Posted on 10/28/2003 6:06:01 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
PRC Defense Minister Wants White House Meeting
Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Cao Gangchuan is coming to Washington and he wants to visit President Bush. However, Cao's meeting with the president may not occur.
Whether Gen. Cao will meet President Bush is a question that remains unanswered. The White House press office has so far been unable to tell NewsMax whether the meeting will take place.
China is pushing for a one-on-one meeting between the two men. Chinese President Hu Jintao reportedly pressed Bush to see the Chinese defense minister during their recent meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference.
According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, the Chinese are insisting on a meeting and a refusal will "damage bilateral relations."
According to press reports in China, Cao is slated to arrive in New York City on Oct. 25. On Oct. 26, the general will visit an air base in Arizona and discuss joint rescue operations.
Cao is then scheduled to arrive in D.C. on Oct. 27 and will spend time with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell and White House National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. Finally, the Chinese defense minister will visit Hawaii on Oct. 30 before returning home.
Missiles for Iran and North Korea
Gen. Cao's arrival in Washington has put many national security experts on alert. The reaction to Cao's visit and a possible White House meeting is mixed. Many oppose a simple photo opportunity and hope that the president will dress down the Chinese defense minister for his support of missile sales to North Korea, Pakistan and Iran.
"For most of his career General Cao has been in the middle of the PLA's weapons business, that is, he buys, develops and sells them, "stated Richard Fisher, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation.
"The only reason for President Bush to see General Cao is to demand that he not only stop the PLA's direct or indirect assistance to the nuclear and missile capabilities of North Korea, Iran and Pakistan, but that the PLA take back the weapons of mass destruction it has given to these Axis of Evil states," stated Fisher.
"China's aid to the nuclear capabilities of Pakistan, North Korea and Iran is the main reason why terrorists are as close as they are to having real nuclear weapons that they will use to murder more Americans. The man who knows the most about China's most dastardly commerce is General Cao," noted Fisher.
The possible meeting between Bush and the Chinese defense minister has also drawn international comment, indicating that Cao may get more than a photo opportunity with the American president.
"Frankly, whether he meets with Secretary Rumsfeld or President Bush, I've got a feeling General Cao is in for a dose of reality not seen by Chinese leaders since their friend and employee Bill Clinton left town. I'd love to be a fly on that wall, as PRC honchos are not exactly known for enjoying hearing the truth," stated a foreign intelligence official familiar with U.S.-Sino relations.
Gen. Cao, Arms Dealer
In fact, Gen. Cao has never been interested in good U.S.-Sino relations. Before he took over as the top military leader in China, Cao had a very successful career as head of both the infamous Chinese espionage unit COSTIND and the Chinese army General Armaments Division (GAD).
Cao has played an important role in some of China's more well-known arms export cases, such as the transfer of DF-3 intermediate-range ballistic missiles to Saudi Arabia and DF-11 missiles to Pakistan.
Cao also helped Saddam Hussein obtain the advanced "Tiger Song" air defense system in 1998. Engineers working for Cao installed and maintained the Iraqi air defense grid until President Bush bombed it. The bombing reportedly killed several Chinese army radar and electronics experts.
Cao oversaw Chinese nuclear exports to both Pakistan and North Korea that eventually led to both nations acquiring atomic bombs. Cao's work with Pakistan and North Korea has also led to a major arms race in Asia, forcing India to deploy nuclear-tipped missiles and Japan to seriously consider building atomic weapons.
Cao is personally responsible for the growing force of highly accurate missiles in Chinese army hands. Cao has targeted Japan, South Korea and Taiwan with a wide range of Chinese nuclear-tipped missiles. He also has increased Chinese missile production in order to meet the planned force of 1,000 nuclear-tipped missiles by 2008.
U.S. Sanctions
It is well-known that Chinese arms companies work under Cao's direct leadership. For example, China North Industries was recently penalized by the Bush administration for transferring ballistic missile technology to Iran. The transfer forced the Bush administration to impose a two-year sanction against all civilian imports from China North Industries.
Cao's efforts have also brought a direct presidential sanction aimed at the Chinese government. For the first time in over a decade, a U.S. president has imposed a two-year export sanction against the Chinese government for its sale of missile and nuclear weapons technology.
"The following sanctions are imposed on all activities of the Chinese government relating to the development or production of missile equipment or technology and all activities of the Chinese government affecting the development or production of electronics, space systems or equipment, and military aircraft," states the sanction notice issued by the White House in September.
However, while not meeting Cao may be viewed in Beijing as a snub, it is clear that meeting with the Chinese general is certain to alienate some of Bush's closest supporters.
"Any president – Clinton, Bush, whoever – sees 100 strangers a week, on a slow week. He depends on his staff to keep the bad guys off the schedule and to tell him who he's meeting. The Prime Directive for Staff: Protect the Principal," stated William Triplett, defense analyst and co-author of "Year of the Rat," a book dealing with President Clinton and Chinagate.
"So is the White House staff doing its job or are they pushing personal agendas?" asked Triplett.
"How, pray tell, does getting his picture taken with General Cao help President Bush get re-elected?"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.