Mr. President, the China file is calling

I don't want to be too hard on President Obama yet. After all, he has been in the Oval Office less than a week. Still, if his first two days are any indication, East Asia will end up on the back burner - the last place it needs to be.

The Chinese Communist Party is facing its worst economic crises since the Cultural Revolution. Economic growth fell below population growth in the last quarter (BBC, CNN, and the Washington Post), and given the cadres' penchant for inflating their statistics, the population may have outgrown the economy for the entire year of 2008. To make matters worse, the consumer benefits that have come to other economies from the fall in oil prices have not appeared, due to Communist-imposed directives to keep oil prices high.

Lest anyone think this is merely a problem for the CCP and the Chinese people, the cadres are already trying to divert attention on this failure by rattling their sabres abroad (much like the Brezhnev-era Soviets did). In addition to the usual propaganda on Tibet (John Batchelor and Radio Free Asia), the regime is continuing to project its ever growing naval power (Japan Times and the Weekly Standard), and the espionage network is alive and well (Agence France Presse via Yahoo). Meanwhile, the rest of the free world continues to be asleep (BBC).

I fear the President's East Asia policy will not be centered around Communist China, but North Korea. If so, Nicholas Eberstadt has a good column on how his (Obama's) predecessor fouled up (Weekly Standard). Still, even Eberstadt missed the CCP's role in making North Korea the "bad cop" and reeling in the concessions (BTW, they're at it again - One Free Korea).

It took almost a year before the CCP managed to get President Bush where they wanted him, and Clinton took a little longer. It would be a shame if the CCP were able to get President Obama where they want him, especially if its driven by the latter's indifference.

A shortage of a crucial military asset, the F-22

There's an urgent issue I've been following for some time, and since there is mainly silence on this problem, I've decided to take up the cause myself.

America may not have enough modern fighter planes to ensure its defense during the coming years unless smart people make their voices heard soon. The Air Force believes we need 381 F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to provide air dominance for defending America and enabling its military forces. So far, the Pentagon and Congress have only approved funding for 183 Raptors--less than half of the number requested.

If no additional acquisitions are approved before the F-22 assembly line shuts down, the U.S. will be gambling with its ability to control the skies, trading a more secure future for a big question mark. It's that simple. Meanwhile, China continues to make substantial gains in air and space capabilities, building up for a future showdown. Weakening the U.S. force makes that showdown all the more likely. USAF Chief of Staff Moseley characterizes China's growing air power as "very, very capable." China's new J-10 fighter is just one piece of the modern PLA air force.

I've started a blog and information site about saving the F-22. The action items include a petition for more Raptors as well as a contact form to request critical Air Force funding. I hope you'll join me in this endeavor and help keep the free world strong.