Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC

CHINA: "Cox Report Intended To Stir Up China Threat Theory"

Official English-language China Daily carried this item (5/26): "Commenting on the Cox report alleging that China has conducted espionage in the United States, the [Chinese Foreign Ministry] spokesman said the allegation is 'groundless' and 'has ulterior motives.' 'The purpose of the report is to spread the China threat theory, stir up anti-China sentiments and divert people's attention (from the U.S.-led NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy),' the spokesman concluded."

"Unscrupulous And Lonely Superpower"

Yuan Pen judged in official Chinese Youth Party China Youth Daily (Zhongguo Qingnianbao, 5/26): "Bombing the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade put the United States in an awkward position.... The surge of patriotic sentiment and national pride in China provoked by the bombing demonstrates that the painstaking American strategy to 'Westernize' and 'split' China collapsed overnight."

"Why Does U.S. Always Insult Itself?"

Bu Wen made this point in official Communist Party People's Daily (Renmin Ribao, 5/26): "The United States is a great country, but why does it always embarrass itself? The United States' attributing its bombing of the Chinese Embassy to an outdated map is indeed a terrible embarrassment. Who boasts the world's strongest military capacity, state-of-the-art scientific technology and highest efficiency?... If some Americans are so fond of making up stories, they should make them more convincing. Clumsy stories inevitably arouse doubts. Why are Americans so keen on insulting themselves?"

"Who Is Fanning Anti-U.S. Sentiment?"

Luo Tongsong argued in official Communist Party People's Daily (Renmin Ribao, 5/25): "Some Americans accused the Chinese government and the Chinese media of propagating and fueling Chinese indignation and anti-American sentiments [following NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade.] In fact, it is the U.S. media that have agitated American antagonism against China through biased reports which focused only on the threats that U.S. missions in China have felt."

"Clumsy Performance Of National Terrorism"

Li Baowen had this to say in State Council Economic Daily (Jingji Ribao, 5/24): "U.S.-led NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, a rare barbaric act in the history of international relations, has poisoned the atmosphere of Sino-U.S.relations. The U.S. action is a typical example of terrorist activity conducted by a country. The bombing is not an accidental or an isolated event. The United States is unwilling to see China's rapid economic growth, growing national strength and position opposing hegemony."

"U.S. Trying To Divert Attention From Bombing"

Zhao Huanxin expressed this view in official, English-language China Daily (5/21): "By fabricating stories about China's nuclear espionage and political donations, the United States is fostering an anti-China attitude and a China threat theory, and diverting people's attention from the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. 'Their despicable attempts are doomed to failure,' foreign ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said...adding, 'These fabrications have an ulterior motive.'"

HONG KONG: "Missile Motives"

The independent, English-language South China Morning Post said (5/26): "Beijing's claim that it has never stolen classified information from anyone--and certainly not from the United States--can be dismissed now that the long-awaited Cox report has been issued by the American Congress. What is less clear is exactly how important these revelations may prove. But they certainly will further degrade the already rather grim relations between Beijing and Washington, at least through the American election campaign. Beyond that, they intensify nuclear security issues in the policy debate, adding a dash of danger, which for the most part has been absent. After the alarms die down, Sino-American relations may get back on track. However, the changing missile equation will make that more complicated than ever."

"U.S. Must Lead In Responsible Way"

Independent Hong Kong Standard opined (5/26): "It is...important to keep firmly in mind that all nations spy on each other, even friendly ones, and that the one nation which spends the most money and employs the most spies is the United States.... Outer space is filled with U.S. satellites relentlessly spying on all the other nations of the world, but especially on China, India, Pakistan, Japan and Russia."

"Sino-U.S. Relations Deteriorate As Cox Report Comes Out"

Independent, Chinese-language Hong Kong Economic Journal contended (5/26): "Regardless how reliable it is...the Cox report, which was made public yesterday, has undoubtedly had a negative impact on U.S.-China relations, adding fuel to the flames of deteriorating Sino-U.S. relations.... Both China and the United States...for the sake of long-term interests, should try to learn how to co-exist peacefully. To be at sword's points with each other would only worsen U.S.-China relations."

