Bessent Identifies CCP Official Who Threatened to ‘Unleash Chaos’

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story, a rare moment in diplomacy. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen names a Chinese official who threatens global chaos if the U.S. imposes port fees on China. I think his name is Li Guangdong and threatening saying that China would unleash chaos on the global system if the U.S. went ahead with our docking fees for Chinese ships. Nothing happens without Xi Jinping's approval. So a low-level person making some kind of errant statement is not even possible in a Chinese communist regime. Never going to happen. A tip for top trade war. President Trump is warning he may block Chinese cooking oil imports. This comes after Beijing stopped buying U.S. soy beans. A new report reveals that more than 500 U.S. universities may be helping China's military advance its technology. We take a closer look at what this means for U.S. national security. Millions of Chinese electronics are disappearing from U.S. online stores over national security concerns. We take a closer look at what's next for the FCC. Japan's confirmation of a new prime minister has been delayed until after October 20th. An expert offers insights into Sanae Takahichi's potential premiership and her common sense policies on defense. A rare moment in diplomacy. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson naming a Chinese official who threatened global chaos if the U.S. were to implement port fees on China. It's a critical moment for not only U.S.-China trade relations but also the fate of the global economy. Here's the clip when Besson made the unprecedented announcement during an interview with CNBC Wednesday morning. Take a look. There was a lower level trade person who was slightly unhinged here in August. I think his name is Li Guangdong and he was threatening saying that China would unleash chaos on the global system if the U.S. went ahead with our docking fees for Chinese ships. Following the interview, Besson told reporters at a D.C. press conference more stories of Li behind the scenes. This individual was very disrespectful and I'll tell you that we've had four rounds of talks. Geneva, London, Stockholm and Madrid and both sides approached him with great respect and this individual did not. He showed up uninvited in Washington and said, quote, China will cause global chaos if the port shipping fees go through. So I don't believe that China wants to be an agent of chaos and maybe they used to have the wolf warrior diplomats. So, you know, maybe he thinks he's a wolf warrior. We don't know. The Chinese official Besson called out is Li Chengan, China's vice minister of commerce, the top aide of Besson's Chinese counterpart. So who is he? Li just took up his current role half a year ago. He was also involved in U.S. China trade talks during President Trump's first term. Li is widely viewed as belonging to Xi's opposition faction, which are led by Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao. China expert Casey Fleming, who's also the CEO of Black Ops Partners Corporation, said he doesn't believe decisions can be made by a lower level official within the Chinese regime. I think Xi Jinping overplayed their hand. Nothing goes on in China, nothing happens without Xi Jinping's approval. So a low level person making some kind of errant statement is not even possible in a Chinese communist regime. Never going to happen. Back to Besson's remarks, they echoed what a senior U.S. official told the Financial Times recently. According to the U.S. official, Li threatened in August that the U.S. would face hellfire if things didn't go his way. Li added, quote, we will retaliate beyond all expectations. The U.S. official said Li's lines of attack are highly identical to what the CCP said last week when it rolled out sweeping rare earth export controls. The U.S. official pointed out that China's Commerce Ministry, where Li is second in command, and the State Security Department are the hardliners in China's economy. But not all bureaus are like that. He added that the internal struggles have negatively impacted U.S.-China trade negotiations. Top U.S. officials say that China wants to choke the world's supply chains and dictate the global economy, but they won't allow it to happen. They sent out the message on Wednesday as Treasury ministers from around the globe gather in D.C. for the IMF and World Bank annual meetings. NTD's Flora Hua has more. Make no mistake, this is China versus the world. They have put these unacceptable export controls on the entire world. China is a command and control economy, and we and our allies will neither be commanded nor controlled. They are a state economy, and we are not going to let a group of bureaucrats in Beijing try to manage the global supply chains. Beijing rolled out its latest rare earth export controls last Wednesday, sparking protests from many governments, including the U.S. and the European Union. Besant doesn't think the decision came directly from Xi, but warned that China would be hurt the most if someone within the CCP thinks they can slow down the global economy. The U.S. trade