bush to appoint a human rights envoy for Communist China – similar to his appointment of a rights envoy for Stalinist North Korea (last item). There is no rights envoy for Communist China (but there should be one).

More on human rights in Communist China: A conference on human rights in Communist China was held in Sweden over the weekend. Among the speakers were human rights lawyer Peter Bergquist, professor-turned-prisoner Shizhong Chen, Maiping Chen, chairman of Independent Chinese PEN Centre, Global Coalition for ByeCCP founder Sen Nieh, exiled dissident Wei Jingsheng, and Man-Yan Ng, an executive at a multinational technology group who throws cold water all over the “engagement” crowd’s mantra of “one billion customers” (all speeches reprinted by the Epoch Times).

EU announces a new textile deal: European Union negotiator Peter Mandelson announced a new textile trade deal with Communist China “to resolve the row that left 75 million Chinese garments stuck in European ports” (BBC). The deal ends a rift between Communist China and the EU over a surge in Communist textile imports after the end worldwide textile trade curbs on January 1 (fifth item). These U.S. has placed several restrictions against their own Communist textile imports, which has hit both U.S. manufacturers and exporters from developing nations (fifth, fourth, and second items).

Blair visits Communist China, EU arms embargo holds: British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Communist China and called for “improvement in its record on human rights and democracy” (BBC). Meanwhile, the EU’s nearly-junked arms ban (third item) against Communist China “was discussed” (Cybercast News), it wasn’t undermined.

Communist China gets millions out of Standard Chartered: Communist China swindled British bank Standard Chartered out of $123m in “investments” in a new, Communist-run Bohai Bank (BBC). The news comes less than a month after the Royal Bank of Scotland led a $3 billion capital infusion for the thoroughly corrupt Bank of China (eleventh, sixteenth, nineteenth, sixth, seventh, last, tenth, and seventh items).

Malaysian official visits Communist China: Meanwhile, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was in Beijing for “an official visit to China at the invitation of Vice Premier Huang” (UPI via Washington Times). Host Huang “said China was ready to deepen its strategic cooperation with Malaysia.” Oh, joy.

Protest report: About 50 appellants – citizens who are bringing grievance against local cadres to the capital – “rushed into Tiananmen Square from the northeast entrance” (Epoch Times) to protest Zhongnanhai’s policy towards them – which is, basically, ignore and incarcerate. Meanwhile, recent anti-Communist protests were reported in Guangdong, Shaanxi, Liaoning, and Sichuan provinces (Epoch Times).

As resignations pass 4.1 million, CCP uses porn to increase its web interest: The number of Party members who have quit in reaction to the Nine Commentaries has passed 4.1 million (for more on this, see Epoch Times coverage here and here). The Communists in Henan have responded with the very thing the cadres have used to justify their internet crackdown (sixth item): erotic chat rooms (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, former 610 official Han Guangsheng wrote to his old labor camp, and called on the staff there to “quit the Party as soon as possible and stop all your evil deeds” (Epoch Times).

More commentary on Communist China: Linyu, Central News Agency (via Epoch Times), examines the political fallout from Communist China’s version of American Idol. Glenda Korporaal, in the Australian, examines the tentacles Li Ka-Shing’s son has exteneded into Australia. John Simpson, BBC, has an analsys of Communist China’s rise that practically begs for the Ignorant Comment of the Day moniker until this sentence: “China, in particular, will have to develop politically: no more locking up people who speak their minds and tell the truth, no more being the world's leading executioner.”

News of the Day (September 2)

Iran got nuclear weapons metal from Communist China: The anti-mullahcracy National Council of Resistance of Iran accused the Khameini regime of “smuggling 20kilos of beryllium from China in 2004 for use in the regime's nuclear weapons project” (Gulf Daily News, Bahrain). Beryllium is a “neutron reflector” metal “commonly used as the closest layer surrounding the fissile material in nuclear weapons. While NRCI says nothing about how Iran acquired the metal from Communist China, the Zhongnanhai regime has been instrumental in Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons.

Communist China to stay out of PSI: Meanwhile, the Communists continued to cast aspersions on the U.S.-inspired Proliferation Security Initiative, “citing concerns about the legality of interdictions” (United Press Int’l via Washington Times). The unspoken, but more plausible, problem the Communists had was “North Korea's sensitivities,” especially since the Stalinist regime is the main reason the PSI was founded (fourth item).

