Free Republic

Chinese tiger runs towards the trap The Daily Telegraph 02/14/06 author: Ambrose Evans-Pritchard China's trade surplus surged 46.7pc in January year-on-year as the emerging giant continued to shoot up the technology ladder, becoming a net exporter of cars for the first time. Copying the export models of Japan and South Korea, China is now building auto production plant at breakneck speed, with plans to double its current capacity of 8.7m vehicles a year. Analysts warn that China's industrial strategy is leading to rampant over-investment, unmatched by growth of internal demand. The mix is posing an increasing threat to the global...

The world champion of export defends its title. In 2005 Germany exported goods worth 786,1 billion Euros. Altogether the balance of trade closed with a surplus of 160,5 billion Euros. Compared with 2004 when trade surplus was only at 156.1 billion Euros it is a plus of 7.5%. The balance of activities under regard of services was about 90,4 billon Euros. The imports to Germany also grew about 8.7% to 625,6 billion Euros. Germany is for this reason 3 times in succession the "world champion of export".

It didn't take long for me to get an answer to the question I posed in a recent column concerning whether it is possible to be both a Muslim and an American citizen. According to "Document 44" published and distributed by the Saudi Arabian embassy: "It is forbidden to be a Muslim and to become a citizen of a country governed by infidels." (That's us!) I read a report entitled "Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Invade American Mosques." There are of course millions of Muslims. And each practices his or her religion in the best way they can given their...

Norway's peacekeeping profile stands in stark contrast to its success as a weapons exporter. New figures show that Norway is the world's biggest arms exporter in relation to its population. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) figures reveal Norway as a leading arms exporter, with its industry enjoying strong growth. "The Socialist Left Party's disarmament profile has been pulverized by the Norwegian arms industry and LO (The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions). An increasing share of Norwegian weapon production is being used in war situations, the export to the USA is colossal," reports financial magazine Økonomisk Rapport. In five...

Wiggles named top Australian export Four men in colourful T-shirts and a backup cast that includes a spotted dinosaur called Dorothy have been named Australia's Exporter of the Year. Last year the Wiggles sold more than 17 million DVDs and videos and five million CDs around the world. The children's entertainers beat banks, airlines and mining multinationals to take the top honour in the government-sponsored annual award ceremony. The Wiggles' Exporter of the Year award was one of 10 business gongs presented at the 42nd Australian Export Awards. The Wiggles' export business now includes television rights, franchises and a licence...

MADRID, Oct 5 Asia Pulse - Iranian Oil Ministry Deputy for International Affairs Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian said that Iran could run out of oil reserves in nine decades. Speaking at a gathering dubbed "Iran in the 21th century: Energy and Security" here Monday, he cited latest figures which put Iran's crude oil reserves at 137 billion barrels, accounting for 11.6 per cent of the world's total reserves. He also said that Iran has about 29,000 billion cubic meters of gas which is 15.3 per cent of the world's total gas reserves. Quoting research findings, the official said that due to the...

European politician supports continued arms ban on China BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN STAFF REPORTER Tuesday, Oct 04, 2005,Page 3 Advertising A member of the European Parliament and leader of the pro-Taiwan group inside the legislative body said yesterday that he is strongly opposed to lifting the EU's arms embargo on China. George Jarzembowski, who arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a six-day visit, made the remarks when meeting with Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (…Çá“ÛÆ) yesterday. Jarzembowski has made significant efforts to win the support of EU members for Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization, and has urged...

Cohiba cigars move over: the new gift of choice between wealthy American gourmets with a penchant for illegal luxuries may soon become beluga caviar. From today, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is suspending imports of beluga sturgeon caviar and meat from the Caspian sea basin, including Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The decision comes after those countries failed to submit laws and plans for conserving the species, which was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act last year. Black Sea countries, which also produce beluga caviar, could face similar measures in the future. Conservationists applauded the decision....

MANITOWOC MAN FOUND GUILTY OF EXPORTING RESTRICTED ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS TO CHINA MILWAUKEE — The United States Attorney’s Office announced yesterday that a jury in Federal Court in Milwaukee, Wis., convicted Ning Wen, 56, of Manitowoc, to nine counts of conspiring to export more than $500,000 in restricted electronic components to the People’s Republic of China. The charges also include money laundering and making false statements to the FBI. U.S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic stated, “The case involved the export of restricted electronic components that had a wide variety of uses including military radar and communications applications. The verdict helps insure...

from the September 22, 2005 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0922/p01s02-woap.html China's model for a censored Internet Some worry China's controls could be copied elsewhere. By Kathleen E. McLaughlin | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor SHANGHAI, CHINA - As China began to go online, observers made brash predictions that the Internet would pry the country open. Cyberspace, the thinking went, would prove too vast and wild for Beijing to keep under its thumb. Now these early assumptions are being sharply revised. Under an authoritarian government determined to control information, China has grown a new version of the Internet. As former US President...

