ExclusiveNuclear-Capable Russian, Chinese Bombers Fly Near Japan

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story. Japan scrambles fighter jets after more than 10 Chinese and Russian warplanes flew near its islands. And some of the bombers are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The latest on the boiling tensions unsettling East Asia. The repeated joint bomber flights by both countries signify an expansion and intensification of activities around our nation. China is quietly building new strategic airports in the southern region of Tibet. And they sit right next to India. We take a closer look at Beijing's agenda to expand military presence in the region. Goldman Sachs and the International Monetary Fund are pressing China to strengthen its currency. There's speculation that Beijing is intentionally keeping the UN weak to boost exports. The defense for alleged Chinese agent Linda Sun, who's a former New York state official, says she may have made mistakes but committed no crimes. Calling her actions typical of a politician's maneuvers. 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But this time, some of the planes flew closer toward Japan's main island after passing south of Okinawa. The exercise lasted eight hours. Japan calling the joint patrol a serious concern for national security. The repeated joint bomber flights by both countries signify an expansion and intensification of activities around our nation. And we cannot but view them as a show of force against Japan. The incident comes just days after a Chinese fighter locked its radar on Japanese jets. It's a provocative move since it can be a step taken just before launching weapons. The Chinese side conducted intermittent radar lock on for approximately 30 minutes. We will continue to strongly demand that the Chinese side prevent any recurrence of such dangerous actions. China's foreign ministry said Japan was making false accusations. The U.S. on Tuesday criticized China's action for the first time. A State Department spokesperson said China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability. They added that the U.S. commitment to its ally Japan remains unwavering. The rising tensions come after Japan's prime minister doubled down on support for Taiwan last month. She warned that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a potential military response from Tokyo. In response, a Chinese diplomat made a threatening comment on social media saying he would cut off her head over the remark. China also since banned Japanese seafood exports and canceled 40 percent of flights to Japan scheduled for December. Meanwhile, Japan expelled two Chinese coast guard ships in the waters around the Senkaku Islands. The disputed territory is over 100 miles from Taiwan. The U.S. Navy says it has recovered two aircrafts that crashed into the South China Sea while flying off the USS Nimitz carrier in October. An unmanned system was used to lift both the fighter jet and helicopter out of the water. No official cause was given for the crashes, which occurred within 30 minutes of each other during routine operations. All crew members were rescued. The Navy says it was crucial to recover the wreckage because it contained U.S. intelligence, which could be detrimental if foreign adversaries got their hands on it. China asserts ownership over almost all of the South China Sea in defiance of an international court ruling. China is quietly expanding its military footprint high in the regions of Tibet, right along the tense border with India. According to satellite images, China seems to be establishing airports near remote communities. China claims they're for civilian use, but they also give the country more military presence, both for border conflicts with India and for keeping a tight grip on Tibet. In a Wall Street Journal report on Friday, China's building dual-use airports and heliports in Tibet. They're infrastructure that could double as launch sites for Beijing's military aircraft. These bases are built more than 14,000 feet above sea level at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The runways are long with reinforced shelters, and the layout appears to be military-grade in design. Over the past decade, at least eight airports and heliports have popped up close to the India border. Satellite photos from the report says it spans across 16 sites and reveals hardened aircraft hangars. At least 72 aircraft shelters are finished or under construction across three major locations. Back in October, images showed around 24 military aircraft at Sighetsi Airport, with 18 of them being drones. And at one airport, the facilities sit less than 10 miles from India. That region has been tense before. A border standoff with India in 2017 and a deadly clash in 2020 pushed China to speed up construction. Analysts say these spaces give Beijing a quicker path to deploy troops, weapons and drones. However, some are noting that flying at high altitudes is difficult and the aircrafts can't carry much fuel or equipment. Now we turn to another weapon China is