representative breaks down what these new Chinese curbs mean to the world. At its core, China's new measures include a rule saying that any product of which more than 0.1 percent of minerals consist of minerals mined or processed in China, one must seek approval from the Chinese government before trading it. Since many important semiconductors, for example, have these critical minerals, and semiconductors are in nearly everything, this rule gives China control over basically the entire global economy and the technology supply chain. President Trump vowed to impose a 100 percent additional tariff on China on Friday. Beijing responded two days later without slapping any retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. China experts see this as a softer stance from China. Beijing says export controls don't constitute export bans. But Greer noted that Beijing's curbs would be too complicated to go through. Our expectation is that this never goes into effect because you can't. When you look at what happened with the rare earth magnets, they had a similar program that they implemented. And that program, the result was that they couldn't implement it. They didn't have enough people to organize it, separate and apart from it being just wrong entirely. They actually couldn't implement it. Besson says President Trump still plans to meet with Xi in South Korea in less than three weeks. He added that the U.S. and China will touch on many things before the meeting, including a truce extension. Besson also noted that higher tariff hikes are on the table. Flora Hua, NDD News. A tit-for-tat trade dispute. President Trump is warning he may block Chinese cooking oil imports after Beijing stopped buying U.S. soybeans. China hasn't purchased any soybeans from U.S. farmers this harvest season. Here's more. President Donald Trump is threatening to block cooking oil imports from China after Beijing pulled back from buying U.S. On social media, Trump called China's move to buy beans elsewhere an economically hostile act, and suggested the U.S. could produce its own cooking oil instead. He said his administration could also cut other trade ties with China in response, and added he hoped to discuss the issue with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. China is the world's largest buyer of soybeans, last year importing $12 billion worth from the U.S. But it has recently shifted to sourcing from Brazil and Argentina. This has forced U.S. farmers to store their crops in hopes that prices will eventually rise from around a five-year low, while dealing with rising costs across the board. The impact is particularly acute in Illinois, the largest U.S. soybean-producing and exporting state. Trump has called China's move to purchase soybeans elsewhere a negotiating tactic. Meanwhile, the U.S. is the largest market for used cooking oil from China, importing a record $1.1 billion of the product last year. However, imports of such oil have plunged since Washington imposed tariffs on Chinese goods earlier this year. U.S. stocks tied to cooking oil businesses started to climb following Trump's post. A senior advisor of the U.S. State Department has been arrested for unlawful retention of national defense information. Investigators are also looking into his interactions with Chinese officials. Ashley Tellis, a renowned U.S. defense expert originally from India, held a top-secret clearance. The Justice Department says Ashley Tellis removed classified documents from secure locations and met with Chinese officials. Federal prosecutors have detailed multiple such meetings over the past several years. Court documents indicate He held a top-secret clearance and had access to sensitive information. Court documents also indicate that more than a thousand pages of documents marked top-secret and secret were found during a search of his Virginia home. Tellis has so far not publicly commented on the allegations. A new report reveals that more than 500 U.S. universities have cooperated with researchers linked to the Chinese military in recent years. Experts warn those partnerships may be helping Beijing advance its defense technology. The study from private intelligence firm Strider Technologies found nearly 2,500 joint publications in 2024 alone. They covered fields like physics, engineering and computer science. That's down from 2019, when more than 3,500 joint research papers were published. But it's still a major concern for national security officials. Despite government efforts to limit these partnerships, Strider says the practice remains widespread. American institutions have been fueling China's military advancements in areas like anti-jamming communications and hypersonic weapons. A House committee has been sounding the alarm, too. It's urging tighter visa screening for Chinese scholars and stronger protections for U.S. research. The DHS warns that the CCP continues to target American universities and companies to steal sensitive technology. The Justice Department says roughly 80 percent of economic espionage cases in the U.S. have links to China. In response, Congress is moving to limit U.S.