Chinese control of the Panama canal has fuelled wild speculation in the US as to Beijing's plans for this strategic piece of real estate. Though I am not party to Beijing's military intentions I do know that they do not include submarine bases or sabotage, both of which would be obviously self-defeating.

On the contrary, the Chinese will, as former President Clinton inadvertently blurted out, bend "over backwards to make sure that they run it in a competent and able and fair manner." What matters, however, is not how the canal is managed but how Beijing will use the Hutchison Whampoa agreement to damage strategic US interests.

Irrespective of what some have asserted, Hutchison Whampoa is also an instrument of Chinese foreign policy. The company's chairman, Li Ka Shing, is an unofficial government minister. This fact is well known to US intelligence as it was to President Clinton. Nevertheless, Clinton still insisted on the canal passing into Beijing's hands, even though he knew Hutchison Whampoa had corruptly obtained the lease.

To get a clearer picture of what Clinton has let the US in for let us turn to Chi Haotian, Defence Minister and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, who said that war with the United States is inevitable. As a fan of Sun Tsu Chi well knows there is more than one way to wage war — and this is where the canal comes in. It provides Beijing with a base from which to create enormous mischief for the US while piously claiming that its presence is merely a commercial one.

It is commonly thought that acting through Castro's agents and the Colombian Marxist terrorist group FARC, Beijing is already heavily involved in running drugs into the US. To Beijing drugs are merely another weapon in its unofficial war against the US. Two other weapons are terrorism and subversion.

Drug revenues could be used to finance South American terrorists whose activities will, it is hoped, destabilise the region, particularly Mexico, thus tying up US military and intelligence resources. (Beijing also knows it can count on America's mainstream media to sympathetically report on left-wing terrorist activities). The emergence of the Zapatistas in the state of Chiapas could be a foretaste of things to come. It is no accident that this area is contiguous with Central America.

It is said in certain Beijing quarters that Mexico will play a central role in this strategy. These assume that encouraging political and social turmoil in Mexico would, for example, spur many more Mexicans to seek sanctuary in the US, forcing Washington to strengthen its southern boarder while antagonising Mexico City in the process. Beijing believes that a flood of Mexicans immigrants would provoke a backlash which in turn would whip up anti-American feeling south of the border, never a difficult task.

I said earlier that it was believed that Castro is now a Chinese agent. I can now state that there is no if about it. While in China a state official confided to me that Beijing has successfully enlisted Fidel Castro as an ally and he is to be heavily supplied with weapons and cash. South America is the weapons eventual destination.

The cash will be used, along with drugs, to finance revolutionary groups, buy off officials and corrupt politicians while the weapons will be shipped to select groups. Apparently Chinese intelligence has also invested a great deal in a Venezuelan army or former army officer who is linked to the DGI (Castro's KGB). Unfortunately, the official was not prepared to say anything further on the subject.

It was also said that the Beijing initially intended to form a Latin-American triangle consisting of Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia with Castro at the apex and Panama in the centre. The triangle was meant to be the heart of the Beijing's plans for the region. It looks, however, as if Marxist success in Brazil has caused Beijing to expand its plans for the region.

However, there are in Beijing who have urged caution. They have pointed out that Castro is aging and his regime is highly unpopular. They feel that should he die or fall seriously ill the regime will be swept away by a popular revolt with embarrassing results for Beijing.

Others have countered with the argument that the machinery of repression is so entrenched and the populace demoralised that Beijing's allies will have no problem in taking the reins of power. In any case, should the worse occur all any links to Beijing will be easily destroyed. Moreover, there is absolutely nothing to fear from America's mainstream media which is clearly besotted with Castro as is the Black Caucus and most Hispanic members of Congress.

What was particularly revealing is that Beijing seems convinced that most Democratic members of Congress and the Senate will play down any connections Beijing establishes with Castro and can be counted on to dismiss China's presence in the region as hysteria.

Some Senators and Congressmen and women were mentioned by name. The only reason I have not published the names is because I have no evidence of collaboration with Beijing. Nevertheless, I think I can say with confidence that if their names were made known their identities would come as no surprise to informed opinion.

It was made clear that the strategy is not basically one of establishing pro-Beijing regimes but of creating a massive running sore that will drain US political and military resources that will eventually help drive it out of the Pacific Asian region, leaving Hawaii as its only Pacific base.

