News of the Day (October 20)

Rumsfeld decries Communist missile buildup: Wrapping up the Beijing part of his Asian trip, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld “expressed concern about China's growing missile capability” (BBC). Rumsfeld flatly told the Communists that any hope of “success in closer ties will require ‘both cooperation and candor’” (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). A humble recommendation: don’t hold your breath, Mr. Secretary.

Communist China arrests mother of Calgary resident in reaction to protest: Kevin Duan, a Falun Gong practitioner who escaped Communist China for Calgary in 2003, “attended an Edmonton press conference to recount his experience of being tortured” (Epoch Times) in Communist China. Here’s what happened next: “Hours later, his worst fear had been realized—his mother, 64-year-old Liu Yueyu, was kidnapped by authorities in Guangdong. Police put her through hours of interrogation about her son before she was released and went into hiding. She hasn’t been heard from since.” Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua is due to “lead a 200-member delegation to Vancouver in late October.”

Falun Gong protestor gets doused with water at consulate in Australia: Meanwhile, Emmy Pfister, a Falung Gong practitioner who was staging a demonstration at the Communist consulate in Brisbane, Australia, demanding the cadres “stop participating in the persecution of Falun Gong, or risk being sued when they travelled outside of China” (Epoch Times), had her protest interrupted by “a large amount of water . . . hosed down upon her from the rooftop of the apartment block directly above the unit occupied by the consulate officials.” Undaunted, she “continued to read as if nothing happened.”

World Press Freedom Index rates Communist China ninth-worst in the world: The Reporters Without Borders report put Communist China at 159 out of 167 nations rated – the worst was its northern Korean colony (United Press Int’l via Washington Times).

Communist economic growth still white-hot, according to cadres: Communist China boasted of an economic growth of 9.4% so far this year (BBC). How credible this is, given the cadres’ history of number-fudging (fifteenth and tenth items), is another story.

Hong Kong democrats blast “reforms”: Pro-democracy members of Hong Kong’s legislature ripped the “reforms” proposed by the city regime (second item) as leading to “so little change that endorsing it would be a betrayal of the public” (Washington Post).

Communist car salted for export to Europe gets “zero” safety score: The Jiang Ling Landwind, “expected to arrive in British showrooms within months” (London Times), scored lower than any other car – domestic or import – in at least two decades.

On Communist China vs. India: Lin Zhen, Epoch Times, ponders the potential of the world’s largest democracy – and geopolitical rival to Communist China – to supplant the Communist regime as the lead economic power in Asia.

More Commentary on Communist China: Asia News examines what’s at stake for the Communists, and everyone else in Taishi (fifth, tenth, sixth, lead, third, third, lead, lead, and lead items). Friendly Blog Democratic China rips the Communists’ democracy “white paper” (fifth item). The editors of the Epoch Times make note of the increasing popularity of the video version of the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party. Xiao Jing, Voice of America (via Epoch Times), hears from VOA listeners in Communist China who sound off against the cadres’ plans to monitor cell phone text messages. Andrew Carlisle, Epoch Times, reviews the cadres’ war against tradition.

Now on to the northern Korean colony . . .

An urgent plea for help: The non-profit Life Funds for North Korean Refugees wrote an open letter to South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun calling on him to help five SNK refugees caught in Communist China, including Kang Song-hee, who would be sent back to the Stalinists for the third time, and would likely be killed (via One Free Korea).

Stalinist North Korea using Russians to send missile tech to Iran: According to the London Telegraph (cited by Ben Shapiro, World Net Daily), ex-Russian military officers are serving as middlemen for “regular clandestine shipments of top-secret missile technology” sent to the mullahcracy by the Stalinists.

Top Powell aide rips Bush for not talking to SNK soon enough: Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Colin Powell when the latter was Secretary of State, ripped the Bush Administration for “the long refusal to engage with North Korea” (UPI via Washington Times). Given the fiasco that said “engagement” has wrought (One Free Korea), one has to wonder what Colonel Wilkerson is thinking.

Stalinists rip Hyundai for axing corrupt official: The regime “warned Thursday it would cancel its business deals with South Korea's Hyundai Group unless the firm restores its North Korea point man” (UPI via Washington Times). Said “point man,” Kim Yoon-kyu, was fired “for purportedly embezzling $1.1 million in company funds.”

Bush to meet Roh next month: The summit between the presidents will come on day before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation regional summit (Korea Herald).

More on Stalinist North Korea: The Friendly Blog One Free Korea laments South Korea’s abandonment of its SNK-kidnapped citizens, praises exiled dissident Kang Chol Hwan and YaleGlobal for their toughness on SNK’s use of food as a political weapon, and comments on a warning against sanctions. Donald Kirk visited the Stalinist regime, and presented to reports (Christian Science Monitor, Seoul Times). Andrew Salmon, Washington Times, has a more conventional (i.e., maddening) account of his trip to SNK.