Expert: China Pushes for Isolation From West With New Rule | China in Focus

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story, China handing out a new rule for citizens with overseas experience. How is it connected to the mass illegal Chinese crossings at the southern border? We break it down. A top US intel official warns disgruntled workers could make companies more vulnerable to IP theft and cyber attacks. How is China taking advantage of this loophole? Two senior British judges abruptly resigned from Hong Kong's top court but drove the juror's decision to step down. And the US ambassador to China is detailing the fight between American consulates and Beijing's censors plus the state of play for US-China relations. You know, you go into most hotel rooms around the world on any continent, there's CGTN. They've put billions of dollars, Beijing, into this vast influence network, propaganda network. And, you know, we've got to respond to that. Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Before we turn to today's top story, we'd like to share an announcement. NTD's original documentary, Hollywood Takeover, China's control in the film industry is coming to New York City next Saturday. It will screen at the Manhattan Film Festival on June 15 starting at 1 p.m. Don't miss it. Click the link down below to get your tickets. Job requirements for civil servants are changing inside China with reports saying Chinese citizens who have lived outside of China will not be considered. What does it say about Beijing's policy direction and how does it tie into the surge of illegal Chinese crossings at the US Some of China's state agencies are now pushing a new hiring requirement. For sensitive job posts like police officers, those who have lived outside mainland China for more than six months would not be considered. A district police bureau in Beijing plus certain branches under China's immigration administration have both established the new rule. Tang Jingyuan is a China commentator. He said the move hints at a new trend. This goes to show that the Chinese Communist Party is closing the country off from the world. It's increasingly relying on censoring information to maintain its rule. He noted Beijing is using the restrictions to limit Western ideology's impact on China. Those that have stayed overseas for over half a year, their worldviews might have already been influenced by Western democracy and freedom and they might bring it back to China. A month ago, a new Chinese law went into effect. It expanded the scope of what China considers state secrets. Tang said the series of moves signal Beijing's efforts to decouple from the West in ideology. It would also help the regime control Chinese living overseas. If you have the slightest wish to get hired as a civil servant in China, then you must think twice. First, you can't stay overseas for over half a year. Secondly, you have to self-censor by not accepting Western worldviews or bringing truthful information back to China. Meanwhile, video clips show long lines outside U.S. consulates in China. Tang said China's push for isolation could drive more people to show up at America's border. Because they feel like China is like a sinking ship, and the living conditions are set to get worse. Political pressure is mounting, and people don't feel their human rights and private property has any guarantee. Panic could drive them to try every method possible in order to flee. Former President Trump said Thursday he may slap tariffs on China if it doesn't stop the flow of illegal immigrants to the U.S. Trump didn't specify how high of a tariff he would impose. Discontented employees could make companies more vulnerable to IP theft and cyber attacks. That's according to Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Michael Casey. Speaking to CNBC, Casey said China is targeting what he called human assets in U.S. corporations, especially disgruntled workers, given they can be easily leveraged to harvest intellectual property, data, and other critical information. Some security experts warn the regime's IP theft aims to bolster its own manufacturing capacity. This is how China wages tech-based hybrid warfare. Once they can manufacture to scale, not only do they stop using your products and services in China, they take those products and services that they can manufacture to scale and start to compete against your corporation worldwide in other markets. What's more, Casey noted there has been a staggering 100 percent uptick in Chinese cyber attacks, making the regime, quote, by far the most prolific actor out there. He added companies need to create programs to find these workers and get them the help they need. But on the other hand, Casey said a business executive must look into what secrets should most need protection and what workers can access them. Several House Republicans introduced legislation aimed at restricting the U.S. from buying electric car batteries made by six Chinese manufacturers. The bill, titled Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, was led by Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez. It was also co-sponsored by chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, John Molinar. Among the listed entities, carmaker Goshen and battery company CATL made headlines in recent years due to their connections to China's human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. On the national security front, lawmakers at CATL could install malware on American electric vehicles to gather information about their owners. They added Beijing is trying to exploit technological dependencies through these companies. America's envoy to China is back home for a brief visit. What's his experience fighting Chinese censors? And what news does he bring on U.S.-China relations? NTD's Juliet Song has more on that. A battle of ideas between the U.S. and China. U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns said Washington must respond to Beijing's global propaganda network. You know, you go into most hotel rooms around the world on any continent, there's CGTN. They've put billions of dollars in Beijing into this vast influence network, propaganda network. And, you know, we've got to respond to that. He gave the remark during a speech at the Asia Society in New York Thursday. CGTN is the overseas arm of China's state-controlled broadcaster. It's also Beijing's champion in its foreign influence operations here in the U.S. China is the top foreign country when it comes to spending on influence operations in the U.S., pouring over 400 million dollars into the effort since 2016. CGTN spent over half of that money working to shape U.S. policy and public opinion about China. While Beijing has been spending big to sway U.S. public opinion on American soil, the U.S. embassy has been struggling to keep its posts up on Chinese social media. We'll put a speech by Secretary Blinken, we'll put something I've said on Chinese social media, and it's taken down by the censors. We changed the title. We tried to get it back on. Maybe it gets on for 20 more minutes or two more hours. It's taken down by the censors. Burns noted the U.S. has an obligation to contest the battle of ideas between the two powers. As for the latest on U.S.