ExclusiveXiaomi Electric Cars Catch Fire—2 Cases in 1 Day

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story. President Trump addressed the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, including the US-China AI race, and his plans for Greenland, which he says are driven by perceived threats from China and Russia. We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won't do that. China has imported enough soybeans from the US to meet what the US required Beijing to fulfill. The promise wouldn't have been met without the intervention of two Chinese state-run companies. Are Chinese electric cars safe? Two EVs from well-known Chinese brand Xiaomi cars exploded in a single day. What was the cause? China, saying its economy grew 5% last year. That's amid weak consumer demand and housing markets slump. An expert is casting doubt. And China's latest death toll sparking questions. Why is the death toll last year even higher than those during the COVID-19 pandemic, when funeral homes were overwhelmed? Before we dive into the news, here's a message from today's sponsor. As we report every day, global markets are becoming more uncertain. China's growing economy and growing tensions with the US are reshaping the financial landscape. And China is buying gold at record rates to diversify its foreign reserves and decrease its reliance on the US dollar. It isn't just countries that can use gold to protect their wealth. It's individuals as well. That's why we believe in protecting what's real. Physical gold and silver from American Hartford Gold offers stability when markets turn unpredictable. Unlike paper assets, these are tangible stores of value that have weathered economic turmoil, political instability, and inflation for centuries. American Hartford Gold holds an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau and thousands of five-star reviews from satisfied customers. You can have gold and silver delivered right to your home or stored safely in a tax-advantaged gold IRA. And right now, when you call and mention China in Focus, you could get up to $15,000 in free silver with your first purchase. Call 855-403-1118 or text China to 65532. That's China to 65532 or call 855-403-1118. You can also click the link in the description down below. Protect what you've earned because in uncertain times, truth and value still matter. President Trump addressed the World Economic Forum on Wednesday amid tensions over Greenland. Here are some highlights from his remarks to world leaders in Davos, Switzerland on the U.S. economy and China-related issues. Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of my inauguration. And today, after 12 months back in the White House, our economy is booming. Growth is exploding. Productivity is surging. Investments are soaring. Incomes are rising. Inflation has been defeated. Our previously open and dangerous border is closed and virtually impenetrable. And we're leading the world in AI by a lot. We're leading China by a lot. I think President Xi respects what we've done in part because I've allowed these big companies building these massive buildings to build their own electric capacity. They're building their own power plants, which, when added up, is more than any country anywhere in the world is doing. Greenland is a vast, almost entirely uninhabited and undeveloped territory, sitting undefended in a key strategic location between the United States, Russia, and China. That's exactly where it is, right smack in the middle. We need it for strategic national security and international security. This enormous, unsecured island is actually part of North America on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere. That's our territory. It is therefore a core national security interest of the United States of America, and we probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won't do that, okay? Now everyone's saying, that's probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force. I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland where we already had it as a trustee but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago. China has imported enough soybeans from the U.S. to meet what the U.S. required Beijing to fulfill. Here's what Treasury Secretary Scott Besant had to say. I had a meeting with my Chinese counterpart here in Davos last night, Vice Premier Hu Lifeng. He told me that just this week they have completed their soybean purchases, and we're looking forward to next year's 25 million tons. China has now imported around 12 million metric tons of soybeans from America, meeting a pledge that Beijing had promised to fulfill by the end of February. The pledge was made when a trade truce between the U.S. and China was reached in October. Buying American soybeans and meeting the goal hasn't been smooth sailing. In fact, China went four straight months starting last September without importing any soybeans from the United States. Three traders told Reuters that two Chinese state-run companies saved the pledge last week by purchasing a large amount of soybeans to meet the goal. At the same time, private Chinese buyers are still turning to cheaper supplies from South America. Now turning to Chinese electric vehicles, public safety concerns are growing. Chinese automaker Xiaomi's EVs catching fire not once but twice in a single day. The fires are adding to broader concerns about battery safety as Chinese EVs expand globally. Xiaomi-made electric cars caught fire twice on Monday. The company confirmed the incidents, saying battery data appeared normal, indicating that they didn't find the cause of the fire. Xiaomi added that the fires were put out quickly and no injuries were reported. These weren't isolated cases. Last year, there were multiple reports of Chinese EVs, including Xiaomi models, catching fire while driving or even while parked. In some cases, those incidents were fatal. As concerns grow, automakers are experimenting with extreme safety measures. Last September, a Chinese company unveiled a controversial system to eject EV batteries, launching them several meters in just one second. It was demonstrated at a China-backed research center. The system uses gas generators similar to airbags to send the battery into a so-called safe zone. The move sparked major backlash. Experts and netizens warn the ejected battery can turn into moving fire hazards that endangers other cars, buildings, or people. They say the risks could be even more severe on highways or near gas stations. Critics added that the fix might create new dangers instead of solving the