using, currency. Goldman Sachs and the International Monetary Fund are both calling attention to China's currency. They argue it may be trading much lower than the strength of its export economy suggests. And that could be creating major financial pressure for countries that depend heavily on China for trade and loans. On Wednesday, Goldman Sachs said China's currency is about 25 percent lower than what they think it should be. Many economists are speculating that Beijing is intentionally keeping the yuan weak to help boost exports. China's global trade surplus has surged past one trillion dollars this year, driven by cheap exports and dumping goods into foreign markets. It spurred criticism from the U.S., the European Union and other trading partners who argue cheap Chinese goods are undercutting domestic industries. The IMF is urging China to let its currency rise, arguing the country needs to rely more on consumer spending at home rather than exports abroad. As the second largest economy in the world, China is simply too big to generate much growth from exports and continuing to depend on export-led growth risks, furthering global trade tensions. A stronger Chinese currency would make its exports more expensive overseas and reduce China's trade advantage in foreign markets. But with the yuan still weak, Chinese financing looks appealing up front, not just for trade, but also for projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. Countries looking to build critical infrastructure could turn to China for cheaper raw materials, labor and funding. However, many of these nations are now feeling the pressure. With revenue coming in slowly, those debts are becoming harder to repay. Some analysts warn that if China keeps its currency undervalued, developing nations could fall even deeper into debt. The trial of alleged Chinese agent Linda Sun, who's also a former top A2-2 New York governor, has now entered its final stage. After prosecutors finished their closing arguments on Wednesday, Linda Sun and her husband's lawyers turned the tables. They used this last chance to convince the jury that the couple is not guilty on all charges. How did the defense make their case? NTD's Flora Hua was there at the courthouse. Here's the story. The courtroom is filled with reporters and onlookers following this high-profile case. On Wednesday morning, Assistant District Attorney Alexander Solomon finished the prosecution's closing argument. He told the jury it's time to hold Linda Sun accountable, and the only verdict they should deliver is guilty on all charges. Between 2015 to 2023, Linda Sun was a key figure on the New York government's agenda on Asian communities, especially China's, giving her Chinese background. Prosecutors say that when then-Governor Andrew Cuomo and now-Governor Holcomb turned to Sun for advice, they were unaware that they were speaking to the CCP itself. Evidence presented to the court, including text messages, emails and testimonies from government employees, suggests that Sun acted in favor of Beijing. For example, when Taiwanese officials emailed her a dinner invitation with Cuomo, the first person she thought to contact was a Chinese diplomat from the consulate. But the government's email system also suggests Sun never forwarded the invitation to anyone in the New York government. Solomon said that's because Linda Sun's real boss was the CCP. Prosecutors also called Sun's husband, Chris Hu, quote, her money man and partner in crime. Two spreadsheets last authored by Chris Hu tracked records that the government says show kickbacks the couple received from China, totaling millions of dollars. The money allegedly came either from Chris Hu's business in China, which Chinese officials helped cultivate, or from state contracts that Linda Sun helped her relative secure. The couple also allegedly used Sun's mother Sun Meiping's credit cards and bank accounts to launder the money. Linda Sun and Chris Hu's attorneys argued the government's accusation is, in their words, far-fetched, like plots from a movie. Here's what they had to say to the jury. The defense attorneys pushed back against the prosecution on multiple fronts. First, they argued that the government relies heavily on inferences drawn from Chinese text messages because nearly all the messages presented were translated into English. They claimed the translations may not accurately reflect the original meaning of the chats. They also pointed out that maintaining good relations with the Chinese consulate was simply part of Sun's job. The defense added that New York governors historically have not met with Taiwanese leaders, given the sensitivity of Taiwan and U.S.