I KNEW This Was Coming!

Xi Jinping wants to dominate Central Asia for his Belt & Road Initiative! The EU and China might have a lot of difficulties lying ahead of them that could scuttle any trade deal. And the US found a game changer that can frustrate China and Russia in the Arctic! That and more on this week’s China news headlines. Welcome to China Uncensored, I’m Chris Chappell. This episode is sponsored by Surfshark. Whenever you go online, you really should be using a VPN like Surfshark to cover your tracks and protect your identity. I’ll tell you more in a bit. (shuffles papers) The US has revealed a new polar icebreaker amid its Arctic rivalry with Russia and China! And by that I mean a literal polar icebreaker. Not asking a snow owl, “Crazy weather, huh?” The new icebreaker will help to expand America’s presence in the Arctic Circle as part of a new Arctic Strategy unveiled last year. It’s the first new icebreaker the Coast Guard has had in more than 25 years, but more are on the way, with the first new Polar Security Cutter class icebreaker beginning construction this year. ETA: 2028. Given what’s going on in America right now, this is one of the least controversial stories involving the US and ICE. It’s about time the US Coast Guard got some new icebreakers! Russia and China have been conducting joint naval drills near Alaska and elsewhere in the Arcticin a bid to snatch up resources and trade routes… exposed by climate change melting the sea ice. Conveniently, the Arctic also borders a ton of NATO countries. Both Russia and China have also been ramping up their pipelines to the far north and adding icebreakers to their naval fleets. The CCP has even declared itself a “Near Arctic State,” which makes no sense if you look at a map. Unless it’s one drawn by them. Currently, the Coast Guard operates around two dozen icebreakers, but only three are suitable for polar expeditions. Meanwhile, Russia possesses more than 40 icebreakers and controls 53% of the Arctic coastline. So, it’s a no-brainer why the US needs these ships. On the bright side, skirmishes might be less dramatic if they run into any Chinese ships, since the water in their water cannons would be all frozen. (shuffles papers) Pro-Russian Telegram videos and Ukrainian intelligence reports suggest that… China has armed Russia with a laser gun to shoot down drones. It’s called the “Silent Hunter” system, and it’s a pretty sophisticated piece of weaponry. Designed to search for, track, and take down enemy drones, the laser can be mounted on top of an SUV and operated from within the vehicle. No word on if these fricking lasers can be mounted on the heads of fricking sharks. From the vehicle, it can detect drones from 3.1 miles away, blind them once they’re two miles away, and shoot them down a mile out. Beijing has regularly denied claims that it is providing direct military support to Moscow and has even offered to broker a ceasefire. Which, knowing them, wouldn’t surprise me to learn is the name of One of their weapons. Russia has stepped up its defenses against Ukrainian drones lately, while ramping up its own drone program. It would seem that “no-limits partnership” with the CCP is starting to pay off for Putin… at least until China’s sudden but inevitable betrayal, when they stab them in the back. Or possibly shark-laser them in the back. (shuffles papers) And after the break, the EU and China are finding it hard to mend trade ties. Welcome back. (shuffles papers) Something shocking and rare has happened! The chief of the European Unionhas declared that… She agrees with President Trump on China trade issues and that “Donald is right”! Did…I wake up in an alternate universe? The European Commission President was at the G7 meeting in Canada earlier this week, where she said: “when we focus our attention on tariffs between partners, it diverts our energy from the real challenge — one that threatens us all”... and also said that “on this point, Donald is right–there is a serious problem.” Well no duh Donald is right… he’s a Republican. They’re right, and the Democrats are left, silly. Von Der Leyen was referring to the CCP’s restrictions on raw materials exports needed for batteries, cars, and wind turbines. She also accused the Chinese Communist Party of “weaponizing” its ability to produce critical raw materials while icing out competitors. I guess that’s another good reason for the US to get more icebreakers. (shuffles papers) Troubles between the EU and China don’t end there. Earlier this week, the EU refused to hold a key meeting with China over trade spats before a leaders’ summit. The EU cited a lack of progress on trade disputes as the reason. So, are they now realizing that it’s pointless to negotiate and do business with a lying, brutal dictatorship? Are all my years spent yelling about this finally being heeded? Sadly, no. Trade talks are still ongoing between China and the EU. Because if there’s one thing Europe loves doing, it’s holding endless rounds of talks… with tyrants. Maybe the 647th time will be the charm! But Europe is getting less patient with the CCP’s unfair economic practices and shady dealings. It even accused China’s AliExpress of breaching illegal product rules… by failing to enforce rules designed to… keep influencers from promoting the online sale of fake medicines or illegal products… And to keep porn out of the hands of minors. I don’t mean to victim blame, but at this point, if you’re surprised China isn’t following the rules, what a dumb, gullible victim.In response, China is doing what it does best: denial and blame! China lashed out at the G-7 and Von Der Leyen for criticism of its policies. Guo Jiakun, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said that comments made at the G7 that were critical of China’s trade practices were… “irresponsible,” “manipulative,” and “a smear.” He should work at a movie theater, because he’s an expert in projection. No doubt, both sides will find a way to get back to the negotiating table at some point. They always do. But Europe might be making all of these statements to get on Trump’s good side and build some leverage for whenever talks do resume. Because I have a good feeling the *648th* time will be the charm! (shuffles papers) But China does have some trade alternatives. Well, at least they’re trying to. Xi Jinping has signed a treaty to elevate China’s ties with Central Asia at a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. The treaty that was signed talks about permanent good-neighbourliness and friendly cooperation with the leaders of… Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Trusting China to be a good neighbor *and* keep its word? Sounds like something a dumb, gullible victim would do. This China-Central Asia summit was the second of its kind, with the first being in 2023. While there, Xi also took a swipe at the US and others, criticizing the so-called hegemonism and tariffs… which have been imposed by President Trump on some of these countries. But Xi also called for more cooperation in trade, agriculture, and other areas, while announcing a $208.9 million dollar grant to help these countries with livelihood and development projects. Which has absolutely zero strings attached, I’m sure. The CCP is making it clear that it wants to deepen its Belt & Road infrastructure and investments in the region and gain access to Central Asian minerals and energy resources. And there’s no time like the present! Historically, these areas were crucial to Silk Road trade. The historical one, not the online black market that AliExpress seems like it wants to replace. But later, China had some stiff competition from other empires and countries, like Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Now, Turkey is facing serious economic issues… while Russia… and Iran are bogged down in wars that are depleting both their financial and military power. And as for the West, they’ve either mostly ignored this region or are turned off from it… by the Afghanistan debacle and the authoritarian regimes governing these countries. But a couple of months ago, the EU held a similar meeting with Central Asian leaders, and other countries such as the US and South Korea are also exploring deepening cooperation. Only time will tell where that will go. (shuffles papers) And did you know that every time you go online, everything you do is potentially compromised? And that’s why the people at Surfshark created a VPN that keeps your internet activity private and secure. If you’re not taking active steps to protect yourself, everything you do is being tracked and logged—by the websites you visit, your internet service provider, and often by your own government. has servers you can connect to in over 100 countries—more than any other VPN. That includes a server in the British Virgin Islands, where the law allows companies to not log user data. With just one Surfshark account, you can connect as many devices as you want. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Go to Surfshark dot com slash uncensored, and use the code UNCENSORED to get up to 4 months extra. The link is in the description below. Once again, I’m Chris Chappell. See you next time.