Two US congressmen blasted the White House and NASA on Wednesday for “dangerous” cooperation with China, saying technology transfer has greatly enhanced Beijing’s space and missile capability.
Republican Representative Dana Rohrabacher warned of a ballooning national security threat brought about by what he described as the “overreach” of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which was accused of violating legislation aimed at curtailing US-China cooperation.
“China has aggressively sought our technologies through legal and illegal methods for decades,” Rohrabacher, chair of the House foreign affairs subcommittee on oversight and investigations, told a hearing.
Republican Frank Wolf, a major critic of Beijing’s human rights policy, told the hearing he was “very troubled with this administration’s apparent eagerness to work with China on its space program and willingness to share other sensitive technologies.”
He said the considerable US advantage in space has been eroding because of the surprisingly rapid development of China’s space program.
Last month, the US Government Accountability Office determined that OSTP violated a statute that prohibits OSTP and NASA from using federal funds for bilateral engagements with China.
OSTP director John Holdren testified that he was told by the Justice Department that the office’s activities fell under the president’s executive authority to conduct foreign diplomacy, and that the statute therefore did not apply to OSTP.
“I certainly don’t dispute technology transfer to China that we did not wish and do not welcome,” Holdren said, citing likely leaks from private firms doing business with the Asian giant.
However, he defended the scientific engagement with China through several US administrations, saying the cooperation helps in the “effort to get China to change the aspects of its conduct that we oppose,” such as on human rights or restrictions to the Chinese market.
Wolf sharply disagreed.
“Our engagement with China has not only empowered the government, failed to change their political system and undermined our economic security, it has fueled China’s military apparatus,” he said, describing China’s space program as “led by the People’s Liberation Army.”
Meanwhile, the US could deny senior Chinese officials, notably those involved in Beijing’s “one child” policy, entry to US soil under a bill to be advanced on Wednesday by a key congressional panel.
Republican Representative Chris Smith, a frequent and fierce critic of China’s human rights record, authored the legislation going before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.
The panel’s chairman, Republican Representative Elton Gallegly, said the bill served notice to “those in the Chinese government who commit or sanction abuses” that “their actions will not be tolerated by the United States.”
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS