Civic Economics - Page A1
March 22, 1997
HOUSE BILL OUTLAWS TRANSFER
OF U.S. BASE TO COMMUNIST CHINESEBy Staff Investigative Journalists
Related Story:
- Chinese Got Long Beach Deal
WASHINGTON DESK - California Congressman Duncan Hunter(R) introduced a bill Thursday to prevent the Long Beach Naval Station property from being turned over to China Ocean Shipping Company.
President Clinton had intervened in favor of the Communist Chinese who had planned to take over the Naval base after Long Beach taxpayers paid $200 million to renovate the base as a cargo port and pay Chinese moving costs.
Hunter said his bill prevents the government from conveying any portion of the former naval station in Long Beach to a commercial shipping company owned or controlled by a foreign country.
The measure is designed to thwart the city's plans - assisted by the Communist China-owned company that is a primary shipper of Chinese-made clothing, video cameras and other goods to the U.S.
Hunter said Cosco shouldn't be allowed to have its own port facility for national security reasons.'It is an arm of the Communist government of China,' said Hunter.
If Cosco gets a port facility, the Chinese government could more easily eavesdrop on U.S. military and intelligence operations and have a place for its own military agents, said California Congressman Randy Cunningham(R) the bill's co-sponsor.
Cosco's involvement in transporting illegal weapons on one of its ships last year raises more security concerns, said Cunningham.
Defense Department spokesman Kenneth Bacon said Thursday he hadn't seen the bill . Transferring the property to the city could take up to eight or nine months, he said. Plans to complete the port for the Communist Chinese take over were scheduled to be completed by next summer.
Hunter's legislative action, followed a story carried nationwide in the Daily Republican newspaper on March 7, 1997 the United States Navy Department announced Tuesday that it will not lease or transfer the closed Long Beach Naval Station to the city of Long Beach until it consults members of Congress.
There was national outrage after it was learned that the Clinton administration had a hand in giving the Communist Chinese Merchant Marine a U.S. Naval base on the West Coast. Since 1938, the United States Navy has occupied the Long Beach Naval Complex on the south side of Terminal Island in Long Beach and Los Angeles under various functions and missions.
The complex covers approximately 645 acres and harbor areas which include several naval activities: the Naval Hospital, Naval Station, Naval Shipyard, and the Naval replacement parts Supply Center. The Naval Station was established on November 15, 1946, as a home port for Pacific Fleet ships, providing port facilities, fleet support personnel, and recreational facilities.
The Naval Shipyard was established in February 1943 as a facility to repair and refit Navy ships. The Naval Station has been a key element of defending the West Coast of the U.S.in both the Korea and Vietnam military operations. Both of these conflicts found United States Marines, Navy ships, and Air Wing support fighting Communist Chinese aggression in the South Western Pacific Ocean.
Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill(D) responded to the two San Diego congressmen who recommended halting the project.'These two congressman don't want anything to happen in Long Beach. Nothing good, anyway,' O'Neill said.
'This is outright war,' said E. Del Smith, Washington lobbyist for the city and the Port of Long Beach. The Navy's move was in response to San Diego Congressman Randy Cunningham and Duncan Hunter, who asked last week for a delay in transferring the Navy property.
On Tuesday, Cunningham & Hunter announced halting of Long Beach's plan to demolish the closed naval base and build a shipping terminal for lease to the China Ocean Shipping Co.
The two Republicans told the Navy they believed Communist Chinese connections to a gun-smuggling incident in Oakland and other incidents made the proposed lease 'a matter of great concern to our national security.'
Mounting anti-Communist Chinese sentiment in Washington is affecting Clinton administration policy toward Beijing on a number of fronts, ranging from global trade negotiations to the Chinese lease of the former Navy base to the goals of vice president Gore's upcoming trip to Beijing.
The White House admitted that because of fears that any concession or friendly gesture toward China will signal a payoff for Chinese campaign contributions, relations with Beijing are being scaled back and may be scrapped.
For example, vice president Al Gore's closed-door meeting in China next week, have been 'watered-down' according to White House officials.
Duncan Hunter said he will do what he has to do to block COSCO from expanding at Long Beach,according to Hunter's press secretary, Harold Stavenas. 'He doesn't want COSCO expanding their reach in this country or at that port, given their record.'
Meanwhile, there has been a sudden purge in the contributions from campaign coffers of leading Democrats this week as House minority leader Richard Gephardt(D) returned $22,000 from donors at the center of the Chinese fund-raising scandal, including former DNC fundraiser John Huang and his wife Jane, Thai lobbyist Pauline Kanchanalak, employees of Charlie Yah Lin Trie, and individuals tied to the Lippo Group, an Indonesian conglomerate.
Gephardt isn't the only Democratic leader seeking forgiveness for taking such political pay-offs. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle(D) has now said he will return more than $5,000 in contributions from individuals, including Arkansas restaurateur Trie, Trie's mother, the Huangs, and Jane and James Riady, who control the Lippo Group.
On the heels of Daschle's admission, senators Dianne Feinstein(D) and Carol Moseley-Braun(D)promised they would also return campaign contributions Moseley-Braun's records reveal she accepted $2,000 from Huang and $2,000 from Keshi Zahn, an employee of Trie, all delivered to her by Huang.
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