Asia News Digest
NASA Veteran: 'Chinese Space Advances Benefit Everyone'
NASA veteran James Oberg, writing in an Oct. 15 op-ed in USA Today, welcomed the success of the Chinese manned space flight. Forget the worries about China's "real intentions" in spacethat it has some hidden military agendahe wrote. "What really is about to happen is much more momentous: For the first time since 1961, and only the third time in world history, a new nation will have achieved independent human-spaceflight capability.... This is a case of brave young men facing daunting psychological and technical challenges and risking their lives to help mankind stretch its abilities. Simply by taking place, China's mission will energize the existing space activities of other countries," Oberg wrote. "Space programs in the United States, Europe and even Japan need a good kick into gear."
To respond as if China's launch opens a new Cold War race in space, "would be folly." At most, the Chinese might develop new capabilities for space-reconaissance of other countries' military and electronic capabilities. Other countries already have them, and adding one more to that list could bolster security. "As the number of countries keeping an eye on each other increases, the chances of military surprises are reduced, thus enhancing international stability."
"As this brave team begins its fantastic voyages, we all can celebrate, just as we hailed the feats of Yuri Gagarin, Neil Armstrong, Arnaldo Tamayo-Mendez, Julie Payette, and other pioneering earthlings. Beyond the boundaries of Earth, the accomplishments of all earthlings benefit everyone," Oberg concluded.
China Issues Its First 'EU Policy Paper'
A Chinese Policy Paper, released Oct. 13, to the European Union, states that China "expects the [EU] to become China's largest trading and investment partner." China and the EU will be holding their sixth annual summit in November in Rome. China and the EU launched their annual summits in 1998, and "full partnership" in 2001. The Paper states that "relations now are better than any time in history. There is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and the EU and neither side poses a threat to the other.... The common ground between China and the EU far outweighs their disagreements."
The Policy Paper states: "The EU has a developed economy, advanced technologies and strong financial resources while China boasts steady economic growth, a huge market and abundant labour force. There is a broad prospect for bilateral trade and economic and technological cooperation." Both sides also have long histories, and "splendid culture."
China called for continuing the two sides' human rights dialogue. "The Chinese side appreciates the EU's persistent position for dialogue and against confrontation," the paper states. It calls on the EU to respect the "one-China" policy on Taiwan, and expand ties to Hong Kong and Macao.
The Policy Paper proposes that "China and the EU should launch a high-level financial dialogue mechanism, ... and deepen cooperation in preventing and managing financial crises." It also says that the Chinese market will be opened to EU financial and securities institutions, and insurance companies. It calls for cooperation in agriculture, environmental protection, IT, and energy.
Finally, the Policy Paper states that China and the EU "will maintain high-level military-to-military exchanges, develop and improve, step by step, a strategic security consultation mechanism, exchange more missions of military experts, and expand exchanges in respect of military officers' training and defense studies." It calls on the EU to "lift its ban on arms sales to China at an early date so as to remove barriers to greater bilateral cooperation on defense industry and technologies."
Putin Identifes Asia-Pacific as Pillar of Russian Foreign Policy
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Oct. 10, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin referred to Russia as "where East meets West." Without Russia's active and equal participation in international affairs, he declared, not a single major global or regional problem could be solved. Russia's foreign policy now focusses "on developing relations in the priority vectors of Europe and the Asia-Pacific region." For example, Russia is deepening its cooperation with its partners in the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), which it joined in 1998.
Bush Promotes Australia's Howard to U.S. Sheriff in Asia
Australian Prime Minister John Howard several years ago declared that Australia under his regime was the "deputy sheriff" for the U.S. in Asia, a statement which he has never retracted. President George W. Bush, in an Oct. 15 interview with a team of Asian journalists before his Asian trip, was asked if he saw Australia as his "deputy sheriff." Bush replied: "No, we don't see it as a deputy sheriff. We see it as a sheriff."
Mahathir Takes the Helm at the OIC
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad opened the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Kuala Lumpur Oct. 16 by calling for Islamic unity against the West's imperial war drive, and an end to the suicide bombings in the Mideast.
