Friday, December 12, 2008

Steven Chu—Smart Policy, Not Politics

President-elect Barack Obama’s appointment of Steven Chu as Energy Secretary reaffirms his commitment to change our national energy policy and make the development of alternative energy sources a top priority.

Since taking over the leadership of Lawrence Laboratory, the Nobel laureate physicist Chu has been busy promoting the need to combat global warming by shifting away from dependence on fossil fuel. His laboratory has become an active center of research on alternative energy. He has been prominent in various local and national forums stressing the urgent nature of global warming.

Chu has the technical expertise, personal charisma and passion to help Obama change the way we consume energy and heat up the atmosphere. Obama’s decision not to select a Washington insider, but someone with a firm grasp of the relevant technological issues, suggests that he is serious about finding the right person to deal with the threat of global warming.

To even remotely suggest that the appointment of Chu is in some way a response to the growing objection to incoming Commerce Secretary Bill Richardson – who was Secretary of Energy during the Wen Ho Lee case – is to discredit Obama’s intention to recruit the best and most qualified, not to mention discounting Chu’s sterling credentials.

Certainly, Richardson’s credentials could also be considered those of a heavyweight – except, ironically, for his record as the Energy Secretary under the Clinton administration.

In late 1998 and early 1999, right-wing opponents were attacking Bill Clinton from multiple fronts, including the accusation that military secrets were being leaked to China. To relieve the pressure of these attacks, Richardson made Wen Ho Lee, then employed at the Los Alamos Laboratory, a convenient scapegoat. He fired Dr. Lee two days after an article from the New York Times indicated that secrets had been leaked from Los Alamos.

Lee was fired without due process. He didn’t know what he did wrong. It took months after his dismissal for prosecutors and the FBI to come up with 59 counts against him, all but one of which was thrown out by the court. Lee had to plead guilty to one count of downloading sensitive data from a secured central computer in order to justify the nine months he had already spent in solitary confinement. (At about the same time, CIA Director John Deutsch took his own secured laptop home against regulations and he didn’t even spend a day in jail.)

The presiding judge apologized to Lee. The New York Times and other major members of the media published mea culpas. Even the FBI admitted falsifying evidence against Lee. Only Richardson to this day will not admit that he had done anything wrong. His inability to admit a mistake and apologize continues to be a heavy blot on his credentials.

The appointment of Chu should be a welcomed fresh breeze to erase the stench of a past national disgrace. As a native-born American, Chu presumably will not be subject to racial profiling. By serving as the director of an agency that less than a decade ago was so riddled with racial bias is to indicate that the Obama administration truly signifies a new beginning.

With an Asian American serving as the energy czar, national laboratories should begin to see increasing numbers of Asian Americans with a renewed interest in working there. It has been no secret that scientists and engineers of Asian ancestry represent one of our most valuable national resources.

This commentary first appeared in New America Media.
------------------------------------------------
Dr. Robert Vrooman was the counterintelligence director at Los Alamos National Laboratory who fiercely objected WHL's arrest. Vrooman himself was reprimanded by Bill Richardson for continuing to oppose the charges and actions against WHL. He supported the campaign to free WHL through many speeches and the media. See his statement opposing Richardson's appointment in the Obama administration.

Reasons why Obama needs a new start with China-part 5 of 5: End to Racial Profiling

The Obama Administration takes office on the promise of change and one of the most critical changes he can make is to reboot our relations with China based on mutual respect and shared interests. A strong and positive alliance with China is more important now than ever.

By treating China as an equal partner, the Obama Administration would not only recognize the reality of China’s position in the new world order but would gain an ally that could reduce America’s military expenditures, provide diplomatic cover in certain parts of the world essential to world stability and help rescue America’s foundering economy.


Another change though not directly connected to relations with China is stopping the practice of racial profiling by law enforcement agencies. In the case of Chinese Americans, it is the idea that somehow their feelings about their ancestral land, a natural feeling with any first generation immigrants, are somehow unnatural and a cause of disloyalty.

Ethnic bias runs deep in certain parts of the American government. Broad and ambiguous export control policy provides cover for justifying racial profiling by the enforcement agencies. Sometimes the bewildered target of the FBI investigation was tripped up by the idea that a civilian use could have military implications. Other times, they didn’t do anything but were harassed anyway for merely being ethnic Chinese.

