Chinese National Brings Rare Tuberculosis Into US; Pentagon: China Developing Nuclear Fast

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story, a Chinese national with rare, aggressive, and drug-resistant tuberculosis illegally entered the U.S. Louisiana Attorney General is suing federal officials to prevent them from releasing potentially infected detainees. This is the type of crisis that occurs when we let people come into this country unchecked. The latest nuclear threat alert from the Pentagon. China is rapidly building its nuclear arsenal at breakneck speed with one primary target in sight. Microsoft says Chinese-controlled bots are attempting to influence voters on social media. Plus, research reveals an army of fake accounts. And one more country joining the standoff against the Chinese Communist Party in the South China Sea. Indonesia just drove a Chinese ship out of the waters there. How China responded. An illegal Chinese immigrant has entered the U.S. and brought along a rare drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis. At least 200 people who came into contact with this individual may have been exposed. That's according to an emergency lawsuit Louisiana's government and Attorney General filed against federal officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, for not cooperating. This rare form of tuberculosis carries high mortality rates. This is a bacterium that is contagious. This particular patient has a very resistant strain of tuberculosis. It is the only case in Louisiana. The Chinese citizen crossed illegally into California through the southern border in July before being flown to Louisiana with 100 other detainees. They were then bused to another facility with more detainees. The person was found to carry the virus during a health screening in Louisiana earlier this month. Patient zero started in China and moved somewhere between China and the United States where there was an illegal border crossing. The state governor said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE moved the unnamed Chinese national through different facilities in the state. This led to the spread of the contagious disease. The Attorney General's office said immigration officers repeatedly ignored the state's requests to keep anyone from being released until their medical status were cleared. The public should understand we have been saying this this is the type of crisis that occurs when we let people come into this country unchecked. The governor reassured Louisiana residents that they are not in any danger at the moment. Last year the U.S. saw a huge increase in the number of Chinese immigrants entering the country illegally from Mexico. U.S. border officials arrested over 37,000 Chinese nationals at the southern border last year, 10 times more than one year earlier. The Pentagon's intelligence agency just published its 2024 nuclear challenges overview and the report says China is undergoing the most rapid expansion and ambitious modernization of its nuclear forces in history. All that to compete with the U.S. The Pentagon estimates that China will have over 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. The U.S. currently owns 3,750 nuclear warheads, but most of China's warheads are designed with the capability of reaching the continental U.S. and they're developed by China's rocket force. The assessment says China's nuclear strategy is based on a first strike by others with counter-strikes if deterrence fails, but other ways of retaliation against an enemy's economy and its people. The report says China is rapidly developing its nuclear arsenals across land, sea and air. Currently China still lags behind the U.S. and Russia in the nuclear field, but the regime never declared what its end goal is for such a rapid expansion. Microsoft says Chinese controlled bots are attempting to influence voters on social media. The tech company published research that reveals an army of fake accounts Wednesday. Microsoft said the bots have engaged in a coordinated interference effort in down-ballot races. Research found that the Chinese troll network has gone after Republican Congressman Barry Moore of Alabama, Michael McCaul of Texas and Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Microsoft said the group responsible is known as Kaizi Blood. It has previously been associated with the Chinese regime's Ministry of Public Security. The report said the lawmakers are being targeted because of their criticism of the Chinese Communist Party and of its policies. Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has been targeted as well, but he is not up for re-election until 2028. The world's largest computer chipmaker is warning the U.S. of a potential violation with China. Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing company said there was a potential attempt by China's Huawei to dodge U.S. export controls. These controls prohibit the chipmaker from producing AI chips for the Chinese company. The U.S. government said it established the restrictions to limit the Chinese regime's military capabilities. Huawei is a primary target of these restrictions, which shows the growing rivalry in the tech sector between Beijing and Washington. Now we turn to the South China Sea. Tensions are brewing between Beijing and Manila over waters in the South China Sea. And now another Indo-Pacific neighbor is joining the standoff. Let's take a look. Indonesia drove a Chinese Coast Guard vessel away for the second time in four days. This happened in disputed waters of the South China Sea, claimed by both countries. Indonesian authorities reported the Chinese vessel poached an Indonesian ship conducting a seismic data survey on Thursday. And earlier this week, the crew of the Chinese ship insisted the area was under China's jurisdiction. China claims almost the entire South China Sea. Its claims overlap with the exclusive economic zones of several countries in the region. An exclusive economic zone is outside the country's territorial waters, but the country has the right to access the resources in that area. In 2016, an international court rejected China's claims. Reporting from Taiwan, Joy Chu, NTT News. The U.S. and Europe have put tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles to stop them from flooding their markets. But a carmaker in Europe called Stellantis found a way to get around them. Could the same happen in the U.S.? NTT International correspondent David Vives reports. The European Union announced on July the imposition of new tariffs of up to 38 percent on electric vehicles imported from China to prevent the Chinese dumping in the EV market. However, Chinese manufacturers appear to have found a loophole by teaming up with European carmakers. In June, Stellantis signed a $1.6 billion deal with the Chinese group Leap Motor for a joint venture. The world's fourth-largest carmaker plans to produce four EV models, including SUVs from a new factory in Poland. Stellantis began selling its new EV models on September 24 in countries like France, Italy and Germany. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said, the best way to compete in the EV market is to try to be Chinese ourselves. However, Stellantis' European new car sales slumped 25 percent in September 2024, following a 48 percent drop in sales during the first half of 2024. The carmaker's actions highlight some loopholes in EU legislation. In the end, we can't cope with dumping from abroad or from China. If China decides to dump the European market, there's nothing we can do. President of 40 Millions Drivers Association Patrick Chasserez says that the EU's protective tariffs will be circumvented at some point. EU can't regulate market prices, because when it comes down to it, electric battery technology, not to mention the research and development that's already being done in Asia on batteries alone, means that we're 100 percent dependent on them. The EU Commission's tariffs follow growing concerns about EU car manufacturers. The EU has ruled that gasoline-powered car production will stop by 2035, a challenging timeline for carmakers engaged in an R&D race to survive in the fully electric future of the EU car market. Chasserez says the full EV legislation is the source of the problem. The political mistake was to focus on 100 percent electric cars, when in France and Europe we had technologies that would enable us to move towards carbon neutrality, other than 100 percent electric cars. David Gives, NTD News, Paris. The CEO of Stellantis said the situation in the US is different, as the American EV market is more protected than Europe's. The Biden administration imposed a 100 percent tariff on Chinese-made EVs, while the EU has only a 38 percent tariff. That said, the CEO says he believes he could circumvent US tariffs as well, with EV cars built in Mexico. Presidential candidate Donald Trump has warned about that scenario, and called for a 100 percent tariff that would cover EVs imported from Mexico. China is ramping up its car production overseas. Based on a report by Bloomberg NEF, Chinese automakers could more than double their manufacturing capabilities in a matter of years. This would be to combat import tariffs from the US, the EU and more. As a result, investments in manufacturing outside of China are booming. As of last year, Bloomberg NEF found Chinese carmakers have full process facilities across nine countries, and with a capacity of about 1.2 million vehicles. If companies deliver on their timelines, Bloomberg NEF calculated that capacity could hit 2.7 million cars by 2026. Coming up, the US confirms that Russia is training 3,000 North Korean troops. The White House warning about larger implications in the Indo-Pacific. India and China have reached an agreement after a four-year military standoff at their shared border. But will Beijing stand by its word? The head of the Tibetan exile government is voicing doubt. And it's difficult to trust China. And is Chinese Communist Party propaganda creeping into US universities? One lawmaker is raising the alarm about Chinese language textbooks ahead of federal hearings. More on that after the break. Here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. The White House confirming that North Korea sent 3,000 troops to Russia. While the North's motive remains unclear, the White House warns if these soldiers go into combat against Ukraine, they will be, quote, fair game. NTD's Iris Tao has more from the White House. The White House says North Korea has sent at least 3,000 soldiers to Russia by ship in early to mid-October. And these soldiers are now getting trained at different locations. National Security Advisor John Kirby told us at a briefing that the US does not yet know why Kim Jong-un decided to make this move or what he's getting out from it. But one thing that they do know is that this is a very concerning situation, especially if these North Korean soldiers actually go on the battlefield to fight with Ukrainian soldiers. Where they are currently undergoing training. We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military. But this is a certain, certainly a highly concerning. Russia and North Korea have boosted their ties in the past two years. And just months ago, they signed a major defense deal requiring both countries to provide immediate military help if either is attacked. Despite growing concerns, the White House says the move is a sign of desperation by Russia. I think speaks volumes about how much his military is suffering. But it also warns that if these soldiers go into combat. There could be dead and wounded North Korean soldiers. And that the more severe impact could be on the Indo-Pacific. This willingness of Kim to literally put skin in the game here. Meanwhile, North Korea is known to have very close ties with communist China. While it's not clear if China played a role in the latest move involving North Korea and Russia, China has been aiding Russia's war efforts by providing it with war-related technologies and buying a lot of its oil. China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin just this week met at the BRICS Summit, where they touted what they called a profound relationship despite turbulent geopolitics. Reporting from the White House, Aris Tao, NTD News. The head of the Tibetan exile government welcomed a border agreement between China and India on Thursday, but added that it would be difficult to trust China, casting doubt on whether Beijing would follow through on its commitments. And it's difficult to trust China. So if China proves that they can carry through with the talks that they had with India, then it is an improvement on their behalf, on their behavior. Earlier this week, India reached a deal with China to resolve the four-year military standoff at their disputed border. Relations between the two nuclear powers have been strained since a clash in 2020 left 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers dead. Tens of thousands of troops have been deployed to the border from both sides over the last four years. India is the home of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, plus Tibet's government in exile and tens of thousands of Tibetans. Can the Chinese regime boost China's troubled economy? What would higher U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods mean for trade and the U.S. economy? NTD's Jack Bradley sat down with Peter Morici, former