-China research. It's introducing a new bill that would block federal funding for projects tied to China's military and putting tougher rules in place for university partnerships. Millions of Chinese-made electronics are disappearing from online stores in the U.S. This is thanks to a new crackdown by the Federal Communications Commissioner, or FCC. On Friday, FCC Chair Brennan Carr stated the crackdown targeted products that are either banned or were never approved for sale in the U.S. They included electronics like home security cameras and smartwatches from major Chinese tech companies like Huawei and ZTE. He added that these devices could threaten U.S. national security by letting China spy on Americans or disrupt communication networks. Over the past few years, U.S. agencies have cracked down on Chinese tech companies across telecom, semiconductors and vehicles. Carr said companies are now putting regulations in place to prevent prohibited items from being sold. Earlier this week, the FCC issued a notice reminding retailers about banned equipment. The commission plans to vote later this month on even tighter restrictions for Chinese-made telecom gear entering U.S. markets. In a bold move to protect critical technology, the Netherlands is taking control of Dutch chipmaker Nexperia. Officials are concerned its Chinese parent company could gain access to sensitive techs. Nexperia is one of the world's largest producers of computer chips and semiconductors for cars and consumer electronics. But the firm is owned by WingTech, a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. On Sunday, Dutch authorities said the move gives them the power to block management decisions that could pose national security risks. The move comes after the U.S. introduced rules targeting subsidiaries that are at least 50 percent owned by Chinese companies. It's aimed at preventing them from bypassing export controls. At the same time, Europe and the U.S. are working to boost domestic semiconductor production. Officials say semiconductors are critical to everything from telecoms to defense and AI, making control of these companies a top national security priority. China's new restrictions on rare earth exports are raising concerns in Europe. European Union officials say the bloc is teaming up with the U.S. and other G7 partners to craft a united response to the Chinese Communist Party. China, the world's top rare earth producer, just tightened its export controls, adding new elements and restrictions for semiconductor makers ahead of planned talks between Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping. The EU Trade Commissioner yesterday called the move unjustified, saying EU ministers meeting in Denmark see it as a critical concern. He said the G7 could hold a video call this week to coordinate next steps, including potential plans to diversify supply chains and speed up new mining projects. The Danish prime minister urging Europe to stay tough and united, but also to work closely with Washington. Coming up, the U.K. is cracking down on firms in China and India for buying Russian oil. The move is aimed at cutting off funding for Moscow's war in Ukraine. We bring you the details. Japan's confirmation of a new prime minister has been delayed until after next Monday. A security policy expert offers insights on Takaichi possibly becoming prime minister and her policies on defense. She's a weapon. It's a breath of fresh air from my perspective. And as I said, she's pretty much a commonsensical person in terms of her policies and views of defense, etc. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. The U.K. is targeting companies in China and India for buying Russian oil. It's a key source of funding for Moscow's war in Ukraine. Britain is also imposing sanctions on two Russian firms. That's according to the country's finance minister on Wednesday. We are introducing targeted sanctions against the two biggest oil companies in Russia, Luck Oil and Rosneft. And at the same time, we are ramping up pressure on companies in third countries, including India and China, that continue to facilitate getting Russian oil onto global markets. She added that there's no place for Russia in global markets. The finance minister also made clear that Britain would take all necessary steps to stop Moscow from funding its war in Ukraine. The new sanctions target 51 ships within the Shadow Fleet, as well as multiple individual entities. The Shadow Fleet is a network of older tankers that officials say are used to avoid sanctions on Russian oil. The fleet has increasingly been the target of sanctions from Britain, the United States and the European Union. As Japan faces rising regional threats and internal political shifts, Kutsunai Takaichi become the leader to reshape the nation's defense posture and U.S. alliance. Joining us to discuss is retired U.S. Marine Colonel and senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy, Grant Newsham. He breaks down Takaichi's rise, the Komeito withdrawal, and what it all means for Japan-China-U.S. relations. Take a listen. Grant Newsham, thank you so much for joining us. Great to be back on the show. We are glad to be here. Well, I want to dive right in. First, what do you make of Takaichi and what her premiership would mean for U.S.