NTD NYHETER: VECKA 27

Hi and welcome to NTD News. My name is Dan Ahlfjorden. Here are our headlines. FBI. China may have affected the US presidential election in 2020. NATO's Secretary General warns of China's growing military capacity. EU excludes China from major medical negotiations. The US health minister introduces new members to the vaccine panel. Before this, military doctor denies the CCP's malicious plan for Taiwan. FBI's Chief of Staff Karsh Patel has come out with information that China may have tried to affect the US presidential election in 2020. According to Patel, the agency has discovered what it describes as alarming accusations involving China's Communist Party. The accusations claim that the party mass-produced fake US driver's licenses to get hold of mail votes for then-democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. The accusations come from a recently declassified report submitted to Congress on June 16. Patel says that the claims are supported by evidence, but were suddenly withdrawn during 2020 and have remained secret to the public until now. Patel also handed over the document to Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who has long advocated a closer review of the allegations. This development comes after then-FBI chief Christopher Wray testified that there were no known foreign attempts to affect the election in 2020. But despite this testimony, the customs officers at O'Hare Airport in Chicago reported almost 20,000 fake US driver's licenses six months into 2020. In May, the customs authorities again reported more than 4,000 fake US driver's licenses from China at the same airport. The fake ID transactions were part of a larger broadcast, which also included counterfeit goods from China, worth $9 million. In 2022, the FBI reported that 80% of all cases of economic espionage benefited China. The agency also warned that Chinese hackers used disinformation campaigns to create chaos during the elections in the US in 2016 and 2018. Now the FBI says that they will continue to investigate this to find out if these new accusations are true, and to assess how big an impact China's Communist Party actually has on American elections. How could a Chinese military action against Taiwan affect Europe's security? NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte explained the risks of the NATO summit in The Hague on June 23. Let's take a closer look. Just before the summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte gave a clear warning. He pointed out that China's growing military capacity signals a shift towards global power projection, with serious consequences not only for the Indo-Pacific region, but also for Europe. We know that out of the 10 biggest defense companies, only a couple of years ago you would not find any Chinese companies. At this moment, you will find 3 to 5 Chinese defense companies in the top 10 of biggest defense companies in the world. At the same time, Beijing's increasingly aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region arouse concern among neighbors. We have this close relationship now with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand, exactly for the reason that these countries are very, very worried about the massive military build-up China at the moment is taking place. More concern has been aroused by the American intelligence service Defense Intelligence Agency, which recently published its global threat assessment. It points out China's military build-up as the most extensive and acute global threat. One of the biggest hazards is a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Rutte warned that such an offensive could take place in coordination with Russia, a strategy to create concern in Europe and split NATO's focus and resources. That is one of the reasons why we have to stand ready, and we cannot be naive. We have to be clear on this. And that is why the extra defense spending is so important. That is why NATO does not have as an alliance opt-outs, side deals, etc., because we all have to chip in. As an answer to this, and on a challenge from the United States, NATO countries have agreed to increase the defense budget. The new target is 5% of GDP, which is more than a doubling of today's 2% target. In addition, the allies plan to increase military production and rebuild supply chains to ensure that the alliance is ready for future challenges. The European Union is tightening its grip on trade with China. This time it concerns medical and technical products. The Union plans to stop Chinese companies from participating in the negotiations of major public health contracts. A market worth almost 60 billion euros per year. The European Union has announced that Chinese companies will be excluded from competing in public negotiations of medical equipment that exceeds 5.7 million dollars. The purpose is to achieve fairer trade conditions, since the EU has established that medical companies in Europe meet unfair conditions when they try to enter the Chinese health market. The EU's market for medical equipment was valued at over 170 billion dollars by 2023. Most of this is made up of public negotiations. Only a few contracts exceed 5.7 million dollars, but these few large negotiations account for almost 60% of the total contract value. A EU official stated that the new restrictions are primarily aimed at negotiations of high-quality equipment, such as equipment for imaging diagnostics, prosthetics and medical protective clothing. The Commission noted that China has long favored domestic suppliers by offering prices that foreign companies cannot match, which creates unfair supply conditions. In the midst of the ongoing crisis between Israel and Iran, a significant actor with a strong bond to Tehran follows the development carefully, namely China. On June 22, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China's regime to allow Iran not to close the strategically important Hormuz Sound. So why is the US turning to China for help? We give here a review of Beijing's