Fidel Castro meets with Chinese president in Beijing

yahoo.com ^ | February 26, 2003 | CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, AP

[Cincinatus' Wife]

BEIJING - Cuban leader Fidel Castro met with Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Wednesday on the first day of a visit aimed at strengthening friendship between two of the world's last remaining communist regimes.

Jiang greeted Castro at a formal welcoming ceremony featuring an honor guard and military band at the Great Hall of the People, the hulking seat of China's legislature. The two leaders then retired for a private meeting focussed on economic ties before holding larger-scale talks with their delegations.

In opening remarks, Castro said he was happy to be meeting with "good friends," and praised China's economic progress. Commenting on conditions in Cuba, he said: "I really do feel our country's situation is excellent."

Following the meeting, Jiang and Castro attended the signing of a Cuba-China economic cooperation pact and an agreement on Chinese economic aid to Cuba's struggling economy. Exact terms of the agreements weren't released.

Ties were frosty during the Cold War, when Cuba was a client state of the Soviet Union, China's rival in the communist bloc.

However, with the dwindling in the numbers of communist states in the 1990s, their leaders began to espouse a warm public friendship.

Economic ties have grown especially important to Cuba, whose economy has yet to recover from the loss of Soviet subsidies. China has provided Cuba with hundreds of millions of dollars in trade credits and some direct aid.

Castro arrived earlier in the day aboard his Cubana Airlines jet from Kuala Lumpur, where he attended a summit of the 116-nation Non-Aligned Movement on Tuesday. At the meeting, Castro blasted the latest moves by the United States toward what he called "almost certain and unnecessary" war against Iraq. The Cuban president started his Asian tour Friday in Vietnam.

Castro's visit to China was his first since 1995. Arriving at Beijing Airport, Castro was greeted by a waiting crowd of flag-waving Cuban and Chinese diplomats.

Wearing his trademark green military-style cap and uniform with a green overcoat, the 76-year-old Castro stepped gingerly down from his plane, leaning on the railing and assisted by aides.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Cuban President Fidel Castro, left, toasts with Chinese President Jiang Zemin after a signing ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People Wednesday Feb. 26, 2003. The two presided over the signing of agreements on economic and technical cooperation and a grant of economic assistance from China to Cuba. Castro, who arrived after attending a summit of non-aligned countries in Malaysia, is in China for a four day visit which brings together the heads of two of the world's last remaining communist states. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

China loves the buena vista (Castro provides Chinese military spying stations in Cuba)*** Beijing: Cuba's veteran communist leader, Fidel Castro, received a warm welcome in Beijing yesterday on his way home from the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Malaysia.

It derived not from admiration for his ideological conviction or from a taste for retro Latin music as played by the Buena Vista Social Club.

The "buena vista" (good view) most appreciated by the Chinese is the vantage point Dr Castro provides for the Chinese military in spying on the United States.

According to the Australian National University specialist Desmond Ball, Chinese personnel have been operating two signals intelligence stations in Cuba since early 1999.

One is a large complex at Bejucal, south of Havana, equipped with 10 satellite communications antennas and mainly concerned with intercepting US telephone communications. A "cyber-warfare" unit is also based at Bejucal, monitoring data traffic between computers, said Professor Ball in a paper delivered last month on China's military role.

The second Chinese station is located in eastern Cuba, and is reported to be dedicated to intercepting satellite-based US military communications.

"China is actively and extensively engaged in the whole realm of signals intelligence, electronic warfare and cyber-warfare activities," Professor Ball said.

China uses computer viruses to disrupt military communications and public broadcasts, but Chinese cyber-attacks are easily countered by the West's superior technology.***

Fidel Castro - Cuba

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

[HighRoadToChina]

Real Axis of Evil are work.

Please FRemail me if you want off my ping list.

[HighRoadToChina]

are = at

[cynicom]

Safe bet that Castro came away with more than Powell did.

[Blue Collar Christian]

Do we all see where our "Made in China" purchase dollars are going?

[Jeff Head]

Jien Zenim and his Caribbean client come to life?

I hope not ... but it is one of the components of fiction in The Dragon's Fury Series

China does have growing interests in the Caribbean through Panama and a growing alliance with Cuba should be a matter (IMHO) of significant concern as long as Castro or anyone of his ilk is in power. We'd best be on our toes.

[Squantos]

If your book is becoming reality (it appears they are reading yer book) we may have to stop the "Enemies Foreign and Domestic" book before it hits the shelves for reasons only the readers can know........:o)!

China has a pretty big presence in the canal zone right now don't they ?

Stay Safe !

[blackie]

Thanks for the heads up and astute obervation, Jeff!

Be Well - Be Armed - Be Safe - Molon Labe!

[Travis McGee]

It's fiction? I wonder.

[FreepForever]

Thanks for the heads up. It looks like China is moving the pieces into place on the international chessboard. First Iraq, then North Korea, now Cuba... right up to the front door of the US. Hutchison Whampao, who also controls the Panama, acquired Global Crossing. It ispretty clear what the Chinese are up to now. What suprise me is their cohesive movement and speed.

WAKE UP. AMERICA. THERE ARE HEAVY PRICE TO PAY FOR YOUR BLINDNESS.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Castro appears to be gathering the Venezualan and Columbian marxists together as well. And Lula in Brazil is pretty tight with them too.

Looks like when TSHTF we'll have em coming from all directions. What an optimist might call a target rich environment.

Red Dawn with China subbing for the Ruskies and the cubans backed up by an assortment of fellows..

[FreepForever]

Yes, gillman, thanks for the fill in. I forgot the South American factor. They have got very little to lose, right?

Call me crazy or paranoia, the present situation really looks like the piecces are moving into position for an offensive move against USA. The fronts are so many and so wide that you don't even know where to hit first. Let's hope this is just another Tom Clancy novel material, otherwise....

[Tailgunner Joe]

[Tailgunner Joe]

[Jeff Head]

Let's hope this is just another Tom Clancy novel material, otherwise....

Well, he hasn't written one like this yet. But, I took a stab at an entire series starting early in 2001.

Hope it remains just that ... good fiction ... but some of it is getting too close for comfort..

[Enemy Of The State]

gee, that looks identical to the one taken with bubba some time back doesnt it? funny how all slimy polywogs look alike.

[pttttt]

Good post. Also see PRC Buying US Infrastructure For Peanuts (Unless Government Stops It)

[Sawdring]

Thanks for the flag on this one Tailgunner. I'm sure Castro is looking pretty hard these days for a handout. Bush should have included Castro in his Axis of Evil speech.

[Victoria Delsoul]

In opening remarks, Castro said he was happy to be meeting with "good friends," and praised China's economic progress. Commenting on conditions in Cuba, he said: "I really do feel our country's situation is excellent."

The situation is excellent for him and his elite regime but, it is not for the rest of Cubans.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Thank you for the LINK!