Thanks to U.S. government subsidies— and a tax system that favors billionaires— Elon Musk is the richest man in the world. Some say he’s also a drug-addicted fascist. I’m not going to argue against that, although I have no first-hand proof that he’s a drug-addict. But when I think of Musk, I have the same general ideas about him that Robert Reich expressed in his brilliant video-essay, “My Ultimate History Crash Course” (below; I urge everyone to watch it): ROBBER BARON. This is a topic we’ve looked at before. Remember, Norwegian scumbag Vidkun Quisling gave his name to the very idea of national betrayal. Much like Musk, Quisling formed business partnerships with German companies in the 1930s and his personal financial interests helped lead him to betray his country once World War II broke out. Whining about “communism,” he helped Germany take over Norway. More recently, American billionaire Armand Hammer owed his wealth to his collaboration with Lenin and Stalin, from selling millions of dollars worth of fake Fabergé eggs to helping the Soviets develop agricultural and natural resources sectors. He negotiated especially lucrative business deals in oil and diamonds, providing the Soviet Union with much-needed hard currency and resources, strengthening their economy and military capabilities during the Cold War. His dealings also involved illegal transfer of sensitive technology that benefitted the Soviet military-industrial complex. He consistently found ways around U.S.-imposed sanctions. It's worth noting that he used his great wealth to bribe corrupt Republicans, especially Nixon. He was convicted for his financial role in the Watergate scandal but was subsequently pardoned by George H.W. Bush. And today, let’s look at Musk's shenanigans from a different perspective: treason. Musk is a naturalized American with no loyalty to America.
This Wall Street Journal headline caught my attention the other day: SpaceX May Be Withholding Satellite Internet in Taiwan, Congressman Contends. The member of Congress doing the contending wasn’t AOC or Cori Bush or Jamaal Bowman or Rashida Tlaib. It was conservative Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher, chair of the House Select Committee on China. He, and some of his colleagues, are warning that Musk (Space X) “is withholding satellite service in Taiwan potentially in violation of its obligations to the U.S. government. In a letter to Musk, Gallagher noted “that the satellite broadband provided through the company’s Starshield unit is inactive near and in Taiwan. ‘SpaceX is possibly withholding broadband internet services in and around Taiwan— possibly in breach of SpaceX’s contractual obligations with the U.S. government,” Gallagher wrote in the letter... He made clear in the letter his concern relates to communications, including for U.S. military personnel, in the event of Chinese “military aggression against Taiwan.”
Last week, Gallagher “led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Taiwan, where he reiterated that his top political priority is deterring Chinese leader Xi Jinping from attempting to militarily take control of the island. A fear is the U.S. would be drawn into any conflict. Starshield is a SpaceX program designed to provide secure satellite communications and other services for national-security customers, according to the company.”
Many Americans think SpaceX should be nationalized; others go further and think Musk should be put on trial for treason. The Journal pointed out that “SpaceX has long worked closely with U.S. military and intelligence agencies, which have hired the company to blast off sensitive and classified government satellites. The company has been expanding that relationship with satellite technology it has developed. In his letter, Gallagher said that the government had committed more than $100 million to Starshield. SpaceX is obligated to provide global access to broadband-internet services for the Pentagon and other government agencies, the letter said. It asked for more information about Starshield availability in and near Taiwan by March 8.”
The tensions are another example of how SpaceX’s satellite programs have drawn the company and Musk into geopolitics. SpaceX operates the world’s largest communications-satellite fleet in low-Earth orbit, regularly blasting off fresh batches of them.
That network powers the company’s Starlink internet service, which is designed for civilian subscribers.
Communities and the military in Ukraine have tapped into Starlink to stay connected during the country’s war against Russia.
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s top military-intelligence officer said Russian forces had been using Starlink services in occupied parts of Ukraine.
Musk has said SpaceX wasn’t selling Starlink terminals to Russia. Starlink has said SpaceX takes steps to deactivate Starlink terminals if the company determines sanctioned or unauthorized parties are using them.
