A unique opportunity will arise next week for Congress to resolve some controversies involving Chinese military intelligence. General Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of the general staff for the Chinese army, is coming to town Jan. 24 to meet with Pentagon officials. Xiong has been intimately involved in China's dealings with the Clinton administration, ranging from the illegal financing of the Democratic National Committee to the theft of nuclear secrets from America's laboratories.
Here are some of the issues about which Xiong could be questioned: According to sworn testimony given by Democratic fund-raiser Johnny Chung, one of Xiong's subordinates told him that Beijing wanted the Clinton-Gore ticket reelected in 1996, and then gave Chung $ 300,000 to make it happen. Xiong may know what if any favors were done to deserve this support. Another of Xiong's subordinates told Chung not to worry about taking the money because the Chinese military was already pouring money into the DNC through other conduits. Xiong could potentially identify the other Chinese donors.
Macao criminal syndicate figure Ng Lapseng, a business partner of Chinese military intelligence, entered the United States carrying large bundles of cash, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. On nearly all of these visits, Ng met at the White House with Clinton fund-raiser Mark Middleton. Ng has since fled the country, and Middleton has taken the Fifth. Xiong may know where Ng's cash went. During his infamous visit to the Buddhist temple in southern California, Al Gore sat between Maria Hsia and Ted Sioeng, identified by the CIA as Chinese agents. Xiong could reveal what relationship Gore had with Hsia and Sioeng.
Either Congress or attorney general Janet Reno could greet Xiong with a subpoena when he arrives in Washington. Congress's interest is understandable, but Reno could benefit, too.
Says William Triplett II, co-author of the recently published Red Dragon Rising: "On her watch a potentially hostile power penetrated the American government at the highest level. Not only did she not stop it, at best she bungled the investigation of how it happened and why. History is not going to be kind." Calling Xiong before a federal grand jury would be a breach of protocol, of course. But Xiong is the man who once threatened to use nuclear weapons against Los Angeles. So it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.