I THINK IT’S FANTASTIC.
MARIA: THANK YOU, CHERYL.
CHINESE RESIDENTS ARE CLASHING
WITH RIOT POLICE, THIS HAPPENED
LAST NIGHT.
LOOK AT THE PICTURES.
CHINESE AUTHORITIES REPORTEDLY
TRACKING PEOPLE DOWN WHO
GATHERED AT THE PROTESTS OVER
THE WEEKEND.
THEY WILL COME AND FIND YOU.
WE LEARNED THAT APPLE LIMITED
ITS AIR DROP SHARING FEATURE IN
CHINA WHICH HAS BEEN AN
IMPORTANT TOOL IN EFFORTS TO
AVOID CENSORSHIP.
JOINING ME NOW IS FORMER SENIOR
ADD AADVISOR TO SECRETARY OF STA
MIKE POMPEO, MARY KISSEL BACK
WITH US.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS
MORNING.
>> IT’S GREAT TO BE WITH YOU,
MARIA.
GOOD MORNING.
MARIA: I WAS READING YOUR EYE
ON THE WORLD AND YOU TALK A LOT
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT
WE’RE SEEING HERE ON THE GROUND.
HOW DO YOU ASSESS THESE
PROTESTERS?
HOW SIGNIFICANT DO YOU THINK
THIS HAS BEEN?
>> WELL, IT’S VERY SIGNIFICANT,
MARIA.
FOR SEVERAL REASONS.
FIRST OF ALL, THERE ARE PROTESTS
ALL THE TIME IN CHINA BUT
THEY’RE USUALLY OVER LOCAL
ISSUES.
THE DIFFERENCE HERE IS THAT MANY
OF THESE PROTESTERS ARE UPSET
OVER THE NATIONAL POLICY OF A
LOCKDOWN.
A LOCKDOWN WHICH BY THE WAY HAS
NO SCIENTIFIC BASIS, THAT THE
REGIME HAS LIED TO THE
PROTESTERS ABOUT IT REPEATEDLY.
IT’S VERY ARBITRARY AND IT’S
COST MANY, MANY, MANY LIVES,
NEEDLESSLY.
IT’S A GREAT TRAGEDY.
SO THERE’S A UNIFYING THEME HERE
AND A THAT’S WHY YOU’RE SEEING
PROTESTS BREAK OUT ACROSS THE
COUNTRY FROM THE SOUTH IN HONG
KONG TO THE NORTHERN CAPITAL OF
BEIJING TO THE WEST AND IT’S
ALSO PERSONALLY VERY THREATENING
TO THE GENERAL SECRETARY BECAUSE
HE’S ASSOCIATED WITH THE POLICY
AND SO AS YOU KNOW, THE PARTY’S
MAIN GOAL IS TO STAY IN YOU
POWER AND THEY WILL EMPLOY ANY
TACTIC NECESSARY TO PUT THESE
PROTESTS DOWN.
WHETHER OR NOT IT’S THE
BRUTALITY IN THE CLIP YOU SHOWED
OR IF IT’S MORE THE SORT OF
QUIET TERROR OF THE SURVEILLANCE
STATE AND THE TECH STATE.
MARIA: I MEAN, IT’S PRETTY
INCREDIBLE TO SEE WHAT THEY’RE
UP AGAINST NOW AND XI JINPING
JUST WAS EMPOWERED A COUPLE OF
WEEKS AGO, RIGHT, AT THE
PEOPLE’S CONGRESS.
SO IS THERE ANY REASON TO
BELIEVE THAT THE PROTESTERS WILL
ACTUALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE ON
GETTING XI JINPING TO STEP DOWN
AT THIS POINT AFTER ALL OF THE
EMPOWERMENT AND HE’S NOW THE
LEADER FOR -- DICTATOR FOR LIFE?
>> WE DON’T KNOW.
I CAN TELL YOU WHAT WE DO KNOW
WHICH THAT IS THE UNITED STATES
HAS BEEN PRETTY TERRIBLE AT
PREDICTING WHEN WE WILL HAVE
NATIONAL UPRISINGS.