The FBI has always espoused the idea that China uses the so-called “grains of sand” practice of espionage. Simply stated, FBI believes every ethnic Chinese in America is a potential spy for China.

The idea that China is patiently collecting tidbits of information from a million sources that add up to devastating intelligence is preposterous but this theory serves to excuse those in counter-intelligence for failing to catch anyone and justify their random arrests of Chinese Americans.

Though it hardly qualifies as espionage, exporting to China can get a person in trouble, especially if the person is ethnic Chinese.

The Obama administration should conduct an anti-ethnic cleansing of the leadership of FBI and get rid of the bigots and the racially biased culture that reside there since J. Edgar Hoover. Racial profiling under grains of sand or any other pretense is still a show of ignorance and in the case of the FBI, incompetence.

Stopping the harassment of Chinese Americans will contribute to a positive atmosphere with China and will re-direct the energies of the law enforcement bodies to issues related more directly to homeland security, a cause we all support.

Read entire 5 part article on Asia Times.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Reasons why Obama needs a new start with China-part 4 of 5: As High Tech Export Market

The Obama Administration takes office on the promise of change and one of the most critical changes he can make is to reboot our relations with China based on mutual respect and shared interests. A strong and positive alliance with China is more important now than ever.

By treating China as an equal partner, the Obama Administration would not only recognize the reality of China’s position in the new world order but would gain an ally that could reduce America’s military expenditures, provide diplomatic cover in certain parts of the world essential to world stability and help rescue America’s foundering economy.


In general, China prefers high tech equipment and machinery from the U.S. over the competitors from Western Europe, Japan or Russia. However, none of the other suppliers require the buyer to jump through the hoops that the U.S. government imposes on China for the privilege of buying from us.

The U.S. export control policy towards China needs to be revamped and hostile bias removed so that China can be accorded the same respect as with any customer. The notion that goods sold for civilian use could also find military use and therefore must be restricted when exporting to China is outdated and gratuitously insulting.

The U.S. export licensing process has been costly to administer, costly for American manufacturers to comply and costly for the Chinese buyer to follow. The policy has not made America more secure but has impeded export sales and made buying from us less attractive than buying from our competition.

The export control process was instituted during the cold war to guard against American technology falling into the Soviet hands. The efficacy of this policy was questionable then and its relevance certainly more questionable now.

China is too important a market for American high tech goods for us to continue to tolerate a policy that undermine our own competitiveness.

Read entire 5 part article on Asia Times.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Reasons why Obama needs a new start with China-part 3 of 5: As an Economic Partner

The Obama Administration takes office on the promise of change and one of the most critical changes he can make is to reboot our relations with China based on mutual respect and shared interests. A strong and positive alliance with China is more important now than ever.

By treating China as an equal partner, the Obama Administration would not only recognize the reality of China’s position in the new world order but would gain an ally that could reduce America’s military expenditures, provide diplomatic cover in certain parts of the world essential to world stability and help rescue America’s foundering economy.


China is holding on to more than one trillion of our (US) dollars and Chinese companies are potentially interested in investing in America. They would find attractive acquisitions in American markets, factories, name brands, management and technical know-how. They could come to the US to license, form alliances and joint ventures or take over shuttered plants.

Haier is one China's major appliance makers and the first to build a plant in the US. Haier's investment in South Carolina has had a ripple effect as other Chinese investments followed to the benefit of the local economy. One consequence is that the Port of Charleston has become the fourth-largest container handling port in the US, boasting the most modern cargo handling equipment - made in China. People in South Carolina know the story, but most of the people in the US do not.

Chinese companies could invest in America and create jobs in America, but our basic attitude towards China's participation in our economy has to change. The new administration and Congress need to send out a new message that dollars in Chinese hands are as welcome as anyone's.

There are a number of policy changes that the new administration should undertake in order to signal to Beijing that Washington is no longer home to hostile, knee-jerk attitude towards China. Congressional commissions that serve no purpose other than to provide a public forum for China bashing should be dissolved.