"To U.S. Congress: Don't Make Mountain Out Of Molehill"

Mass-circulation Apple Daily asked (5/26): "How could a report, which provides no solid information about who is stealing military secrets and how, be convincing? We hope the American government and the public will not be manipulated by the report and let U.S.-China relations be further worsened."

"Fact And Friction"

The independent South China Morning Post pointed out (5/25): "To the north, many people see the Belgrade bombing as an anti-China plot, not a stupid accident, and Beijing doesn't counsel otherwise. There also are fresh assertions that the United States is 'containing' China and subverting its global ambitions. Old charges that Washington interferes repeatedly in [China's] affairs have gained new intensity. Unfortunately, there is no relief in sight. China policy already is part of the debate as the American election season takes hold. A Republican adviser explained here recently that its campaigner will blame Democrats for letting China steal military secrets and will argue that this poses a threat to the United States' well-being.... This friction is bad news for Hong Kong. It may well delay Chinese membership in the World Trade Organization, which would enhance local investment across the border and open key overseas markets. It also increases chances of new U.S. controls on technology exports which, for the first time, could fully apply here. And tourism--not just by Seventh Fleet sailors--might suffer."

"U.S. Shoots Itself In The Foot"

Pro-PRC Ta Kung Pao argued (5/25): "The U.S.-led NATO attempted to test China strategically by suddenly bombing the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia.

"It wanted to catch China unprepared. It also wanted to cause internal chaos in China, hitting its stability and solidarity, so as to achieve its wicked goal of containing the economic development of China.... U.S. missiles have been a rude awakening for the 'American dream' of many Chinese young people. The bloody fact has enabled them to recognize the rudeness and unreasonableness of hegemonism and the hypocrisy of the so-called 'democracy,' 'freedom,' 'human rights' and 'press freedom' in the West. The effect of this negative example is much better than a positive example. This is what the invader never expected. The U.S. missiles have actually smashed the social foundation of the 'peaceful evolution' they attempted to launch in China. A bad thing has turned out to be a good thing."

"Clinton Needs To See Full Picture"

The independent Hong Kong Standard concluded (5/24): "Beijing is undoubtedly keen to join the WTO. If it does not get in this year, it will have to wait another five years. Besides, it does not want to see Taiwan going in ahead of itself; negotiations between Taiwan and WTO members were completed many months ago. The consequences of a Taiwan accession ahead of the mainland will impact Sino-U.S. relations. But accession for Beijing on terms that are grossly unfair is clearly unacceptable. Given the present mood of the Chinese people, the leadership in Beijing may well find its position untenable should it agree to accept Congress' terms. Until Mr. Clinton delivers up a congressional promise to stick to the rules of the WTO and a full explanation of the bombing, the U.S. president may find himself the only one raving over the issue. Beijing, for the moment, has stopped talking about WTO."

"U.S. Should Not Make Excessive Demands On China"

Independent Ming Pao Daily News stressed (5/24): "After the bombing of the Chinese Embassy, the mutual trust between China and the United States is not as good as before. Now, it is difficult to expect Beijing to make more concessions to the United States [in order to gain WTO membership.] If the U.S. government is insatiably greedy, it will get nothing in the end."

"Bombing Fallout"

The independent South China Morning Post remarked (5/22): "Ever since Beijing imposed its ban on high-level military contacts with the United States in protest [of] the embassy bombing, it was inevitable the warship visits would be affected. That does not infringe [on Hong Kong's] high degree of autonomy as it involves an issue which was always outside the scope of that autonomy. Even the U.S. consulate was careful to explain yesterday that this action should not affect relations with Hong Kong. It recognizes that the issue only involves ties between Washington and Beijing, with [Hong Kong] caught in the crossfire.... The important thing is to get Sino-U.S. relations back on track and overcome the damage done by recent events. Among other more important things, that will mean it will not be long before visiting American sailors return."

"U.S. Navy Ban A Logical Move"

The independent Hong Kong Standard declared (5/22): "No Chinese regards the Belgrade Embassy tragedy lightly, and all will support the ban until such time as our grievances are properly redressed. Until then, the U.S. navy will have to find its fun somewhere else."

"Reform And Self-Interest"

The independent Hong Kong Economic Journal reasoned (5/22): "China's accession to WTO and its policy of opening and reform are based on its actual needs. These policies are beneficial to China. China reforms for itself, opens up for itself and joins WTO for itself.