-China relations, he has some good news as well as bad ones. I think we've done relatively well in returning the relationship to some semblance of normalcy just over the last six or seven months. That's the good news this morning. And the bad news is? I think it's accurate that we're locked in a long-term strategic rivalry between our two countries. We are systemic rivals. We have completely different and opposite views about human freedom and human liberty. We have very different views about what's happening in Xinjiang and the repression there, what's happening in Tibet, and the sinicization of the school system and of culture by the Chinese authorities in Tibet. The U.S. said Beijing has been committing a genocide against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Uyghurs are a Muslim ethnic minority in China. Studies found Chinese authorities have restricted Tibetan children from receiving religious education. Burns reiterated President Biden's stance that the U.S. doesn't want conflict with China. That's despite Washington confirming it will compete and stand its ground on important issues. Juliet Song, NTD News. An American innovation contest is saying no more to Chinese money. A Washington-based charity group shreds ties with its sponsor, Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The U.S. government has repeatedly warned about the company's close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China's military, calling it a national security concern. The Optica Foundation's CEO said recently that they will no longer accept funds from Huawei, adding they are also returning all the money that Huawei donated from 2022 through this year. Huawei has poured millions of dollars into Optica's research contest since it launched two years ago. The contest has become popular among researchers worldwide, including students from top U.S. institutions. Some of those schools are even banned from working with Huawei. Applicants say they were not aware of Huawei's ties to the contest, as the company specifically asked to have its name removed from the sponsor list. The incident drew close attention from lawmakers. The House Science Committee sent a letter to Optica last month questioning why the foundation agreed to let a blacklisted Chinese company sponsor budding U.S. researchers. The House Select Committee on China said that the U.S. needs to suspend all export licenses to Huawei and consider issuing special sanctions on the Chinese company. The Philippines has accused the Chinese Coast Guard of blocking a medical evacuation in the South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard Friday called the actions barbaric and inhumane. A spokesperson said Chinese vessels harassed Filipino Coast Guard and Navy boats with dangerous maneuvers, despite warnings it was a medical operation. The Philippines said the incident took place last month, and the sick crew member had been guarding a Filipino ship off the Second Thomas Shoal. Manila's troops operate in the waters near the shoal and consider the territory part of the Philippines. But Beijing also claims ownership and often confronts other countries' vessels near the shoal. A 2016 international ruling says Beijing has no right to do so. China recently issued a new Coast Guard policy that gives Chinese troops authority to arrest anyone they suspect of trespassing in waters claimed by China. The Chinese defense ministry lashed out at Washington's latest arms sale to Taiwan on Friday, calling for a, quote, immediate withdrawal. Beijing also vowed to continue sharpening its combat abilities. The U.S. State Department approved the new weapons sale just two days before on Wednesday. The weapons package is valued at $300 million. It mainly includes spare and repair parts for F-16 fighter jets. Taiwan says the deal will be finalized next month. The Chinese Communist Party sees Taiwan as part of China despite never having ruled it. According to CIA Director William Burns, Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered Beijing's military to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. President Biden said recently that the reason why the U.S. has invested heavily in the Indo-Pacific is to ensure that China isn't able to change the status quo there. Two British judges are quitting Hong Kong's top court this week amid Beijing's tightening grip on the city's dissidents and democracy. Jonathan Assumption and Lawrence Collins served as non-permanent judges of Hong Kong's court of final appeal. Their resignations came about a week after a Hong Kong verdict convicted 14 democracy activists of subversion. Collins told the Financial Times that his decision was made because of the political situation in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Bar Association said Friday that their departure won't affect the top court's judicial functions. But the presence of foreign jurists in Hong Kong's top court has long been key to the city's international image. Beijing imposed a national security law on the city four years ago and has been using it to tighten its control on Hong Kong. That's all for today's China In Focus on YouTube. We are now sharing a shortened version of our program here after being demonetized for three years. If you'd like to support us, consider donating. Find us at donorbox.org slash china-in-focus or subscribe to our partner platform, Epic TV, where you can watch our full episodes. Just click the link down below. Here's what to look out for in our second half. Online choppers beware! Borders from Xi and Rotimu could get stuck in U.S. customs. A new U.S. regulation is causing speed bumps for no-tariff shipments from China. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks with China's public security chief via video call for the two discussed, including the repatriation of illegal immigrants. And a famous waterfall in China may not be so natural after all. A video is going viral on social media, suggesting that metal pipes are supplying the water. More on that after the break, here on China In Focus. Thanks for watching China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. See you soon.