To invite direct investment from China, guidelines on permissible investment need to be transparent and clearly delineated so that Chinese companies know where they stand in advance. Case-by-case debate in Congress that follows each contemplated investment, with gratuitous rancor thrown in, would be deal killers and cause any plans for inbound investment from China to be stillborn.

China's own economic stimulus announced this month is to invest nearly $600 billion on the country's own infrastructure, but it is also seeking economic opportunities elsewhere, from Australia to Africa to South America. It will be up to the Obama administration to send a new signal that we also welcome their investments here in the US.

A good beginning would be for the State Department to instruct its visa offices in China to stop treating applicants as if they are from a pariah state. Simplifying the visa application process to business travelers from China would encourage more commercial exchange and facilitate inbound investment.

As Europe and other tourist destinations have discovered, China is rapidly becoming the largest source of international tourists. France and Germany, among others, have found the Chinese tourists to be bigger spenders than Japanese or American. With an enlightened visa policy, we too can be beneficiaries of their tourist buying sprees.

After all, to quote a US President of not too distant past, “It's the economy, stupid.”
_____________________________________________
For those interesed, there is a recent review of China's impressive economic development over the last thirty years.

Read entire 5 part article on Asia Times.

Monday, December 8, 2008

No on Richardson is Growing

Compiled below are some of the more recent updates describing the sentiment against the nomination of Bill Richardson as the Secretary of Commerce in the incoming Obama Administration.

One of the petition drive to collect online signatures can be found here.

The other concurrent petition drive is here.

Both urls contain a lot of and some overlapping background information.

The opening paragraph of an open letter to the Obama transition team outlining reasons Richardson is not fit to serve can be found here while the full text is posted at another site.

The San Jose Mercury News article describes why folks in Silicon Valley are objecting to Richardson.

The latest commentary on this protest can be found in the San Francisco Chronicle. There is a version of this commentary in Chinese published by the World Journal for those interested.


Anyone feeling strongly about the right of every citizen to due process and objecting to racial profiling should join this protest.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Reasons why Obama needs a new start with China-part 2 of 5: Reduce Military Expenditure

The Obama Administration takes office on the promise of change and one of the most critical changes he can make is to reboot our relations with China based on mutual respect and shared interests. A strong and positive alliance with China is more important now than ever.

By treating China as an equal partner, the Obama Administration would not only recognize the reality of China’s position in the new world order but would gain an ally that could reduce America’s military expenditures, provide diplomatic cover in certain parts of the world essential to world stability and help rescue America’s foundering economy.


Pentagon and the military industrial complex love to position China as the next evil empire in order to justify annual defense budgets north of $500 billion. Not much of the allocation is for anti-terror activity. Most of the spending is for advanced weaponry development allegedly in anticipation of a rising China.

However, China is neither the belligerent state nor has the military might to compete with the U.S. China’s defense posture has been that of a porcupine rather than a pit bull.

They willingly revealed their nuclear weapon development to visiting American scientists. Their submarine surfaced in midst of the Kitty Hawk flotilla, just to show that they can. They shot down their own satellite to help Americans update their benchmark of the Chinese capability.

Their motivation seems nothing more than making sure that the U.S. will not miscalculate China’s ability for retaliation.

Unlike the former Soviet Union, China has not shown any inclination to compete for world dominance or join in an arms race. By seeing and understanding the real China, hundreds of billions can be saved by not having to spend it for advance military systems.

Ironically, if we were to spend those billions, we would have to borrow from China.

Read entire 5 part article on Asia Times.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Reasons why Obama needs a new start with China-part 1 of 5: International Relations

The Obama Administration takes office on the promise of change and one of the most critical changes he can make is to reboot our relations with China based on mutual respect and shared interests. A strong and positive alliance with China is more important now than ever.

By treating China as an equal partner, the Obama Administration would not only recognize the reality of China’s position in the new world order but would gain an ally that could reduce America’s military expenditures, provide diplomatic cover in certain parts of the world essential to world stability and help rescue America’s foundering economy.


Unlike the U.S., China never aspired to be a superpower and policeman of the world. Their policy has been to get along with everybody. Thus, they are able to maintain civil, if not downright cordial, diplomatic relations with nations with whom we have been unfriendly, such as Russia, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Pakistan and North Korea to name just a few.

