Hundreds of Drones Crash in China; Taiwan Pres. Lai Sends Urgent Message to Trump | China in Focus

Welcome to China In Focus, I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story. Peace in the Taiwan Strait means peace in the world. Taiwan's president urgently calling on Washington to back the island against China's invasion threat, sending a direct message to President Trump. If it is able to annex Taiwan, China will be in a stronger position to compete with the United States and alter the rules-based international order. China using fake social media accounts to undermine the U.S. alliance with the Philippines. How Beijing's latest actions are heightening tensions between the U.S. and China. And a drone light show in China turning into a rain of sparking meteorites. Hundreds of drones malfunction and fall from the sky during a major celebration for the Chinese Communist Party. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-de has a message for President Trump. Stop China from invading Taiwan and you would deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. He made the remarks Monday on the Clay, Travis and Buck Sexton show, urging the U.S. to keep backing the island. Let's take a listen. If it is able to annex Taiwan, China will be in a stronger position to compete with the United States and alter the rules-based international order. This would eventually also impact U.S. interests. We hope that Taiwan will continue to enjoy the support of President Trump. If he is able to convince Xi Jinping to permanently renounce the use of force against Taiwan, President Trump will surely win the Nobel Peace Prize. When asked what the Taiwanese leader would say to President Trump if given the chance, Lai began by highlighting China's growing military aggression, describing it as more intense and wide-reaching than ever before. I would suggest that he take note of the fact that Xi Jinping is not just holding ever larger military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, but expanding China's military deployment in the South and East China Seas. China's military exercises now extend across the Indo-Pacific region. China's military aggression in the Indo-Pacific is growing in frequency, intensity and geographic scope. A major U.S. Air Force institution, America's Air University, published an assessment earlier this year. It described China's air and naval activities around Taiwan as unprecedented. What's more concerning, the U.S. think tank CSIS says China is learning valuable combat lessons from Russian troops, helping make up for its own lack of battlefield experience. China and Russia have been stepping up military ties, especially through joint exercises. Lai also warns that China's aircraft carriers are now operating beyond the first and second island chains. Chinese warships have sailed near Japan and Australia, putting two key U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific on alert. Last week, China unveiled its third aircraft carrier, Fujian, named after the province closest to Taiwan. Rick Fisher, senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, says the name isn't just for intimidation. It reflects part of China's war plan. Well, the name was chosen specifically to intimidate and coerce the population of Taiwan. It is an aircraft carrier that will be used should the Chinese Communist Party decide to initiate hostilities against Taiwan. But it will also be used to scare the rest of the world. Zooming out, recent signals from Washington may help explain Taiwan's renewed outreach. The Trump administration recently imposed a 20 percent reciprocal tariff on Taiwanese exports. It also pledged to move half of the island's ship production to the U.S. In Monday's interview, Lai said he is willing to help the U.S., quote, reindustrialize and become a global A.I. hub. And to watch the full interview with Rick Fisher on China's aggression toward Taiwan, stay with us for the second half of the show. A new Reuters report reveals the Chinese Communist Party is running fake social media accounts impersonating Filipinos. They're also paying off officials and influencers to drive a wedge between the U.S. and the island nation. NTD's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has the details. Don't believe everything you see on social media. The Chinese Communist Party is leading an operation to start up fake Facebook and X accounts and pay off social media influencers in an effort to weaken the U.S. alliance with the Philippines, among others. That's according to a new report from Reuters, which reviewed internal documents from a Chinese-owned marketing company based in the Philippines called Infinitis. Authorities in the Philippines also say Infinitis was paid by the CCP to start hundreds of fake accounts posing as Filipino writers and create anti-American content. This issue came under the spotlight back in April by former top Philippine official Francis Tolentino. He accused Infinitis of being paid by the Chinese embassy to spread pro-CCP propaganda. They manufacture fake social media content against the Philippine government's policy, pretending to be motivated about concerns about peace in the region and manipulate and ultimately destroy the Philippines' ability to oppose China. But it goes further than that. One report from November 2024 found that this army of social media trolls pushed a video condemning the U.S. deploying missiles to the Philippines. The accounts also pushed pro-CCP posts by dozens of Filipino media personalities, all of whom received awards from the Association of Philippines-China Understanding, which is an agency set up by the former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and a agency, all of which the U.S. has accused of co-opting subnational governments. The Philippines is a strategic location for Washington and Beijing, for that matter, due to its close proximity to Taiwan. The CCP has threatened to invade Taiwan by 2027, to which the U.S. has promised to defend its interests. But U.S. officials say that this may lead to an economic depression worldwide. In the last few years, China has become increasingly aggressive in this region, with CCP military vessels ramming Philippine Coast Guard vessels, as well as firing water cannons at them and even blocking them from carrying out resupply missions. Reporting by Jack Bradley, NTD News. A rare scene that would never appear on Chinese state broadcasts. Hundreds of drones turning into fireballs and raining down from the sky during a National Day drone show in China. The incident happening as the Chinese Communist Party marks the 76th anniversary of its rise to power. This happened last week in a southern Chinese city. Hundreds of malfunctioning drones started colliding just after takeoff. Sparks and embers rained down on the onlookers like a