Community Spies in China Desperately Await Wages | China in Focus

Welcome to China In Focus, I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story amid China's sluggish economy. Even the crews tasked with spying on Chinese citizens for the communist regime have gone unpaid for as long as six months. How does this reflect China's economy and social stability? Chinese and Philippine vessels collided over the weekend. This is the fifth collision in one month. Are they really accidental? Murdering innocent people to steal their organs and sell them for profit. A blood-curdling crime is the focus of a Philadelphia rally. The Chinese Communist Party is murdering its own people for organs. And the U.S. is being complicit in this. This is a huge problem. And a viral TikTok trend is tempting people with a supposed ADM glitch at Chase Bank. But a warning from the bank and reports from those who tried to use the glitch tell a different story. A glimpse into China's economic woes. A job typically designed for monitoring Chinese people is now reporting long-overdue wages across the country. One local government made a rare response, saying that they are raising funds to cover the missed salaries. NTD's Flora Hua has more on the story. Employees not getting paid on time. A situation that wouldn't be tolerated in Western society is becoming increasingly more common inside China due to a sluggish economy. Many community workers complain they haven't been paid for the past six months. Some report on social media that authorities have even suspended social insurance benefits. In one city, at least 800 people were affected. Local officials made a rare response to the complaint, saying that they are trying to It's a difficult financial situation for local leaders, and the monthly wages are only about $300 for these particular workers. And they have a special task, spying on the community for the Chinese Communist Party. Their jobs are part of China's grid-style social management, which is a mass surveillance system. The CCP divides the entire society into small grids and equips each grid with special teams. Their daily job includes gathering information about residents, reporting on any dissent, and aiding local authorities in suppressing social unrest. These jobs were established to help Beijing tighten control over the Chinese people and protect the regime. Flora Hua, NTD News. Japan reports that Chinese naval vessels have made two incursions into Japanese territorial waters in less than a week. The most recent one occurred over the weekend, when a Chinese survey ship sailed through the Tokara Strait. This is one of the passages between the Chinese mainland and the Pacific. China defended itself on Monday, saying Chinese vessels have the right to transit the strait during international navigation. The comment came in response to a protest Japan made against Beijing's actions. Concerns are mounting in Tokyo over the recent spike in Chinese military activity in the region. Japan has responded with a build-up in its defences. Five collisions in one month between Chinese and Philippine vessels. The last incident occurred over the weekend. Each side accuses the other of deliberately causing the collision. Let's zoom in. The Philippines and China on Saturday accused each other of intentionally ramming Coast Guard ships in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The collision near the Sabina Shoal was their fifth maritime confrontation in a month. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 found China's sweeping claims had no legal basis, a ruling Beijing rejects. Portions of the waterway, where $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually, are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits as well as fish stocks. The Philippine Coast Guard said that the China Coast Guard vessel 5205, quote, directly and intentionally rammed the Philippine vessel without provocation. They added that the ramming damaged the Philippines' 320-foot ship, but no one was injured. In a statement, a China's Coast Guard spokesman said a Philippine ship, quote, illegally stranded at the shoal had lifted anchor and, quote, deliberately rammed a Chinese vessel. He called on the Philippines to withdraw immediately or bear the consequences. The collision happened near the Sabina Shoal. The area falls within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, but is claimed by Beijing. The U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Japan condemned Beijing for the collision. Condemning the crime of forced organ harvesting in China was the focus of a rally held in Philadelphia's Chinatown. Forced organ harvesting is the practice of involuntarily removing organs from prisoners of conscience without their consent. These organs are then used for transplant and sold for profit. NTD's Daniel Monaghan reports on the Saturday gathering, which raised awareness about the atrocities committed against practitioners of Falun Gong. The rally was marked by impassioned speeches, heartfelt testimonials and a clear message. The Chinese Communist regime continues to systematically persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline rooted in the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. The practice once flourished in China, but has been brutally repressed by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999. Thousands of deaths have been confirmed due to torture. Dr. Jessica Russo from Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting says a bill called the Falun Gong Protection Act will help the Chinese people and protect medical institutions and patients from being complicit in the horrific crime. The Chinese Communist Party is murdering its own people for organs, and the U.S. is being complicit in this. This is a huge problem. Russo says the bill would help track the crimes of the CCP. Well, it's going to have a reporting feature, so we're going to understand exactly what's going on in China when it comes to transplant. And there's also going to be sanctions imposed on anybody who's identified as being a part of this organ trafficking, organ harvesting practice. Immigration attorney Christine Flowers says Falun Gong practitioners are peaceful individuals who are living their lives according to their faith. This is an example of some of the most egregious persecution that is happening in the world. Flowers warned about the dangers of censoring free speech. I think it was George Orwell wrote in 1984 about how those who control language and words control the future. And that's what's happening in China. Halter technician Crystal Pearson shared her thoughts upon learning about forced organ harvesting. Honestly, it makes me kind of want to cry. Like, it's terrible. Like, people are not just things to just be used and tossed away like that. Pearson says people don't deserve to be treated that way. Having people just, I don't know, like Americans just coming over to China just to get a quick organ donation, it just feels wrong. It doesn't feel right at all. Social worker Lena Queen says the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners really hits home for her as someone descended from enslaved Africans. I think when you think about the mistreatment, whether it's local or abroad, particularly in China, I think it's just absolutely horrendous that this type of action continues to happen. The Falun Gong Protection Act has passed the House and is currently under consideration in the Senate. