Maura Moynihan is the daughter of longtime New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and a dedicated activist in the Free Tibet movement. She also has a passion for many of the countries in Southeast Asia. For years she wrote editorials in outlets such as The Washington Post, reporting on issues in the region and was considered an expert on the subject.
In the mid-2010s, it became more difficult for her to publish pieces in the corporate media outlets. Moynihan believes this is because she is a critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and an advocate for Tibet and the rest of the region. She has traveled extensively throughout the region and maintains contacts throughout Southeast Asia.
Moynihan is actually a very harsh critic of the CCP and is issuing warnings about severe environmental and humanitarian threats throughout the region for two reasons. First, the immediate danger caused by the potential failure of the Three Gorges Dam. Second, the looming disaster caused by the CCP’s mismanagement, overuse, and disregard for the significant natural resources in Tibet.
The Dam Problem
There have been sporadic news reports about the historic level of flooding in China, mostly from foreign outlets. There are even fewer stories about how this poses a threat to the Three Gorges Dam. The dam was positioned as an engineering marvel upon completion. According to Britannica:
Three Gorges Dam, dam on the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) just west of the city of Yichang in Hubei province, China. When construction of the dam officially began in 1994, it was the largest engineering project in China. At the time of its completion in 2006, it was the largest dam structure in the world
It was built to provide a large reservoir for shipping traffic and to protect millions of people in Hubei province from the periodic flooding of the Yangtze River. Eventually, it also added the ability to generate hydroelectric power with 32 turbine generators.
The construction of the dam was debated for decades. The World Bank refused to finance it. Flooding, in spite of the dam, has destroyed over 1,200 sites of historical and archeological importance. Potential dam failure will cause unbelievable damage beyond the province.
This video was taken after the third flood this year. There have now been five. It documents the damage as of late July and provides a simulation of what could happen if the dam fails:
After the fifth flood in 2020, some social media commentators are alleging that cracks are visible in the structure. These reports cannot be confirmed.
A collapse threatens America too. Not with floodwaters, of course, but with pharmaceutical production. Moynihan stated that 80% of United States’ medications are produced in the area that would be flooded in the case of a dam collapse. At this point, the CCP denies any issues with the dam despite the reported internal destruction and displacement. However, a sudden collapse could leave Americans and people around the world without lifesaving and life-sustaining medication, according to Moynihan.
If this tragedy materializes it could be China’s Chernobyl.
The Threat to Asia
Moynihan does a beautiful job detailing the history and environmental importance of the Tibetan plateau. The pictures she displays of her travels are just breathtaking. She also describes the humanitarian and ecological impact of the CCP takeover.
Because of the elevation of the plateau, the CCP has a military advantage in the region. They have militarized the area to an incredible degree, according to Moynihan, with thousands of barracks and other installations. China’s regional neighbors are well aware of this threat.
She says that with the military equipment on the plateau, China could hit the capitals of South and Southeast Asia in 20 minutes. The more startling assertion is that much of the military technology poised to strike was stolen from American companies. Moynihan’s biggest concern is that if the dam breaks, the CCP will start a military action in Asia to divert attention from the failure.
The Chinese regime is also weaponizing fresh water. All of the major rivers in the region originate on the Tibetan plateau, save one. The Ganges is just outside Chinese occupied territory. Through a complex system of dams and tunnels, the CCP has diverted the remainder of these rivers back to the mainland. This activity has caused a drought in Southeast Asia.
The rivers are also becoming polluted due to the industrialization of Tibet and careless mining. Tibet has some of the largest reserves of uranium and other metals, which the Chinese are mining ferociously. Tibet has the third-largest ice mass in the world, and it is melting 70% faster than the others because of the unmitigated industrial activity. There is now a significant amount of black on the face of the range that was completely white with snow and ice ten years ago.
The regime has also put the nomadic tribes of Tibet into concentration camp-like facilities. Given their persecution of the Falun Gong and imprisonment of Uighur Muslims, this should not be surprising. Moynihan is encouraged by the Trump administration and the sanctions placed on some of the most vicious members of the CCP stationed in Tibet. She believes this is a positive step.
Going Forward
it isn’t easy to get accurate information from China as a regular citizen. However, as global relationships continue to shift, it is essential to have a basic understanding, especially going into this election. It is clear from listening to Moynihan that we handed the CCP the tools and technology to terrorize Tibet and their neighbors. We cannot, in good conscience, continue any policy of appeasement for this regime.
And organizations like movie studios and the NBA who bend to the regime should be called out and suffer financially. For a bunch of elites that like to gripe about how awful America is, they certainly seem to overlook the CCP’s genocidal and destructive behavior.
If you are trying to find reliable information about China, Joshua Phillips’ “Crossroads” is a good source. He has been reporting on China for over a decade and has a deep understanding of the culture, history, and current regime. “American Thought Leaders” often interviews experts on China, such as Gordon Chang, K.T. McFarland, and others. Another interesting China hawk is an investor, Kyle Bass. And I read the South China Morning Post, very skeptically, as it is the least bad. Domestically the Wall Street Journal does the best job. I used their video above as it seemed consistent with other reports and had better footage.
You can watch Maura Moynihan’s full interview here. The debate over China and how to address the issues the CCP presents for the United States and the world will be ongoing, and this is an excellent overview of underreported issues.
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