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China's government has invested huge effort to surveill its
citizens. The ministry in charge of the effort is called, by us,
the Ministry of Public Security. Li Runsen is the director of
that ministry.
Li Runsen also is a director of a U.S.
incorporated company, China Security and Surveillance Technology.
The company will be listed on the NY Stock Exchange soon. It
installs and runs surveillance systems for Chinese police departments,
jails, prisons and others.
Rep. Tom Lantos (D Ca) says, in an article today, there is American involvement that is:
“an absolutely incredible phenomenon of extreme corporate irresponsibility.”
This may be true, and Lantos' committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reportedly will investigate.
But
the major issue is this. Globalization and free trade is often
about investment. China's government owns, by some estimates, 40%
of their economy. Foreign investment is often a foreign policy
tool directly undertaken, and supported, by the Chinese
government. It is not a "free market" issue, but a national
security issue.
Blending the investment and foreign policy
strategies allows China to hit the right buttons in the globalization
promoters. So long as there is a company that invests, its ok,
even though the underlying part of the deal is not a mere financial
investment. The White House looks silly saying this.
A White House spokesman, Tony Fratto said the White House would
not comment on specific companies, adding, “It’s not appropriate to
interfere in the private decisions of Americans to invest in legally
incorporated firms.”
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