Yu Menglong’s Death Inspires Action Against CCP

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story. President Trump insists China and Russia have been testing their nuclear weapons. They're just very good at hiding it. A new military hotline for direct communications. That's what Washington and Beijing are planning to set up. But what's the real purpose behind it? The Chinese Communist Party's recent cover-up is exposing murder, organs and secret jails to the public. Yu Menglong's death is inspiring Chinese people to quit the CCP. Treasury Secretary Besson says the U.S. needs to de-risk from China. What's driving that message? We don't want to decouple from China, but we need to de-risk. They've shown themselves to be an unreliable partner in many areas. Are two of the world's major nuclear forces, Russia and China, testing their arsenals? President Trump says yes, and that's why he's ordering the U.S. to move forward with its own nuclear testing. Trump appeared to hint that there is more information on the issue being kept from the public during his Sunday interview on 60 Minutes. Take a listen. So why do we need to test our nuclear weapons? Well, because you have to see how they work. The only country that's testing nuclear weapons is North Korea. Russia's testing nuclear weapons. My understanding. And China's testing them too. You just don't know about it. That would be certainly very newsworthy. President Trump named four countries who are doing nuclear testing, China, Russia, North Korea and Pakistan. He pointed to the state controlled media in these countries saying that's why people remain unaware about these nuclear tests. They test way underground where people don't know exactly what's happening with the test. You feel a little bit of a vibration. They test and we don't test. We have to test. We have the best. And I was the one that renovated them and built them during a four year period. And I hated to do it because the destructive capability is something you don't even want to talk about. But if other people are going to have them, we're going to have to have them. And if we have them, we have to test them. Otherwise, you don't really know how they're going to work. And we don't want to ever use them. President Trump floated the idea of resuming nuclear testing last Thursday, right before he sat down with Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping. Since then, Russia and China both denied Trump's claims that they are conducting nuclear tests. But media reports have found Russia and China quietly expanding their nuclear test sites in recent years. And one of the sites is in China's Lubnor, a dried up salt lake located in western China's deserts of Xinjiang. Based on satellite images, analysts warned two years ago that China had possibly built at least six testing tunnels in the region. They suspect Beijing's goal was to, quote, conduct subcritical nuclear tests. Beyond that, China has also dug some of the deepest holes on earth in the same region, Xinjiang. Beijing claims these projects are for scientific research. But some are questioning whether these holes could be used for underground weapon testing. We tapped retired Marine Colonel Grant Newsham and senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy for his insights. The Chinese have always looked at nuclear weapons as just one tool to be used. Those holes that you've mentioned, these are sort of launch sites basically in the western deserts in China. And they've built quite a few hundred of these. And if you figure out that each one of these can hold more than one, maybe the Chinese have more nuclear weapons than anyone thinks. It could be that they already have a lot more than they think, and they build them for a reason. And it is intimidation, but also it's necessary to use them. But resuming nuclear testing in the U.S. is easier said than done. The Department of Energy, which oversees the nuclear arsenal, typically needs two to three years to prepare a single underground nuclear test. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that he believes the tests President Trump mentioned probably are just system tests, not nuclear explosions. Next, Washington and Beijing are planning to set up a military hotline for direct communications. That's according to U.S. War Secretary Pete Hexeth. Hexeth posted on X Sunday night saying the decision followed a discussion with his counterpart, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun on Friday. He added that more details will come out in future bilateral meetings. Hexeth said the communication channel would assist with, quote, de-conflicting and de-escalating any problems that arise. On Saturday, Hexeth met with a slew of his Asian counterparts, including Dong Jun in Malaysia. He raised questions over what he described increasing Chinese aggressions in the South China Sea. Take a listen. China's provocative actions also demonstrate a lack of respect for your country's challenging and threatening territorial sovereignty. Well, I will say I'd welcome the dialogue, obviously, both our presidents, President Trump, Chairman Xi have had, both myself and Dong Jun. Dialogue is important. But inside that dialogue, we are most importantly watching actions, watching actions very closely. We seek peace. We do not seek conflict, but we must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate you or anybody else. According to China's Defense Ministry press release on the recent talk with Hexeth, Beijing also agrees to enhance communications between the two countries' decision-making levels. This agreement extends to frontline troops as well. It's worth noting that China once again warned that the U.S. needs to oppose Taiwan's independence. It also threatened that Beijing is fully capable of retaliation if necessary. Washington doesn't recognize Taiwan as an independent country, but it also rejects China's claim over Taiwan. Nearly two months after Chinese actor Yu Menglong's mysterious death, a petition seeking justice for him has now surpassed 640,000 signatures. The globally renowned unofficial beauty ranking, TC Chandler's 2025 100 most handsome faces list, has nominated him with rest in peace on his photo. RIP praise for the soul's eternal rest, a wish shared across cultures. Over the past 50 plus days, Chinese netizens have used the Global Service Center for quitting the Chinese Communist Party to withdraw Yu from the party's organizations. It's a symbolic move they say frees his soul. In China, joining the CCP or its affiliated groups is often seen as mandatory. Members must