February 11, 2008

DOD Analyst Netted In Chinese Espionage Ring

Gregg William Bergersen, 51, of Alexandria, Va., has been charged with passing on classified information he obtained as a Pentagon employee to two Chinese spies.

According to the Justice Department, Bergersen traded secret documents on the U.S. space program and military sales with Taiwan, an enemy of China, to Tai Shen Kuo and Yu Xin Kang both of New Orleans. The Washington Post reports that the trio met at various times in "Northern Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina and Las Vegas."

Bergersen, a weapons policy analyst at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, faces up to 10 years in prison.

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Posted to: Asia, China
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January 24, 2008

Freedom Falters Worldwide

If 2007 seemed like a bad year for democracy, that's because it was, according to new data from Freedom House, a U.S.-based organization that monitors and promotes freedom around the world. The group recently released its report on 2007, citing a "notable setback for global freedom" for the second consecutive year.

Freedom House uses its own set of criteria to divide nations into three categories: "free," "partly free" and "not free." In 2007, one-fifth of the world's nations experienced a decline in freedom, the group says. Although the number of countries in the "not free" category did not grow over the last year, "there were many changes within these broad categories" that demonstrate an alarming trend, a press release announcing the report claims. These reversals were seen in countries across the globe -- from sub-Saharan Africa to the former Soviet Union.

Nearly four times as many countries saw declines in levels of freedom as showed improvement. Dishearteningly, several countries that had been experiencing progress toward democracy in recent years, such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Kenya, took steps backward in 2007. Two former Soviet countries that underwent "color revolutions" fairly recently -- Kyrgyzstan and Georgia -- also reversed track last year, Freedom House reports.

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Posted to: Africa, Asia, China, Europe, Iran, Kenya, Middle East, Pakistan
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December 28, 2007

Why We Fight

Before the Christmas break, we wrote that Americans' dwindling interest in the Iraq war might be perilous to the national interest, as Alasdair Roberts recently contended in Foreign Policy. Now the war on terrorism -- which even critics of President Bush must admit now includes Iraq -- is back in the headlines, thanks to yesterday's tragic events.

The view from Washington is that the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a serious kneecap blow to U.S. foreign policy. To quickly review: President Pervez Musharraf, an ally by necessity, is increasingly unpopular at home and for good reason. (People who live under military dictatorships generally do not enjoy the experience.) Meanwhile, there's a virulent strain of anti-Western, Islamic fanaticism seeping through Pakistan at the moment, which means this White House's usually cherished principles of liberty and democracy do not apply.

The Bhutto-Musharraf power-sharing compromise was seen as the most feasible shot at calming Pakistan's restive populace. In Bhutto, Washington saw a more reliable and transparent ally in the war against extremism, in part because of her shady ethical past. She had something to prove.

Now that she's gone, we're back to where we were, and less than two weeks before Pakistan's elections no less. No doubt there is panic in the Beltway today, if only for the dearth of available options now.

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Posted to: Al-Qaida, Asia, Bush Administration, Campaigns, China, Democrats, Iraq, John McCain, Joseph Biden, Middle East, Pakistan, President Bush, Republicans, Ron Paul, Russia, Terrorism, WH 2008
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December 04, 2007

China Turning The Corner On AIDS

Just as an increasingly third-world epidemic threatened to shatter China's move toward superpower status, changing public attitudes and determined prevention efforts appear to be pulling the Asian giant back from the brink. Shanghaiist has a roundup of recent optimistic headlines on AIDS in China, while noting Beijing still has a ways to go. The Atlantic's James Fallows gets a shout-out here, for noticing on Sunday a rare photo of President Hu Jintao shaking hands with (i.e., touching) an AIDS patient.

State-run Xinhua news agency reported earlier this week on a celeb-studded AIDS-awareness march along the Great Wall. The main obstacle in China's fight against HIV/AIDS is its rapid spread in impoverished and remote regions of that country. The U.N. recently estimated that between 30 and 50 million people in China are at risk of contracting the disease, GayWired reported last week.

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Posted to: Asia, China, HIV/AIDS, Health
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November 30, 2007

Schwab Hails China's Decision To Halt Contested Subsidies

China yesterday agreed to end subsidies challenged by the United States as a violation of world trade rules, a move touted by the Bush administration as proof that its policy of engagement is working. "I think this announcement makes clear that the administration's policy of serious dialogue and resolute enforcement is delivering real results," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said. "It clearly shows the wisdom of this approach over some legislative approaches that would simply impose retaliatory tariffs."

