| Miss an Update, Weekly Links, or a North Korea Report? Find it on our web site. Link of the Week Lai Changxing, as head of the Yuan Hua corporation, was at the center of the multi-billion dollar Xiamen smuggling scandal that has led to hundreds of arrests and a number of executions. He and his wife are currently in Canada, fighting extradition by the Communists, who say they won�t kill them. Naturally, they are rather skeptical of the Communist promises. He talked to Hannah Beech of Time Asia this week. Perhaps one of the reasons the Communists are so keen on getting Lai and his wife back, and quite possibly dispatching them to the next world, can be heard from a former police officer who whispered to Beech, �Honestly, I think he did more for this city than the government ever did.� Can�t have that going around. What does Lai�s rise and fall say about �private enterprise� in Communist China? The best response comes from, ironically, a Xiamen employee of the Communist People�s Daily, �Only the government thinks smuggling is stealing. The rest of us just think it's the way business is done in Fujian province.� Take note all ye Wall Streeters dreaming of profits and �one billion customers.� On Communist China and Iraq Rupert Wingfield-Hayes (BBC) calls Communist China �perhaps the strongest in its opposition to a new US-led war against Iraq.� He looks at why the PRC is so opposed, and why, despite that, they would likely not be willing to block the U.S. on its own in any UN Security Council vote, in his latest report. On Communist China and Taiwan Lev Navrozov reminds the world of the growing military danger of Communist China in Newsmax.com. More on Defense Technology Exports The bill to loosen export controls of high technology (see last Week�s Links) has apparently �been readied for House consideration.� Wes Vernon gives a reminder of just how bad this bill is in Newsmax.com. On Domestic Politics in Taiwan During its 50-year reign over Taiwan, the Nationalist Party became the richest political organization in the world. Now, the massive wealth has become a major political embarrassment for the party, as Andrew Perrin of Time Asia reveals. On �Reform� in Communist China Willy Wo-Lap Lam (CNN), examines the prospects for political reform at next month Party Congress, and finds it�s all talk and no action. Check out the latest on Communist China and the Terrorist War. Sign up now for the next North Korea Report, due out on Monday. Sign the Boycott Petition: In reaction to the decision of the International Olympic Committee awarding Beijing the 2008 Olympic Games, the China e-Lobby has begun a petition for an American boycott of those games. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving it. Anyone who wishes to join can send his/her name and e-mail address to [email protected]. Please feel free to send any news on Communist China you happen to find to the same address. |