Rep. Frank R. Wolf of Virginia and New Jersey Rep. Christopher H. Smith, made their demand in Beijing Monday after Chinese authorities pressured nine local lawyers not to attend a dinner in the capital that the congressmen were planning to throw in their honor last night. Two were placed under house arrest.
China said Wolf and Smith had gone too far.
"We suggest they stop their arrogance and prejudice and never do anything to intervene in China's internal affairs and thus undermine China-U.S. relations," a foreign ministry spokesman said at a press conference.
"Tragically, the Olympics has triggered a massive crackdown designed to silence and put beyond reach all those whose views differ from the official 'harmonious' government line," Smith told a news conference held in the U.S. embassy in Beijing.
Less well publicized, however, China has even been harassing dissidents in this country.
As I reported in 2006. Chinese security agents, operating from Beijing's Washington embassy, have been brazen enough to follow and threaten Chinese human rights activists in exile here. The Chinese deny it.
The FBI and Canadian security forces also seem to be catching a rising number of Chinese spies in North America, particularly Silicon Valley. And Chinese hackers have been rummaging through U.S. government computers for years, according to reports.
On June 11, Wolf and Smith charged that China had hacked into congressional computers in search of the names of dissidents.
Wolf and Smith may look like they're howling at the moon over the latest outrage, but my bet is that their complaints will fall on fertile ground.
Widespread reports of unsafe food, toxic toothpaste, dangerous toys, poisonous drugs, environmental degradation and virtual slave labor have taken their toll. According to polls last year, two out of three Americans said they'd support an organized food boycott.
China's growing image headache just goes to prove the old adage, you gotta watch what you wish for.
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