FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 1999CONTACT: (202) 225-2011
Pete Peterson/Michael Barbera
WELDON RELEASES NEW CHINA INFORMATION Washington, DC, May 27, 1999 -- Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA) today detailed an extensive network of Chinese front groups and influence-peddling in order to gain access to America's most sensitive technology. In addition, he laid out a series of Clinton-Gore Administration decisions that made it easier for China to acquire critical technology.
"Contrary to the Clinton-Gore spin, the China espionage scandal is not just about the nuclear labs. That is what the Administration wants people to think, because the issue of the labs has the most direct connection to previous Administrations.
The broader (and more damaging) issue is the wholesale auctioning of sensitive American technology to the highest bidder. The facts show conclusively that this damage occurred under the Clinton-Gore Administration, and was a direct result of specific Clinton-Gore policies.
It was the Clinton-Gore Administration that ended the Department of Energy internal controls that governed who had access to certain facilities.
It was the Clinton-Gore Administration that disbanded COCOM (Coordinating Committee on Multinational Export Control).
It was the Clinton-Gore Administration, specifically the President himself, that sent a letter to the CEO of Silicon Graphics in 1993 outlining how the Administration planned to relax controls over our most sensitive technologies.
It was the Clinton-Gore Administration that decimated DTSA (the Defense Technology Security Agency), the one group that was responsible for DOD's input into technology export policy and licensing. This agency has been downgraded and minimized.
It was the Clinton-Gore Administration that transferred final approval for all sensitive technology transfers from State and Defense to Commerce.
Now we know the truth. The Chinese now have access to our most sensitive technology. They were able to advance their own technology by decades at our expense. It would have been bad enough if the Clinton-Gore Administration had been merely asleep at the switch -- but its far worse than that. By relaxing controls and export policies, the Clinton-Gore Administration actually assisted China in its efforts. This is a blunder of monumental proportions, and the blame can be laid clearly at the feet of this Administration."
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
