Vance and Walz Face Off Over China; Protest Over Proposed Chinese Embassy | China in Focus

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story, solar panels, medication and Governor Tim Walz's time in China. We have the China highlights from the vice presidential debate. Geopolitical tensions and a demographic crisis. BlackRock CEO is calling on Western firms to reassess the Chinese market, despite Chinese stocks soaring to their best performance in 16 years. U.S. lawmakers are calling foul on Chinese-made vehicles entering the U.S. through Mexico. They urge Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum to take action over concern for national security. And a playbook for Chinese firms to avoid paying high tariffs. A research report shows they've spent over 100 billion dollars to get it. Solar panels, tariffs and Governor Tim Walz's time in China. The two vice presidential candidates facing off on a range of issues Tuesday night, including Beijing. Vance accused the Biden-Harris administration of spending at least hundreds of millions of American taxpayer money on solar panels that are made in China, saying the U.S. should be making more solar panels on home soil. Walz added that Minnesota is making solar panels. Vance responded by saying a lot of solar panels are made in China, especially the components that go into them. One of those components is polysilicon, a key material in solar panels. China makes over half of the global production. President Biden has tried to shore up clean energy manufacturing through the Inflation Reduction Act, though Chinese solar companies are taking advantage of the subsidies and setting up shop in the U.S. A Reuters analysis says these factories could churn out enough panels to serve about half of the U.S. market within the next year. Back to the VP debate, Walz admitted that he misstated the facts about his time in Hong Kong. Walz previously said that he was in Hong Kong in May 1989, before Beijing sent in troops to crush student protesters asking for democracy in Tiananmen Square. But media reports show he didn't go to China until August that year, after the massacre. When pressed on the discrepancy, Walz says quote, all I said on this was is I got there that summer and misspoke on this. I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests, went in and from that I learned a lot of what needed to be in governance. As for Vance, he praised President Biden for maintaining Trump's China tariffs. He also criticized economic experts for saying Americans would be better off if the U.S. offshore manufacturing base to China, adding many of the pharmaceuticals that Americans and their kids consume are made by nations that hate the U.S. Walz said he's a union guy and that doesn't want to ship things overseas either. The situation in the Middle East is escalating. NTD's White House correspondent Iris Tao asked former President Donald Trump if he's worried about China taking advantage of it to plan an attack on Taiwan. Trump said he wouldn't read into Chinese leader Xi Jinping's mind, but China's economy is struggling. Trump said this on Tuesday while on a campaign trail in Wisconsin. The crude oil prices rose by over 2% today after the latest Iranian attacks on Israel. Are you concerned about major oil supply disruptions affecting the U.S. and do you think Americans are prepared for that? And also, secondly, on China, you mentioned China. Do you think China might be trying to seize this moment to take advantage of this moment to try to plan an attack on Taiwan in Indo-Pacific theater? Thank you so much. Well, you never know with President Xi. I had a great relationship, as you know, with President Xi. He's a very smart guy, so I don't want to read his mind. China is going to be a very interesting subject over the next couple of years. China is having a lot of problems right now. You know, the economy is having some big problems. The U.S. Navy is readying for potential war with China within three years. That's how American forces are prepared if Beijing decides to invade Taiwan. The year 2027 is important because that's when Chinese leader Xi Jinping wants his military to be ready to take control of the island. The Chinese Communist Party sees Taiwan as part of China, despite never having ruled it. The CEO of BlackRock, the world's largest wealth manager, is pointing to China. He called Beijing the biggest and fundamental supporter of Russia's economy amid war. Larry Fink's Tuesday remarks came after the world witnessed Chinese stocks' best performance in over 16 years. China stocks bounced back by 25 percent within a week at the end of September. That's after Beijing's central body imposed several stimulus measures. The owner of French luxury giant LVMH gained $17 billion in just one day because of the jump. But while foreign investors are celebrating their bids on China, BlackRock is raising concerns over the world's second largest economy. Fink mentioned that the West has aided Ukraine with billions and billions of dollars during the war with Russia. He also pointed out that China plays a vital role in Russia's economy, posing the question, where do the U.S. funds eventually lead? He said Western firms should re-evaluate their ties to China, saying, quote, you are supporting our enemy. Despite geopolitical tensions, the CEO said population decline also affects the market. China's population has been shrinking for two years in a row, and stimulus measures can't outweigh low domestic consumption. The BlackRock CEO's remarks came during a panel in Berlin. China's economy is slowing down, but it's the world's second largest economy impacting the first. And how are Americans feeling the effects? To dive in, Steve Lance of Entity's Capital Report was joined by Charles Steele, professor of economics at Hillsdale College. I want to switch gears a little bit and get your thoughts on the Chinese economy. It's very consequential, tethered essentially to our economy. A lot of pensions invested there. Just a lot of a lot of trade. It's been slowing down significantly with the pandemic often cited as the main factor. However, there are many countries that are recovering after the pandemic quickly. Us is one. Why do you think the Chinese regime is having such a difficult time reigniting growth compared to other countries? Well, for one thing, the Chinese government has cracked down on entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs who have been successful and are independent are being, they're in some jeopardy. You're either quite loyal to the regime or you become targeted, really put more power, more economic control back into the hands of the party. And I think that's destructive of