Free Republic

Note: The following text is a quote: Three Chinese Nationals and Two Corporations Charged with Illegally Exporting Defense Articles and Commerce Controlled Electronics Components to China and Conspiring to Violate U.S. Export Laws BOSTON, MA—Three nationals of the People’s Republic of China and two corporations were charged on October 1, 2009 in federal court with conspiring over a period of 10 years to illegally export defense articles, designated on the United States Munitions List, and Commerce controlled electronics components to end-users in China, including several Chinese military entities. Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks; John J. McKenna, Special Agent...

BEIJING — China celebrated its rise to a world power over 60 years of Communist rule Thursday, staging its biggest-ever parade of military hardware with over a hundred thousand marching masses in a display that stirred patriotism — and some unease. Police blocked off a wide area around central Beijing's Tiananmen Square for the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic. City residents were told to stay away and watch the events on television. President Hu Jintao, dressed in a gray Mao tunic instead of the business suit he usually wears, reviewed the thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks and...

Note: The following text is a quote: Jury Convicts Defense Department Official of Unlawful Communication of Classified Information and Making False Statements James Wilbur Fondren Jr., was convicted by a federal jury today on charges involving providing classified information to a man working with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and lying to the FBI about it. Fondren was convicted of one count of unlawfully communicating classified information to an agent of a foreign government and two counts of making false statements to the FBI. He was acquitted of two unlawful communication of classified information, one count of conspiracy to...

Note: See comments after the blog entry. Chinese researchers show how the PRC “owns” the U.S. Power Grid I had a head-slapping “What the F” moment when I read the New Scientist story “How to Short-Circuit the U.S. Power Grid“. Let’s start with the fact that the military strategy of the PRC ever since the U.S. speedily won the first Iraq war has been to find ways to mitigate our technological superiority by attacking its most vulnerable point - the network. That includes, as the Wall Street Journal so sensationally reminded us, the U.S. power grid. How fast do you...

June 28, 2006, 7:12 a.m. Bears a Close WatchChina knows our next Treasury secretary well. By Frank Gaffney Jr. As the Senate Finance Committee considers President Bush’s nomination of Henry Paulson to be the next secretary of the Treasury, the question is not whether he will be confirmed. That seems assured, as senators in both parties behave like star-struck groupies in the presence of a Wall Street “master of the universe,� whose net worth, from his time as a senior executive of Goldman Sachs, is estimated to be on the order of $600 million. Rather, the question is: Will any...

The national flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) will be hoisted at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on September 20, media reported Sunday. Chinese associations in the United States had applied to hold a ceremony in front of the US President’s residence to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of PRC. Chen Ronghua, chairman of Fujian Association of the United States, told reporters that their application was approved not only

The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is vitally important, touching on a wide range of areas including, among others, economic policy, security, foreign relations, and human rights. U.S. and PRC interests are bound together much more closely now than even a few years ago. The Administration of President Barack Obama has inherited not only more extensive policy mechanisms for pursuing U.S.-China policy, but a more complex and multifaceted relationship in which the stakes are higher and in which U.S. action may increasingly be constrained. Economically, the United States and the PRC have become...

LOS ANGELES—In two separate cases, three men have been sentenced to federal prison for attempting to transport sensitive and advanced U.S. technology to the People's Republic of China (PRC). Two men were sentenced yesterday, and another man linked to one of the schemes was sentenced last week to five years in prison. William Chi-Wai Tsu, 61, a Beijing resident, was sentenced yesterday to 40 months imprisonment for his role in exporting high-tech integrated circuits with military applications to the PRC. In a separate case, Tah Wei Chao, 53, of Beijing, was sentenced yesterday to 20 months imprisonment after pleading guilty...

The national flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) will be hoisted at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on September 20, media reported Sunday. Chinese associations in the United States had applied to hold a ceremony in front of the US President’s residence to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of PRC. Chen Ronghua, chairman of Fujian Association of the United States, told reporters that their application was approved not only because of the sound Sino-US relations but also because China is a responsible country. "Many Americans admire China due to the success of...

SANTA ANA, CA—A former Rockwell and Boeing engineer from Orange County was remanded into custody this morning after a federal judge convicted him of charges of economic espionage and acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China, for whom he stole restricted technology and Boeing trade secrets, including information related to the Space Shuttle program and Delta IV rocket. Dongfan “Greg” Chung, 73, of Orange, Calif., who was employed by Rockwell International from 1973 until its defense and space unit was acquired by Boeing in 1996, was found guilty by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney, who...