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. If you live around Washington, D.C., this Wednesday, Chen Peiming, who is the first known survivor of live organ harvesting in China, will be speaking at the Cannon House office building. It's open to the public starting at 1.30 p.m. Eastern Time. We'll keep you updated with more information. Beijing is vowing severe economic retaliation against Japan. That's if the island nation further restricts sales of chipmaking equipment to Chinese companies. According to anonymous sources cited by Bloomberg, automotive giant Toyota told Japanese officials that China could cut Japan's access to certain minerals. And these materials are critical for car production. Bloomberg also says that Chinese authorities have communicated these warnings in recent In response to the report, China's foreign ministry on Monday said it opposes technological blockades by other countries. As of now, Japan has restricted sales of 23 types of chipmaking equipment to China. The policy is in line with Washington's push to curb Beijing's ability to manufacture advanced semiconductors. A new TikTok trend has people attempting to exploit a supposed glitch in Chase Bank ADMs. Some users were reportedly able to deposit a large check and have funds immediately available for withdrawal. Videos claimed infinite free money was for the taking. However, many quickly discovered that the bank's funds aren't so easily obtained. One viral video showed lines outside Chase branches in New York City with people hoping to cash in on the bug. But Chase swiftly addressed the issue, retracting any funds wrongly credited. Many people who took part in it reported locked accounts and massive negative balances. One user reported deductions labeled as ATM deposit error, reaching nearly $40,000. Financial experts caution that participating in scams like this can lead to severe consequences. They emphasize that any unexpected funds in your account because of bank errors should be reported immediately. Coming up, 50 African nations gearing up for an economic summit in Beijing. What's China's game plan for the event? And what has China already delivered? TikTok has become a key platform for U.S. presidential candidates to connect with young voters. A cybersecurity advisor weighs in on what this could mean for the future of American leadership. Well, first of all, no politician should be using an app that's a surveillance and data mining app to begin with. And results are out for NTD's 8th International Traditional Martial Arts Competition. The event aims to revitalize an ancient culture that's almost lost. We'll hear from the award winners after the break, here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus, I'm Tiffany Meyer. China is set to urge 50 African nations to take more of its goods at an upcoming summit this week. But some African leaders may not easily take the bait. On Monday, South Africa's president said he wants to reduce his country's trade deficit with Beijing. Meanwhile, a new study reveals that Beijing approved about $4.6 billion in loans to Africa last year, more than triple the amount from the year before. The lending marks the first annual increase since 2016. The study conducted by Boston University found that China lent Africa over $180 billion over the last two decades, mostly for energy, transport and communications technologies. As part of its Belt and Road Initiative, China has funded major infrastructure projects in Africa. Critics call this debt trap diplomacy, in which countries that owe money to China may end up handing over ports or other assets. Why is Africa so crucial for Beijing? For years, China has leveraged its economic power to secure key U.N. votes from African nations, helping it avoid criticism over human rights issues. Another reason is the vast amount of natural resources in Africa. The continent holds about 30 percent of global mineral reserves, 40 percent of the world's gold and roughly 10 percent of its gas and oil reserves. Beijing's cobalt deal with the Congo, the world's top cobalt producer, supports China's electric vehicle battery technology. As TikTok becomes a go-to source for news and politics among younger Americans, it's also turning into a battleground for U.S. politicians. With President Biden, former President Trump and Vice President Harris all tapping into the platform to connect with young voters. But what does this mean for the future of American leadership? And with TikTok's ties to China, how secure is our data and democracy? To break this down, we earlier spoke with Rex Lee, cybersecurity advisor at My Smart Privacy. Rex Lee, thank you so much for joining us. Great to have you back on the show. Thank you for having me on the show, Tiffany. Now half of TikTok users 30 and under use the app for their news as well as politics. This is according to a new Pew Research survey. Now we've seen President Biden, former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris and other politicians all on the app, or at least their campaigns are. What do you make of the president and potential future leader of America being on TikTok? Well, it's kind of ironic, especially with Trump, because during the Trump administration, there were efforts to ban TikTok. And we talked about this on the show before. And now it seems that TikTok has been adopted by many politicians and it's really gone mainstream, not just here in the United States, but globally. And there's a reason for that. So a lot of people ask me, Rex, why is TikTok a threat? People ask me that in general