Consistent with their “get along” approach, they have rarely invoked their veto right as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Since joining the body, they have cast 6 vetoes. During that same period for other permanent members, by way of comparison, USSR/Russia cast 123 vetoes, the U.S. 80 times, UK 32 and France 18.

Since 1990, China has contributed 9000 peacekeepers in 22 UN operations, more than the combined total of the other four permanent members of the Security Council. What they have not done is to send any of their troops on any non-UN sanctioned mission beyond their borders and occupy any territory belonging to other sovereign states.

China has a growing presence in Africa and Latin America, but it has been based on mutually beneficial, commercial interests. Typically, Chinese investments and participation help build the local infrastructure and train native skill sets as well as cooperation in exploration and development of natural resources.

China has already played a critical role by hosting the six party talks and keeping the conference room open with the North Koreans. Arguably much more progress could have been made by now, had the U.S. been less pig-headed about who blinks first.

Since China has gotten along well with every nation—far better than the U.S.—they are in the position to cajole international cooperation more readily than we can. With their complicit help, we will be able to lessen world tension without incurring extra expenditures for shuttle diplomacy or even bigger outlays for military intervention.

Read entire 5 part article on Asia Times.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

A new relationship with China will get Obama off to a good start

Special to the Mercury News
Posted: 11/30/2008 08:00:00 PM PST

The Obama administration takes office on the promise of change while inheriting a host of challenges. If Obama were to overhaul the bilateral relationship with China right off, he could find China a crucial ally in relieving some of his migraines.

Unlike the U.S., China never pretended to be a superpower and global gendarme. Thus, the Chinese are able to maintain civil, if not downright cordial, diplomatic relations with nations unfriendly to us, such as Russia, Iran, Pakistan and North Korea.

Since China has gotten along well with most nations, it is in position to cajole international cooperation in America's place. With China's help, we can save the cost of shuttle diplomacy and military intervention.

The Pentagon and the military industrial complex love to position China as the next evil empire to justify huge defense budgets. Much of advanced weapons development is allegedly in response to a rising China.

However, China is neither a belligerent state nor has the military might to compete with the U.S. By seeing the real China, we could avoid spending hundreds of billions of dollars.

Chinese companies are interested in investing in America. They could come to the U.S. to license, form alliances and joint ventures or take over shuttered plants.

Haier is one of China's major appliance makers and the first to build a plant in the U.S. Other Chinese investments followed Haier to South Carolina, giving the local economy a palpable shot in the arm. People in South Carolina know the story, but most in the U.S. do not.

Chinese companies could create jobs in America, but the new administration and Congress need to send out a new message that Chinese investors are as welcome as anyone.

Guidelines on permissible investment need to be transparent and clearly delineated so Chinese companies know where they stand. Case-by-case debate in Congress, with gratuitous rancor thrown in, can no longer be tolerated.

Export control policy toward China should be revamped so that China can be accorded the same respect as any customer. The notion that goods sold for civilian use could also find military use and therefore must be restricted when exporting to China is outdated and insulting.

The complex export licensing process has been costly to administer, costly for American manufacturers to comply and costly for the Chinese buyer to follow. China is a major opportunity for high-tech exports, but only if we do not handcuff ourselves when we compete with Japan and Western Europe.

The broad and ambiguous export control policy also allows the FBI to use suspected violations as cause to harass Chinese-Americans. Simplifying export regulations removes another excuse for racial profiling. Energies could be better directed to really protecting the homeland.

The State Department should simplify the visa-granting process to business travelers from China rather than treating China as another pariah state. This would encourage more commercial exchange and facilitate inbound investment.

By treating China as a respected peer, the Obama administration would not only recognize the reality of the new world order but would gain an ally that could provide diplomatic cover in parts of the world essential to world stability and help rescue America's foundering economy.

Chinese leadership from Hu Jintao on down frequently talks about creating a harmonious society and looks for win-win solutions. It's time we listen.
========================================
Dr. George Koo is a retired business consultant who has traveled to approximately 60 countries. He writes a personal blog, http://georgekoo.blogspot.com/ and wrote this article for the Mercury News. A slightly longer version is posted on New America Media.