WorldNetDaily.com
Friday, April 6, 2001

The China hostage crisis

By Joseph Farah

I have a bulletin for politicians in Washington -- politicians of both major parties: China is not our friend.

If this wasn't clear before China began holding a crew of 24 U.S. servicemen downed after a midair collision with a Chinese military aircraft over international waters, it should be crystal clear to everyone now.

China is a hostile, totalitarian, well-armed regime determined to subvert freedom throughout Asia. It is also a growing military power targeting nuclear weapons at U.S. cities and has threatened twice to use them should the U.S. aid, in any way, free Chinese people in Taiwan.

U.S. officials have, however, turned a blind eye to the strategic threat China poses because it is a growing marketplace and an attractive trading partner. It's not the first time in our history political decisions were made by greedy corporate interests placing short-term profits ahead of national interest and security.

As WorldNetDaily reported exclusively the Navy and Air Force told the Clinton administration in December that Chinese fighter jets had begun a systematic campaign of "buzzing" dangerously close to U.S. planes and ships in waters near China as early as a year ago, but the administration failed to brief Congress. Typical of the Clinton administration -- which was, in a very real way, bought and paid for by the Chinese government and military establishment.

The provocations started in April 2000 and got closer and closer, congressional sources say, but the Pentagon didn't formally complain to the White House until December -- out of respect for its ongoing "strategic partnership" with China, WND's Paul Sperry reported.

Those who have followed my commentaries in recent years know that I am a frequent critic of the indiscriminate use of U.S. military force around the world. I stood with the anti-war coalition in Serbia, and I believe the continued attacks on Iraq are not only counter-productive, they are criminal, illegal, immoral -- and certainly unconstitutional.

But I must say I am shocked at colleagues, such as Lew Rockwell, who take a "blame America first" attitude in the current crisis.

If America is to blame, it is for not recognizing the China threat to our national security much sooner. Let us hope this incident is a wakeup call.

Should we go to war with China? No. But whether the crew and plane are returned in the next few days or not, America should learn from this. It's time to rethink our trade agreements with China. It's time to rethink our kid-glove diplomatic treatment of Beijing. It's time to rethink whether it is in our national interest to have our store shelves filled with goods made in China often under slave labor conditions. It's time to rethink our Defense Department's efforts to train Chinese soldiers in American warfare tactics. It's way past time to stop the suicidal transfers of technology to China for personal and corporate financial gain. And it's time to figure out what we will do when -- not if -- China makes a military move on Taiwan.

To make those decisions, the American people need to know what's going on. During the last eight years at least, we now know, there was a systematic campaign to keep the truth from the American people.

So what can we do? I have long made it a personal mission to avoid buying Chinese-made goods. At one point, a supplier to WorldNetDaily gav

I have been actively avoiding chinese merchandise and telling retailers that I would have bought "such and such" but I noticed it was made in China...

YOU GIVE THE BASTARDS A FEW "OSCARS" AND THEY THINK THEY'RE HOT SHIT.

 One would think that the U.S. would cancel the order for the millions of black berets........

In your dreams pal!

 Someday you may wake up and figure it all out.  Things are not always what they seem. The government think tanks such as the Rand Institute and the Brookings Institute (just a couple out of hundreds) have got the ignorant masses all figured out.

 As for WorldNewsdaily, read the article about all the other aircraft that have been shot down over the years (dates and types). The things you never hear about.

 As for buying Chinese merchandise.. people should realize that many of the industries in china are foreign owned, that is built with foreign investments.  At least try to place the blame proportionately.

but american stopped buying chinese goods, where wood we get all this good shit cheap? (some of it anyway)

TC

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Indonesia, and lots of other places.  China has been keeping their currency at an inferior level to make trade with them attractive.  

GunLvr

china is a bad place to be, but not the worst, imagine if this happened in iraq? north korea? columbia?
things are bad but could be worse, i think china is just jerking them around, trying to get trade negotiations going on again etc.
i dont think they want to lose there UN standing

there wont be no freaking war or attack, and so far no news of these 24 being beaten, it would be worse if it was 2-4 people, china is buying time to learn about the plane and make big gains politically
probably be over in a week

You GOTTA be shittin' us? Right? I sure hope so.

Read an article in our Saturday paper that stated that the spy plane that our boys were flying was a 350 knot max slow flying turd. Now I am not a Janes scholar, but when the Chinks say that our guys made a sharp turn into their JET FIGHTER,then I got a real problem with the quality of their Chink pilots. To bad our plane wasn't armed.

Oldeschool, it's real no-shitter, our SF people have been to the PRC on training missions, PLA officers have been invited to observe US soldiers in training, the only step missed is joint US/PRC FTX.  Don't you love WJC?