Mahathir tried unsuccessfully at last year's OIC to identify suicide bombings as terrorism. But this year he was warmly received when he pointed to the fact that such terrorism doesn't work, and that it just feeds into the enemy's hands. "Every attempt at a peaceful solution," he said, "is sabotaged by more indiscriminate [suicide] attacks, calculated to anger the enemy and prevent any peaceful settlement. But the attacks solve nothing. The Muslims simply get more oppressed."
However, this call for peace was greeted by an across-the-board wave of denunciations by the Israeli right wing, and some leaders in the West, for what many considered to be anti-Jewish remarks. The passage which is being plastered across the Internet and denounced by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and others reads: "We [Muslims] are actually very strong, 1.3 billion people cannot be simply wiped out. The Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million. But today, the Jews rule this world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them." The Jews have survived pogroms and oppression for centuries, he said, by using their minds, and creating societies which respect human rights.
Mahathir pointed out: "We also know that not all non-Muslims are against us. Some are well-disposed towards us. Some even see our enemies as their enemies. Even among the Jews, there are many who do not approve of what the Israelis are doing. We must not antagonize everyone. We must win their hearts and minds."
Israelis and U.S. Zionist Lobby Attack Mahathir After He Denounces Suicide Bombings!
Dr. Mahathir held a press conference Oct. 17 to answer the binge of hysterical accusations coming from Israeli government officials, and U.S. based Zionist Lobby organizations, that he is anti-semitic. It is clear that the anti-Islam neo-con/Likudnik networks are actually hysterical that Mahathir rallied Muslims to end the impotent use of suicide bombers, and to accept even unfair peace proposals, while at the same time denouncing the actions of the current Israeli government against the Palestinians as "terrorism."
Mahathir said at his press conference that "most" Israelis "are biased. Not all, most of them. And they feel that while it is proper to criticize Muslims and Arabs, it is not proper to criticize Europeans and Jews. Apparently, they think they are privileged people, but we don't think so."
Dick Cheney's neo-cons, who are egging on this attack, have a problem, in that several of their top allies fully supported Dr. Mahathir. Afghan President Hamid Karzai praised the speech, adding that "his [Mahathir's] historical analysis of what happened in Islam is very correct." Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri also defended Mahathir.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, of Egypt, which has been critical of U.S. double standards towards Palestine, said that "those who are commenting on the speech have not read it in its entirety. Nobody thought it was inflammatory."
Simon Wiesenthal Center director in Israel Efraim Zuroff said Mahathir must be "silenced," that he is an "anti-Semite and he doesn't hide it." Israeli Ambassador to Singapore Itzhak Shoham said that these were the worst "such expressions since the days of Hitler." U.S. and other Western spokesmen dutifully stepped forward to denounce the speech with extreme words of disdain and disgust perhaps trying to prove Mahathir right in saying the Israelis run things by "proxies."
Thaksin Slams Soros for Funding Subversion
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has requested, ahead of the opening of the APEC summit in Bangkok Oct. 18-21, that proceedings should not be derailed by political and NGO protests. His government has drawn up a list of NGO activists to be blacklisted, including the Falungong. In his statement on the subject, Thaksin declared: "Do you know who backs some of these NGOs? It's the George Soros Foundation. Remember who destroyed our baht currency six years ago? Don't forget so easily or so quickly." Thaksin dismissed Soros as a "sinner" trying to appear noble. "Some people are sinners and they want to make merit, thinking this will make them look cool. But in reality they are still sinners."
Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir recently ridiculed Soros for passing himself off as a philanthropist, passing out crumbs from the money he stole from poor nations.
Top Terrorist Killing in the Philippines Is Questioned as Murder
Local police in Mindanao reported Oct. 13 that there was no shootout at the place where the Philippine Army claims they were fired on by escaped terrorist al-Ghozi. The police reportedly returned fire, raising suspicions that they captured and then killed him. How al-Ghozi walked out of the highest-security prison in Manila back in July is still a mystery, which some may wish to keep that way.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo staged a grisly show for the media, standing over the bullet-ridden body of al-Ghozi in the morgue, having flown to Mindanao from Manila for that purpose. She boasted to reporters: "The death of al-Ghozi signals that terrorism will never get far in the Philippines."
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