Schwab said the subsidies, which were the subject of a World Trade Organization case the United States filed in February, had provided significant benefits to China-based exporters across a range of industries, including steel, wood products and information technology. A U.S. official said the United States had made no concessions. China has agreed to terminate the subsidies by the end of the year.

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Posted to: Asia, China, Trade
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October 30, 2007

Halloween Memo: Beware Of Lead

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is in hot water again on Capitol Hill following the latest round of product recalls, this time focused on toys and accessories associated with Halloween.

The agency recently recalled what Agence France-Presse described as "a record number of products for lead violations, including buckets to collect 'treats' and costume teeth for children for the fun festival."

The recalls coincided with a scathing report [PDF] from liberal advocacy group Campaign For America's Future that calls for a drastic overhaul of the systems used to vet products imported from China, the origin of most of the contaminated items that have been recalled in recent months.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, today called for CPSC Chairwoman Nancy Nord's resignation, citing her failure to offer a "plan that would adequately equip the CPSC to do its job" in the wake of multiple product safety scares.

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Posted to: China, Economy
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October 26, 2007

Navy Looks Beyond Wars In New Strategy

The U.S. Navy is revamping its global posture for the first time in a quarter of a century through new collaboration with the Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

Calling the maritime services "a unifying force and a willing partner for global prosperity and peace," the Navy unveiled its new strategy last week at the International Seapower Symposium in Rhode Island. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead (who formally replaced now-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen less than a month ago) said earlier this month, "We must be prepared for many future paths, many dangers and many potential threats. And that requires, above all, a long-term perspective and a long-term commitment to building a Navy capable of meeting 21st-century challenges."

The U.S. maritime focus will continue to be on support operations for the other armed forces and combat readiness, but the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard will also look past the current conflicts in the Middle East to the waters around China, Africa and South America. Humanitarian missions and sea commerce will also be of primary importance for the maritime services.

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Posted to: Asia, China, Military, North Korea
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October 23, 2007

Poll Track: China's Grinch Effect

Americans are growing increasingly wary of the nation's economic situation as they head into the crucial holiday spending season, according to a new poll from American Research Group. And in an address to a conference on U.S.-China relations this morning, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson hinted at one possible explanation for the recent jitters: the series of recalls over the past several months of Chinese-made products sold in the U.S.

"Recent and repeated reports of tainted food and product imports are causing fear and uncertainty in American consumers and harming the 'Made in China' brand here in the United States," Paulson said, calling on officials from both countries to step up product safety assurances rather than resort to "protectionism or retaliation," some of which has already occurred.

In a new CBS News/New York Times poll, a plurality of Americans agreed with Paulson that protectionism was the wrong approach. That poll also suggests that consumers aren't necessarily shying away from Chinese products just yet. But another recent survey conducted by Reuters/Zogby hints that Americans are not eager to spend their holiday shopping dollars on potentially harmful Chinese-made toys. That's bad news for U.S. retailers, because roughly 80 percent of the toys they sell are imported from China.

See today's Poll Track (subscription) for more numbers on the economy and Chinese-made products.

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October 19, 2007

Bush Announces New Myanmar Sanctions

President Bush said the U.S. government would take tougher measures on Myanmar in order to pressure its leaders to abandon a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists.

"The Burmese authorities claim they desire reconciliation. Well, they need to match those words with actions," Bush said in a White House press conference.

Among the new measures is a tightening of export control regulations on the southeast Asian country. Myanmar is a significant timber exporter and does a healthy energy trade in the region.

Bush called on Myanmar's military dictatorship to permit officials with the International Committee of the Red Cross access to political prisoners. He also demanded that the regime release all political prisoners "immediately."

"We will consider additional measures if the Burmese government does not end the brutal repression of the people," Bush added. "Business as usual is unacceptable."

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Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, President Bush
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October 16, 2007

Superpower Watch: Picking Sides, Choosing Teams

Once again, the Bush administration is reminded that while it would be preferable to have the world at its back as it attempts to stabilize the Middle East, it simply does not. Iran and Russia have sealed an agreement among the Caspian Sea nations that "under no circumstances will they allow [the use of their] territories by third countries to launch aggression or other military action against any of the member states." Doesn't take a genius to figure out which third country might top that list.