"Hence, it will not shrink back due to the 'misfires' of the United States or someone's premeditated provocation. Was the price paid by China for its closed-door policy not high enough? We hope that the denial of approval for U.S. ships to enter Hong Kong is just a gesture of public indignation and not the beginning of a closed-door policy again. We also hope that the apathetic reaction to the WTO negotiations is just a bargaining measure and not the sign of a victory by the conservatives in stopping China from joining the WTO."

"Embassy Bombing Not Over Yet; U.S. Navy Should Not Visit Hong Kong"

Centrist Oriental Daily News had this editorial (5/22): "Current Sino-U.S.relations are at a low ebb. But it is just a temporary phenomenon. China will not close its doors due to a short-term diplomatic controversy. Hong Kong people need not be worried. China denied U.S. Navy ships entry to Hong Kong because of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia. We hope that the United States will satisfy the four requests raised by the Chinese foreign ministry so that Sino-U.S. relations can be back on the right track again."

JAPAN: "Report May Hurt Efforts To Improve U.S.-China Ties"

Liberal Asahi's Washington correspondent Nishimura wrote (5/26): "Following the release of the Cox report...it is almost certain that Congress will intensify its criticism of the administration's China policy, while becoming increasingly wary of China's modernization of nuclear weapons and missiles.... If the Chinese espionage case becomes a serious political issue in the [U.S.] presidential elections...it will deal a serious blow to [the administration's] efforts to better the Sino-American relationship...after the mistaken NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade."

"Cox Report Will Aggravate Anti-American Feelings In China"

Liberal Asahi's Beijing correspondent Nakamura stressed (5/26): "The Chinese government is expected to ask the U.S. government about its formal position concerning the Cox report in order to prevent currently sensitive Sino-American relations from turning for the worse. But the further aggravation of 'anti-U.S.' feelings among the Chinese people will be unavoidable. Given present circumstances, Beijing's diplomatic options for improving relations with the United States will certainly be limited."

BURMA: "NATO Bombs Did Not Even Spare An Embassy"

The English-language, government-owned New Light Of Myanmar expressed this view (5/18): "On May 7, NATO warplanes bombed the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Belgrade, a hospital and an open air market in Nis. The attack raised a big outcry in international affairs.... The United States and NATO member countries that usually accuse one-sidedly and blindly these or those countries of violating human rights are now violating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, principles of the UN Charter and diplomatic norms prescribed by the...Convention on Diplomatic Relations.... Violating the Geneva Convention on Diplomatic Relations and attacking the embassy is not a matter for saying...'sorry.'"

SINGAPORE: "Mend Those Relations"

The pro-government Straits Times maintained (5/24): "The emotional after-effects of the bombing will no doubt persist for a while, but both countries can begin to mend their relations by avoiding immediate quarrels. China should resist the temptation to be intransigent in the UN Security Council if the subject of a UN-mandated peacekeeping force in Kosovo comes up, and the United States should try hard to wrap up the World Trade Organization talks quickly. The leaders of both countries should realize that nothing can destabilize the world more than a collapse of their relationship....

"Ironically, perhaps, the country where this danger is greatest now is not China but the United States.... To a remarkable extent, his White House has lost control of China policy. An unholy alliance of professional China-haters--including right-wing Republicans, defense bureaucrats, human rights Democrats, managed trade avatars, and a media obsessed with finding Chinese spies under every military-industrial pile--seems to have taken charge. That they have no strategy is precisely what is most worrying, for it means America's China policy can easily degenerate into a series of glandular non-sequiturs."

SOUTH KOREA: "China Nuclear Technology Thefts"

Washington correspondent Shin Jae-min observed in moderate Hankook Ilbo (5/26): "Obviously, the [Cox] report will have a critical impact on Sino-U.S. relations, which have not yet recovered from the mistaken bombing of the Chinese Embassy [in Belgrade.] Also, it will further provoke anti-China sentiments in the United States to the level of the Cold War era."

