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Politics : Did Slick Boink Monica? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Janice Shell who wrote (11767)	3/21/1998 11:25:00 AM
From: Catfish	Respond to of 20981

Topic: White Water Clinton's China Syndrome Investors Business Daily 03/23/98 Editorial Not for commercial use. E D I T O R I A L Clinton's China Syndrome Date: 3/23/98 The president's sex drive has pushed an even bigger scandal off the front pages. Red China seems to be getting the services it paid for in Bill Clinton's re-election effort. It's stronger militarily and strategically, thanks to the Clinton administration. That China had a plan for buying influence in American politics is beyond question. Even the president's defenders admit such a plan existed. Also beyond dispute are the ties of Democratic Party fund-raisers to Beijing. Johnny Chung and Charlie Trie are cooperating with federal prosecutors probing China-backed fund-raising schemes. Maria Tsia is under indictment for hers, and John Huang's links to the Chinese- controlled Lippo Group are well-known. Soliciting political contributions from foreign sources is illegal, as is laundering gifts through third parties. And evidence suggests these four people did both to pump money into the Clinton-Gore re-election campaign. As with all political donations, the giver expects a little something in return. For legitimate political action committees, that can mean just getting in the door for a meeting. For China, the little something appears to be U.S. help in building up its military and strategic assets. Panama Canal. A Hong Kong firm, Hutchison Whampoa, was given the contract to operate the Atlantic and Pacific ports of the canal. The Panamanian government awarded the contract to Hutchison in January 1997, and Red China took control of Hong Kong in July, reports Russell Evans of the National Security Center. The U.S., which is set to turn over full control of the canal to Panama next year, has done little to protest the award. Talks between the U.S. and Panama to maintain a U.S. military presence in the Canal Zone have collapsed. Yet the Chinese are buying up everything they can there. ''Communist China will be the beneficiary of our indolence and neglect,'' said Howard Phillips of the Conservative Caucus. But is it just neglect? Missile technology. The Clinton administration is set to certify that Red China has halted exports of militarily useful technology to countries like Iran. With that certification, the Chinese would be free to import sophisticated missile technology from the U.S. And the Clinton administration is ready to give it to them. In breaking the story, The Washington Times quoted from a cover letter stamped ''secret'' signed by Gary Samore, a White House National Security Council official. It said: ''In essence, we would offer the expanded commercial and scientific space cooperation with China (in limited areas) if China meets our conditions for joining the (Missile Technology Control Regime) and controlling its missile-related exports to Iran, Pakistan, et cetera.'' But Clinton's own State Department has discovered that China tried to sell dual-use nuclear equipment to Pakistan and Iran within the last several weeks. Costco. The government-controlled Chinese Overseas Shipping Co. wanted to lease the former Long Beach Naval Shipyard in California. And the Clinton administration was all too willing to help. After Clinton met with Long Beach officials in 1995, he gave the go-ahead for the project. He took the unusual step of putting a White House aide on the case to lobby for the Cosco lease. National Economic Council aide Dorothy Robyn made calls pushing skeptical state and local preservation officials to approve the deal, which was given just a cursory review for security concerns. Even usual Clinton supporters Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., called for a deeper security review. It would have uncovered Cosco's smuggling of 2,000 Chinese- made AK-47 assault weapons into Oakland, Calif. It also would have unearthed Cosco's gathering of intelligence in the Long Beach area. The furor over security concerns and environmental issues has blocked the lease from going forward. An adviser to Cosco was one of six Chinese officials that went to the White House as a guest of Johnny Chung, who gave $366,000 in illegal contributions to the Democratic National Committee. Computers. The Clinton administration - maybe as a sign of good faith - eased controls on the export of high-end computers to China in '95. The computers now give China's missile program greater simulation power in assessing blast damage and kill zones. Rep. Dan Burton, R- Ind., chairman of the House Government Operations Committee, wants to know more about the China connection to the White House. But the Clinton camp is pulling its usual stall-and-delay tactics so it doesn't have to answer any questions. And Burton is losing his patience. So should the American people. If Clinton is letting Red China arm itself in exchange for campaign cash, he should face charges. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (C) Copyright 1998 Investors Business Daily, Inc. investors.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------