existing ones. Turning now to Mexico's auto industry, which is heavily tied to America's auto industry. Despite Mexico's new 50 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, automakers like BYD continue to dominate Mexico's market, fueled by low prices and generous incentives. According to Bloomberg, BYD now accounts for almost 70 percent of vehicles sold in Mexico City. To protect Mexico's auto industry, President Xi Jinping imposed 50 percent tariffs on Chinese imports that went into effect at the start of this year. Despite that, industry leaders say Chinese automakers can absorb the added costs and remain competitive. Analysts point to strong demand, cheap supply, and continued subsidies from Beijing as key drivers. And since Mexico is part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement, EVs made or assembled there can enter the U.S. without facing tariffs. That means cheaper EVs from brands like BYD can compete directly with major U.S. automakers. Last year, President Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on imported cars and many auto parts. It's a move that would protect the U.S. auto industry from cheaper foreign vehicle imports, including those assembled in Mexico. Did China's economy grow five percent last year like authorities stated? An expert on China's economy is casting doubt. There's no way you can have such a high rate of growth and also a huge unemployment. Chinese authorities say its unemployment rate last year hovered over five percent. However, youth unemployment in the country have been around 20 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic. When you grow your economy, you have higher people, so you cannot have a high growth rate while still having a high employment. A recent report from Rhodium Group estimates China's actual GDP last year is below three percent, well below the official figure. The report says China has been facing deflation for 10 consecutive quarters. And since no economy has ever posted five percent GDP growth during years of deflation, they're doubting China achieved this. Xie noted the Chinese regime also has a record of manipulating economic data. I think they have their own numbers. The true numbers, they might have that, but they won't release that. In China, local officials usually manipulate data to get promotions since it's linked to their political achievement. Concerns over data manipulation grew so severe that the head of China's National Statistics Bureau pledged to crack down on it four years ago. That agency is responsible for estimating China's GDP. But questioning Beijing's official GDP data in public also comes with its own consequences. That's what Chinese economist Gao Shenwen did over a year ago at a panel in Washington. Gao speculated that the real number on average might be around two percent instead of the officially announced five percent. One month later, Gao was no longer the chief economist at a Hong Kong security firm. He disappeared from the public eye for almost a year. The Wall Street Journal said Chinese leader Xi Jinping reportedly asked authorities to discipline Gao. Questions mount after China released its 2025 death toll. Why is the number higher than during the COVID-19 pandemic when funeral homes were already overwhelmed? Here's the story. China's real COVID death toll is under scrutiny. New data from Chinese authorities shows the country's death rate last year was just over eight per thousand people. This number is higher than those during COVID pandemic years, when death rate hovered consistently over seven per thousand. China's death toll in 2025 is also higher than those recorded in recent years. China Affairs commentator Tang Jinyuan said the numbers don't add up. That's because there was no major cause of death in China in 2025, such as a pandemic, war or a large natural disaster. However, there were two major waves of death during the COVID years. The first wave of deaths came in late 2019. Crematoriums in China were so overwhelmed that people had to wait in line to cremate bodies. Some crematoriums even had to burn two or three bodies at the same time to speed up the process. The second wave came in late 2022. Virus infections surged after China relaxed its draconian lockdown measures. So once again, lines formed outside crematoriums across China. Tang said that if China's crematoriums were not overwhelmed in 2025, it suggests the actual death toll during the COVID years was far higher than reported. Coming up, following pressure from the U.S., the European Union is working to improve its cybersecurity countering threats from China. Chinese telecom giant Huawei is in the crosshairs. And U.S. intelligence has tied a recent congressional email hack to Chinese state-run groups. A cybersecurity expert breaks down the threat and what it means for U.S. security. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. After pressure from the U.S., the European Union is working to improve its cybersecurity amid a growing threat from China. Its parliament is considering a proposal to phase out gears supplied by companies like Huawei. Entity's international correspondent Ariane Pasdar has the story. The European Union is working to protect its critical infrastructure such as high-speed telecom networks. Under new draft legislation, telecom equipment from so-called high-risk suppliers would be phased out within three years. This comes amid rising concerns that European countries are vulnerable to the dominance of Chinese tech manufacturing. The proposals don't mention any countries or companies by name, but the term high-risk has been previously used to refer to countries like China, home to tech giant Huawei. Commenting on the new draft, the EU tech chief says, with the new cybersecurity package, we will have the means in place to better protect our critical supply chains, but also to combat cyberattacks decisively. The proposed restrictions would also cover equipment in other sectors, like security scanners used at border checkpoints, water supply systems, and health and medical devices. The U.S. already banned new Chinese equipment in 2022 and has urged European allies to follow suit. Last year, the Trump administration issued an executive order aimed at strengthening the nation's cybersecurity. The White House released a statement at the time, saying the People's Republic of China presents the most active and persistent cyber threat to United States government, private sector, and critical infrastructure networks. And just two months ago, the administration released its 2025 national security strategy. It