VIETNAM: "New Conflict In Sino-U.S. Relations"

The editorial in Hanoi's municipal Communist Party Committee Ha Noi Moi (New Hanoi) declared (5/22): "Generally, the attack by the United States and NATO against the Chinese Embassy has caused a diplomatic crisis which is the most severe in Sino-U.S relations since 1979. It also marked a step backward in the two countries' ties.... After NATO bombed the Chinese Embassy, [China] has become an involved party in the [Balkans] war and NATO now cannot continue to disrespect or ignore Beijing's opinion if it wants to seek an exit. It is likely that in some time to come, China will have a considerably clear role in the search for a political solution for the Kosovo issue."

EUROPE

BRITAIN: "Chinese Spies In Washington"

The independent Financial Times' lead editorial intoned (5/26): "The U.S. administration cannot escape its share of the blame for the alleged theft of nuclear weapons secrets by Chinese spies and the sale of defense technology to Beijing. The administration's slowness in reacting to security failures made it an easy target for China's ambitious spies. These failings are just the latest symptoms of a deep muddle over the direction of U.S. policy towards China. The White House wants cautiously to engage Beijing but is hampered, as it approaches the election, by fears of a backlash from Congress and public opinion.... President Clinton may be too deeply implicated to control the U.S. response. That leaves it to Congress--not a natural friend of China--to draw the lessons.... Washington needs to be clear in its response. It should drive up the cost to China of future misbehavior, while also engaging it on the economic front. That means being consistently tough on security and positive on trade. Anything less will invite manipulation by Beijing and lead to destabilizing disputes. Yet Washington shows precious little sign of the political leadership needed for the task."

"America Finds Rival For Next Century"

In the editorial view of the centrist Independent (5/26): "It is disquieting to find out how thoroughly Chinese spies have penetrated America's nuclear research laboratories, as detailed yesterday in [the Cox] report.... Not only does this expose an almost inconceivably sloppy attitude to the protection of such important information, but the attempts of the Clinton administration to avoid its responsibility for this debacle also show how difficult the West now finds it to deal with an economically and politically resurgent China. China is too big to fit comfortably into the tidy frame of the post-Cold War settlement. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, world peace has relied on Uncle Sam being stronger than anyone who would go toe to toe with him....

"With China's acquisition of the latest American technology, that assumption can no longer be so easily held.... America should face up to China by reaffirming its support for East Asian security. America will gain greater economic benefits and more improvements to human rights by standing upright rather than kowtowing before China. With China, the United States must be fair but firm if the Pacific century is not to begin with a cold snap."

"Destructive Engagement"

The lead editorial in the conservative Times pointed out (5/26): "Cold War or no Cold War, nations routinely spy on each other...but China's stunning success, over two decades, in penetrating American security is certainly news. The Cox report chronicles America's greatest failure of counter-intelligence.... China is placed to skip several decades and replace its 1950s nuclear arsenal with multiple warheads rivaling the United States in sophistication. And the implications reach to some of the world's most dubious states; there is evidence that Libya, Iran, Syria and North Korea are among those which Beijing, in some cases breaching its undertakings on non-proliferation, has supplied with components and weapons systems at least partly based on American military technology.... China denies everything; President Clinton is extremely reluctant to do anything at odds with his 'constructive engagement' strategy. But the evidence of destructive engagement is so devastating that even he cannot look the other way."

GERMANY: "Enemy Image Of China"

Petra Kolonko noted in a front-page editorial in right-of-center Frankfurter Allgemeine (5/26): "If the accusations are correct, Chinese spies stole documents which the communist People's Republic of China used to ably improve its missile technology and even allowed it to develop the neutron bomb.... But even CIA experts are not sure about the extent the theft of information really had on the development of China's military technology, since Chinese companies would have had the chance of acquiring the knowledge legally in the United States.... This espionage affair has, nevertheless, been used for a political attack against China and the China policy of the U.S. president. It is another facet to the China threat image, which mainly Republican circles are trying to paint.... It is true that the People's Republic of China is no model in the international community of nations. But a sober analysis of (China's) interests and its real potential is more conducive to a China policy than the dissemination of unfounded threat scenarios."

"Beat China, Strike Clinton"

Washington correspondent Stefan Kornelius filed this editorial for centrist Sueddeutsche Zeitung of Munich (5/26): "[The Cox report] about China's alleged espionage activities cannot be proven by facts.... It does not offer information, only accusations. The House of Representatives used the past legislative term for a misguided and hysterical vendetta against the president of the country. Now the legislators are working to create a new enemy image, since this is obviously the only way to maintain the partisan polarization that some members of Congress obviously want. For the Republican majority, China is the right opponent for all kinds of xenophobic and isolationist outbursts in the House.... In today's U.S. domestic policy one thing is true: Those who beat on China, will strike Clinton--and this is more than enough for the majority of legislators."