WASHINGTON—A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia has indicted James Wilbur Fondren Jr., on one count of conspiracy to communicate classified information to an agent of a foreign government and act as an illegal foreign agent; four counts of unlawfully communicating classified information to an agent of a foreign government; and three counts of making false statements to the FBI. If convicted on all charges, Fondren would face a maximum of 60 years in prison. David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Dana Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Joseph Persichini, Jr.,...

Note: The following text is a quote: Port St. Lucie man sentenced to 60 months on Arms Export Control Act conspiracy WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A 55-year-old Port St. Lucie man was sentenced Friday to sixty months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release following a joint U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) investigation. Joseph Piquet was convicted on March 5, 2009, on seven counts of conspiracy to evade the Arms Export Control Act by a federal jury in Fort Pierce. Court documents show he...

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, May 13, 2009 – The top U.S. officer in the Pacific called recent Chinese harassment of U.S. Navy ships “troublesome” and lamented China’s refusal to resume military-to-military dialogue as a lost opportunity to promote understanding that could prevent conflict. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, admitted he’s as baffled as anyone by the May 1 incident in which two Chinese fishing boats closed in on and maneuvered dangerously close to the USNS Victorious in international waters in the Yellow Sea. That followed on the heels of a March 8 incident in which...

A PENTAGON official formerly of the US Air Force has been charged with conspiracy to pass classified information to an agent of China, the US Justice Department said. A criminal complaint said today that retired Lieutenant Colonel James Wilbur Fondren, a deputy director of the US Pacific Command's Washington Liaison Office, "unlawfully and knowingly conspired" to communicate secrets.

SANTA FE — A grand jury Wednesday indicted Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr. and his father, former PRC member Jerome Block Sr., on multiple felony counts. The charges stem from campaign finance violations last year during the younger Block's successful, but controversial, bid for the powerful state commission. The eight charges against Block Jr. include two counts of embezzlement, as well as tampering with evidence and violation of election laws. An attorney for Block Jr. noted that the commissioner has already paid civil fines to the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office after admitting to misstatements on campaign finance...

Lost Horizon by: Daniel Allen, April 01, 2009 Despite sustained opposition from China, the Dalai Lama remains one of the world’s most respected and influential spiritual leaders. The borders of Tibet, over which the Dalai Lama claims leadership, are poorly defined, and constitute a potential conflict area for China, India and the U.S. On March 26th, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) gathered a distinguished set of panelists to discuss the strategic importance of Tibet, and why the U.S. must be involved in the peaceful resolution of the Tibet-China relationship. One of the featured speakers was Mr. Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy...

<p>WASHINGTON - At least 80 wealthy liberals have pledged to contribute at least $1 million each to fund a network of think tanks and advocacy groups, to compete with the potent conservative infrastructure built up during the last three decades.</p>

WASHINGTON — The Navy has assigned a heavily armed destroyer to escort the U.S. surveillance ship that got into a high-seas confrontation with Chinese ships last weekend. A defense official says the Pearl Harbor-based destroyer Chung-Hoon is keeping a close eye on the unarmed sub-hunting ship Impeccable as it continues operations in the South China Sea. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive ship movements. The official says the escort ship joined the Impeccable on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2009 – The incident in the South China Sea involving a U.S. ocean surveillance ship is serious enough to merit face-to-face discussions between U.S. and Chinese officials, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. The USNS Impeccable – an unarmed Military Sealift Command vessel -- was conducting operations in international waters 70 miles south of Hainan Island on March 8 when the ship was surrounded and harassed by five Chinese vessels. Morrell said the U.S. defense attaché in Beijing has been talking with China’s defense ministry about the incident. The Chinese defense attaché also is speaking...

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2009 – The United States will continue to sail ships on missions in international waters, a Defense Department official said here today. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the March 8 incident in the South China Sea in which five Chinese ships surrounded the USNS Impeccable -- an unarmed Military Sealift Command vessel – won’t hinder the United States from using international sea lanes. The United States protested the Chinese activity to China’s foreign ministry in Beijing and to the defense attache at the Chinese Embassy here. China rejected the U.S. protests today, and maintains the Impeccable violated...

