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.
Key Moments
Art Bell announces retirement from regular weekend programming: Art makes the personal announcement that this will be his last regular weekend show, citing his marriage and new daughter Asia. He explains he came back after Ramona's death because the audience was his family, and now wants time with his new family.
China selling advanced weapons to the Taliban: Smith details Chinese arms transfers to the Taliban, including HN-5 man-portable surface-to-air missiles, RPG-7s, and miniaturized fuel-air munitions. He says China has flown shipments directly into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, brokered through Iran.
How a Taiwan crisis could trigger US-China war: Smith explains a Taiwan independence move could trigger Chinese ballistic missile strikes and a naval blockade, drawing in Japan and the US. He recalls the 1996 carrier crisis when the US sent a battle group and Chinese nuclear subs went to alert.
Chinese general caught selling missiles inside the US: Smith says a Chinese general was an unindicted co-conspirator in a 2006 case where two men were caught peddling QW-2 missiles, better than US Stingers, inside America. The US government refused to release his name and China never prosecuted.
PLA general endorsed nuclear first strike over Taiwan: Smith cites a top PLA general (head of China's equivalent of West Point) who publicly stated China would be willing to use nuclear weapons in a first strike against the continental US over Taiwan, and was not removed from his position.