-Japan relationships in the context of the China and geopolitics, that kind of stage? Takaichi is actually one of the first prime ministers in a long time who's actually done some homework and understands the policy issues involved, both economically, of course, but also militarily. She understands Japan's security situation, its requirements, and she has some very good advisors that she's listened to. So she's one of the best prepared there's ever been, and just being a woman to get to this point in that system in Japan shows a sort of toughness that will serve her well. But as you will read, she's been declared a hard right nationalist, et cetera, et cetera. She's nothing of the sort. She's very middle-of-the-road and commonsensical when it comes to defense, when it comes to policies. Her hero is said to be Margaret Thatcher, and if even just a little bit of that, that would be a good thing. So she's a breath of fresh air from my perspective. And as I said, she is pretty much a commonsensical person in terms of her policies and views of defense, et cetera. So she's been characterized wrongly by a lot of the foreign media, but also by the leftist media in Japan, which is most of it. They think it was going to be a return to 1930s military Japan, but it won't be that at all. She's, say, a pretty normal politician, but has the advantage of probably being honest, which distinguishes her from some of her predecessors. I want to dig in here a bit, because there's been some recent moves that could actually put her premiership in jeopardy. For instance, why do you think the Komeito suddenly announced recently its withdrawal from the 26-year coalition that it's had with the LDP, or Liberal Democratic Party? Well, Komeito's official justification was over financial scandals involving the LDP. But that's not much of an excuse. That would be like getting out of it because people are breathing. Financial scandal is pretty much part and parcel of the Japanese politics. What it may come down to, it sounds alarming, is that the Chinese told Komeito to do it. The head of Komeito met with the Chinese ambassador in the Diet shortly before the decision was made. And one does wonder that Komeito's leadership has had very close ties with the PRC, with Chinese officials, for a long, long time. The Japanese authorities are well aware of it. So I don't think the stated reason, the financial scandal, is the reason. But rather, it could be that they think that Takaichi is going to be too tough on China and step down. But in some ways, it's mystifying because joining with the LDP gave Komeito some real relevance at the national level for the first time. So why they would voluntarily give that up, nobody quite knows. But the reason they gave, I don't think anyone should take that too seriously. So does its withdrawal put Takaichi's premiership in jeopardy or no? It does, actually. It makes it harder. It's conceivable. It's not impossible that the opposition may be able to cobble together a coalition and actually elect their own candidate. Whether or not they could actually cooperate enough and agree on a proper candidate to represent each of these very different parties, that is in doubt. I think we saw from Shinzo Abe before he was assassinated kind of that focus on Japan's self-defense or moves in terms of the defense area for the countrymen, maybe some cooperation with the U.S. If Takaichi were to do something similar, what kind of cooperation could we see between Japan's forces and the U.S.? One thing that would be nice to see, it's long overdue, would be for the U.S. and Japanese forces to make defense of Japan really a joint effort. And particularly, for example, set out to establish a joint force to defend Japan's southern islands, the Ryukyu Island chain, the Senkakus. The Japanese are trying to do it themselves. They're a bit overmatched by the Chinese and feeling the strain. Put the Americans in there with the Japanese and said, make it a joint operation, a joint effort with a headquarters for the U.S. and the Japanese forces. Sit side by side and do what's necessary to conduct the exercises, patrolling, and have the positioning to be able to defend Japanese territory together. If you do that, then Japan looks like a much less juicy target from the Chinese perspective. So you really need to see some concrete jointness come into the U.S.-Japan relationship, not just scripted exercises, but actually getting out and about with the intention of, if necessary, shooting and fighting if that's what is needed. And of course, Taiwan, the Philippines, and even just the East China Sea where the Chinese are playing rough. Well, that's what it's all being done for, but you have to take those initial steps. I think the two nations have not done it the way they should have yet. So there's opportunity to excel and maybe Takahashi will be the one to accomplish this. Grant Nishimura, as always, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for having me. 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. For on the clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.