swear an oath before the red flag and pledge their lives to the party. It's something many view as a spiritual surrender. The center has operated for more than 20 years and says over 450 million people have renounced the CCP through its platform. Its certificates aid U.S. immigration by proving CCP disassociation. The Global Quit CCP Center announced on November 1st that registering Yu Menglong's withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party was a historic exception. The statement said in life he bore witness to the CCP's brutality through a tragic role of cruel torment. His death has become an alarm bell awakening hearts. By October 16th, 82 netizens submitted renunciation forms for Yu, with thousands more renouncing the regime inspired by his fate. Yu's death became public on September 11th. Authorities ruled out murder without probing the issue, centered all discussion and questions, and erased his digital footprint. China's entertainment circle stayed silent. Grassroots investigations uncovered premeditated murder, secret jails, forced organ harvesting, and specimen exhibits. Named suspects spanned across actors, directors, screenwriters, producers, agencies, investors, and high officials. This includes Beijing police chief Bi Bo, grandson of former China's premier Li Peng, who crushed the 1989 student protests, and rumored illegitimate son of current CCP number five leader Cao Qi. Due to extreme sensitivity on this case, Yu's injustice, CCP cover-ups, and public compassion, the global Quit CCP Center waived its live consent rule on Yu. Grassroots Redemption goes on October 17th. Yu's Taiwanese mentor Sun De Rong led a massive Buddhist rite where attendees sensed Yu's presence. All the signs at the scene indicated that Yu Menglong seemed to be interacting with us, although I don't believe in ghosts or spirits. Viral footage showed rainbows and dragon clouds. Yu's symbol up in the sky above the ritual location. Another Taiwanese self-media creator filed a temple complaint for divine justice, feeling Yu arrived. Mediums in Britain, the US, and Taiwan, previously unaware of Yu, delivered strikingly consistent messages matching netizen clues. This includes collective murder, cages, torture, tissue harvesting, and exhibitions. Additionally, two young Taiwanese used EVPs, or electronic voice phenomenon recordings, to capture alleged spirit voices from Yu, corroborating the same horrors. In our October 13th report, we outlined five key clues in the Yu Menglong case. One points to the 798 art district in Beijing. Netizens discovered an exhibit there resembling Yu's body, a fish head on a human torso. Other displays have eerily mimicked recently deceased celebrities, including Shanghai singer Qiao Renliang. A Beijing netizen recently posted videos saying they went to a dance party at 798's art district only to find the entire art zone sealed off upon arrival. No explanation has been given. Advanced chips, the China threat, and the new US-China trade deal, those were among the key topics in President Trump's wide-ranging interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, which aired Sunday night. NTD's Daniel Monaghan has the key takeaways and comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who's calling for the US to de-risk from China. In an interview on 60 Minutes, President Trump commented on whether he would allow chip maker Nvidia to sell their most advanced chips to China. We will let them deal with Nvidia, but not in terms of the most advanced. The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States. Because then they would win the AI race. Well, they wouldn't win it necessarily, but they would certainly have an equal advantage. Right now, we're winning it because we're producing electricity like never before by allowing the companies to make their own electricity, which was my idea. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang last week expressed hope that his company will be able to sell its advanced Blackwell chips in China at some point. I hope so. I hope so. But that's a decision for President Trump to make. Trump predicts the US will have 40 or 50 percent of the chip market within two years. The biggest companies are leaving Taiwan. They're coming into the United States because of tariffs. Trump provided perspective on China infiltrating parts of the American power grid, water systems and buying American farmland. We're a threat to them too. Many of the things that you say we do to them. Look, this is a very competitive world, especially when it comes to China and the US. And we're always watching them and they're always watching us. In the meantime, I think we get along very well. And I think we can be bigger, better and stronger by working with them as opposed to just knocking them out. In an interview with CNN, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant says the Chinese moves on rare earth restrictions are part of a plan they've been putting together for 25, 30 years. And the US has been asleep at the switch. And now this administration, we're going to go at warp speed over the next one, two years. And we're going to get out from under the sword that the Chinese have over us. And they have it over the whole world. Besant says the US has rallied the allies. So Western and Asian democracies in India are going to join the US in trying to form their own supply chains. We don't want to decouple from China, but we need to de-risk. They've shown themselves to be an unreliable partner in many areas. And finally, the White House says China will stop investigations into US firms in the semiconductor supply chain and will begin issuing new export licenses for rare earths and other high-tech minerals. Daniel Monaghan, NTD News. In the 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday, President Trump also said Chinese officials know the consequences of taking military action against Taiwan while he's in office. His comments came after his meeting with Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping last week. Trump said the two did not discuss Taiwan during their talks. And Canada has signed a defense pact with the Philippines to expand joint military drills. The move on Sunday is seen as a response to Beijing's growing aggression in the South China Sea. Canada's Defense Minister David McGuinty says it's about standing with partners who share the same values. The Philippines has shown true leadership in upholding international law and in seeking the peaceful resolution of disputes. And for that, you have Canada's greatest and deepest respect. We are