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2009 – Five Chinese vessels shadowed and aggressively maneuvered close to the USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea yesterday, a senior Pentagon official said today. The U.S. oceanographic ship was 70 miles south of Hainan Island conducting routine operations in international waters when the ships approached, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. “We view these as unprofessional maneuvers by the Chinese vessels and violations under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful users of the ocean,” Whitman said. A civilian crew mans the ship, which operates under the auspices...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0901/090121losangeles.htm January 21, 2009 2 men arrested for illegally exporting sensitive technology to China Pair also accused of conspiring to purchase counterfeit electronic components LOS ANGELES - Two Southern California men were arrested Tuesday morning for their role in separate schemes to illegally export controlled items to China, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The defendants are also charged with illegally purchasing counterfeit electronic components. Michael Ming Zhang, 49, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and Policarpo Coronado Gamboa, 40, of Foothill Ranch, Calif., were arrested without incident early Tuesday morning...

"THE BRIEF LIFE AND EXQUISITE MARTYRDOM OF A HAMAS MORTAR CREW" Snippet: "Via Hamas' al-Aqsa TV station, said to be filmed in Jabaliya on 06 January 2008. At about 1'15" the crew is hit by an apparent Israeli counter-strike."

A headless angel and a missing ‘Baby Jesus’ were the casualties sustained by my nativity scene set after it was shown to nearly 1,000 Chinese students during Christmas a few years ago. Of course, what did I expect? I allowed students to ‘carefully’ handle the figurines because I wanted them to better understand the Christmas story that I was telling them. Unfortunately, some of the students were not quite as ‘careful’ as I would have liked...

Her name is Mary. She is only 19 years old but already she has many grey hairs. On Thursday mornings in my freshmen oral English class, she always sits alone in the back of the room. No one ever talks to her; she appears to have no friends. Whenever she speaks, the disdainful expressions that I detect on the faces of many of my other students betrays their true feelings about this different young lady...

November 17, 2008 Tibetans debate call for full independence from China Samdhong Rinpoche (centre), Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile based in northern India, after attending a special meeting in Dharamsala Jeremy Page, South Asia Correspondent Exiled Tibetan leaders began an unprecedented week-long conference today to discuss whether to stick to the Dalai Lama's non-violent quest for autonomy within China or re-launch a drive for outright independence. More than 600 Tibetans from around the world are attending the meeting in Dharamsala, the north Indian hill station where the Dalai Lama set up his government-in-exile after fleeing Tibet in 1959. The...

A Chinese-born physicist Monday pleaded guilty before a US court to illegally exporting American military space know-how to China, US officials said. Naturalized US citizen Shu Quan-Sheng, admitted handing over to Beijing information on the design and development of a fueling system for space launch vehicles between 2003 and 2007, the Justice Department said. Shu, 68, pleaded guilty to violating the Arms Export Control Act by helping Chinese officials based at the space facility on southern Hainan island to develop manned space flight and future missions to the Moon. He also acknowledged he had sent them in December 2003 a...

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The mainstream press steadfastly refuses to delve into Barack Obama’s radicalism, his Leftist revolutionary collaboration with self-identified communists from Frank Marshall Davis to Bill Ayers. The McCain campaign, moreover, has contributed mightily to the whitewash by ineptly seizing on the issue’s least important aspect: Obama’s abject dishonesty about the depth of his relationships with committed Leftists — e.g., the portrayal of Ayers as just “a guy who lives in my neighborhood.” (Petrified of being smeared as a racist, McCain has never mentioned Davis, whom Obama identifies only as “Frank” in his memoir. And, of course, utterance of Jeremiah Wright’s name...

Subversives for Obama Friday, 26th September 2008 There are two American election campaigns currently running. The first, in the mainstream media, accepts Barack Obama at face value, no questions asked, while it viciously turns over Sarah Palin and her family whom it subjects to lies, smears and character assassination. The second, being conducted in the blogosphere and (with one or two notable exceptions such as the Wall Street Journal) not alluded to at all by the mainstream media, is the site of verbal warfare between Camp Obama and bloggers who are practising journalism as it used to be practised –...