highlights China's cyber activities in the context of economic competition, intellectual property theft, and supply chain threats. The document warns of grand-scale intellectual property theft and industrial espionage. Ariane Pasdar, NTD News. Iran is in the spotlight as tensions with the U.S. continue. Tehran issued its most direct warning yet to President Trump. Don't take action against the country's leader. NTD's Dana Monahan reports on that, plus China's role with Iran's economy. The comments from Iran come days after President Trump called for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's nearly 40-year reign. Iran's foreign minister issued a direct threat against the United States, warning that if attacked again, Tehran will respond with, quote, everything we have. President Trump addressed tensions with Iran over its assassination threats against him, speaking on NewsNation. I would absolutely hit them so hard, but I have very firm instructions. Anything happens, they're going to wipe them off the face of this earth. Meanwhile, U.S. forces are repositioning toward the Middle East, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. China is sure to be watching developments in Iran closely. Beijing has played a major role in sustaining Iran's economy, viewing the country as strategically vital to the Belt and Road Initiative. China committed up to $400 billion in investments under a 25-year cooperation deal, while Iran supplies oil, more than 90% of which is bought by China despite U.S. sanctions. According to China expert Alexander Lau, this supports Beijing's push for a yuan-based energy trade and de-dollarization. The Atlantic Council think tank reports that Iran, Russia, and China now trade sanctioned oil in Chinese currency. But analysts say if Iran shifts toward the West, China could lose key leverage in the Middle East. Chinese-backed cyber attacks are back in the spotlight. According to U.S. intelligence, a recent congressional email hack has been linked to Chinese state-run groups like Salt Typhoon. To break down the significance of this threat and the bigger picture, we're joined by Rex Lee. He's a cybersecurity advisor at MySmart Privacy. Chinese-linked or backed hacking has been in the headlines a lot. There was a recent one also attributed to Salt Typhoon, or at least the U.S. intelligence is saying it's tied to China's Ministry of State Security, or MSS, that hacked into congressional email systems, including ones like select committees who are focused on China or countering that. Talk to us about that. How serious was this breach? Well, this is as serious as you can get. This is an issue. If you go back to when I first started advising the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Division, it was about 10 years ago this year. And this is in regards to when I found what is called an interactive application permission command string associated with Badoo that I discovered when I reverse engineered a Samsung Galaxy Note. It was put onto an app, which means that two or more companies can surveil you from a single platform. This is part of the architecture and relevant to what's on today with these government email platforms. And regarding Badoo, that situation, that's called a software developer kit piggyback code, which means that two or more companies or governments or entities can surveil and data mine an individual from a single app. This was designed for surveillance capitalism so that these big tech companies can collect your information and sell it to targeted advertisers. It's the most unsecure thing in the history of technology because prior to this development, our operating systems, apps, softwares, everything was developed on a closed API architecture where you had to invite somebody in. They just couldn't arbitrarily get in. And that's the vulnerability that SaltPython and other malware take advantage of is that open API architecture to get into these types of platforms. We've seen this literally for over 10 years now. This is why we see billion-dollar corporations getting hacked on a daily basis are because of the vulnerabilities within the architecture of these operating systems like Android, iOS, and Windows. Unfortunately, they threw out security many years ago when they adopted a surveillance capitalism business model supported by uncontrollable surveillance and data mining technology that's below the bias. I don't want to get too technical for your audience, but that's what's going on here. I want to look at a big-scale one because when it comes to Taiwan, there's a lot of focus about whether or not we're going to see that Chinese invasion in terms of ships and military might. But Taiwan's National Security Bureau report that per day in 2025, there was about 2.6 million intrusion attempts by Chinese cyber-backed things. What lessons can we learn from that? That sounds like an incredible number to begin with. Well again, if you look at even the scam ads and if you look at the use of SaltPython to attack the government servers, these are all symptoms of a much larger problem that we have on our hands, something you and I've been discussing for years, something that I put into my security sessions when I do advisory services for not only the US government, but governments around the world, such as the nations I've worked with in Africa. These are simply systems of unrestricted hybrid warfare, but by way of an extension of that, which is tech-based hybrid warfare, which exploits endpoint devices like smartphones, tablet PCs, connected products, these become the delivery systems for these types of attacks. So if you look at what's happening with their critical infrastructure, we've seen this blueprint before. They're attacking one vulnerability and then exploiting it and then taking notes, attacking another one, exploiting it, taking notes. And the reason this happens over a multiple year period is because solutions are implemented to stop those attacks again and again, and they're looking for the weakness in those solutions. So that's why I feel that this is somewhat of a precursor of a potential invasion of Taiwan, because the first thing you do when you invade a country is you take out their mass communications, their mass media, and you take out their power. You take out all critical infrastructure and it causes chaos. That's the first thing you do in an invasion. Well, Rex Lee, as always, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. 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 around-the-clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.