rain of meteorites, setting small fires on the ground. People screamed in shock. Some spectators ran for cover, while others grabbed chairs to shield themselves from falling sparks. Local authorities say no one was hurt. But an onlooker reported online that many people were hit by sparks. The resource race between the United States and China heating up, President Trump announcing the revival of a long-stalled mining project in Alaska. The decision reignites debate over jobs, energy and environmental protection in the Alaskan wilderness. We have a very big signing today having to do with Alaska, a place that I'm very familiar with. And we're making it greater, bigger and more powerful and job producing. It's an economic gold mine, so to speak. And I signed this years ago and Biden unsigned it for me. Trump yesterday signed an executive order allowing construction of a 200 mile road to Alaska's Ambler Mining District, which he says unlocks access to copper and other critical minerals. The decision reverses, as you just heard, the Biden administration's rejection of that road. Biden's Interior Department had cited threats to fish and caribou populations vital to many native communities. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the project would unlock minerals needed to win the artificial intelligence arms race against China. Supporters say the road will bring jobs and revenue to Alaska while providing minerals used in cars, electronics and renewable energy production. Opponents, including dozens of Alaskan native tribes, warned that development would endanger traditional hunting and fishing grounds. Shares of critical metals more than doubled Monday morning after a report came out that Washington is in talks to buy a stake in the company. It's the latest move in the U.S. effort to secure its supply of rare earth minerals. Let's zoom in. An agreement would give the U.S. government a direct interest in the largest rare earths project in Greenland, a strategically important and mineral rich Arctic territory that President Donald Trump has previously suggested the U.S. should take over. One analyst told Reuters that such a deal, quote, would mark a significant step toward building a diversified mine-to-magnet supply chain independent of China. The U.S. has been pushing to secure critical minerals and reduce reliance on China, taking stakes in producers such as Lithium Americas and MP Materials. Critical metals applied earlier this year for a $50 million U.S. grant, which Washington has since discussed converting into an equity stake, according to Reuters report, which cites four sources. If finalized, that conversion would equal roughly an 8% stake. Those sources say talks remain preliminary. The world is facing a big choice about energy. On one side, there is President Trump and the U.S. using traditional energy sources. On the other, China is pushing ahead with clean energy. Experts say the energy choices countries make now could change the balance of power in the world. NTD's Flora Hua spoke with David Blockman, an energy expert with decades of experience, to get his insights. Comparing to the traditional energy supplies which the U.S. is promoting right now and then the clean energy thing that China and other European state members and other countries are promoting. So can you please help us to understand what's the difference in terms of the pros and cons of these two different supplies and for us at this point, which is more practical for us to stick with or explore? This is something I write about all the time. There are trade-offs to every form of energy, okay? And there are impacts to the environment from every sort of energy. And so every country has to make its own decisions from an economic standpoint, an energy security standpoint. For the United States, we have the world's greatest wealth of resources in terms of oil, gas and coal and uranium for nuclear power as well. And it just makes perfect sense for the United States to continue to focus on those elements of the energy mix, recognizing also that there are concerns about emissions, that oil and gas create, that wind and solar don't create in the power generation sector. And so you need to mitigate for that. In China, there's an entirely different set of considerations. Their people are not impacted by high utility costs in the same way Americans are because they're in a controlled economy with a communist government, rather than in a free enterprise kind of economy. But for President Trump and the Trump administration, enhancing and maximizing America's energy security is really the prime target. So President Trump called the climate change a cum job and expressed worries for the EU member states of closing their factories and letting China and other developing countries to make huge profits in manufacturing. So do you see European countries going further toward this direction? Well, yes, most of them are. We see Germany kind of go back and forth. But when you look at France and Italy and Spain and Belgium and many of the other EU member countries, you know, they're all heading in that direction and their economies are suffering as a result. Utility bills are multiples of what we pay in the United States, but the government's planners seem to be fine with that and forcing their citizens to bear those costs. And then in the UK, you just have a full on headlong rush into deindustrialization of that economy, too. You know, all in the name of moving to a more renewable mix and eliminating carbon emissions in that way, as a result, becoming increasingly reliant on China for their energy needs. In terms of the global structure, what's your anticipation of China and the US offering different energy supplies and then countries making different choices going forward? Well, you're absolutely right. The countries that end up entering into these relationships with China, there's always a price to be paid. And the price is always a diminution of your own energy security as a result. And so, you know, the European countries have, you know, been United States allies in pretty much every respect over the decades. But now we see this tension related to these climate change issues as the European countries continue down this road to subservience to China. In the United States, you know, the Trump administration believes we just can't afford to go in that direction here in the United States for our own energy and national security needs. And these countries are all going to have to make the choice of whether they maintain free democratic societies, or if they move like the UK is clearly moving right now, today, in real time, into an authoritarian form of government, very similar to China's. I mean, we even see the Stormer government now trying to implement the digital ID, which is the first step to a social credit score that China's had in place for 20 years. So in the United States, we're taking a different direction. And every country in Europe is going to have to make the same choice. David Blackmon, thank you so much for your time today. Thank you. Coming up, China could buy $40 billion worth of advanced chip making equipment despite US restrictions. An investigation reveals gaps in US and allied export rules are fueling this boom. And recent satellite images of a new aircraft carrier in China has been making waves. An expert breaks down just how advanced it is, and the message behind the name of Fujian. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Semiconductors sold to China. A new bipartisan investigation finds gaps in US and allied export rules have led Beijing by nearly $40 billion in advanced chip making equipment. Here's a closer look. The House Select Committee on China found that inconsistent restrictions among the United States, Japan and the Netherlands let non-US suppliers sell to Chinese firms barred from buying American tools. Lawmakers warned that the loopholes are helping Beijing expand its semiconductor production critical for artificial intelligence and military technology. The report urges tighter coordination and broader bans to limit China's access to chip making gear. Industry executives say sales to China are now starting to decline as new regulations take effect. Russia held its first official meeting with Afghanistan's Taliban on Tuesday. Moscow's foreign minister used the meeting to criticize US sanctions on Afghanistan and called for more international support in the region. Russia became the first major power to recognize the Taliban in Afghanistan back in July. That move came after Moscow removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations and welcomed the group's ambassador to Russia. The Taliban came into power in 2021 after US and NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan. In response, Washington froze billions in Afghan assets and imposed sanctions targeting Taliban officials. Humanitarian and basic financial channels for the Afghan people were left open. Meanwhile, the United Nations does not officially designate the Taliban as a terrorist organization. However, it maintains targeted sanctions on individuals and entities associated with the group, similar to the United States approach. China, on the other hand, supports Afghanistan economically but has not formally recognized the Taliban as the official authority. Russia's outreach stands out as one of the Taliban's key diplomatic milestones since seizing power. That's despite most Western nations still refusing to officially recognize their rule. Recent satellite images of a new aircraft carrier in China have been making waves, but just how advanced is it and why the name Fujian? We sat down with Rick Fisher, senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, for insight. Rick Fisher, thank you as always so much for joining us on the show. Tiffany, thanks for having me back. Now, Rick, new satellite photos seem to show Beijing's newest aircraft carrier called the Fujian docked side by side by the Shandong. Now, reports are saying that this is China's most advanced. It's built entirely by Chinese shipyards, the first to be built entirely that way. What do you make of that assessment? Should the US be concerned about this? Well, yes. The Fujian represents a generational leap in indigenous Chinese aircraft carrier technology. The Fujian starts its career with an electromagnetic launch system catapult, which is the most advanced form of catapult technology. The United States has just incorporated it into its latest aircraft carrier, and it still hasn't quite worked out all the problems with it. The Chinese electromagnetic launch works just fine so far, and they are busily lording that over the Americans. Now, in terms of this newest one, the name is Fujian, which is the province that is directly across from Taiwan. What is the significance of that name? How should we read into that, if you will? Well, the name was chosen specifically to intimidate and coerce the population of Taiwan. Free people that pay their own taxes, govern themselves, and only sincerely wish to live in peace with greater China. It is an aircraft carrier that will be used should the Chinese Communist Party decide to initiate hostilities against Taiwan, but it will also be used to scare the rest of the world. The first concession that China demands in any foreign relationship is that the foreigner support China's claim to Taiwan and support its right to invade and kill people on Taiwan. Of course, we've seen in the U.S., especially under President Trump, a push for more shipbuilding. We saw that recently with the South Korea deal, trying to get a lot of investments into reviving the U.S. shipbuilding industry. If we're looking at timelines here, given China's trajectory, if you will, with the recent Fujian, what does that timeline look like if we were to get into a shooting war between the U.S. and China? Well, the Fujian probably won't be sailing operationally for another year, possibly two years. Yeah, probably two years. But by that time, China could also be well into the construction of its fourth aircraft carrier, which again, may be nuclear powered. But by the middle of the 2030s, I expect a fleet of about six towards the end of the next decade, seven to eight Chinese aircraft carriers, even larger than the Fujian. And that's a problem. That's a huge challenge for the United States. And given this rising threat, we've seen more and more aggressive Beijing as well against the Philippines especially, but in that area, what do you see as the message of deterrence the U.S. should or needs to be sending now? Well, it is long overdue for the United States to upgrade its theater missile arsenals. The Trump administration is now engaged in trying to double the production of most American tactical missiles. The production should probably be quadrupled. And we need to reintroduce a variety of tactical nuclear weapons into all the services, from tactical nuclear artillery shells, to cruise missiles, to intermediate range ballistic missiles based on ships and on land. China has all these already. And we simply need them as well in order to deter China from thinking that it can get away with using a small nuclear weapon that we won't necessarily respond to with a big nuclear weapon and thus starting a general nuclear war. So it sounds like the phrase you often hear, escalate to deescalate. Definitely. That's the Russian strategy for sure. And it is going to become the Chinese strategy as well. 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 chinainfocusatntd.com. We'd love to hear from you. Around the clock original news coverage. Visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.