This declaration accomplishes several things, none of which bode well for Washington's push for Iran to come clean on its nuclear program.

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Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Europe, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Robert Gates, Russia, Terrorism, U.N., Vladimir Putin
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October 11, 2007

Thumbing Noses At Allies One Day At A Time

Yesterday, the U.S. Congress angered Turkey. Today, the White House confirmed that President Bush is about to do the same to China.

Press secretary Dana Perino confirmed that the president will meet once again with the Dalai Lama. Bush has met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader before, much to China's chagrin, but next week will mark the first time the two will appear together publicly.

The Dalai Lama will be a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. Perino said Bush had already informed Chinese President Hu Jintao that he would be attending the Oct. 17 award ceremony, but Perino confirmed for the first time today that there will also be a one-on-one meeting on Oct. 16.

China has already expressed displeasure with Bush's plan to attend the ceremony. Earlier this week, an official said the Nobel Peace Prize recipient was "a political exile who undertakes secessionist activities abroad."

Reuters and AFP have more on next week's ceremony.

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Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, President Bush
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October 05, 2007

Myanmar Unrest Sets Stage For Another U.N. Face-Off

As the U.S. and its allies lay the groundwork for possible U.N. action against the military dictatorship that rules Myanmar, China and Russia are forming an axis of opposition to the endeavor.

China is one of Myanmar's most generous benefactors, and in a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, warned members not to interfere in the junta's crackdown on an army of monks.

"It is quite understandable for the outside world to express concern and expectation regarding the situation on the ground, however, pressure would not serve any purpose or would lead to confrontation or even the loss of dialogue and cooperation between Myanmar and the international community, including the United Nations," said the Chinese ambassador, Wang Guangya. "If the situation in Myanmar takes a worse turn because of external intervention, it would be the people of Myanmar who will bear the brunt."

According to the New York Times, Russia and China are arguing that "the crisis does not constitute the kind of threat to international peace and security that calls for the involvement of the Council."

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Posted to: Africa, Asia, China, Sudan, U.N.
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September 28, 2007

New Vote On Iran Sanctions Delayed

UPDATED.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not go out of her way to hide her disappointment at the latest setback in U.S. efforts to clamp down further on Iran.

"The international community has to have a greater sense of urgency about some of these issues," she said, speaking to reporters at the U.N. this afternoon. "We have two unanimous Security Council resolutions in place on Iran. We're working on a third, and using that track to try to invigorate the negotiations track." Rice conceded that there was already a "certain level of cooperation in Iran."

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Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Condoleezza Rice, EU, Europe, France, Germany, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Terrorism, U.K., U.N.
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September 26, 2007

U.N. General Assembly: Like Last Year, Only Worse

The astute Brits at the Economist called it.

By granting so many interviews to curious American journalists and agreeing to take questions from college students at Columbia, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made sure that this year's meeting of the U.N. General Assembly would revolve around him. It helps that his BFF in these parts, Venezuelan firebrand Hugo Chavez, sat this one out, which means Ahmadinejad's "no gays in Iran" statement remains the craziest (and most sinister) thing said all week.

Ahmadinejad put on his "serious" face (no smiling) yesterday when he delivered his U.S.-centric speech before the General Assembly. The American delegation didn't bother to stick around for its entirety, such was its predictability. If this scenario reminds you of last year's meeting at the U.N., it should. The bottom line for the Security Council has been no nuclear material for Iran, period. Yesterday, Ahmadinejad ensured that the U.N. will act to shut him down, one way or another.

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Posted at 1:15 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, Chechnya, China, Condoleezza Rice, Hugo Chavez, IAEA, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 25, 2007

Bush's Other Legacy On Display At U.N.

President Bush called on the U.N. General Assembly to renew its focus on human rights, as he reminded increasingly distant member nations of America's outsized role in humanitarian work around the globe.

Placing the spotlight on the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Bush told the audience, "The nations in this chamber have our differences. Yet there are some areas where we can all agree."

The president ticked off a laundry list of ills, some of them ancient, still plaguing the globe, from malaria to HIV/AIDS, starvation to closed markets, impositions on the freedom of speech and assembly, and "tyranny and violence."

The Universal Declaration is not being upheld, Bush said, "when innocent people are trapped in a life of murder and fear" or "when millions of children starve to death or die from a mosquito bite."

"Changing these underlying conditions is what the declaration calls the work of underlying freedom," he said.