Syria looking for Stalinist Nodong missiles: Speaking of Stalinist North Korea, World Net Daily, citing the Congressional Research Service, reports that the Ba’athist, terrorist-sponsoring Syrian regime “may attempt to acquire longer-range systems such as the No-Dong MRBM” from SNK. Syria hosted current Communist leader Hu Jintao when he claimed Israel was an anti-Arab, “colonialist plot” (sixteenth item).

More on Stalinist North Korea: South Korea’s Foreign Minister says the Stalinists’ demand for civilian nuclear power could continue to derail efforts to reach a deal at the six-party nuclear talks (UPI via Washington Times) – as if a deal was a good thing. Two South Korean prisoners of war who escaped SNK decades later told their stories to Jong-Heon Lee (UPI via Washington Times).

As textile talks end without agreement, U.S. restricts more Communist imports: The trade talks between Communist China and the United States (fifth item) “failed to reach a comprehensive textile agreement” (UPI via Washington Times). Within hours, the U.S. “introduced further quotas on Chinese-made clothing exports” (BBC), in particular “bras and synthetic fabrics.” These restrictions are not the first placed by the U.S. on Communist textile exports after the end worldwide textile trade curbs on January 1 (fifth item), which led to a Communist export surge that has hit both American manufacturers and exporters from developing nations (fifth, fourth, and second items).

More on Communist China and the United States: Daniel Blumenthal, of the American Enterprise Institute, and Gary Schmitt, of the Project for the New American Century, rips the “sinologists and American government officials who would like an excuse for the problem of Taiwan to just go away” for their attempt to smear President Chen Shui-bian as being unserious about Taiwan’s defense and ignoring the role of the appeasement-tinged Kuomintang opposition (see second item for more on this).

Goldman Sachs buys chunk of Communist-owned bank: The cadres tricked Goldman Sachs, Allianz, and American Express out of $3 billion – ahem, sold a 10% stake in the Communist-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to the firms (BBC).

Resignations pass 4 million: Just before the number of resignations from the Chinese Communist Party inspired by the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party passed four million, a rally was held in their support in New York (Epoch Times). This was the rally where John Patrick made his comments reported here, fourth item.

UN human rights official “guardedly optimistic” about Communist China: United Nations human rights commissioner Louise Arbour told the media she was “guardedly optimistic about the enormous potential for positive change” (BBC) in Communist China. She later went further into Pollyannaville: “I think there is no question that there has been an opening, particularly on political and social rights, which is starting, I think, to permeate throughout the country.” Obviously, she never saw Hanyuan County.

Canadian Supreme Court denies Lai Changxing asylum: Canada’s Supreme Court “refused a plea for refugee status by a man described by the Chinese government as its most wanted fugitive” (BBC). That man would be Lai Changxing, purported to be at the center of the massive Xiamen smuggling scandal. Lai’s only chance to avoid being sent back to Communist China lies with the Canadian immigration board.

Ignorant Comment of the Day: I have to hit another National Review Online blogger – this time TKS author Jim Geraghty. In a post on Able Danger, Geraghty badly mangled a report that some of the folks working on Able Danger were canned after putting together a chart on Communist China’s technology swindling that included current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: “One could easily see Able Danger’s assessments about al-Qaeda terrorists on U.S. soil being ignored, if they were also putting forward politically-explosive and wacky accusations too.” Perhaps if he had actually read the piece (or our summary of it, third item), he would find there was “no suggestion that Rice or any of the others had done anything wrong.” Sloppy, Jim, really sloppy.

More commentary on Communist China: The Epoch Times reprints in full the speech of Ethan Gutmann, author of Losing the New China (and Member since 2004) to the Taipei China Investment Forum (first reported here, fourth item); they also reprint the remarks of former cadre Professor Yuan Hongbing at the “Where the Chinese Economy is Headed” forum in Australia. Genevieve Long, Epoch Times, documents the jailing of her colleagues in Communist China.

News of the Day (September 1)

Communists announce “anti-terrorist” center, slander East Turkestan again: Communist China announced a plan for “a regional centre aimed at training policemen in anti-terror operations” (BBC). The Communists cited their usually trio of enemies – “terrorism, separatism and religious extremism” – as the subjects that will be taught at the center. Communist China has claimed – with no evidence to back it up – that Muslim Uighurs in occupied East Turkestan are bin Ladenites. Communist Ministry of Public Security deputy director-general Zhao Yongchen repeated the slander at a Congress on the Law of the World (United Press Int’l via Washington Times, second item).

