[The Non-Euclidean Blog] Made in China

[NEB]

While you're watching Iran's convulsions and North Korea's nuclear grandstanding, you might take a second to skim this report from the Congressional Research Service. While we continue to gobble up China's junk at an astounding rate--just check the stickers next time you're shopping--the People's Republic has done an outstanding job of enabling the two biggest disasters unfolding on our screens today.

Excerpts from the report, published on May 26, 2009:

Congress has long been concerned about whether U.S. policy advances the national interest in reducing the role of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missiles that could deliver them. Recipients of China’s technology reportedly include Pakistan and countries that the State Department says support terrorism, such as Iran and North Korea.

According to unclassified intelligence reports submitted as required to Congress, China has been a “key supplier” of technology to North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan for use in programs to develop ballistic missiles, chemical weapons, or nuclear weapons.

In contrast to the Clinton Administration, the Bush Administration repeatedly imposed sanctions on PRC “entities” for troublesome transfers. On 23 occasions, the United States has imposed sanctions on over 30 different PRC “entities” (not the government) for transfers (related to missiles and chemical weapons) to Pakistan, Iran, or another country, including repeated sanctions on some “serial proliferators.”

The report reads like a Hall of Shame for the world's troublemakers, including Saddam's Iraq, Syria, and Libya. China has long served as the weapons depot for the unfree world, enabling the worst regimes and arming the vilest dictators. We politely applaud the grand spectacle of the Beijing Olympics, congratulating ourselves on our noble civility in welcoming China into the world community. Meanwhile, the PRC regularly supplies the necessary hardware for Orwellian regimes around the world to threaten their neighbors with nuclear holocaust and bludgeon their citizens into compliance when necessary.

Don't expect China to step in and fix any of it. As long as their clients don't bother them, and as long as the West is bloodied and off balance, our Most Favored trade buddy will whistle a cheery tune all the way to the bank. Remember that while you're watching bloody riots in Tehran and atomic brinksmanship in Pyongyang. These--and a huge chunk of the world's nastiest people and incidents--have "Made in China" stamped all over them.

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Posted By NEB to The Non-Euclidean Blog at 6/22/2009 01:29:00 PM