Bush Family Scion Sponsors Event With Blacklisted Chinese Company

By Chuck Ross
16 November 2021

EXCERPTS

A scion of the Bush family is lending his influence and family name to boost a Chinese government contractor blacklisted by the U.S. government for its links to the Chinese military.

Neil Bush, the son of President George H.W. Bush, is a cosponsor of the International Symposium on the Peaceful Use of Space Technology that begins Nov. 18 in Beijing. Three co-chairmen of the forum are executives with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), a state-controlled contractor that builds China’s military and space equipment. A subsidiary of CASC reportedly developed a hypersonic missile that the Chinese military tested in August. American officials called the nuclear-capable missile a “national security crisis” because of its ability to evade detection.

Bush’s sponsorship of the space symposium adds a veneer of respectability to the event amid growing concerns about China’s increasingly aggressive military and space activities. The Trump and Biden administrations have prohibited American companies from doing business with CASC because of its position in the Chinese military-industrial apparatus. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, which tracks China’s military activities, rates CASC a “very high risk” to foreign nations’ security because of its links to China’s military and intelligence services.

In addition to his business interests in China, Bush has been one of Beijing’s biggest defenders against allegations of human rights abuses. Chinese state-controlled media have used some of his remarks in their propaganda efforts, such as his criticism in 2019 of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests. Bush dismissed protesters’ complaints about a Communist Party-backed national security law and questioned whether the U.S. government was propping up pro-democracy demonstrations. The Chinese government has since used the law to arrest dissenters and shut down news organizations that criticize it.

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Want to listen to discussion on this article? Check out China Watch Radio episode “Rational, Respectful Red Line” from 18 November 2021 at the following link…

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