FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2002
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Contact:
Mike Clem
301.682.6302
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"China: Merchant of Weapons of Mass Destruction to the Axis of Evil"
ADC report documents Beijings broken promises
WASHINGTON, DC – Despite its pledges of arms control and non-proliferation,
The People’s Republic of China has become "the arms merchant
to the Axis of Evil," according to a new report released today
by The American Defense Council.
"China: Merchant of Weapons of Mass Destruction to the Axis
of Evil" documents sales of arms and weapons technology to
North Korea, Iran and Iraq. President Bush singled out those nations
in his State of the Union address for their willingness to promote
global terrorism.
The briefing paper’s 34 pages of text and 192 footnotes also
detail Chinese arms deals with other countries on America’s
official list of terrorist states.
As the report’s title suggests, China’s aid includes
assistance with chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, as well
as conventional arms, military intelligence and other related technologies.
"In the past two decades China has publicly pledged at least
six times not to transfer arms or weapons technology," noted
Dan Perrin, president of the nonprofit defense policy organization.
"Yet Beijing has broken those promises repeatedly by arming
such countries as Syria, Cuba, Libya and even the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me six times, shame on me."
Mr. Perrin added that by supplying arms to declared enemies of the
United States, China poses a serious long-term threat to America.
The American Defense Council advocates a simple message: Peace through
Strength. The American Defense Council plans to publish periodic
reports on threats to the United States. This report is the first
in that series.
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