I don't think this is a fantasy. Why else did Beijing provide missile know-how and nuclear weapons technology to the likes of North Korea, Pakistan, Iran and Libya? Because it generates tensions and fuels conflicts that tie up US resources. Knowing all of this, why did Clinton allow the canal to fall into Beijing's hands? Because, incredible as this will seem, he thought of Beijing as a "strategic partner" of sorts and not a potential enemy.

The Clintons and their supporters belong to that peculiar school of thought that sees conflict, particularly war, as the tragic outcome of misunderstandings between basically decent and reasonable people — except for fascists, of course, meaning those who challenge their beliefs and premises. Impervious to reality, those who cling to this suicidal-like vision accuse their critics of bad faith and dismiss their patriotic warnings as alarmist, ridiculous, hateful and so on.

The only thing Beijing's warlords understand and respect is power and the will to use it. America still has the power and its swift destruction of the Taliban and Saddam demonstrated that under the right president it still has the will to use its military might. And I think this is one of the principle reasons the Democrats hate Bush.

Agreed. Japan is starting to beef up considerably. It's time to let them loose. Reintroducing the predator into the environment should thin the herd a bit.

India and Pakistan will wind up on opposite sides of the fence. I am curious to see which country will wind up with the Chicomms and which one will be on our side. It's the 50's all over again.

"Panama Canal is 7000-8000 miles away from the Chicoms

The Chicoms have no aircraft -carriers, no blue ocean navy , no airforce planes that can reach the Panama-they have no mid-air refueling

Panama does not recognize the Chicoms diplomatically, but recognize Taiwan

I say 2 American air-borne Divisions and a CVCG will easily evict the few Chicoms in the Panama"

While loss of the JOTB and howard afb was not helpful to the US military, the canal itself is essentially undefendable from an enemy who is willing to simply shut the canal down, rather than occupy it and keep it operational.

I have wondered what the world-wide economic effects of suez and panama being closed indefinitely simoltaneously.

If I am not mistaken, the Chicomms have the worlds largest naval base in the Bahamas. Should another Carter or Clinton become POTUS we will have big problems. Communism is not gone. 3 posted on 06/10/2003 1:29 PM PDT by MattinNJ

If Chicoms have bases in Panama, then

the COSCO Chicom navy front-company has naval bases in Atlanta, Baltimore, Charleston, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, Seattle, Secaucus, Toronto, Vancouver

where China already/is presently/or will in the future - bring weapons, munitions, arms and short-range missiles and/or medium-range missiles (or missile parts) into the US and Canada.

COSCO may have advanced its "plan for conquest" by actually hiring Chinese personnel in the US (unlike H&W because Panama immigration laws have cumbersome hiring quotas):

Huang Dalei	General Manager, M.I.S.	ext 8854
Qui Jinguang	General Manager of Planning & Development	ext 8993
Liu La Chun	Deputy General Manager, Customer Service	ext 8987
Zhang Xiaosheng	General Manager, Equipment Control	ext 8872
Capt. Wang Yong	General Manager, Marine Operations	ext 8885

From their bases in the US, Chicomms may leave ships with missile parts (or biological agents) - docked for extended periods of time - in those US and Canada facilities. Using the Canal was not necessary because once their goodies are unloaded in California, 18-wheeler trucks can take them unchecked all the way to Secaucus. And with that unchecked border at parallel 48, all the way to Canada.

Another gift from the Jimmy Carter administration.

Jimmy Carter, Chuck Hagel, Dick Lugar and David Gergen seem to be working for the International communists. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. All four of them are really weird and Hagel, Lugar and Gergen look Russian to me. Call me a kook if you want, but something is wrong with those 4 blokes.

Tonight, UNSPUN with AnnaZ and Guest Hostess DIOTIMA!

TONIGHT AT 7/10pm!

Unspun with AnnaZ
September 11th, 2003 -- 10pmE/7pmP
A 9/11 Special
with one of our favorite guests
columnist and author
Julia Gorin

She's back from Israel
and live from New York City!

Click HERE to LISTEN LIVE while you FReep!

Click HERE for the RadioFR Chat Room!

Miss a show?
Click HERE for the RadioFR Archives!

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.