In 1998, several U.S. companies either witting or unwittingly gave China sensitive satellite technology.
Companies Are Investigated For Aid to China on Rockets
Under investigation, the officials said, are Loral Space and Communications of Manhattan and Hughes Electronics, a Los Angeles-based division of the General Motors Corporation. The companies denied wrongdoing, but declined to discuss the investigation.
Loral has numerous business deals with China and close ties to the White House. Its chairman and chief executive, Bernard L. Schwartz, was the largest personal contributor to the Democratic National Committee last year.
The Federal inquiry stems from a 1996 incident in which a Chinese rocket carrying aloft a satellite built by Loral exploded shortly after liftoff. The two companies took part in an independent review of the failure, and reported to the Chinese on what went wrong.
Those exchanges, officials believe, may have gone beyond the sharing of information that the companies had been permitted, giving the Chinese crucial assistance in improving the guidance systems of their rockets. The technology needed to put a commercial satellite in orbit is similar to that which guides a long-range nuclear missile to its target.
In February, with the investigation of this incident well under way, Mr. Clinton gave Loral permission to launch another satellite on a Chinese rocket and provide the Chinese with the same expertise that is at issue in the criminal case, officials said.
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3 comments:
Again, it's nearly 10 year old news. Do you have anything newer, like any charges filed or trial results?
Here's the latetst information I can find is 2003 - no criminal or civil charges were filed (remember presumption of innocence?):
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&sid=cp106xbGcm&refer=&r_n=sr003.106&db_id=106&item=&sel=TOC_73298&
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/thisweek/2003_1_8_misp.html
"Administrative charge" is nowhere near espionage.
Just to be clear, the 2003 newswire cited above stated:
"The Justice Department spent years investigating whether the two companies, along with Loral Space and Communications, which was involved in similar activity in China, had committed any criminal wrongdoing, the Post reported. Several months ago, U.S. prosecutors told the three companies that they would not be filing charges."
The evidence is so lacking the prosecution can't even bring itself to file charges.
Excellent post Fletcher, you are correct about the wording. The question is: did their actions help the Chinese in development of the system. It's possible to have charges droped but still aid the Comunist Government.
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