Yeah.
DAGEN: BREAKING NEWS OVERNIGHT,
CHINESE RETALIATION, BEIJING
SHUTTING DOWN THE U.S. CONSOLATE
GENERAL IN CHENGDU PROVINCE IN
WESTERN CHINA, THIS COMES AFTER
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FORCED
THE CLOSURE OF CHINA’S CONSOLATE
IN HOUSTON WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO
HAPPEN BY 4:00 P.M. TODAY.
SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO
CALLING ON AMERICAN ALLIES AND
THE CHINESE PEOPLE TO RISE UP
AGAINST BEIJING AND, QUOTE, MORE
CREATIVE AND ASSERTIVE WAYS IN A
SPEECH YESTERDAY.
>> WE ANNOUNCE THE CLOSURE OF
THE CHINESE CONSOLATE IN HOUSTON
BECAUSE THEY WERE SPYING.
EVERY LEVEL, ALL ACROSS THE
WORLD, SIMPLY DEMAND FAIRNESS
AND RECIPROCITY.
OUR FOCUS CAN’T JUST BE ON
GETTING TOUGH.
WE MUST ALSO ENGAGE AND EMPOWER
CHINESE PEOPLE AND FREEDOM
LOVING PEOPLE.
DAGEN: JOINING ME NOW, AMERICAN
ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE RESEARCH
FELLOW, ZACH COOPER.
LISTENING TO THE SECRETARY OF
STATE’S WORDS, IS THIS A
POSSIBILITY?
>> WELL, I THINK IT’S UNLIKELY
THAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS GOING
TO CHANGE THE COMMUNIST PARTY’S
PATH AT THE MOMENT.
XI JINPING APPEARS JUST
DETERMINED TO PUSH ON EVERY
FRONT, INTERNATIONALLY, ALMOST
EVERY BORDER ISSUE THAT CHINA
HAS HAS SPRUNG UP OVER THE LAST
FEW MONTHS AND THEY’VE EVEN BEEN PUSHING FURTHER INTO AUSTRALIA
PUSHING FURTHER INTO AUSTRALIA
AND EUROPE WITH COERSIVE
PRACTICES DP.
DAGEN: WHAT DO YOU THINK
HAPPENS WITH THE ESCALATION
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA.
THE HOUSTON CONSOLATE FOR CHINA
IS CLOSED AND THEY RETALIATE.
HOW DANGEROUS IS THE
TIT-FOR-TAT, EVEN THOUGH
OBVIOUSLY JUSTIFIED IN THE
UNITED STATES, YOU’RE STEALING
SECRETS, STEALING INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY, THE U.S. IS NOT GOING
TO STAND BY AND LET IT CONTINUE
TO HAPPEN.
>> MANY IN TEXAS HAVE BEEN
WORRIED ABOUT CHINESE
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THEFT FOR
YEARS.
IT HAS BEEN A HUB OF CONCERN.
SO I THINK IT’S NOT SURPRISING
THAT HOUSTON WAS THE TARGET OUT
OF ALL OF THE CHINESE
CONSOLATES.
I’M SURPRISED THE ADMINISTRATION
WENT AS FAR AS THEY DID AND
CLOSED IT DOWN.
WE’LL SEE WHAT THE CHINESE DO BY
THE END OF THE DAY.
THEY HAVEN’T PROMISED THEY’LL
ACTUALLY CLOSE DOWN THE
CONSOLATE.
I THINK THE CHINESE OVERNIGHT
MOVED TO SORT OF DEESCALATE THE
SITUATION A LITTLE BIT CLOSING
DOWN CHENGDU.
THEY COULD HAVE CHOSEN ANOTHER
U.S. CONSOLATE IN CHINA THAT
DOES MORE BUSINESS, THAT DOES
MORE THAN JUST VISA STAMPING.
THIS WAS A DEESCALATION ON THEIR
PART, I THINK.
AN EFFORT NOT TO SEE THIS
ACTUALLY SPIRAL FURTHER OUT OF
CONTROL.
DAGEN: MIKE LEE?
>> HI, ZACH.
HOW CLOSE DO YOU THINK THE U.S.
IS TO TAKING AGGRESSIVE ACTION
AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNIST
PARTY, SUCH AS ASSET SEIZURES
AND SANCTIONS AGAINST INDIVIDUAL
MEMBERS THAT ARE ACTIVE IN THE
UNITED STATES?
>> I THINK WE’RE GETTING THERE
PRETTY QUICKLY.
WE’VE ALREADY SEEN THESE THREATS
OVER HONG KONG.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF STEPS THAT
WOULD PROMPT ACTION MANY ONE
WOULD BE A REAL CRACKDOWN IN
HONG KONG USING SUBSTANTIAL
FORCE AGAINST PROTESTERS.
THAT’S CERTAINLY NOT OUT OF THE
QUESTION.
AND WE’VE ALREADY SEEN THEM GO
AFTER BUREAU MEMBERS.
THE ADMINISTRATION IS TAKING THE
GLOVES OFF HERE, THEY’RE WILLING
TO GO AFTER COMMUNIST PARTY
SENIOR MEMBERS, AFTER THEIR
FAMILIES I THINK IN SOME CASES
AND CERTAINLY AFTER THEIR TRAVEL
ABILITY AND THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS.
SO YEAH, THIS IS JUST A REAL
STEP CHANGE.
WE’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE
THIS CERTAINLY OVER THE LAST 50
YEARS.
DAGEN: ON THAT NOTE, BEFORE WE
GO, I’LL POINT OUT THAT THERE’S
THE NEWS THAT THE CHINESE TYCOON
WHO IS A COMMUNIST PARTY INSIDER
REN ZEQUON, HE WAS EXPELLED
FROM THE PARTY AFTER PUBLISHING
AN ESSAY THAT TARGETED THE
CHINESE LEADER XI JINPING AND
PROSECUTORS ARE PREPARING
CORRUPTION CHARGES AGAINST HIM.
SO IT’S CERTAINLY SENDING A
CHILL THROUGH THE RANKS OF THE
WEALTHY AND THE ELITE IN
BEIJING.
>> YES, XI JINPING HAS USED
THIS CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN TO GO
AFTER HIS INTERNAL OPPONENTS,
WHETHER THEY’VE BEEN
PARTICULARLY CORRUPT OR NOT.
AND SO I THINK THIS CORRUPTION
CAMPAIGN IS GOING TO CONTINUE.
WE’RE JUST GOING TO SEE IT
ACCELERATE IF ANYTHING.