WE MISSED THE FALL OF THE SOVIET
UNION.
WE MISSED THE ARAB SPRING.
WE DIDN’T SEE THE PROTESTS IN
CUBA OR THE RENEWED PROTESTS IN
IRAN.
THIS IS A VERY OPAQUE
TOTALITARIAN REGIME.
WE KNOW THAT XI JINPING HAS
REALLY UPSET MANY, MANY PEOPLE
IN POSITIONS OF POWER FROM HIS
POLITICAL RIVALS, TO THE HEADS
OF THE MILITARY THAT HE TOOK OUT
TO THE CORPORATE CHIEF TAKENS.
JACK MA IS APPARENTLY SITTING IN
TOKE ITOKE IYOW.
TOKE I DID.
TOKYO.
IN ORDER FOR PROTESTS TO BE
SUCCESSFUL YOU WOULD NEED BUY-IN
FROM SOME PORTION OF THE
LEADERSHIP.
THAT’S SOMETHING I’M TELLING
CLIENTS TO LOOK FOR.
BUT REGARDLESS, NO MATTER WHICH
WAY THIS GOES, IF IT’S A
HORRIBLE, BRUTAL CRACKDOWN OR IF
IT IS SUCCESSFUL YOU’RE LOOKING
AT ENORMOUS VOLATILITY HERE AND
ANOTHER REMINDER THEY THAT THIS
COMMUNIST REGIME IS NOT ALL
SEEING AND ALL KNOWING.
IN FACT, THEY’RE TERRIBLE,
INCOMPETENT LEADERS.
THEY HAVE PLUNGED THE PROPERTY
MARKET INTO GREAT DISTRESS.
YOU’VE GOT HUGE YOUTH
UNEMPLOYMENT.
IN FACT, MANY OF THE SAME
CONDITIONS THAT LED TO THE
TIANANMEN PROTESTS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
MARIA: WE’RE SEEING EVIDENCE OF
A SLOWDOWN IN THE ECONOMY THERE
AND CERTAINLY THAT’S GOING TO
HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE WORLD.
BUT I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON
CORPORATE AMERICA.
POTENTIALLY FUNDING THE
EXPANSION OF COMMUNIST CHINA.
WE KNOW THE CCP’S ULTIMATE GOAL
IS TO OVERTAKE THE UNITED STATES
AS THE NUMBER ONE SUPER POWER SO
WHY IS APPLE, FOR EXAMPLE,
IMPLEMENTING A 10 OF 10 MINUTE T
LIMIT FOR CHINESE USERS OF AIR
DROP.
WHY IS CORPORATE AMERICA PUSHING
INVESTORS TO BUY INTO CHINESE
COMPANIES THAT MAY VERY WELL AT
SOME POINT TURN AROUND AND TURN
THEIR IRE ON AMERICA.
THERE’S A NEWLY PUBLISHED
PENTAGON REPORT THAT FINDS CHINA
IS ON PACE TO CHALLENGE THE U.S.
MILITARILY AND COULD PREVENT IT
FROM INTERVENING IN A POTENTIAL
INVASION ON TAIWAN, BEIJING
TRIPLING ITS NUCLEAR STOCKPILE
TO 1500 WARHEADS BY 2035, MARY.
IS CORPORATE AMERICA NOT PAYING
ATTENTION?
>> WELL, I CAN’T SPEAK FOR APPLE
BUT WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT FOR
40 YEARS REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS ENCOURAGED CORPORATE
AMERICA TO INVEST IN CHINA,
WHETHER THAT WAS WALL STREET OR
HOLLYWOOD OR OUR TECH INDUSTRY
AND UNFORTUNATELY, MARIA, YOU
KNOW AS WELL AS I DO THERE’S NO
PATRIOTISM IN C-SUITES ANYMORE,
IN THE FORTUNE 500.
I MEAN, AT STEPHENS WE’RE A
PRIVATE COMPANY, WE’RE DIFFERENT
FROM WALL T STREET.
BUT YOU TALK A LOT ABOUT TIM
COOK ON THE PROGRAM AND I THINK
THAT’S RIGHT.
