A.M. Rosenthal Dissects China’s ‘Remodeling of America’

(Washington, D.C.): The Fourth of July
this year was remarkable not only as the
occasion of the Nation’s 221^st
birthday. It also was the day the New
York Times published one of the most
insightful analyses yet produced
concerning the current, deplorable
character of U.S. policy toward China.

This analysis was penned by the Times’
former editor and long-time
columnist, A.M. Rosenthal, and entitled
“Laughing in Beijing” (see href=”index.jsp?section=papers&code=97-D_92at”>the attached).
It puts into sharp relief what is
happening to a United States whose
corporations are being corrupted by the
elusive prospect of lucrative Chinese
contracts, whose technology is being
bought and stolen by the
People’s Liberation Army and whose
politicians are being suborned by China’s
influence operations:

“Every day, [members of the
Chinese Communist Politburo] hear
the highest American officials,
Members of Congress, the press,
intellectuals, the lot of them,
mesmerize themselves speculating
on whether China will remodel
Hong Kong or Hong Kong will
remodel China.

“The men of the
Politburo know all these
heavy-duty thinkers still have
not grasped the new historic
reality that Beijing has brought
about: China is remodeling
America.”
(Emphasis added.)

Mr. Rosenthal goes on to dissect how such
a remodeling has been accomplished:

• “…If Western
  companies said a
  critical word [about China], or
  failed to urge appeasement on
  their governments, they would
  lose trade and contracts.”
• “In America, the China trade
  lobby was Beijing’s instrument of
  pressure, persuading Mr. Clinton
  to kill human rights as a
  part of U.S. policy.
  From that, all else flowed.”
• “As an appeaser of
  China, the U.S. could
  not expect its allies to oppose
  repression elsewhere. America’s
  sanctions against small
  dictatorships like Cuba and Burma
  became a mockery.”
• “American
  politicians reshaped
  their thinking about foreign
  interference. Official and
  business life in China revolves
  around favoritism, bribes,
  payoffs. So it was natural for
  China to infiltrate American
  politics with money — and for
  remodeled American politicians to
  accept.” (This point is
  likely to come into far sharper
  focus as Senate hearings that
  were launched today begin to
  reach critical mass.)

The Bottom Line

Abe Rosenthal’s column should be
required reading in every office in
Washington. It is past time to begin
re-remodeling America along lines
consistent with its principles, values
and security interests.