July 1, 2007: China and Military Technology - Charles R. Smith

Art Bell welcomes cyber war columnist Charles R. Smith to discuss China's growing military threat and its covert support for global terrorism. Smith reveals that China has been directly supplying the Taliban with advanced weaponry, including HN-5 man-portable surface-to-air missiles, improved RPG-7s, and shoulder-launched fuel-air munitions. The weapons have been flown directly into Taliban-controlled areas of Afghanistan, with Iran serving as a key intermediary in the transactions.The conversation expands into China's broader ambitions, including the Taiwan question and the potential for military confrontation with the United States. Smith describes Operation Smoking Dragon, in which two Chinese operatives were caught in California attempting to sell sophisticated surface-to-air missile systems to people they believed were terrorists planning to shoot down American airliners. He also details how the Chinese military operates as a corporate enterprise, running factories that produce both weapons and everyday consumer goods sold in U.S. stores.Art opens the program with an emotional announcement of his retirement from regular weekend broadcasting, expressing his desire to spend time with his wife and young daughter Asia. Callers respond with warm wishes while also weighing in on the Roswell revelations from the previous night and ongoing terror threats in Great Britain.