Bush then turned his attention to the representatives of Myanmar.

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Posted to: Asia, Bill Clinton, Bush Administration, China, Climate Change, HIV/AIDS, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 21, 2007

Cribs & Lunch Pails Spark New 'Made In China' Concerns

The latest round of recalled goods again centers around children's products made in China. This time, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling about 1 million Simplicity baby cribs because of design flaws that can lead to the entrapment or suffocation of infants. At least three children have died and seven have been trapped by the drop side of Simplicity cribs, which are manufactured in China.

The Chicago Tribune, which will publish its investigation into the April 2005 death of 9-month-old Liam Johns this weekend, attributes the recall to its reporting on the matter. "More than two years after the child died, following the paper's inquiries, the CPSC sent an investigator earlier this week to finally retrieve the crib and examine its flaws," the Tribune reports today. "Three days later, the agency announced the massive recall."

The CPSC Web site has details on the specific models being recalled.

And in an unrelated story today, public health officials in California are recalling 300,000 canvas lunch boxes, also made in China, which the state has given away for free over the past three years to promote healthy eating habits. At least some of the lunch boxes are believed to contain harmful levels of lead, the California Department of Public Health said Thursday.

The two latest recalls come after a spate of recent scares over the safety of Chinese-made food products and toys have increased public scrutiny of imports from China.

Posted at 3:27 PM
Posted to: China, Economy
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September 18, 2007

In Case You Missed It...

... we're going to war with Iran. France is on board, too. (With us, not Iran.)

What?

The surreality of global relations this week is enough to make us wonder if we're trapped inside one of John Bolton's fevered dreams. Let's untangle this web of crazy carefully, lest all our heads collectively explode.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is now seeking to assure allies that his country will "negotiate, negotiate, negotiate" before resorting to the option of war with Iran. On Sunday, the socialist ignited a firestorm when he told an interviewer, "We must prepare for the worst," adding, "The worst, sir, is war."

Kouchner said that France was "preparing" itself for the prospect of war in the event efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program were unsuccessful.

En route to a meeting with his counterpart in Moscow today, Kouchner sought to dial back his earlier remarks. "I do not want it said that I'm a warmonger. My message was one of peace, serious and determined," he told traveling reporters. Later, he blamed the media for running wild with what he'd said on Sunday. "As usual with journalists, they take one phrase and you don't know what came after," he said on a Russian radio talk show.

That's fair. Then again, maybe France picked a really bad time to propose Germany dump its historical baggage and dive into the nukes business.

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Posted at 6:30 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Europe, France, Germany, Iran, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Syria, Terrorism, U.K., U.N.
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September 14, 2007

Report: Germany Wavers, U.S. Revives Iran Planning

About a month ago, we wondered why White House officials were leaking word that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps was to be designated a terrorist organization. Looks like we may have an answer.

Reuters reports that the leak may have been a hawkish attempt to goad the State Department into taking a tougher line on Tehran. The White House alleges Iran is arming and funding Shiite insurgents in Iraq, compounding existing frustration over Iran's nuclear ambitions. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has mostly laughed off U.N. economic sanctions aimed at his uranium enrichment program.

Now, there are indications the sanctions process may have hit a roadblock.

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Posted at 11:41 AM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, EU, Europe, France, Germany, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 06, 2007

Bush And Hu Discuss Contentious Issues In Sydney

President Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao met Thursday to discuss a range of contentious topics on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific summit in Sydney, Australia. The leaders reported a "friendly atmosphere" during the bilateral talks, but Bush admitted Wednesday that "our relationship with China is complex." If anything, it has become even more so in recent months, as China has come under intense international criticism for its failure to implement promised changes ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games, to be held in Beijing.

Australian President John Howard has made climate change the focus on this year's APEC summit, and on Thursday Bush and Hu expressed their shared view that global warming has the potential to affect the entire world community.

The Bush administration refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the most significant international climate change agreement to date, in part because the treaty did not hold developing countries China and India to the same standards as the U.S. and European nations. President Bush has expressed willingness in Sydney to move forward on an APEC pact that would reduce fossil fuel emissions, but only if China is ready to do its part as well. Hu told reporters that "this issue should be ... tackled through a stronger international cooperation."

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Posted at 11:54 AM
Posted to: Asia, China, Climate Change, Olympics, President Bush
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August 23, 2007

Et Tu, SpongeBob?