"New Political Ice Age"

Washington correspondent Martin Winter wrote in left-of-center Frankfurter Rundschau (5/27): "Clinton can now abandon his hopes for crowning 'his strategic partnership' with China this year with the acceptance of China in the WTO. He should be happy if Congress, where the hawks dominate, even renews the MFN status [for] China....

"It is not very reassuring for the rest of the world to see that the United States and the emerging major power of China are increasingly entering into a confrontation."

CZECH REPUBLIC: "Kosovo Shows China Its Weaknesses"

Milan Vodicka stressed in right-of-center, top-circulation Mlada fronta DNES (5/25): "The Chinese are no longer throwing stones against the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. They are walking peacefully in T-shirts, with American flags to get their American hamburgers again. And yet, China will never be the same as it was before its embassy in Belgrade was hit. According to analysts, that fatal fraction of a second has unveiled the depth of China's mistrust of the United States and its growing feeling of being under siege, and has accelerated considerations that the outside world does not like.... For China, NATO has appeared for the first time in a new role that could one day threaten China.... For the Chinese military there is a lesson from Kosovo: China must upgrade its arms and change its doctrine--instead of the current strategy of a limited local war near its border, China must get ready for a 'long-range' war. As an unnamed diplomat noted, China would have to (develop or purchase) long-range missiles, and that would cause anxiety for its neighbors."

NORWAY: "A New U.S.-China Crisis"

Conservative Aftenposten commented (5/26): "After decades of nuclear rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, China has entered the stage as the United States' most important rival in international politics.... The latest espionage charges will become a noticeable political problem for President Clinton in the lead-in to the next U.S. presidential elections in 2000. Clinton is accused of not having recognized the seriousness of several reports of espionage, and for failing to implement measures when the allegations first materialized.... China has reacted strongly to NATO's U.S.-led war to promote human rights in Yugoslavia. At the same time, the U.S. Congress has strongly criticized China's massacre at Tiananmen Square ten years ago, demanding respect for human rights. We should expect a cooling of U.S.-China relations--which could make a UN peace solution for Kosovo even more difficult to achieve."

POLAND: "The Dragon Is Stronger"

Lukarz Warzecha asserted in right-of-center Zycie (5/26): "The light-heartedness of the Clinton administration, which has been for long aware of possible leaks, is just unbelievable. Or perhaps this light-heartedness was not so accidental? For a long time now, Asia and the Pacific region have been among the most crucial areas for Washington. The point is that China has a good chance of soon becoming a local power, which would greatly restrict the United States' potential.... Washington has no concept of how to deal with China. On the one hand, it is benign when it comes to criticizing violations of human rights.... On the other, instead of going further and making China its real partner in Asia, the United States always thwarts China...as when [the United States] artificially strengthens Japan's position.... As China grows stronger now at the cost of its competitor, America--albeit reluctantly--will have to [engage] Beijing even more."

"Red Tears"

Kazimierz Pytko concluded in center-left Zycie Warszawy (5/20): "The same people who sent tanks to crush students in Tiananmen Square are all of a sudden shedding tears over the three killed in [China's] Embassy in Belgrade."

SLOVENIA: "Significant Changes"

Left-of-center, independent Vecer held (5/26): "If the first estimations are correct, China may in some years possess the most modern thermonuclear weapons and rockets that could carry them to any part of the United States. This significantly changes the military and political situation in the world."

SPAIN: "Chinese Checkers"

Barcelona's centrist La Vanguardia remarked (5/26): "[The Cox report] has confirmed suspicions about the games the Chinese have been playing since relations between the two countries were restored. Still to be felt are its diplomatic ramifications. China is seen in the United States in two lights: either as a giant that could become an important market for American exports, or as a superpower rival in the next century. These two visions result in two conflicting lines of action: cooperation--as is being defended by Clinton in order to influence Beijing, or containment--as was practiced against the former Soviet Union. The information in the report will, if nothing else, reactivate the debate over which policy the United States should follow."

