Democrat and Chronicle: China leader's persecution campaign should make him unwelcome here [in U.S.]

(Democrat and Chronicle is a newspaper in Rochester, New York)

Sunday, August 11, 2002

Can you imagine corporate chiefs under suspicion for illegal activity being welcomed as honored guests now by the White House, even though they have proven to be nothing more than shameless crooks?

Believe it or not, this is something that the American public will have to stomach in two months. The crooked chief happens to come from the biggest Enron on earth - "China Inc." His name is Jiang Zemin, China's nondemocratically chosen "president". The investors are its 1.2 billion people and millions of American citizens with interests in that ancient, gentle culture.

In China, tens of thousands of retirees and unemployed are struggling. Millions of school-age children in poor areas are denied the basic rights to education. The nation is facing a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit, yet this crooked chief placed an order with Boeing for a $100 million jet - his Air Force One.

China Inc.'s piggy bank is also at his disposal in his campaign of terror. One particular case is his three long years of persecution of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, a traditional practice based on universal principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance.

Keeping the family interest close to heart, this crooked chief placed an order worth $500 million with his son, and a surveillance system was put in place to spy on Falun Gong practitioners' telephones.

His China Inc. has overseas operations as well. The crooked chief hires hit men and gang members through the embassies and consulates in Western democratic countries to harass overseas practitioners, break into their homes and set their cars on fire.

He sees the business and political opportunities in some small developing countries and generously invests in them. Money talks, of course.

The cooked book of China Inc. even fooled the leaders of [some] western democracies. The German government bowed to pressure from Zemin last April when he visited Berlin and blocked Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful protest. Not far from the old Berlin Wall, Hotel Adlon, where he and his entourage stayed, threw out all the Chinese guests and allowed no one wearing yellow and blue - Falun Gong's trademark colors - near its premises.

Now, we Americans will be honored to share a cookout with this crooked chief. Jiang is invited to President Bush's Texas Ranch for a barbecue during his visit in October (story, Aug. 3).

As a gesture of "welcome", the US Congress has passed a resolution calling on the People's Republic of China to cease [its] persecution of Falun Gong. In particular, the resolution expressed the sense of the Congress that the Chinese government must cease [its] persecution of those - including U.S. citizens - who practice Falun Gong.

When they visited the United States earlier, four of Zemin's lieutenants were served [court] papers filed by the U.S. Falun Gong practitioners and family members of the victims. What kind of welcome should we give to the boss?

 Yearly Archive   Printer Version