director at the U.S. International Trade Commission, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, to discuss. Now, China's economy has reportedly grown in the third quarter at the slowest pace since early 2023. It still has property crisis. Why haven't the government stimulus measures that they've been implementing in recent months been effective? They're not radical enough. They simply aren't. If you recall, when we had the global financial crisis, we created a government entity to buy mortgages and mortgage-backed securities and so forth. And we did the same thing during the Great Depression. In these kinds of situations, you have to pull out all the corks, and President Xi is just not inclined to do that. What other strategies could China use to boost its economy at this point? They could use real fiscal stimulus, and that is basically giving people money to spend. But also, they have a problem that we've never had, and that's a fundamental lack of confidence in the government's competency. After COVID, people came away with those lockdowns, feeling that the authoritarian state wasn't serving them well. Foreign investors are not returning to the economy. Foreign investment has gone negative in China. More is leaving than coming in. The crackdown on the technology sector, the security law they have, where all of a sudden they're detaining foreign businessmen. There's an arrogance about the Chinese leadership, that there's sort of the Middle Kingdom in the medieval era, and the world would come to them. They seem to think that they've conquered the world. No one's ever really done that, and they're going to have to get over that ego issue. Now, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City on Thursday. I want to get your reaction. Let's play this clip. China's barriers to market access and unfair trade practices currently cause challenges for American firms and workers and for other businesses looking to operate in China. That's completely accurate. I cannot disagree with that. And as a consequence, we're starting to see foreign markets close. If Donald Trump were elected president and he put in place a 60% tariff, it would be justified. Because of all of President Xi's policies, which scare people, they're driving down the value of its currency to the point where it's about 40-50% undervalued anyway. You're laying on top of that all the subsidies that's coming out of the place. A 60% tariff on Chinese goods would not distort trade, but rather would recalibrate it to where it might be if we had free markets. What China's doing is practicing a form of mercantilism under the notion that it can exploit others for its own benefit. Again, it sees the world in zero-sum terms. China can only grow if the worst of the world does it. Peter Morici, thank you very much for your insight here today. You're welcome. Alongside the U.S., European countries are also taking action to reduce their reliance on China. Next on Germany's list, wind energy. Berlin announcing measures to make itself less dependent on China's dominance. Germany is fighting back against China's wind energy dominance. Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck says, quote, we have a strong wind industry in Germany and Europe, and that we must continue to improve the framework conditions so that this industry remains competitive. The plan includes government financial backing, cyber security requirements, and reducing dependency on China. China is by far the world's biggest producer of wind energy, with plans for substantial growth every year. Germany is in a distant third place behind the United States. Currently, over 90% of a key component, permanent magnets, come from China. These magnets are made from rare earth minerals. China has the world's largest rare earth mineral reserves, as well as the will to pollute the environment when mining them. In April, the European Commission started investigating whether Chinese firms are receiving unfair subsidies. Germany's solar industry has already been hurt by an influx of cheap Chinese panels. The country is more aware of China's trade practices. Concerns are mounting over Beijing's infiltration of higher education in America. The latest avenue alleged propaganda in Chinese language textbooks. A U.S. lawmaker is raising the alarm about deceptive content in these materials, stressing that upcoming federal hearings could play a key role in increasing public awareness. Let's dive in. The textbook in question is called Discussing Everything Chinese. It contains content that disparages a spiritual meditation practice called Falun Gong. Several universities, including Yale, use the textbook. Falun Gong is a spiritual practice rooted in Chinese tradition. It features slow-moving meditative exercises and is guided by the principles of truth, compassion, and forbearance. Two decades ago, the Chinese Communist Party launched a campaign against the practice. Millions have been detained, tortured, and killed for practicing inside China since then. In a recent panel discussion on the CCP's infiltration of American higher education, lawmaker John Moulinard stated federal hearings would help raise public awareness about the deceptive content in Chinese language programs. I think those were the two messages I heard from her today. Some of that couldn't be legislated, but a lot of it on the federal level is probably going to be hearings highlighting the issue. China affairs analyst Li Yuanhua offered support to Congressman Moulinard's initiative. In the past, many textbooks were directly imported from China. While this may have seemed easier in terms of editing and costs, there are serious concerns that arise over the content. The deceptive and propagandistic nature of these materials not only harms other persecuted groups in China, but also undermines universal values. According to online sources, the textbook, Discussing Everything Chinese, was first published in 2007. It has been used in Chinese language programs for over 20 years. Commentator Xing Chenxing said he observed a related trend in California, where history books present content from the CCP's perspective. One textbook is quite subtle about its messages, making it easy for lawmakers to overlook the issue. For years, the CCP has exploited these areas of unawareness to quietly insert its ideas into American society. This is why some young Americans, including Chinese Americans, hold pro-CCP views. It all ties back to this kind of propaganda. Congress is taking action to address the CCP's infiltration of American universities, spurred by findings that American money and research could be helping Beijing advance its military. 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.