News - 12-07-05
The FBI & Chinese Espionage
It’s a pleasure to be with you this Friday morning to discuss China and the threat it poses to the national security of the United States. That threat is not of the future, but is increasingly being recognized as a current threat that must be dealt with sooner, not later, though it isn’t clear that we, as a nation, are prepared to do just that.
I should tell you that I do not consider myself to be an expert on China. I have had the privilege of meeting a few over the years and frankly, they are few and far between. China is simply too large in size, too populous, too ethnically diverse, too complicated politically and socially to allow for a full understanding. To be conversant, about Beijing and Shanghai is not to be knowledgeable about China as a whole. What about Guangzhou and Shenyang and Fujian Province and the Yangtze River? Those regions too, play an important role in the huge land mass we simply call “China.” This is Zhongguo, what the Chinese call their country, meaning literally, “Middle Country” for they are, in their minds, the geographical center of the universe and of course, the cultural center of the world as well.
But I’ve had some experiences, I’ve had some observations and, of course, I have some opinions that I am willing to share with you about China and the intelligence threat it poses to the United States. But let us look at China and how it got where it is. For China’s past holds the keys to understanding China today and even, the China of tomorrow.
As you know, the People’s Republic of China, the Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo was formed in the wake of World War II after a protracted and bloody, excessively bloody, civil war. What emerged is not the “People’s” nor is it a “Republic.” It is simply a totalitarian regime, repressive, corrupt and imperialist (think Tibet) in the truest sense. After the United States quit the mainland in 1949 and recognized Taiwan as the legitimate government of China, “Red China” became very much part of the daily vernacular when discussing the People’s Republic.
But the People’s Republic’s emergence as a police state is not surprising given the character of those who defeated Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang army and ascended to power. History has shown that few revolutionaries who gain power by force become benevolent dictators, much less paragon’s of democracy. Mao Zedong and his gang were ruthless and dedicated revolutionaries and the Chinese Communist Party today, still retains vestiges of the ruthlessness of its founders. Even today, less than 5 % of the total Chinese population are members of the Communist Party and of course, the Party rules China with an iron fist.,
Also what has emerged is a new “royalty” in China that has taken the place of the supporters of Chiang Kai-shek, the Soong family and other powerful and rich families that controlled China before the revolution. The new royalty is of course, the off-spring of the Chinese Communist Party ruling elite that include the Politburo members, the National Party Congress, the Central Committee, the Secretariat and the high ranking military officers. These are what I call the “golden youth”, the “princelings”, who become heads of state owned businesses, are promoted to the rank of Major General regardless of their lack of experience, who are allowed to travel, in style, overseas and who intermarry with other powerful families, not unlike the arranged marriages of China’s elite in pre World War II China.
Read the entire article.