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Editorial: Beijing resorts to hostage taking

Two scholars being detained in China -- Li Shaomin (李少民), a US citizen, and Gao Zhan (高瞻), a US green-card holder -- have become the Beijing government's latest hostages. Beijing confirmed to the US on Thursday that the trials of the two are underway. The news "incidentally" came on the eve of the International Olympic Committee's selection of the host city for the 2008 Olympic Games on July 13 this year. Li and Gao are likely to be tried in a timely fashion and then expelled from China. This quick processing will help ensure that the US supports China's bid to host the games and that China's human rights record does not stand between it and its Olympic dream.

The fact that China has made no further moves to proceed with the trials indicates that it is waiting for a response from the US and the international community. If no favorable response results, China may either refuse to proceed with the trials or refuse to release and expel the two after trial.

The KMT may have been right in calling the Beijing regime "the communist bandits (共匪)" in the old days. After all, only bandits would shamelessly engage in such open extortion and hostage-taking.

China's handling of the collision between its fighter jet and the US EP-3 surveillance plane should convince anyone who doubts extortion has indeed become a common practice of Beijing. During that controversy, Beijing illegally detained the US crew and EP-3 plane in an attempt to coerce the US into admitting wrongdoing and making an apology.

The detention and treatment of the two US-based scholars violates basic human rights in every sense. While both have been arrested and in detention since February of this year, no explanation was offered by the Beijing government until months later. Li, an American citizen, wasn't allowed to meet with a US consular official until April 30. Even more appalling was the fact that Gao's five-year-old son, Andrew Xue (also an American citizen), was also taken into custody and kept away from his parents for 26 days.

Besides Li and Gao, three other US scholars are also in Chinese detention. No explanations have been offered for their imprisonment. Beijing is probably keeping them until it thinks of something else to exchange for their release. The Olympic Games may be important, but Beijing is not willing to pay a price beyond the release of two scholars.

The detention of as many as five intellectuals with foreign ties suggests that a sweeping "anti-espionage" campaign is underway in China. The US has officially released a warning to all those with Taiwan links or who have authored "dissident" writings about travelling to China. One cannot help but be reminded of the days of the Cultural Revolution when intellectuals who returned from the "evil US empire" were often stoned and beaten to death by Red Guards in witch hunts for US spies.

It is important to point out that both Li and Gao are accused of being spies for Taiwan. This, along with the hundreds of missiles targeting this country, indicates the level of hostility that China has against Taiwan. In contrast, the people of Taiwan, in particular the pro-unification camp, hold an almost naive and unwarranted friendly attitude toward China.

In view of China's barbarism, awarding it the 2008 Olympic Games is an insult to humanity, on par with the Nazi's infamous hosting of the games in 1936. The Olympic Games are supposed to be "a symbol of the ability of the people of all nations to come together in peace and friendship," yet the Beijing regime's daily behavior is the world's foremost denial of this very spirit.
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