Wei Jingsheng says Taiwan invasion could lead to nuclear war: Meanwhile, exiled dissident Wei Jingsheng told Bill Gertz (Washington Times) that Communist China’s probable invasion of Taiwan could lead to “nuclear war with the United States.”

Epoch Times banned from coverage of Hu Jintao: Communist China has banned the Epoch Times from covering Communist leader Hu Jintao’s visit to Seattle this weekend. Not that this should surprise anyone, given the cadres’ reaction to the paper’s founding.

More on Hu Jintao: John Patrick, China Support Network, rips President Bush for hosting Hu, while several exiled activists call on Hu to release imprisoned members of the China Democracy Party (Boxun).

U.S.-Communist China textile talks still going: The United States is still holding talks with Communist China “after failing to reach agreement in talks aimed at controlling China's surging clothing exports” (BBC) yesterday. Neither the U.S. nor the European Union could reach a deal with Communist China on the latter’s surge in textile exports (sixth, eighth, and second items). The U.S. slapped restrictions on Communist textile exports after the end worldwide textile trade curbs on January 1 (fifth item), which led to the aforementioned export surge that has, among other things, crowded out exporters from developing nations (fifth, fourth, and second items).

More on Communist China and the United States: Exiled dissident Fang Jue examines the state of affairs as he sees it between the U.S. and Communist China (Boxun). World Net Daily focuses on Communist China’s voracious appetite for American military technology – and their very disturbing success in getting a hold of it.

Communist China signs deal with UN rights envoy: Communist China “signed an agreement with the U.N. human rights agency yesterday to collaborate on reforming China's legal system” (Washington Times). The move was supposedly part of the UN “effort to persuade Beijing to embrace the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights” – never mind that the cadres have already signed the worthless “Covenant.” Meanwhile, internet activists Liu Di and Liu Xiaobo (fifth and seventeenth items) were placed under surveillance to ensure they would not embarrass the regime (Boxun).

More on human rights in Communist China: Sara Davis, Asian Wall Street Journal (via Boxun), laments the plight of petitioners – those who are trying to take grievances against local cadres to Zhongnanhai – and calls on the regime to end its horrible treatment of them. Kati Turcu, Epoch Times, talks to one of the artists involved in the Uncompromising Courage art exhibit, now showing in Australia.

Communist China says we should pay for their power plant: That Great Britain and the European Union decided to hand over to Communist China a major advance in power generation is bad enough. However, cadre Gao Guangsheng, when asked who should pay for the technology “designed to combat climate change” (BBC), responded with unmitigated gall: “Mr. Gao said they did not cause the climate problem and they expect the EU or the USA to pick up the whole tab.” Their emissions are our fault?

Communist Defense Minister hosts Greek counterpart: Communist Chinese Defense Minister and Central Military Commission Vice-Chairman Cao Gangchuan met with Greek Defense Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos, praised “Greece's support of Beijing's ‘one-China’ policy” (UPI via Washington Times), and spoke of greater defense cooperation between Communist China and Greece.

Communist China hits U.S. on arms sales to Taiwan: In a recent Communist “policy document” (BBC), Communist China “issued a new warning over US arms sales to Taiwan,” and demanded Taiwan be excluded from anyone else’s missile defenses. The cadres also insisted their massive military buildup and modernization was “moderate.”

Cadre professor sues Deloitte Touche for calling Taiwan a country: Meanwhile, Fudan University Professor Xie Baisan filed suit against accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CPA Ltd. The accounting firm “insulted him as a Chinese citizen” (UPI via Washington Times) and caused “mental anguish,” by listing Taiwan as a separate country on its website. Xie asked a Shanghai court to award over $12,000 in damages.

Communist mark anniversary of “regional government” in occupied Tibet: Communist China celebrated the 40th anniversary of the founding of the “autonomous region” of Tibet with the usual propaganda: “one cannot fully appreciate the gaiety permeating the region today” (China Daily, cited by Cybercast News). Of course, the fact that Tibet was a free country that the Communists invaded and have brutally occupied since 1950 was not discussed by the cadres. Also reporting: BBC

Hong Kong growing worried about contaminated Communist seafood: Shoppers in Hong Kong are shying away from fish and eels after the city announced freshwater fish and eels from the mainland, i.e., Communist China proper, contained the malachite green dye (Epoch Times). Hong Kong’s Apple Daily found that Communist China’s method of breeding eels included “more than ten drugs, such as flavomycin and chloramphenicol.”