US Bill Could End China's Special Trade Status; Trump's Unexpected Defense Secretary Pick

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story. A new House bill would strip away the Chinese Communist Party's preferred trade status. The new tariffs would go towards supporting US farmers and manufacturers. Trump's pick for US defense chief catching Washington off guard. What we know about Pete Hegsteth, the man set to deal with Beijing's military if a conflict ever broke out. Several Taiwanese advertisements facing interference in Peru. Local media reports suggest the incidents are linked to the Chinese Communist Party leader's visit to the capital city. And a man who survived China's forced Oregon removal says he fears for his life even on US soil. After we got up in the morning, I found the door was open and someone entered my home. How will trade relations with China be altered once Republicans take control in Washington? China focused Chairman John Molinar has proposed legislation to completely sever normal trade relations. NTD's Melina Wisecup reports. Rewinding the clock 25 years. That's what lawmakers aim to do with the new piece of legislation that would revoke China's permanent normal trade relations status. The preferable treatment was granted to the Chinese regime in 2000 just before it ascended to the World Trade Organization. The goal was to promote reform in China with hopes that the regime would engage in fair trade practices. Instead, it's allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gain an economic edge through taking advantage of our markets and betraying the hopes of freedom and fair competition that were expected, said the chairman of the Select China Committee. The chairman said that China has effectively lost the preferred treatment already through tariffs from both the Trump and Biden administrations. But signing it into law would now make these tariffs the status quo. It's likely that Trump would sign such a bill, one indication being that Senator Marco Rubio introduced the Senate version of the same bill earlier this year, and Trump respects his foreign policy judgment. Rubio is now tapped to work as the president elect Secretary of State. Additionally, Trump has previously committed to placing 60% tariffs on all Chinese exports to the U. S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has not specifically said whether he supports the bill, but has noted that confronting China's malign trade practices is key to helping invigorate the U. S. Economy. Under the new bill, money from the China tariffs would go to supporting U. S. Farmers and manufacturers who might suffer retaliation from Beijing. Reporting from Washington D. C. Melina Weiss Cup and T. D. News. Another Trump cabinet pick has stunned Washington author and Fox News host Pete Hickson has been selected as the defense secretary, said to lead the world's largest and most powerful military. A military veteran, Hicks has served overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq, though he lacks senior military experience and is untested on the world stage. His nomination comes at a critical point. The U. S. Navy is getting ready for a potential conflict with China over Taiwan in three years, and the military has been reviving World War Two era airfields as part of its preparation. If Hicks said is confirmed by the China is expected to be one of his top priorities. He said that China is building an army specifically dedicated to defeating the U. S. Adding that the U. S. Is always a decade behind. He also commented on China's effort to corner the market on technology, except said, quote, We can't even drive our cars without the stuff we need out of China these days. So China has a full spectrum, long term view of not just regional but global domination. Hicks said is one of several cabinet nominees President Elect Trump has selected in recent days, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Congressman Mike Waltz as national security advisor. The FBI and Sisa say that China has burrowed deep into U. S. Communication networks and a broad and significant cyber espionage campaign entities Evelyn Lee sat down with Colonel John Mills, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and a former director of cyber security policy at the Department of Defense to learn more. Watch John. Good morning. Great to have you on again. Now, first of all, tell me more about the companies that were targeted this time and what kind of data using China is looking for. Yes. Good morning, Evelyn. What we're seeing is in a an intrusion set. Originally, it was called Volt Typhoon, but it's evolved and there's other aspects to it. And what you're referencing is really assault typhoon and flax typhoon. And it's burrowing into our legacy telecommunications, Verizon, AT&T. Now, what I find also very interesting, I was able to sit in as a journalist on the director of national intelligence, their pre election briefs on foreign attempts to interfere with the U.S. elections. And none of this was brought up. It was it was it was very it was not attributed to anything to do with the elections. I think absolutely this burrowing in was part of it. And it was announced that, you know, right after the last briefing that they had also hacked into President Trump, Vice President Vance's and Vice