Last year, Starshield won a $70 million award from the military to provide communications services to dozens of Pentagon partners. Gallagher, in his letter, said Starshield currently operates using commercial Starlink infrastructure, offering the government enhanced access to SpaceX satellites.
Beijing’s ever-tightening controls on communications and data render illegal any use of foreign-owned satellites within its territory, which from China’s perspective includes the island of Taiwan.
A map on Starlink’s website indicates the service isn’t available in China. Taiwan is listed as “coming soon.”
Musk in an interview with the Financial Times in late 2022 said the Chinese government had made clear to him its disapproval of his rollout of Starlink in Ukraine and had sought assurances that he wouldn’t sell the service in China.
Chinese authorities are believed to fear they could lose control of the nation’s tightly controlled communication systems if a foreign satellite provider activated its satellites over its sovereign territory, which to its definition includes Taiwan.
Musk has been largely deferential in public to China, leading some observers to suggest he has become too beholden to the powerful government. He has strong business ties to China through his electric-vehicle company Tesla, where he is also chief executive. Last year, 22% of Tesla’s revenue came from China.
Unlike U.S. business leaders who have tried to avoid wading into the controversial subject of China-Taiwanese relations, Musk has inserted himself several times into the matter.
His comments about Taiwan have rankled government leaders there, including last September after Musk described the self-ruled island as China’s equivalent of Hawaii.
A Taiwanese Foreign Ministry spokesman responded by telling reporters: “We can’t tell whether or not Musk’s free will is for sale. But Taiwan is not for sale, that’s for sure.”
In 2022, Musk drew praise from the then-Chinese ambassador to the U.S. when he said Taiwan should agree to become a special administrative zone to China, similar to Hong Kong.
Last year, Musk told CNBC that it was an “inevitability” that China will eventually take control of Taiwan.
“The official policy of China is that Taiwan should be integrated. One does not need to read between the lines,” Musk said. “I’m simply saying that that is their policy. And I think you should take their word seriously. They mean it.”
Writing for Forbes, David Jeans reported that “The issue has become more pressing as the Pentagon has focused on the future of Taiwan, and the growing threat of a potential invasion of the island by China. Last February, Taiwan’s National Communications Commission blamed Chinese ships for cutting two undersea internet cables. The same month, CIA director William Burns said President Xi Xingping had ordered the People’s Liberation Army to be prepared for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. And since incoming President Lai Ching-te, who ran on a platform of pro-independence, was elected last month, China has ramped up military demonstrations and experts warn of more cyber attacks. When Taiwan first started discussions with SpaceX about StarLink in 2019, officials had hoped to secure communications that weren’t reliant on its undersea cables. But talks quickly fell apart over a requirement that the government own a majority share of any telecommunications companies doing business in the country. Musk was adamant that he retain full ownership of Starlink operations in Taiwan and demanded the requirement be waived or changed. Talks have remained stalled ever since and Taiwan has begun developing a satellite system of its own. While Starlink is an obvious answer to Taiwan’s communication vulnerabilities, some feel it shouldn’t be the only one. ‘Starlink and Starshield could play a crucial role, but I don’t want there to be a specific point of failure for satellite communications,’ former Congress member Will Hurd told Forbes. ‘I was on the island nine months ago. The Taiwanese have a clear understanding of the threat, and one of the things we can't allow is for this continued slowness from the U.S. government and people in industry.’ Taiwan continues to be wary of Musk’s deep business ties with China and irked by his pro-Beijing comments… It’s unlikely the mercurial Musk can be cowed into activating StarShield in Taiwan by lawmaker pressure. And he has limited Starlink access in disputed parts of Ukraine in the past because he said he does not want to be ‘explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.’ But given the importance of SpaceX’s military contracts with the U.S. government, in Taiwan he may have a choice to make.”
On Friday, Gallagher told reporters that he thinks China’s “goals are clear, that's reunification of Taiwan with the mainland by force, if necessary. That story also should make us even more concerned about certain reports... about Space X and Star Shield not providing services to Taiwan.”