US fines space firms over China

BBC ^ | March 8, 2003

[Indy Pendance]

The United States Government has imposed a $32m fine on aerospace companies Boeing Satellite Systems and Hughes Electronics, after accusing them of supplying sensitive space technology to China.

The US State Department charged the two companies last December with more than 120 violations of export laws in connection with the transfer of satellite and rocket data to China.

Both companies said they accepted they could have harmed the security and foreign policy interests of the United States by providing the information and expressed regret.

The charges related to technical information Hughes officials are alleged to have given China after Chinese rocket launches carrying US satellites failed in 1995 and 1996.

Boeing was cited because in 2000 it acquired Hughes Space and Communications - then a division of Hughes Electronics.

Previous settlement

US officials had previously pointed out that there were many similarities between a space launch vehicle and an intercontinental ballistic missile.

A year ago another aerospace company, Loral Space & Communications, reached a settlement with the State Department over similar charges.

Loral agreed to pay $20 million in fines, but neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing.

American companies began using Chinese rockets in the 1980s to launch satellites.

After several failed launches, Hughes and Loral participated in studies examining possible causes of the failures.

Congressional investigations in the 1990s found that China had gained information on missiles from those reviews.

[chachacha]

This absolutely is not good enough. Theynew what they were doing. "GREED"

[Future Useless Eater]

Bill and Hillary knew what they were doing too!

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Makes me sick to my stomach. Do the executives who live in their gated communities think they are safe from a Chinese nuclear attack? Morons.

[chainsaw]

The Fines will probably come out of the stockholders pockets.

Fines should not have been assessed. Only Long Jail terms or a firing squad for treason.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Not breaking news. China

[Indy Pendance]

I wish this search function worked better. Thanks.

[Eowyn-of-Rohan]

must that dead carcass be dragged into every thread??!?!?!

[DoughtyOne]

What I want to know, is who is going to prison.

[DoughtyOne]

Bill Clinton's largest single contributor was Bernard Schwartz of Loral. Loral gave a number of secret technologies to China. Yep, that dead carcas should be dragged into every thread until every citizen in the United States is aware of it.

[Eowyn-of-Rohan]

I just wish they could get to the bottom of every big campaign contribution ever made... plenty of wickedness to go around, and neither party is innocent

[Luis Gonzalez]

$52 million in fines.

The "Bush ain't doing nothing about Loral" crowd is strangely quiet (or did they get banned?).

But of course, as you can see, this isn't enough either.

If Dubya had the execs all executed, these people would complain that their families were allowed to live.

[swarthyguy]

Sounds like pro forma slaps on the wrist.

How much HUNDREDS millions of dollars in profits were made.

And the Exec's skate on their traitorous, treasonous behavior.

No Treason trials eh, GetOutofJail free cards for those privileged scions of the corporate class.

[onedoug]

So espionage is committed in the abstract, and no one is responsible. How convenient.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Search engine works fine.

[Luis Gonzalez]

So espionage is committed in the abstract.

Prove espionage.

[onedoug]

Security sensitive/privledged military technology sold to a foreign government for a monetary or political quid pro quo.... I'd rather be prosecutor than defendant.

If you or I had done it, where do you think we'd be now?

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

[Loral agreed to pay $20 million in fines, but neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing. ]

Make hundreds of millions in profits, pay $20 million fine. No brainer for a traitorous group of slugs. No matter. After the "Great War", they will be held accountable.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Amongst a large block of sanctioned trade products, an individual in Loral sold some technology that was not cleared by the US government to be sold to the Chinese. He did it in an effort to rectify problems that were being encountered by technology that had already been sold to the Chicom by them beforehand.

There was no subterfuge, no attempt at deceit, and it was done above the board.

What was done was in accordance to the law, they were fined.

Had it been us, we would have been fined as well because that's what the proscribed penalty is for selling technology lacking proper approval from the Feds.

It was a violation of trade procedures with an unfortunate end result.

There was no espionage involved.