On May 25, 1999, the House Subcommittee headed by Christopher Cox (R-Ca.) released its report on the espionage that has been committed by the Chinese government against the United States in the area of missile technology. This is a matter of vital interest to the United States. Of course, I should not have to mention that when American military knowledge is illegally obtained by a Communist country that represses its populace at home while supplying military aid to rogue states abroad, it is of vital interest.

However, I feel obligated to do so, in light of the fact that the major media seemed to pay attention to this story for about one day. Whether this is due to their desire to protect the reputation of the Clinton administration (or what remains thereof), or to their desire to avoid the absurd charges of racism that have been leveled at those who suggest that China is anything less than a good friend of the United States, I cannot say. However, they have paid much to little attention to what may be the worst espionage against the United States since the Rosenbergs (and others) helped the Soviets acquire the technology to make the hydrogen bomb.

Defenders of the administration, when they have not been ignoring the issue as insignificant, have been quick to assert that this leaking of information has been happening since the Reagan administration. However, the fact remains that the worst espionage took place under the Clinton administration, when they were in a position where they should have known what was happening, and did not take sufficient steps to prevent further damage. Additionally, the administration continues to support favorable trade status for China, despite the fact that they may have compromised United States security to as great an extent as the Soviets in the 1950's, if not more so.

While some may attempt to downplay the losses by pointing out that the gains made by the Chinese still leave them well behind the United States in missile technology, that is hardly the point. If the United States had allowed the Iraqis to continue their weapons development, they would still be well behind the United States. Nonetheless, when nations that are unfriendly, or potentially unfriendly, to the United States, are able to upgrade their ability to build or acquire weapons of mass destruction, we are rightly concerned. This is why we have sent weapons inspectors to Iraq to prevent them from proceeding with their weapons program.

One might argue that China is not in the same category as Iraq. This is true in the sense that the United States has not fought a war against China. However, the fact remains that the Chinese have interests in Asia that are contrary to the United States. They have continually threatened the Taiwanese government, and likely would have already annexed Taiwan were it not for U.S. presence in the region. They have also been implicated in supplying the North Koreans with advanced weaponry, which is clearly contrary to American interests in the region.

Just this past week, there were increased hostilities between the North Koreans and our allies in South Korea. For China to provide military support to the regime in North Korea - which remains one of the most closed and repressive societies in the world - clearly shows that the current Chinese government is not a friend of peace and freedom. The posturing by the Chinese during our recent operation in the Balkans further underscores this point. The Chinese government was sympathetic to the Serbian cause, and criticized the United States as the cause of the violence. Furthermore, when the United States accidentally bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, the Beijing regime used this a pretext for stirring up anti-American sentiment among its people, in an attempt to detract attention from their own (far more deadly) acts of violence and terror against the Chinese people.