bond to the Middle East and its fundamental interests in the region. China, which is the largest buyer of Iranian oil, has given Tehran's tight economy a lifeline. Despite US sanctions, Beijing buys over 90% of Iran's oil exports, which corresponds to about 12% of Iranian GDP. Iran is the second largest country in the Middle East. The country joined China's Belt and Road Initiative in 2016, which contributed to strengthening China's influence in the region. In 2021, China and Iran signed a 25-year strategic agreement that includes economic, military and security-political cooperation. China and Iran also conduct regular joint military exercises, which deepens their strategic bond. The United States has long accused China of helping Iran with its nuclear technology program. This support goes back to the 1980s, when China, on assignment, helped build Iran's largest nuclear research center in Isfahan. China claims to have provided Iran with the material and technology needed to develop nuclear weapons. Brandon Weichert, senior security editor at National Interest, warns that if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, it could destabilize the region, threaten Israel and the United States' security, and trigger a nuclear warfare armistice in the Middle East. A former senior US intelligence official says that China and Russia see Iran's development of nuclear weapons as a way to weaken the US military presence in the region, especially after sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine. Many Chinese analysts say that Beijing sees this as an opportunity to increase pressure on Taiwan, while the US is more focused on the conflicts in the Middle East. And we'll be right back. The 7th NTD International Figure Painting Competition, a celebration of classical realism. Please visit oilpainting.ntdtv.com. We now take a look at some changes at the CDC. Minister of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed eight new members to the new panel that gives advice to the agency on vaccines. NTD's Daniel Monahan reports on the new members. Minister of Health F. Kennedy says that the changes in the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, ACIP, have been long-awaited. He referred to a Congress survey from 2003, where four out of five members who voted to introduce the root-virus vaccine in the vaccination program had economic interests linked to the same. Kennedy claims that none of these vaccines have undergone a placebo-controlled safety study before approval. And that is just malpractice. So the people who are in charge of that are now gone. An Epoch Times review of disclosures and payment information showed that eight of the members whom Kennedy fired had been paid by pharmaceutical companies in the past. Dr. Robert Malone was one of the pioneers behind the mRNA technology used in today's COVID vaccines. Malone was banned from social media, accused of spreading disinformation after warning parents of potential risks for children who take COVID vaccines. You can't repair heart tissue scarring. You can't repair a genetically reset immune system. He was a co-author of a study from 2022 that examined the increase in acute heart attacks among people under 40 in Israel during the third wave of the COVID vaccination. All other new members also have a background in medicine. Kennedy says that all new members have a strong emphasis on evidence-based medicine, scientific methods of the highest standard and common sense. The health minister says that his elected colleagues have all committed to requiring clear evidence of safety and effectiveness before new vaccines are recommended. Some were critical of the move. Jason Preblige, president of the American Academy of Physician Associates, called the step deeply damaging to confidence in vaccines. Meanwhile, Senators Bill Cassidy and Bernie Sanders also expressed concern about the decision. Daniel Monaghan, NTD News. At UNHCR's 59th session, a panel discussion was held on the systematic organ harvesting of the Chinese Communist Party from religious groups, especially aimed at Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual meditation practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. Since 1999, however, the Chinese Communist Party has been persecuting its members because of its moral teachings and popularity. Yu Mei Liu is a survivor of the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong, and from 1999 to 2005, she was imprisoned nine times for her faith. In 2000, she was arrested by Chinese police for displaying a banner that read, Falun Dafa is good. They drew her blood and then threatened to harvest her organs. Her entire family faced harassment for their belief in Falun Gong. Her sister was tortured to death by police in 2002 at the age of 40. While the Chinese regime monitors people heavily within China, they also monitor people overseas through consumer technology like Chinese electric vehicles. All electric cars from China, made in China, are a perfect buying device. That's how they're able to identify Falun Gong practitioners overseas, and oftentimes, they threaten their families in China. The panel called on the UN Security Council to stand up to these crimes against humanity. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Falun Gong Protection Act, which would sanction anyone involved in the CCP's forced organ harvesting. China's growing aggression creates concern in Taiwan and throughout the region. A former Chinese military doctor, Dr. Zheng Qi, is now presenting evidence that Beijing plans to take blood, skin and organs from Taiwanese soldiers in an eventual invasion. He also claims that he himself has witnessed forced organ harvesting. Here's more about his visit to Taiwan to reveal what he knows about Beijing's plans to invade the island. The details that Zheng revealed come from a war plan within the Chinese military. He got to know about it when he worked at General Hospital in Xinjiang's military region in the 90s. He recently visited Taiwan to participate in the presentation of the award-winning documentary State Organs, which depicts his own experiences as a doctor at a Chinese military hospital. According to Zheng, ordinary people are seen as suffering and being killed in order to fulfill the regime's demand for organs. He warns that the CCP's atrocities go beyond what most people can even imagine. I would rather travel to every region in Taiwan, just hoping that live organ harvesting, this crime against humanity, will no longer hurt every family, every parent and every child in Taiwan. Only since 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party began the persecution of Falun Gong, have practitioners claimed that the regime was committed to forced organ harvesting. The spiritual movement, attacked because of their faith, says that this brutal activity is still going on in China. We follow the strong increase of Covid-19 infections in China. On June 5, China's public health authority reported that the country had reached its highest level of Covid-19 cases so far this year, with a steady increase since March. At the same time, doctors in several major cities reported that hospital staff had died after being infected with the virus. It is important to know that the Chinese government has a history of under-reporting both Covid-19 cases and deaths. Here is more about what we know now. China's official figures are often criticized for underestimating the actual scope of the outbreak. But the unusual recognition of deaths among hospital staff has already been exposed in a wave of discussions on the Internet. On Chinese social media, users share their own Covid-19 symptoms, such as fever and severe neck pain. Some also report an increase in local deaths, but official data is still limited. This is what a visitor from Jilin in northeast China told us. Lee, quite a few people have died, several just in the past couple of days. Some were elderly, some were young. One of the older ones actually seemed full of energy, always out for walks in the mornings. That person died before even making it to the hospital. We turn to southern China. Lee, a resident of Guangzhou, told us that he and his family members have had Covid-19 several times. But that's not all. New media reports and death announcements on the Internet show that several doctors in the region have passed away, most of them in their fifties. Official statements blame the death toll on overwork, but leave few details. NDD cannot independently verify the circumstances surrounding these events. A doctor tells us that authorities are trying to silence the death toll. The doctor also told us about an elderly colleague who recently passed away, just two days after being diagnosed with Covid-19, after having shown serious symptoms. He admitted that the majority of patients who come to the hospital show signs of fever and cold. However, many avoid taking a Covid-19 test to save money, and the hospital has no requirements for testing. According to the doctor, this is a conscious strategy to avoid panic if tests would reveal a major outbreak. According to China's public health authority, the latest wave of infections is driven by a new variant called NB181, also known as Nimbus. The World Health Organization, WHO, follows the variant closely, as it spreads rapidly internationally and can entail new public health risks. We will come up with new updates as the situation develops. The current Commission for Freedom of Religion in the United States recently held an inquiry to reveal how freedom of religion and the religious convictions of the American people have been crucial to the nation's success since the foundation. NTD's Arlene Richards reports on some of the highlights. Last month, President Donald Trump established the Commission for Freedom of Religion to breathe new life into freedom of religion in the United States. On June 16, the Commission, which serves under the Justice Department, held its first inquiry. Justice Minister Pam Bondi praised the Commission for realizing the President's vision. Faith was built into the foundation of our nation's founding documents. There was no mistake when it was included in the First Amendment. Our founding fathers understood that every individual must be free to worship without fear, without coercion, and without government interference. In the executive order established by the Commission, Trump stated that one of the Commission's tasks would be to provide measures to ensure the freedom of religion in the country through effective or legislative initiatives. Present guests participated in the inquiry and brought up various topics, such as how to properly promote religion. Is it possible for the government to promote religion without infringing upon the rights of others? Former law professor Gerard Bradley referred to James Madison, one of the US founders. We should come to recognize religion as a common good, even if not everybody is religious. And even if some people, maybe they're not religious, don't think religion is a common good. And as the founders most certainly did think, and I think, having a religious and virtuous citizenry is good for everybody. Frankly, even people who lack virtue and don't believe in religion. He added that he personally does not believe that God wants people to pray, just because that's what they do here. Several others testified about the Founding Fathers' view on freedom of religion, the important significance of the Constitution's Establishment Clause, and the Court's responsibility for making changes. The Commission is led by Texas Vice Governor Dan Patrick and former Secretary of State Dr. Ben Carson. It also has three advisory bodies consisting of religious leaders, legal experts, and playboy leaders. Arlene Richards reported for NTD News. 2025, the 5th NTD International Photography Competition. Capture the beautiful moments in your eyes. Your works will be showcased in galleries and on multiple online platforms, appreciated and collected. Please visit www.photo.ntdtv.com www.photo.ntdtv.com