WHY WOULD HE PUT THAT POLICY IN
PLACE IN CHINA TO EMPOWER
TOTALITARIAN REGIME WHICH IS
COMMITTING GENOCIDE.
BUT I THINK WE SHOULD ALSO LOOK
AT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
APPLE.
WHERE’S THE GOVERNANCE HERE?
GO AND LOOK AT THE BOARD.
WHO IS ON THE BOARD?
ALEX GORSKI OF J&J, AL GORE IS
ON THE BOARD.
YOU’VE GOT A BLACKROCK DIRECTOR
ON THAT BOARD.
THESE ARE ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT INTEREST IN CHINA
AND THAT’S, AGAIN, WHY CAN THIS
THREAT IS SO INSIDIOUS BECAUSE
OVER THESE DECADES, AND YOU SAW
JOHN SIMING PASSED AWAY THIS
MORNING.
THERE IS A CONCERTED EFFORT ON
BEHALF OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY TO
BUY OUR LOYALTY AND THIS WAS A
PATTERN OVER YEARS AND DECADES.
THESE GUYS WEREN’T REFORMERS.
THEY WERE USING THIS OPENING UP
TO THE WORLD FOR THEIR OWN
INTEREST, FOR THEIR PERSONAL
INTEREST, AND SO YOU NEED
LEADERSHIP.
YOU NEED LEADERSHIP IN THE WHITE
HOUSE AND THE ADMINISTRATION,
YOU NEED PEOPLE IN CORPORATE
AMERICA TO STAND UP.
YOU NEED PROXY VOTING FIRMS.
I THINK THIS IS A KEY THAT NO
ONE EVER TALKS ABOUT.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO VOTE, ISS
IS DIRECTING THE VOTE OF MANY,
MANY COMPANIES.
I MEAN, YOU’RE NOT SEEING PEOPLE
DO THEIR OWN DILIGENCE.
YOUTHEY’RELETTING ISS DO IT FOR
WHERE IS THE GOVERNANCE OF THE
BOARDS.
MARIA: REAL QUICK.
ANY THOUGHTS ON THE TRIAL OF
JIMMY LAI.
A GREAT OP-ED TALKING ABOUT
JIMMY LAI’S JOURNEY, FRIENDS OF
JACK KEANE AND NOW HE’S PROBABLY
GOING TO SPEND THE REST OF HIS
LIFE IN PRISON.
HOW DO YOU THINK THAT PLAYS OF
OUT?
>> JIMMY LAI IS A PERSONAL
FRIEND OF MINE.
I SHOULD DISCLOSE THAT.
I THINK JIMMY IS RIGHT WHEN HE
SAID THAT THE HONG KONGERS ARE
FIGHTING OUR COLD WAR BEHIND
ENEMY LINES.
THAT’S WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT
NOT JUST WHAT’S HAPPENING TO
JIMMY LAI WHICH IS A GREAT
TRAGEDY, HE’S HE’S A GREAT MAN,
BUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ALL OF
THE HONG KONGERS.
MARIA: YES.
>> THEY HAVE BEEN ASSIMILATED
INTO A SYSTEM THAT THE
LEADERSHIP IN BEIJING WANTS TO
EXPAND AND THAT WE KNOW THE
CHINESE PEOPLE DO NOT WANT,
THEY’RE NOT JUST UPSET ABOUT
COVID, THEY’RE UPSET AT THE LACK
OF DEMOCRACY.
THEY’RE UPSET AT THEIR TERRIBLE
ECONOMY.
THEY’RE UPSET AT THE CORRUPTION.
THEY’RE UPSET AT BEING LIED TO.
WE NEED TO STOP TALK ABOUT JUST
THE LEADERSHIP.
WE NEED TO START TALKING ABOUT
THE CHINESE PEOPLE.
THEY’VE BEEN PROTESTING
PERIODICALLY FOR FOUR DECADES,
TO DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT,
TIANANMEN, THE CHARTER ’08
PROTESTS, THOUSANDS OF PROTESTS
WE NEVER HEAR ABOUT.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THEM.