First it was Thomas. Then came Elmo & Dora. Now the furor over tainted toys made in China has reached yet another beloved children's character -- SpongeBob SquarePants.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a new recall of more than 300,000 items manufactured in China, including a quarter of a million address books and journals featuring the blue-eyed, yellow-visaged Nickelodeon character, because of concerns about excessive levels of lead. China, meanwhile, appears to be growing weary of all the product safety accusations coming from the United States and is now claiming U.S. soybeans are tainted with pesticides and poisonous weeds, AP reports.

Reuters has more on the latest toy recall. And Slate has a report on why protecting American children from lead poisoning will require more than just avoiding the "Made in China" label.

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Posted to: China, Economy
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August 17, 2007

Mining Tragedy Shows Legislation Not A Quick Fix

In June 2006, President Bush signed into law Congress' response to the Sago disaster in West Virginia, which claimed the lives of 12 miners. The MINER Act [PDF], Bush promised, would "enhance mine safety training... improve safety and communications technology for miners and provide more emergency supplies of breathable air along escape routes." The law was designed to provide the nation's 350,000 mine workers with as many safeguards as possible in one of the world's most dangerous industries.

Flanked by bipartisan supporters of the bill, Bush also announced he was nominating Richard Stickler to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA. The president touted Stickler's record as one-time head of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Deep Mine Safety, but did not mention that the nominee had spent more time as a coal company executive.

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Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Congress, President Bush
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August 15, 2007

Avoiding 'Made In China' Products An Uphill Battle

There's a label for the low-grade products being pumped out of China: "quality fade."

Thank NPR's Louisa Lim for putting a name to this phenomenon. Frantic parents who've disavowed toys made in China have reason to think twice, though: Seventy percent of the world's toys come from the Middle Empire.

Yesterday, ABC News assessed the domestic options for American parents. Expect a lot of crying this Christmas.

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Posted at 12:40 PM
Posted to: Asia, China, Health
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White House Seen Leaning Toward Hawks On Iran

Off-the-record sources in the Bush administration informed two of the nation's most widely read papers that the U.S. will soon label Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. Why?

There's nothing in either account in the Washington Post or New York Times that indicates the topic is highly controversial within the administration. Heated internal debates have fueled quite a few leaks to the press from individuals alarmed by one executive action or the other.

So, why leak the news when both papers report the unprecedented decision is all but a done deal? (This isn't a rhetorical question, by the way -- we're genuinely curious. Send theories.)

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Posted at 12:08 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Asia, Bush Administration, China, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Terrorism
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August 14, 2007

The China Conundrum

The Chinaphobia train grew a little more powerful today, but there are various ways to view our emerging supercompetitor to the East.

One is the What, Us Worry? approach. The repetition of product recalls and bans this year exposed a large, ugly gash in the exports machine China's become. Sure, they can turn out commodities faster and cheaper, but where's the quality control? For nations including the U.S. and Germany, which lead China in exports but not for long, this is potentially good news. Those fearing China's economic reach will soon envelop the world have good reason to suspect the communist giant can't logistically handle the task after all.

The other, darker vision of what's ahead: China, as both manufacturer and investor, is simply too wealthy and ambitious to ignore. The relationships China has developed with countries like Iran and Russia have given rise to an alternative axis of world powers that has successfully stymied the agendas of the U.S. and EU. China is rising, and no amount of crowing about its lax human rights record and alarming income gap will change that.

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Posted to: Africa, Asia, Bush Administration, Campaigns, China, Democrats, Economy, Sudan, WH 2008
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August 08, 2007

'08 Olympics: 365 Days And Counting...

Today marks the one-year countdown to the opening ceremony of Bejing’s 2008 Olympic Games, an event the communist superpower hopes will draw positive attention from the international community. However, the Chinese government has faced harsh criticisms on a range of issues, from food safety to human rights abuses to complicity in the genocide in Darfur, leaving many to wonder: Is China ready to open itself up to the world?

Immediately after winning its bid for the games, the Chinese government in 2001 released the Beijing Olympic Action Plan, a series of principles and objectives for developing not only the venues for the games, but also an environment conducive to hosting delegations from across the world. One provision was that China would clean up its human rights record and expand press freedoms for domestic and international journalists before the games.

Continue reading "'08 Olympics: 365 Days And Counting..."

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Posted to: Africa, Asia, China, Climate Change, Congress, FDA, Health, House, Olympics, Sudan
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