President Harris's phone. Sure sounds like election interference to me. Yet the DNI, we have Tulsi Gabbard going over there. We're going to start to get more truth on these intelligence community assessments. So they're burrowing in deep to our telecom and our critical infrastructure. And even earlier this year, the FBI director asserted that this essentially was preparation for conflict. Right. So after all this, and granted, after COVID before that, there was not much reported on China. But after all this COVID and the FBI warning about this, do you think there is still a lack of awareness in Washington? And why could that be? Well, these DNI, the director of national intelligence briefs I was able to sit in on, it showed the twisted narrative, where there is a capture of our supposedly our best and brightest in the intelligence and law enforcement communities. And there's a narrative and 95% of the discussion was Russia, Russia, Russia, I was the only journalist bringing up Chinese issues and from the People's Republic of China. And everything was Russia, Russia, Russia. And remember, for every dollar that Russia can spend on malign influence activities, they do. The People's Republic spends 30. It's not even close. And yet it shows this captured narrative of our elite, captured elite leads to captured government. And now we have an opportunity to change that. But that's it's that narrative that just fogs the strategic clarity of thought. And they come up with the wrong conclusions. They're looking in the wrong direction for the wrong issue. Got it. Well, thank you so much for this eye opening interview, john mills. I really appreciate it. Thank you, Evelyn. President Joe Biden is in Peru attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC summit. Biden held a group meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister and the South Korean president. It comes as the US plays a pivotal role in countering the Chinese Communist Party's aggression in the Indo Pacific. At the same time, China just finished building a $1.3 billion mega port in Peru. It's part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, a program that funds and builds infrastructure in other countries. If host countries are later unable to repay their Chinese loans for the projects, Beijing often takes usage rights in exchange, meaning ports and other infrastructure may double as Chinese military installations. The U. S. Southern Command raised concern that the Peruvian port could be used for Chinese naval deployments and espionage. President Biden will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Saturday. He'll then head to Brazil to meet with leaders of the G 20 pro Taiwan advertisements reportedly facing off with rounds of interference during an annual summit for APEC, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. US President Biden and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping both arrived in Peru's capital city Lima for the event. Taiwan also sent its own delegation. A local media agency reported a billboard that had been playing Taiwanese promotional ads suddenly went dark while China's Xi passed by. It appeared to be a power outage. China reportedly owns an over 80% stake in the local power company. Another building supervisor reported a similar incident. He said some foreigners wearing masks asked him to turn off a Taiwanese commercial playing in his building, but he refused. He said the people claimed they were with the Chinese delegation. Meanwhile, some Taiwanese officials said that Taiwanese ads got taken down in a Lima airport. They cited Chinese suppression. APEC is one of the few intergovernmental hacks that allows Taiwan to have full membership. The Chinese regime sees Taiwan as part of China and often uses its influence to pressure other countries to not work with Taiwan. That's despite the Communist Party never having ruled the island. This year, Taiwan sent a senior advisor to its president to the summit. That official met with U. S. Secretary of State Blinken for talks on the sidelines after surviving torture inside a Chinese prison. The world's first known survivor of Beijing's forced organ removal says he fears for his life for speaking out in the U. S. Entities. Juliet Song has more on that locks pride open tire tracks in the backyard. Trump Amy woke up to find his home had been broken into on November 2nd. After we got up in the morning, I found the door was open and someone entered my home. I didn't expect Chinese agents would act so quickly. Trump believes that Beijing sent agents to threaten him and sent the message that his life could be taken at any time. He also discovered someone had pressed nails into his car tires after they blew up on the road. This comes months after he showed the public and almost 14 inch scar on the side of his chest. Inside, parts of his liver and long are missing, removed while he was held in a Chinese prison because of his faith. Two decades ago, what is really something? The 35 cm scar on my left rib cage throbs with every beat of my pulse. And with each beat, the pain is unbearable. Medical doctors assess that chose missing organ tissues could only have been the result of forced organ removal. Chong is a practitioner of Falun Gong, a mind body spiritual meditation practice that has faced brutal persecution in China for over two decades. An international tribunal in London said forced organ harvesting has been happening in China on a massive scale and that following on practitioners are probably the main source of organ supply. Juliet Song, NTD News. Coming up, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says canceling Biden's E. V. Tax credit would be counterproductive and cede ground to carmakers in China. More on her latest comment. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is ordering the mass production of suicide drones. This comes as the U. S. South Korean and Japanese forces gathered for joint military exercises. And a key U. S. Base in the Indo Pacific could soon fall in Beijing's grasp. The U. K. Has decided to give up control of a strategic group of islands to China's ally. More on that after the break here on China in Focus. Welcome back to China in Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. U. S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is pushing back on a possible proposal to cancel the U. S. Electric Vehicle tax credit. This comes after news reports that Trump's transition team plans to halt the $7500 consumer tax credit for buying E. V. S. Take a listen. So you will eliminate these credits. And what do you do? You end up ceding the territory to other countries, particularly China, who I know is obviously an economic competitor. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, anyone buying an E. V. Could qualify for the tax savings. But here's the kicker. They don't get the money if the car's batteries have components or minerals sourced from China. The Treasury Department's latest update clarifies that rule. It says beginning in 2025 E. V. S. Eligible for the tax credit may not contain critical minerals processed in countries, including China. That gives automakers a two year grace period. North Korea is testing exploding drones designed to crash into targets. That's according to state media, which said leader Kim Jong Un called for mass production of the weapons. This comes as the U. S. South Korea in Japan held combined military exercises Thursday in international waters. They included advanced fighter jets and a U. S. Aircraft carrier. North Korea state run media said the suicide drones flew various routes and accurately struck targets during testing. Images showed a car and even old models of tanks getting destroyed. According to state media, leader Kim said drones were easy to make at low cost and can be used for a range of military activities. Trump's incoming cabinet getting a sneak peek at what may be one of its first major challenges. The U. K. Is giving away the Chagos Islands, home to a key U. S. military base to a Chinese ally in Africa, the island nation of Mauritius. The U. K. Insists the deal will allay U. S. Security concerns of critics sworn at Rick's empowering China entities. International correspondent Malcolm Hudson reports from London, British politician and longtime friend of Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, says there is hostility in Trump's team of the U. K.'s deal to give away the Chagos Islands and give them to Mauritius. The islands are home to the joint U. S. U. K. Diego Garcia military airbase. But critics argue giving Chagos away is a major tactical blunder and will only embolden China. Whatever is said about a lease agreement, as we saw with Hong Kong, these agreements can very, very easily be broken. The British government said the Diego Garcia base plays a critical role in countering threats to regional and international security. Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty said the deal came about because the operation of the base was under threat. International courts were reaching judgments, international organizations were taking steps not to undermine Mauritian sovereignty, and this threatened to secure an effective operation off the base. And in the absence of a negotiated solution, a legally binding decision against the U. K. Seemed inevitable. He said he is confident the deal is the right thing for national security. Outgoing President Biden has supported the deal, but Trump's incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, has in the past urged the U. K. To keep control of the Chagos Islands, citing concerns over Chinese influence growing in the area. Trump's personal views remain unclear. Set in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the Chagos Islands are a cluster of about 60 islands. They have been in British hands for more than 200 years. After Mauritius gained independence in the late 1960s, more than 1000 Chagosians were forcibly expelled to make way for the Diego Garcia base. Some Chagosians repeatedly took the U. K. Government to court. In 2019, the International Court of Justice gave an advisory opinion that Britain was obliged to stop governing the Chagos archipelago as soon as possible. The deal to give Chagos to Mauritius includes an agreement for continued military presence on Diego Garcia. It's expected to run for 99 years, with an option to renew. The deal has not yet been signed between the U. K. And Mauritius. Foreign Secretary David Lammy in October said the government intends to ratify the deal in 2025. Malcolm Hudson, NTD News, London. Nearly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a