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| East Asia |
| US State Department Daily Press Briefing |
| 2003-09-30 |
| Partial transcript with Richard’s thoughts supplied by me Per Richard Boucher, Spokesman Washington, DC September 29, 2003 MR. BOUCHER: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I don’t have any particular statements or announcements, so I’d be glad to take your questions. Oh God, here we go again.... QUESTION: Do you have any comment on the Chinese preparations for a manned space flight? MR. BOUCHER: Well, obviously, it’s -- a Chinese -- Space flight? China? Sweet Jesus what are these people talking about? QUESTION: A stunning event -- QUESTION: Was that NASA? QUESTION: That was a stunned reaction. (Laughter.)Evil communist reporter laughter, that is MR. BOUCHER: It shows you how excited we are about it...A Chinese manned space flight would obviously be an important event in space launch history and we wish them every success and we wish their astronauts a safe return. I really could use a whiskey sour right nowOkay. Follow-up? QUESTION: Do you have any concerns that it might have military implications? MR. BOUCHER: I don’t have anything right now. Of course there are military implications, you dullards! Have any of you ever been to China? QUESTION: Currently, the U.S. has missile technology control regimes, and other export controls regulations prevent the transfers of, like, space launch technology to China. And we know that in May, State Department imposed a $32 million fine on Boeing for supplying China the rocket and satellite data. Can you tell us the U.S. policy in this area? MR. BOUCHER: U.S. policy has been and will continue to be to meet international standards ourselves with regard to what we might sell, and to look to China to meet international standards with regard to missile exports. Those crazy bastards will sell weapons and weapons technology to just about anybody, you idiots! Don’t you read your own papers? It’s important to us that all nations in the world cooperate and prevent nations from acquiring missile technology that can improve their ability to deliver weapons of mass destruction and other armaments at great distances. So there is an international control regime that we participate in, and that we have looked to China to apply -- the regime -- or at least similar restrictions to that. China said numerous times it would do so. Where we have found that China has not done so or Chinese firms have exported materials that would contravene China’s own stated intentions, we have also imposed sanctions and restrictions under U.S. law, and will continue to follow our law. QUESTION: Can you comment on the potential for the U.S. and China to cooperate in the manned space exploration? MR. BOUCHER: I don’t think I can comment on that at this point. I’d have to leave that to NASA or somewhere else. Anybody but me! The Chinese is space.... God, maybe Dennis Kukunich is right! I’m off for that whisky sour before the nukes start to fall like rain drops.... |
| Posted by:Secret Master |