GUNS AND POSES

AK-47S, CD PIRACY, NUCLEAR SALES--WHAT ELSE CAN GO WRONG IN U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS?

China's energetic traders send much more to the U.S. than toys and clothes--and not all the commerce flows through legitimate channels. In California last week federal agents swept up seven suspects, including a representative of a state-owned Chinese arms company, in a sting operation that involved smuggling 2,000 fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles into the U.S. A plot that would have earned $4 million and contributed to the illegal firepower already menacing American streets is, as Justice Department officials said, a very serious matter. But the diplomatic questions hovering over it may be still more important: What did the Chinese government...

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