-China relations. What about the unreported millions of dollars flowing into Chris Hu's accounts? The defense suggested the money could have been gifts, though the reasons are unclear. Furthermore, they highlighted that the U.S. government cannot investigate crimes committed in China, and this case heavily involves individuals and companies there. They used this point to argue that the prosecution's chain of evidence is incomplete, making it difficult to prove the couple's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense is set to present a rebuttal on Thursday. After that, the jury is expected to begin deliberations either on Friday or next Monday before delivering a verdict. Reporting from Brooklyn, New York, Flora Hua, NTD News. President Trump said earlier this week that he will allow NVIDIA's H200 processors to be exported to China. These are the company's second most powerful AI chips. So how are Chinese companies reacting? ByteDance and Alibaba want to buy NVIDIA H200 chips after U.S. President Donald Trump approved exports to China. That's according to four people briefed on the matter who spoke to Reuters. Two sources said the Chinese tech giant want to place large orders for NVIDIA's second best AI chip if Beijing gives the green light. But, one added, the firms are concerned about supply and wants clarity from NVIDIA. Before Trump's announcement, the most advanced AI chip that could be exported there was the H20. The H200 is almost six times as powerful as the H20. The Chinese government has yet to give a clear response about Trump's move. In recent months, Reuters reported that Beijing had banned government-funded data centers and Chinese tech companies from buying NVIDIA's AI chips. The information reported Wednesday that regulators gathered the country's big tech firms and asked them to assess H200 demand. The report cited sources who said the officials told the companies Beijing would give their decision soon. Coming up, Chinese influence seeping back into the spotlight. But just how insidious is Beijing's shadow? Paul Johnstone breaks it down. You brainwash all these young kids here about how great the government is out there. If you feel that way, with respect, you should pack your bags, get back to mainland China if you love it so much. That's not being racist. That's not being disrespectful. That's just being honest. Dirty money from Latin America is harming the U.S. and it's money that's tied to China. Experts testified on Capitol Hill about Chinese organized crime and drug cartels operating in America's backyard. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Chinese influence seeping back into the spotlight. Lawmakers recently held a hearing on it to root out Chinese Communist Party influence in our K-12 system. But just how insidious is Beijing's shadow? Joining us with a unique perspective on all of this is Paul Johnstone. He's a former federal agent with the Australian Federal Police and a regional security advisor at Defensive Measures International. Paul Johnstone, thank you so much for joining us. Great to have you on the show. Now, diving right in here, I want to talk about Chinese influence. Because when lawmakers came back from recess on the Hill, one of the first hearings was on foreign influence, specifically the CCP influence in U.S. K-12 classrooms. And a lot of that is because it's part of this strategy, if you will, starting from the youth or the young, where Beijing picks the professors, where they don't talk about the three Ts right in the classroom. And since you're in America, you think you're getting a genuine education. And then that really shapes your worldview. When I went to China in 1999, I had an invitation. I was basically through a politician, and I met with the deputy director of foreign affairs here. And he said to me at the time, he said, Paul, whatever you do, don't mention the three Ts. I was like, you know. So I didn't. For about the first 10 years, I never mentioned it. But after a while, when I started to see their real true intentions and their two-faced attitude, then I started to raise these questions. And when people asked me what my thoughts were about Taiwan, I was very straight to the point. And when they asked about Tiananmen Square, I was straight to the point, same as Tibet. And I used to always say, how can an old man, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, how can he be such a threat to your government? And then I said to him, when you murder thousands of your own people on Tiananmen Square, how can you just cover that up and say it didn't happen? And I love it when people question me about Taiwan, because I know my history well. I used to always say to them, when Japan invaded China, and the KMT and the communists were fighting, I said, they stop fighting. And I said, but it was the KMT that basically took up most of the heavy load against the Japanese. And then once they defeated the Japanese, then the communists decided to basically come in and clean up, because the KMT were depleted. And I always say to the Chinese, that Taiwan's never been gotten by the CCP. And you say that in your show all the time, you know what I mean? And they hate it when I say that, because they know I'm being factual. And I say to the Chinese people all the time, no matter what argument you give me, that's the fact. The CCP has never controlled Taiwan. I said before that, before the KMT went there, it was basically the Japanese. And I said, you know, and they always hate