SOUTH ASIA

INDIA: "China Levels U.S. Nuclear Program With 'Stolen Know-How'"

Under the above headline in the centrist Hindu, Washington correspondent Sridhar Krishnaswami gave this analysis (5/26): "The Cox Committee Report...asserts...that Beijing's efforts to steal American technology continued well into the Clinton administration; and the end result has been that China's mobile nuclear warheads are as good as those of the United States.... Over the last several weeks, bits and pieces have trickled to the national media on what is supposed to have gone on in U.S. nuclear weapons laboratories, the depth of the espionage and the extent to which the Clinton administration could be blamed for the goings-on. Some conservatives argue that it is not a question of China 'stealing' secrets but one of the Clinton administration 'giving' them away.... Some of the findings or conclusions of the report have definite political implications for the Clinton administration, as for instance in the argument that the theft and legal acquisition of military technology by Beijing is aimed at pushing its international agenda and achieving long-term geopolitical goals that would include the taking over of Taiwan and becoming the primary power in Asia."

PAKISTAN: "China's Honorable Conduct"

An editorial in Islamabad's rightist, English-language Pakistan Observer emphasized (5/21): "China has described NATO's bombardment of its embassy in Belgrade as too grave an event to be taken lightly for it has hurt its sovereignty and sent a wave of protests among its billion-plus people at home and abroad. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, the Chinese ambassador in Pakistan rejected the plea that the attack was a mistake.... The United States and NATO's insistence on a surrender by Belgrade to their conditionalities for a halt to air attacks lends weight to apprehensions in many countries that NATO has conferred on itself the role of a crisis-management organization policing international affairs, by trespassing the role of UN Security Council and leaving no smaller countries to feel safe in the future. This is a dangerous and unacceptable trend, which [causes disrepute to] NATO itself and belittles the UN and its role."

WESTERN HEMISPHERE

CANADA: "Spy Report: Red Storm Rising"

The conservative National Post queried (5/26): "Was Ms. Reno's refusal to cooperate with the FBI part of a larger quid pro quo by which Mr. Clinton provided loosened trade restrictions on supercomputers, missile guidance technology, satellite expertise, and other high-tech exports? It is a mark of the Clinton administration's low standards of political morality and concern for national security that the question can seriously be asked and not automatically answered in the negative. Depending on how the West's relationship with China develops, the United States' failure to safeguard its nuclear technology during the last quarter century may prove to be a setback on par with Stalin's acquisition of America's atomic bomb secrets. If Ms. Reno had a role in this, she must be held accountable. And if Mr. Clinton himself was involved, he too must face the music. After all, nothing in the U.S. Constitution says that a president cannot be impeached twice."

ARGENTINA: "Tension Between U.S. And China"

Ana Baron, Washington-based correspondent for leading Clarin, observed (5/26): "The political explosion caused by the report released yesterday about Chinese nuclear espionage not only provoked great turbulence on a domestic level but also overseas.... The report has placed the White House in a delicate position. Domestically, it will be used by Republicans to discredit Clinton once more. On an international level, the report will have a great impact not only on the rapprochement policy with China...but also on all negotiations related to nuclear arms reduction which are currently underway between the United States, China and other countries."

BRAZIL: "China Knows All About U.S. Nuclear Weapons"

Center-right O Estado de Sao Paulo's Washington correspondent, Paulo Sotero, concluded (5/26): "The disclosure of the [Cox] report two weeks after the accidental bombing of China's embassy in Belgrade and the resulting furious reaction by Beijing, is expected to have negative effects on U.S.-China relations, which had already been harmed by the failure of the negotiations aimed at China's entry into the WTO.... The charges against China reinforce the positions of both the anti-China lobby in the U.S. Congress and the anti-Western forces within the Chinese government."

"Beijing Is Right When It Complains"

International editor Jaime Spitzcovsky expressed this view in liberal Folha de Sao Paulo (5/26): "Beijing is right when it complains about initiatives aimed at 'demonizing' China. Washington needs a threat to replace the late USSR.... The Chinese scientific community has accumulated achievements. Despite periods of isolationism, China has made remarkable progress. But the version that such achievements has never been helped by valuable secrets stolen from rivals in the nuclear race, has little credibility."

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5/26/99

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