Kowtowing to Beijing on terrorism. (Insider Report).

On February 2 1st, speaking in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing at the conclusion of summit talks with Chinese ruler Jiang Zemin, President Bush declared: "We recognize that terrorism is a threat to both our countries, and I welcome China's cooperation in our war against terror." Beijing has done nothing to earn such effusive presidential gratitude.

A February report by the Agence France-Presse noted that President Bush "failed to win assurances from China that it would help curb global terrorism by halting ballistic missile exports and encourage North Korea to restart arms control talks." A New York Times article written in advance of the Bush-Jiang talks disclosed that the president's treatment of "China's continued missile proliferation would be ... muted, even though such activity seemed to contradict China's promise to be a 'full partner' in the fight against terrorism."

"There is a tremendous skittishness about discussing this plainly," a "senior administration official" told the Times. While "the Chinese profess to have a policy of nonproliferation, [and] they insist they don't export missile technology ... we still keep seeing evidence of shipments to countries that are also seeking weapons of mass destruction."

Iran and Pakistan are among the beneficiaries of Beijing's missile technology exports. Iran is a prominent member of the Bush-designated "axis of evil." Pakistan, like the Chinese People's Liberation Army, supported Afghanistan's Taliban regime prior to September 11th. The Times predicted that the president "would raise these issues" during his two-day summit in Beijing, "but in general terms and probably without specific reference to Pakistan or Iran."