it, because they say, you know too much about industry. That's what they always say. And I said, well, that's a good thing, because then I can be factual, and I can have these debates with you, without you telling me that I don't have a clue, and I'm just on low wine that's stupid. And it's interesting, because I was doing some language training at one of the universities here. And the lecturer there, she was pro-Winnie the Pooh, you know, like, super fishy thing, you know. So one day, I walked in, I had a Winnie the Pooh badge on, you know, on my, and she didn't like it. She asked me, Paul, why are you wearing that? I said, oh, that's in honour of your great president, you know. And I said, you talk about him in class all the time, you're brainwashing all these young kids. Like, I was the oldest in the class. I said, you're brainwashing all these young kids here about how great the government is over there. And I said, look, you're in the wrong place for doing that. You shouldn't be doing that at a university when you're teaching Chinese language and culture. It's the wrong way of doing it, you know. And I said, if you feel that way, with respect, you should pack your bags, go back to mainland China if you love it so much. You know, and that's, I think, that's not being racist. That's not being disrespectful. That's just being honest, because, as I always say to them, Tiffany, if I go to China, I can't have the same views in China as what you can here in Australia. You can't be, you come here in the freedoms that we have so you can spruik all your negative, you know, propaganda. But I can't do that in China, otherwise I'll end up in jail. And that's the difference, you know. So, yeah, as I said, I think we need more people to stand up and tell the truth. And I know, as I said to Daniel last week, you know, I said I would be even more public enemy, number one, of the Chinese. But I think that's the problem. People are scared. People are scared of the CCP. People are scared to **** the system. They're scared to upset the apple cart because they think that financially it might affect them or, you know, their lives are at risk because there's a lot of, there's a lot of CCP agents, you know, amongst us. And I think the general public need a good wake-up call to find out what's really happening. Definitely historic times, it seems, in all sorts of areas. But, Paul Johnstone, thank you so much for your time. You're welcome. Thanks very much, Tiffany. Nice to be here. Experts testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday about Chinese gangs operating in Latin America. A U.S. Senate caucus heard testimony on how these gangs are involved in criminal activities, including drug smuggling and money laundering, and how they impact the U.S. NTD's David Lam has more. Senators heard testimony on Tuesday on Chinese organized crime in Latin America and how it impacts the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere. At a hearing of the Senate caucus on international narcotics control, all three witnesses said that Chinese criminal activities pose a clear and present danger to the United States. Today's hearing provides us an opportunity to understand not only the direct threat that Chinese criminal groups pose to our citizens through trafficking poison across our borders, but also the long-term strategic consequences of their presence in Latin America and the Chinese government's response. Experts testified that the Chinese Communist Party uses student bank accounts to launder money and leverages criminal organizations in Latin America as well. We see CCP and PRC working directly with Chinese criminal groups that exist in Mexico to bring those chemicals in, help production of fentanyl and methamphetamine, and then directing those drugs towards our country. The evidence is very clear. Chinese criminal networks are building a silk road of crime that stretches from Fujian province to Flushing, Queens, New York, San Gabriel Valley, California, and beyond. And it runs straight through the Western Hemisphere. Expert witness Leland Lazarus testified that the networks have laundered $312 billion over the past four years for Mexican cartels and wealthy Chinese individuals. He highlighted a narcotics broker known as Brother Wong. His operation spanned 100 shell companies and 170 bank accounts across Mexico, various U.S. states, and China. I welcome budding signs of cooperation from Mexico and China. Last year, Chinese authorities arrested an individual who was indicted in the United States for involvement in a money laundering scheme on behalf of the Sinaloa cartel. But let's be clear, the urgency of the fentanyl crisis demands that we not solely depend on the goodwill of other countries. We can and must take steps here at home. The experts recommend solutions such as leveraging tariffs, creating an international task force, going after Chinese underground banking, and reducing corruption in Latin America. David Lam, NTD News. 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 at 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 tomorrow.