***PLA Generals Convert Boeing Jet Into Flying HQ *** The Chinese army has converted a U.S.-made airliner into an advanced military command aircraft. The conversion is a direct violation of U.S.-Sino trade agreements and U.S. export laws. Officials at the U.S. State and Commerce departments refused to comment on the illegal Chinese modification. Photographs of the converted jet surfaced earlier this year and were the subject of an article by investigative reporter Bill Gertz. Now new, close-up photos of the converted jetliner have appeared. The aircraft, identified as a Boeing 737, tail number B-4052, was sold to China United Airlines...

Britain will lead a drive to have Iran referred to the UN security council, with the possibility of sanctions being imposed if the newly elected hardline president does not stop uranium enrichment or restart negotiations with Europe and America. Reflecting the level of concern about Iran's intentions, foreign secretary Jack Straw was due to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday on the sidelines of the United Nations summit to try to resolve the stand-off. Mr Straw was making a joint approach with French prime minister Dominique de Villepin and German foreign minister Joschka Fischer. The Europeans have been pursuing the diplomatic...

Located at the mouth of Mississippi River, the Port of New Orleans is America’s gateway to the global market. New Orleans has been a center for international trade since 1718. Today, the Port of New Orleans is at the center of the world’s busiest port complex — Louisiana’s Lower Mississippi River. Its proximity to the American Midwest via a 14,500-mile inland waterway system makes New Orleans the port of choice for the movement of cargoes such as steel, grain, containers and manufactured goods. The Port of New Orleans is the only deepwater port in the United States served by six...

What this country needs is $4-a-gallon gasoline or, maybe, $5. We don't need it today, but we do need it over the next seven to 10 years via a steadily rising oil tax. Coupled with stricter fuel economy standards, higher pump prices would push reluctant auto companies and American drivers away from today's gas guzzlers. That should be our policy. ... Hurricane Katrina's message is clear: We are vulnerable to any major cutoff of oil. This cutoff came from a natural disaster, but the larger menace is a political cutoff. ... Government needs to foster a market for fuel efficiency....

USMC_Vet from The Blue State Conservatives has exposed China in what can only be described as an amoral act of barbarism. He begins... The debate is endless. Is China an economic partner or a strategic adversary with regards to America? Countless hours are dedicated to determining the nature of the relationship. Yet, at the end of the day, it should boil down to basic principle amidst all of the nuanced and persuasive arguments. China, or more accurately it's Chinese Communist Party dictatorship and the environment it cultivates, is a Moral Adversary. Exhibit 'A': Skin of Executed Prisoners Harvested for Cosmetics...

Iran received a military delegation from China, paving the way for cooperation in the defense field, citing Brigadier General Nasser Mohammadi-Far, the commander of the Iranian army's ground forces. The Chinese delegation is in Iran for talks on "developing military relations, deepening bilateral ties and paving the way for military cooperation," the state-run Iranian news agency said. The press office of China's Ministry of Defense in Beijing declined to comment on the delegation's visit. "Our mutual enemies possess advanced military technology, and undoubtedly they would rely on this technology in any possible future wars," said Mohammadi-Far. "Therefore, it seems necessary...

Ukrainian oil exports dropped 58.9 percent to 91,796 tons in the first half of this year against the same period in 2004, according to RBC. Gasoline exports advanced 5 percent to 336,750 tons. Ukraine exported 667,332 tons of diesel fuel in the period in question - a 20.2-percent decrease against the first half of 2004. As reported earlier, the country's government banned export of crude oil produced in Ukraine for April to December 2005.

U.S. Policy Options for Iran: Sham Elections, Disinformation Campaign, Human Rights Abuses, and Regime Change Excerpt from Executive Summary While the Bush administration has been reluctant to adopt an unambiguous policy of regime change for Iran, the outcome of the Iranian electoral process, disinformation campaign, and violations of human rights require adoption of an explicit regime change policy for Iran.  An ambiguous American policy was somewhat effective prior to the June 2005 Iranian elections. That policy allowed Washington to support the European diplomatic initiative toward Iran without fear of being blamed for sabotaging negotiations by threatening the regime’s existence....

The 278-149 roll call Thursday by which the House rejected an effort to restrict gun manufacturers' exports of high-powered, .50-caliber rifles. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the amendment restricting the gun exports. A "no" vote is a vote to reject the amendment. Voting yes were 134 Democrats, 15 Republicans and no Independents. Voting no were 65 Democrats, 212 Republicans and 1 Independent. X denotes those not voting.

Giant Balls of 'Snot' Explain Ocean MysteryBy Bjorn Carey LiveScience Staff posted: 10 June 2005 06:22 am ET Scientists have discovered giant sinking mucus "houses" that double the amount of food on the sea floor. The mucus houses, or "sinkers," are produced by tadpole-like animals not much bigger than your index finger. As sinkers drop to the sea floor, small sea critters and other food particles get stuck to the mucus and end up on the bottom of the ocean. For years scientists have observed loads of life at the bottom of the ocean. But they weren’t able to find...