proud to deepen our partnership with a country that courageously acts on those values, not just in words, but through your dedicated work toward regional peace and security. McGuinty says the new pact will boost training, information sharing, and coordination during a crisis or natural disaster. The deal gives both countries the ability to take part in military exercises on each other's soil. It's similar to agreements the Philippines already has with the US, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. Beijing responded to the pact Monday, saying defense cooperation between countries shouldn't target any third party or harm its interests. Chinese Coast Guard ships have repeatedly used aggressive tactics, like water cannons, against Philippine vessels, causing collisions and injuries. Meanwhile, the Philippines isn't stopping here. It's currently exploring similar defense deals with Germany, France, India, and Britain, as tensions with China continue to rise. Coming up, Secretary of War Pete Hekseth in South Korea for the first time, visiting the demilitarized zone with his South Korean counterpart. Grant Newsham joins us to unpack what message this sends to nuclear-armed North Korea and China. That and more when we come back on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. US War Secretary Pete Hekseth made a stop at the border between South and North Korea as part of his trip through Asia. The visit on Monday comes just ahead of talks, where Washington is expected to discuss plans on reshaping the role of US troops in Korea. Hekseth landed in the border area in a US Army helicopter. He then met the South Korean defense minister. The defense chiefs are scheduled to hold the annual security consultative meeting on Tuesday as the highest-level forum in which the two countries chart the course of their military alliance. Washington is considering new roles for US forces in South Korea. Officials say the move would make the over 28,000 troops there more flexible, ready to respond beyond the peninsula as China expands military reach. What message is Secretary of War Pete Hekseth sending to nuclear-armed North Korea and China with his visit to South Korea? Joining us to unpack the state of US-South Korea relations is retired Marine Colonel Grant Newsham, senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and author of When China Attacks. Grant Newsham, thank you so much for joining us. Great to have you back on the show. I'm always glad to be here. Now, Hekseth and his South Korean counterpart visiting the JSA, this is the first time in eight years. First, what message is this joint visit sending to North Korea but also China? Well, on the surface, it suggests that the Americans and the South Koreans and their militaries are very solidly linked and ready to take on any threats, particularly from North Korea. China, of course, is also looking at this, the US-South Korea relationship to see what the strength of it is. Are there frictions in it? Are there weaknesses? There is, of course, a little more going on here. This all takes place in the context of a South Korean administration, which is very strongly leftist. But as I said, it comes on the top of a very leftist South Korean administration whose alliance or their commitment to the United States and the South Korean alliance, rather than a stronger relationship with China, even with North Korea of all things, is very much in question. And that's something that is going to have to be carefully monitored and carefully dealt with if necessary. And given what you just laid out there, we did see President Trump say after he met with China, he and South Korea, that he ran out of time to meet with Kim Jong-un, North Korea. But if the time or opportunity arose, he would go back to the region. With this meeting with Heck Seth and his South Korean counterpart at the JSA, how likely are we to see President Trump meet with Kim Jong-un in his second term? Well, there's nothing that Mr. Trump does that should surprise us. I wouldn't be surprised if that does happen. Even on this most recent trip, I think we could see the two meeting up at some point. Not too soon, but I think it could happen. And what would be the path for President Trump to bring down the rhetoric or the tensions in the Korean peninsula, given all the interplay that you just mentioned with South Korea? Well, that's a good question. Because the South Koreans have what is called agency, which means that they make up their own minds, or better, I should say, the South Koreans top leadership, the hardcore leftists that I mentioned. Most South Koreans do not want what they are selling. But how do you deal with a nation whose ideology is actually anti-American, of all things, and aligned with the Chinese Communist Party and North Korea, and is trying to establish a one-party state in South Korea? So, it's an issue. It's intertwined with all of this bringing down the tensions. That's going to be very difficult because by failing to take firm action, starting 30 years ago almost, and following on, the North Koreans have developed into a much more powerful military than they've ever been. Now, they've got a lot of problems, but nonetheless, their conventional military development has been striking, with Chinese and Russian support for that. Additionally, their nuclear capabilities have gradually improved, as have their delivery systems, the long-range missiles, the ability to miniaturize nuclear weapons to put them on missiles to deliver them. That has been really just an engineering problem that they have had time to work on, to do the necessary trial and error, and nothing that has been done in terms of sanctions against North Korea, etc., or even offering them sweeteners, offering them benefits. None of that has worked. I would note that sanctions against North Korea, despite existing, have never really been enforced. The Chinese have broken these from almost day one and have suffered no punishment from anyone for having done so. So, when you hear sanctions don't work against North Korea, always remember sanctions have never been tried. Definitely a lot to watch here. For short, Grant Newsham, as always, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for having me. I always appreciate it. That's all for today's China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. If you have any feedback on the show or have something you'd like to see us cover, send us an email at chinainfocus.ntd.com. We'd love to hear from you. For on the clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching. See you soon.