The design of the airframe of the plane our kids were in is a 60's vintage Lockheed Electra airliner. The U.S. Navy made some great improvements over it's years of service as a patrol aircraft. Our kids were doing their thing at most likley 325 kts tas when their space was invaded by the F-8s. This is a pilots thing, the fighter jocks always enjoy every opportunity to harass, buzz, flip off the [b]aggressor[/b] but as a fighter jock you have to have quite a bit of skill and talent. Wrong Way had the attitude but not the experiance and skill to play this game. I pray that he is at home with his god and all is well. I also pray that his family and ancestors will have peace. I further pray that our kids get to their homes asap.  

"Let us hope this incident is a wakeup call"

Betcha it won't be...

I am completely disappointed in Bush's reaction thus far.  Why carrier battle groups have not moved in the direction of this location is a mystery to me.    

Next week WILL tell the tale.

China is on the way up and we are on the way down.  Not today, not tomorrow, but soon we will fight.  China sees itself as the dominate Pacific power, as soon as those pesky Americans get out of the way.

Photos on global news yesterday showed cuts in the underside of the p3, from contact by the fighter.....as long as china already has a number of classified military items, why not just give up the rest, give them thier G>>D damned apology, oh and the couple milion american $$$$ that they are NO DOUBT holding out for, THEN maybe our guys will come home...well, just  maybe one or two more "little secrets"  BIG BROTHER justs wants EVERYBODY to be happy, doesn`t he?...[heavy]

Because it'll only feed more fuel to the fire, which is already getting pretty hot.  As soon as US navy fleet makes a move toward Chinese territory, the Chinese military will be given the excuse they've long waited for, and begin mobilizing their own forces.  The next thing you know, we'll be one step away from World War III.  Then some idiot (like the ones who bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrad) makes a stupid move, and we will have World War III.  And then when the war is over, after a couple of million people have died and everyone has cool down a bit (assuming the nukes didn't fly and everyone is still alive), we'll be pondered by the question of whether or not it was all worth it.

The reason why the negotion is not going anywhere is because the Chinese policy makes are trying to find an excuse and defuse the issue.  In other words, they are trying to find a way to save face in front of the Chinese people.  They have to look tough and demanding or otherwise the Chinese people would think of them as traitors.

The policy makers on both sides understand how important it is for the US and China to be in good relations, and how much damage an incident like this can inflict.  Face it, if the US didn't think a relationship with China was important, we would've never started one back in the 70's, and stop recognizing the Nationalist (Taiwanese) government as the legit Chinese government.

Don't think with your heart, think with your head.  Learn the facts, and make up your own mind based on the truth, not some government propaganda (yes, that includes our own government).  Take a look at [url]http://www.msnbc.com/news/553032.asp[/url] and learn some facts about the situation before venting steam here.


"If there's only one thing history has ever taught us, it is that people never learn from history."

Well Skyfire,

I believe we are going to have a war with China eventually, so maybe it would not be such a bad idea to have the war now, before China has the capability to do some real harm to us. The facts are China has committed an act of war already by forcing our aircraft to land and not releasing the crew, plus going inside the aircraft, so anything we do is fully justified. If I was President I would have a declaration of war  against China and then I would bring in a couple of Carrier Battle Groups, if China refused to release the crew without first receiving a full apology. I would never apologize and I would not be willing to wait until the Chinese finally released the crew several months later, or even put them trail, like North Korea did with the crew of of our ship, or Iran did with the Embassy personal, I would not be that patient and neither should President Bush. We should only be mister nice guy for so long and after that we need to turn up the heat and let them know that our Nation will not let anyone get away with doing this including China.   Sniper for Justice

To hell with China.  The widow of the incompetent pilot who is the cause of this mess called President Bush a coward for not issuing an apology to the damn Chinese.  What will he become if he bends to Chinese pressure?  As far as I'm concerned, the Chinese owe us an apology for attacking us in Korea.  They've attempted to influence our elections, and have been gathering intelligence through espionage.  They've stolen industrial, and military technology.  China owes us at least one apology.

No, don't particularly care for that policy. Sounds like treason to me.



Ah, a PRC agent provactuer? Or just a liberal troll? You think the PRC is such a swell place, why not just go home? Or maybe you're already home and just polluting the net...

Rest assured, W isn't the problem.  He's doing what the President is supposed to do.  W's BigDaddy is no doubt one of the best advisors W could have.  The Mighty American Military Machine is doing its job, and the World will survive.  Have Faith , amigos!
The Chinese screwed up and in the long run, we'll screw them.  They'll think whatever we want them to think.  
DON'T YA JUST LOVE BEING AN AMERICAN?!!!  YEAH, BABY!

HEY!!! DON`T MESS WITH...CHINA....ER, I MEAN....TEXAS, ER....I MEAN CHINA........don`t ya` just LOVE politics?.....[heavy]