regarding other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. As you know, I'm a cybersecurity advisor and all social media platforms are a threat to privacy, security and safety for several reasons. Social media platforms are developed by companies that are in the information trafficking business. These are the largest data brokers in the world. They're in the information trafficking business and they're the largest data brokers in the world. So what they do is they develop surveillance and data mining platforms that utilizes applications such as gaming and social media as a vehicle to surveil and data mine the end user for profits. And that's where the threats to privacy, security and safety come in. And when it comes to all of that information, it seems the national security concerns around TikTok are with its Chinese parent company ByteDance and fears that American data could end up in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. Given that, what concerns does this raise to you that we have so many politicians on both sides of the aisle using an app like this? Well, first of all, no politician should be using an app that's a surveillance and data mining app to begin with, especially politicians who are elected officials today or running for office because they're exposing not only all of their personal and business information to app developers, but there could be exposing confidential and protected information because the surveillance and data mining that the app developers are conducting on the end user is indiscriminate, meaning that the app information they're collecting from you isn't just for a isn't about consumerism. So the information that they're collecting on you is not necessarily about consumer for consumerism and or it could be information that's confidentially. Rex Lee, thank you so much for your time. Thank you. U.S. Trade Representative Catherine Tai is backing Canada's new tariffs on Chinese goods. That's a 100 percent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and a 25 percent tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum. That's as she finalizes U.S. duties at similar rates. Tai said on Thursday that the tariffs will help Canadian workers and companies compete fairly in the electric vehicle, steel and aluminum industries. Canada announced the tariffs to be effective on October 1st. Tai noted that the U.S. shares Canada's concerns about Beijing's unfair and non-market policies and practices. Japanese steel makers are also urging its government to consider limiting cheap steel imports from China, including anti-dumping duties. China, the world's top steel producer, makes more than half of global output. However, the Chinese steel industry is dumping excess steel overseas due to weak domestic demand from the slow property market. According to Chinese official statistics, China's steel exports increased by about one-third year-on-year in 2023, while prices dropped about one-third. The U.S., Europe and South Korea have implemented trade policies to restrict Chinese steel imports. Thailand and India imposed anti-dumping duties on the Chinese steel. And Vietnam launched anti-dumping investigations. China and Singapore kicked off joint naval exercises on Sunday. About 200 troops are reportedly participating in five days of drills. According to Chinese state media, the exercises will focus on weapons training and joint search and rescue operations. This marks the third time a joint maritime exercise is taking place between China and Singapore. Singapore owns the largest port in Southeast Asia and dominates the Strait of Malacca. The Strait is a choke point that connects the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. China's aggression in the South China Sea has been rising, threatening the Philippines, a U.S. ally, and other nations in the region over territorial disputes. Final pleas and a landmark trial in Hong Kong started Monday. It's the most significant national security case for Hong Kong. Many see the trial as representing a decline of freedoms and a crackdown of dissent in the city. In the coming days, the court will hear pleas for lighter sentences from nine democracy pro-democracy activists, among them several former lawmakers. The case involves 47 pro-democracy activists who have been charged for holding an unofficial primary election in 2020. They face up to life in prison. At the end of the hearing process later this week, a sentencing date will be announced. And hot off the press, NTD's eighth international traditional martial arts competition announcing gold award winners Monday. A four-day race that brought together martial artists from 11 countries. What did they get out of this competition? NTD spoke to the award winners for their thoughts. The moment all has been waiting for. The announcement of the gold award winners of NTD's eighth international traditional martial arts competition. Liu showcased Xingyi Fist, one of the many styles within traditional martial arts. You can see it is a straight line martial art, so it uses straight lines to attack. It's very aggressive and hand movements are typically accompanied by a step. Boom. There you go. So every time, every punch is also a step. Liu said he was a little proud of himself after the preliminaries. But he saw some of his own shortcomings after watching the replay. I think because I overcame the pride, and after letting it go, I was very relaxed during the finals. I felt peaceful, not under pressure. I wasn't nervous either. Ika Offerman from Germany won gold in the male weapons division. This is the first time really getting a real award. Spears, sticks, swords, fists. Traditional martial arts have various styles, from a close-range fighting style to drunk fists pretending you're drunk to confuse the opponent. Li Youfu, a judge for the competition, said traditional martial arts emphasize martial virtue, moral principles that practitioners have to observe, such as preventing bad deeds and helping good people. If he practices traditional martial arts and he has good martial virtue, he would see breakthroughs in his mastery of this discipline. But martial virtue, along with traditional martial arts, have been nearly destroyed by the Chinese Communist Party. NTD's competition aims to revive this traditional culture. Li said he's glad to see a resurgence of traditional martial arts, but added there's a long way to go. 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 ChinaInFocusNTD.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.