entrepreneurship. And that makes it very difficult for them to recover. How does China's economic slowdown in their economy in general affect the United States? Should Americans be concerned about the potential global ripple effects, especially in terms of trade and supply chains when it comes to China? This is a very big deal for the United States. We are integrated in many respects with the Chinese economy. We're dependent upon those supply chains. And a serious downturn in China does affect us. Disruption of supply chain, of course, has the effects here of disrupting our supply chains as well. Pushing prices higher. Charles Steele, really appreciate your perspective. Thank you. You're welcome. U.S. lawmakers are raising national security concerns over Chinese-made vehicles entering the U.S. through Mexico. About 20 Democrats in Congress are urging Mexican President-elect Claudio Scheinbaum to take action. In a letter, the lawmakers urged Scheinbaum to establish a national review. They also requested that she send a delegation to the U.S. for talks by early 2025. Modern cars and trucks have onboard network hardware that provides internet access, allowing them to share data with devices inside and outside the vehicle. This way, Chinese-made cars could share data they gather on American roads with manufacturers in China. Lawmakers warn that if this data is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, it poses a national security threat. Lawmakers noted that Chinese automakers may use Mexico as a base to enter the U.S. market and circumvent tariffs. The letter highlighted that Chinese electric car maker BYD plans to build a factory in Mexico. The push for the nation review is led by Congresswoman Elisa Schlotkin and Senator Sherrod Brown. This month, President Joe Biden raised tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles by 100 percent. Last week, he proposed banning Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles on American roads. This would likely block Chinese cars and trucks from the U.S. market. It would also ban new vehicles made in Mexico by Chinese automakers. Next day, another tactic from the Chinese regime's toolbox appears to be on full display. It's used helping Chinese companies evade tariffs imposed by the West. A group of Australian researchers reported Wednesday that in order to avoid high tariffs in the U.S. and elsewhere, Chinese companies have dumped more than 100 billion dollars in building clean projects outside China in the past two years. Here's more. China dominates the export of clean tech products such as electric vehicles, lithium batteries and solar panels. And Western countries say that's not a good thing. Domestic manufacturers struggle to compete with prices from Chinese companies. The U.S., Canada and the European Union have accused China for its unfair trade practices like high state subsidies that help Chinese manufacturers lower their costs. The Western governments plan to fix that by raising taxes on Chinese products. Washington and Ottawa have slapped 100 percent tariffs on Chinese electric cars. The EU, rather, is going to vote on similar tariffs this week. The Australian report that came out today said China has been building plants outside the country since early last year to avoid tariffs. Coming up, more than seven decades after the Chinese Communist Party seized power in China, global calls for ending its rule are rising on Beijing's anniversary. Police officers in India arresting some Tibetan protesters after they tried to enter the Chinese embassy and a place difficult to survive in but hard to escape. A former insider within the Chinese Communist regime breaks down the true inner workings of politics in China. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Tuesday, October 1st, marked the 75th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party's rise to power in China. Around the world, overseas Chinese people are holding events to denounce what they call the CCP's tyranny. Watch. Participants are speaking out against the CCP's crimes and calling for an end to its one-party rule. On Sunday, more than 200 people joined a protest outside the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles. We came together outside the consulate today, and it's a mix of emotions, both joy and pain. The pain comes from seeing how Hong Kongers, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongolians, and so many others have been persecuted by the Chinese regime. Genocide, cultural destruction, and suppression of beliefs have been happening for 75 years. Going to a prop coffin brought to the scene, Jie said they gathered there with the hope of bearing the CCP's tyranny. In the Netherlands, overseas Chinese also held a similar event. Human rights activist Yao Lijuan said the CCP rules by violence and has caused much suffering, from the man-made famine in the 1960s during Mao's time to the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. She added the regime harms Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, Hong Kongers, and human rights lawyers, among other groups. Today, we want to tell the world that the CCP must come to an end. It's a tragedy for the Chinese people. It's a shame for all of humanity that such an evil organization still exists. We call on all those who stand for justice worldwide to unite in overthrowing the CCP and stand in solidarity with the Chinese people. Guo Caihong is the mother of a child affected by the 2008 contaminated baby formula scandal in China. Speaking at the rally, she highlighted how the regime covered up the number of victims in the malignant formula scandal by imprisoning parents who sought justice for their victimized children. A similar protest appeared in London, a diaspora of protesters there gathered by a proposed Chinese embassy site. The group called on British government to reject the new embassy plans, while drawing attention to China's human rights abuses. NTD's international correspondent Malcolm Hudson has more. A broad coalition of protesters gathered outside the proposed site for a new Chinese embassy in London. The Chinese embassy bought Royal Mint Court six years ago, where they want to relocate operations. It's right next to two touristic hotspots, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, as well as close to the global financial hub, the City of London. If plans go ahead, the Royal Mint would be the CCP's biggest embassy in Europe, and almost twice the size of the one in Washington. Plans were previously rejected by the local council over security concerns, but following the change of government in Britain, the Chinese embassy in August resubmitted its planning application. Once they have this embassy, they can install the most advanced technologies, cameras, and anyone walking around this area will be followed, will be captured. The protesters call for the Chinese embassy application to be rejected once more. Malcolm Hudson, NTD News, London. Downtown! And in India, wrestling and arrests outside the Chinese embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday. It happened after protesters tried to enter the Chinese embassy there. Dozens had gathered there to protest Beijing's abuses against Tibetans. Here are the details. Tibetans are subject to arbitrary killings by the Chinese regime. Some of them have disappeared and tortured. The Communist Party annexed Tibet after taking control of China. Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled to India. He and the Tibetan government have been living there in exile, along with at least 85,000 Tibetan refugees. Right now, Beijing maintains strict military control over Tibet. Tensions between China and the United States are escalating. What is the relationship between the Chinese people and the Chinese Communist Party? And how should Chinese Americans be treated in the U.S., the country they call home? Nolan Lee, an American with Asian roots and author of the novel, Quantum Peril, told us about his take. I want to expand on that as you are an Asian American yourself. And then your characters also talk about this, where they're kind of dealing with that ideological issue, if you will, where they are very patriotic. They're fighting for America in this future setting. But at the same time, there is that, say, xenophobia that we've seen since the pandemic, really, that is there as well, where they're like, oh, am I going to be seen as the threat to the country while trying to protect the country that they love? And right now, given the tensions we are seeing between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party, there are a lot of people out there, experts, pundits, even, you know, lawmakers saying that the solution here is to just not let any Chinese into the country or to deport the ones that are already here, even if they are claiming, say, asylum on, say, human rights or religious grounds. How would you view that topic? And what would you like to say to those people who are saying the solution is to just deport everyone? I think that's like taking a cudgel to a task that requires surgical precision. It's short-sighted. I'm the child of immigrants who came to the country legally. And I think there is space for a legal process. Obviously, there are some issues at the southern border where we're even seeing a lot of illegal immigration from China. So they're coming around the world and going through the border. That is a security challenge. I think there is opportunity there to maybe look at that more closely. But we can't just say flat out that all people from China are bad. I think that is kind of jumping decades into the past. And America is way past that kind of thinking. I think we need more nuance. We need discussions about it. And to also acknowledge that a lot of our most innovative minds come from other countries. We're a country of immigrants. And we're all stronger together. I want to zoom into the nuance part. You touched on it earlier a little bit. When it comes to the distinction between the Chinese people and the Chinese Communist Party, often people lump, say, China. That means the Chinese Communist Party. That means the people under it. But lay out to us that difference and what it means for a country like America when it does deal with an adversary like the CCP. Sure. So since China is essentially a one-party state run by the CCP, it's very easy to use China and the CCP synonymously. But we have to remember that the people are separate from the government. And even if you ask a lot of people from China about their relationship with the CCP, a lot of them are disapproving of what the CCP does. So the ruling party is not the same as the ethnically Chinese people or even just the people who live in that country. Nolan Li, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for having me. How do Chinese officials survive inside a totalitarian regime? A former high-ranking Chinese official tells us his story and stories from his former colleagues. Though Guo Gan used to serve as a top province-level leader in China, a branch of the state under the Chinese Communist regime's rule, he spoke to NTD about the chaotic politics in China. He said that under communist rule, officials are often forced to operate in risky positions and don't have a good exit route should they want to leave. In China's current political climate, the system is such that if authorities decide they want to target an official, there are 100 excuses available. Worried about the communist political situation, Zhou decided to leave China in 2019. According to Zhou, out of the officials he was friends with, only three of four out of around 20 are free. The rest are either detained or jailed. Some of them reportedly suffered mental breakdowns after just two or three months in detention. He added that more officials are also committing suicide daily, though the cases don't get reported. Zhou said there's a sense of insecurity among Chinese officials. In China's political climate, you can't criticize, you have to adapt. He said that the communist system grinds down people's morale and desire to serve others, and that the only way to get promoted is through bribery. In May, China investigated more than 17,000 corruption cases. But Zhou said the communist regime's anti-corruption efforts aren't effective. This Chinese approach to crack down on corruption isn't truly about stopping corruption. It's just a tactic to force officials to obey through fear. The system won't change. These problems won't be solved. Zhou said China's struggling economy has pushed Beijing to double down on its anti-corruption efforts. That's because the regime will seize the money and assets of any officials deemed corrupt, making the tactic a source of income for the Chinese state. 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. Coming up on NTD, stay tuned for America's Hope with Kelly Wright. Kelly Wright introduces a new segment focused on mental health, especially its impact on veterans and African-American men. The conversation welcomes licensed therapist Paul Bashiel Williams and former combat controller Eric Homan for a discussion on mental health challenges and how faith and hope can help people overcome. They highlight the need for support and the message that hope prevails. That's tonight at 10 p.m. after China In Focus. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.