well known China hawk, has promised a more pragmatic foreign policy. That's citing the growing alliance between North Korea, Iran, China and Russia. What does this mean for the direction of national security and foreign policy? NTD's Fiona Gee chat with John Schreppi, director of policy at the American First, I want to talk about Marco Rubio, of course, a well known China hawk. Now he's been appointed as Secretary of State. He said that the U. S. Would have a more pragmatic foreign policy and pointed to that growing axes between North Korea, Iran, China and Russia. What do you think this means for the direction of national security and foreign policy in the next four years? I think it's a return to walk softly but carry a big stick. And so, you know, we've obviously had some foreign policy adventurism in recent decades that I think we can all certainly I think it's become a opinion within Republican circles that they didn't go that well. Donald Trump certainly feels that way. But, you know, Rubio is somebody who I know Donald Trump really respects. He's somebody who he's been consulting for years on the various foreign policy angles and all these issues. And so I think you have somebody in there that that most importantly, has the year of the president. And I think Rubio is going to do a good job in this role. You know, we want to make sure that America remains strong, that we remain, you know, in a position to counter China to to work some of our enemies like Russia and Iran and elsewhere. And so I think you have Rubio in there. It's going to be a pretty good, good thing to keep the world safe. Well, John Schweppey, there's still a lot to look out for before inauguration day. Thank you for joining us today. Thanks so much for having designer trends are staying on the runway and on shelves. That's because personal luxury goods sales are seeing one of the weakest years on record. Consultants, Bain and company found that sales are said to fall 2% this year. It said China is dragging down the nearly $390 billion market. Bain estimates that sales dipped up to 22% in the world's second largest economy. China's economic woes and weaker consumer confidence, coupled with brands raising prices, have detoured customers, especially younger ones. Kindness is cool, was the message in Times Square for World Kindness Day on Wednesday. Social media platform Ganjing World held an event there with one goal to help spread compassion around the world. Take a look. The message kindness is cool, stands out in the sea of bright lights and Times Square. That's the movement launched by online platform Ganjing World to celebrate World Kindness Day this Wednesday. Their message attracted viewers and creators alike. I think kindness is the most important, especially in today's society. 22 year old Luke Meisel is a YouTube celebrity with 650,000 followers on his channel. He believes that being kind is important. He says helping each other can go a long way. I think life is hard enough, and if you can be kind to somebody and make their day a little bit brighter, it's your responsibility to do so, especially if you want people to share that same kindness back to you. A cool platform to just share the goodness that exists in and around. Brian Schwartz serves as the ambassador for the kindness is cool campaign this year. He also runs a nonprofit organization. I want to mow your lawn and has more than 200,000 followers on his YouTube channel. His organization provides free lawn mowing services to the elderly, veterans and people in need of assistance, and has attracted thousands of volunteers across the country. It's super important to just putting yourself in their shoes, offering some form of compassion and empathy, and it feels good helping out others. And just hearing a thank you is more than anything. The kindness is cool event debuted in 2023, calling people around the world to record acts of kindness to post on their platform and has attracted tens of thousands of entries. For first off, I know there's a chance to win a lot of money, and so if there's a chance to do that, you should submit, you know, put it out there. And then I think it's a great cause, like spreading kindness and the importance of kindness. I think that's ever more important to hop in on that while you can video submissions for this year's kindness is cool competition will close on December 31st with a grand prize of $10,000 NTD News, New York. You can now catch China in focus on Genji world every Tuesday. Instead of YouTube to watch, simply click the link in the description box below or search China in focus on Genji world dot com. 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 China in focus entity dot com. We'd love to hear from you around the clock. Original news coverage. Visit us at NTD dot com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching. See you soon. Coming up on NTD. Stay tuned for America's hope with Kelly Wright tonight, a discussion on the importance of hope, faith and love for the nation. Former Congressman J. C. Watts and businessman Barry McGuire shared their views on igniting America's spirit and advocate for a hopeful outlook that transcends fear that message in effort to help inspire hope for our nation's future. That's tonight at 10 p.m. After China in focus. Thanks for watching. See you soon.