Despite renewed friction between Russia and the United States, the specter of open conflict has faded since the days of the Cold War. However, equipment designed by the two nations remains on opposite sides of 21st-century battlefields. This isn't surprising: America is the top vendor of major conventional weapons, and Russia ranks number two. Both countries share a legacy of making military equipment to counter the other's capabilities and a long history of parlaying arms sales into geopolitical influence. These deals, sanctioned by both national governments, are extensions of foreign policy. A resurgent Russia wants cash and international influence, while...

Negotiators from China and Taiwan will meet formally this week for the first time in nine years, but backsliding on a deal for direct flights may cool the mood of détente. Taiwan's top China negotiator, P.K. Chiang, will lead a team traveling to Beijing from Wednesday to Saturday to negotiate with his counterpart, Chen Yunlin, after recent informal meetings between the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, and Taiwanese leaders.

U.S. Wary Of Small Boat Terrorism As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success." While the United States...

Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco Formed to Honor George W. Bush Looking to honor the forty-third President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, the recently formed Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is looking to change the name of the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Facility. It seems the group would like to rename the SF Zoo adjacent facility to the "George W Bush Sewage Plant." Genius. The local grassroots movement, helmed by "Wayne Pickering," is proposing an ordinance initiative for the November 2008 San Francisco ballot in order to get the poop/pee/vomit plant's title changed. Why? To...

LOS ANGELES - Two men attempting to board a plane to China with nearly a dozen sensitive infrared cameras in their luggage were arrested on Saturday, a federal official said...

Petraeus: Al Qaida Trying to 'Come Back In' U.S. military officials said there will be no significant reduction in coalition troops in the Baghdad area as part of an effort to stop the Al Qaida offensive in northern Iraq. They said Al Qaida was trying to reenter Baghdad and reverse its losses in 2007. "Al Qaida is trying to come back in," U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus said. "We can feel it and see it, and what we're trying to do is rip out any roots before they can get deeply into the ground." Read More Militants Assert...

China says Tibet rioters trying to wreck Olympics By Chris Buckley and Lindsay Beck BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao accused the Dalai Lama of orchestrating riots in Tibet in which dozens may have died and said his followers were trying to "incite sabotage" of Beijing's August Olympic Games. And a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman went as far as saying the Dalai Lama should face trial. Premier Wen defended the crackdown on Lhasa, capital of the predominantly Buddhist Himalayan region, after last week's protests, and on neighboring Chinese provinces where copycat rioting by Tibetans erupted over the weekend. "There is...

China blocks internet access over coverage of protests The Chinese Army drove through the streets of Lhasa today parading dozens of Tibetan prisoners in handcuffs, their heads bowed, as troops stepped up their hunt for the rioters in house-to-house searches. As the midnight deadline approached for rioters to surrender, four trucks in convoy made a slow progress along main roads, with about 40 people, mostly young Tibetan men and women, standing with their wrists handcuffed behind their backs, witnesses said. A soldier stood behind each prisoner, hands on the back of their necks to ensure their heads were bowed. Loudspeakers...

In the latest sign that officials in Beijing are serious about reining in rampant inflation, China tightened controls on food prices Wednesday, requiring producers to seek government approval to implement any price increases. According to an official Xinhua news report posted on the government's English-language Web site, China's top economic planner announced price controls on a package of products, including grain, edible oil, meat, milk, eggs and liquefied petroleum gas. "Major enterprises are required to submit the price-raising scheme to the government for official approval 10 working days before they intend to raise the prices," said the National Development and...

LONDON (AFP) - Chinese-backed computer hackers attacked the internal computer network of British airplane engine maker Rolls-Royce, The Times said in its Monday edition. Citing unidentified security sources, the daily said that while the hackers did not manage to get through to the company's sensitive data, the attack earlier this year "nearly took them (Rolls-Royce) out". According to The Times, Anglo-Dutch energy company Royal Dutch Shell uncovered a spy ring made up of Chinese nationals at its facilities in Houston, in the United States, also earlier this year. The two companies declined to comment when contacted by The Times. "The...

What could the USS Kitty Hawk and Citigroup possibly have in common? I'll start with the aircraft carrier because I'm still stewing over what happened when the People's Republic of China abruptly denied the USS Kitty Hawk and its accompanying ships and submarines their routine, scheduled Thanksgiving berth in Hong Kong, where hundreds of crew members' families had gathered (at considerable expense) to celebrate the holiday with their loved ones. First, there was the nasty act itself. News accounts speculated about the "reason" -- was it President Bush's recent meeting with the Dalai Lama? Our latest arms agreement with Taiwan?...

Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, is the author of seven books on international affairs, including America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan (2006). The People's Republic of China continues to send worrisome signals about its security strategy. As the tone of cross-straits relations grows increasingly strident, China's latest military reshuffle and ongoing lack of transparency about its military budget are creating new tensions with both the United States and its neighbors in East Asia. In the lead-up to the opening of the Communists' 17th National Party Congress...

Dinsdag 16 oktober 2007, 12:38 - Is it coincidence that a revealing photograph of China's latest ballistic-missile submarines appeared online on the same day that China's 17th Party Congress opened in Beijing? Maybe not. The photograph, apparently taken from the water at a reasonably close range, shows two of China's Jin-class ballistic-missile submarines, which are designed to carry nuclear weapons, alongside a pier at an unknown location in China. The picture appeared on several Chinese Web sites on Oct. 15, the same day that China's Party Congress, held once every five years to choose the country's top leaders and set...

Don't back down to China's overt military threats By Joseph Farah Dear Andrés, As I understand it, you and President Bush believe it is in America's best interest to help China expand its economy through partnerships, sharing technology, Import-Export Bank loans, investment and relaxed trade requirements and allowing them to buy U.S. companies of strategic importance -- like 3Com. I disagree. What China needs to do to improve the plight of its people is to abandon the failed experiment with command-and-control socialism that has created a nightmare world of totalitarianism for more than 1 billion people. President Reagan rejected similar...

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is warning of a sea change coming to the global economy. Greenspan says the glory days of low-cost imports from China are coming to an end, sending a wave of inflation to the U.S., reports Bloomberg. After a speech in London yesterday, Greenspan answered an audience member's question about whether China's rapid economic growth will translate into rising prices. Greenspan cited an index of import prices from China to the U.S. that revealed prices are already beginning to trend higher (see chart). The index "finally turned higher in the spring," said Greenspan. "It's saying...

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Faced with a threatening military buildup by China, an increasingly outgunned Taiwan is quietly pushing ahead with plans to develop missiles that could strike the mainland, defense and security experts say. Taiwan successfully tested its first cruise missile with that kind of range this year, one that could send a nearly 900-pound warhead more than 600 miles, to targets as distant as Shanghai, military analysts said. Some Taiwanese military specialists have argued for decades that Taiwan should develop offensive weapons, including missiles, as a deterrent to the mainland, which has threatened to attack the self-governing island if...

The Chinese government launched a company Saturday to invest $200 billion from its vast foreign reserves, creating one of the world's richest investment funds at a time of rising scrutiny of such state-run entities. Financial analysts are watching to see where the new company invests and the impact on financial markets, especially demand for U.S. Treasury securities, in which Beijing holds a big share of its reserves. Beijing announced plans for the fund in March in hopes of earning higher returns on its $1.3 trillion in foreign reserves, which are the world's largest. The China Investment Corp. will start out...

The monks have vowed to continue their action Lorries with loudspeakers have been driving through Burma's main city of Rangoon warning residents to stop anti-government protests.The broadcasts threatened that "action will be taken against those who violate this order". But hundreds of monks and civilians defied the threats and began fresh protests at the Shwedagon pagoda. On Monday, there were protests in at least 25 towns, with tens of thousands of people marching in Rangoon. Several military trucks are now parked near Shwedagon pagoda, which has been the focus of the protests. Eyewitnesses said several hundred monks gathered at...

No one alive at the close of the 19th century could have missed the "scramble for Africa". A motley collection of robber barons, imperialist ideologues, explorers, rogues and adventurers - the likes of Cecil Rhodes and the appalling Leopold II, King of the Belgians - carved up the continent in the name of five European powers. Today, few appear to have noticed that a second "scramble for Africa" is under way. This time, only one giant country is involved, but its ambitions are every bit as momentous as those of Rhodes and company. With every day that passes, China's economic...

China believes it is a 're-emerging power' "China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese" were the wise words of one of the great statesman of the 20th century, former French President Charles De Gaulle. As that century drew to a close, soon-to-be US president George W Bush was asked if he knew who India's leader was. "The new prime minister of India is ... No," he replied. It is unlikely historians will look back at this new century and find western leaders happily displaying their ignorance of the two most populous nations on earth. Things have changed...