No end in sight for the trade war
Human rights become America’s secret weapon
And China makes threats to well, everyone!
That and more on this week’s China Uncensored.
This is China Uncensored.
I’m Chris Chappell.
This week’s China news headlines!
The US-China Trade War looks like it’s going to be a long one.
Earlier this week,
President Trump announced new tariffs on China.
And the Chinese regime responded by devaluing its currency.
So the US Treasury Department declared China a currency manipulator.
Which we all pretty much knew they were for years,
but hey, now it’s official.
And then the Chinese Communist Party responded
by calling the currency manipulator label totally wrong.
Which proves something I’ve believed for a long time—
the Communist Party honestly doesn’t know what wrong means.
It explains so much.
Chinese companies have also been ordered
to stop buying US agricultural products.
According to a trade advocacy group,
Trump’s tariffs have cost US businesses $3.4 billion dollars.
But according to US Treasury data,
over the past 12 months,
the US government has collected $63 billion dollars in tariffs.
About half of that is due to the increased tariffs on Chinese goods.
Meanwhile, a lot of Chinese companies are struggling.
They’ve have resorted to issuing
more than $200 billion dollars in I.O.U.s.
Wait...Where have I seen that before?
“What is this?
What is this?
Where’s all the money?”
“That’s as good as money, sir.
Those are I.O.U.s.”
Brilliant.
The Trump administration is going nuclear on human rights.
This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said,
“China is home to one of the worst human rights crises of our time.
It is truly the stain of the century.”
And I thought my roommate’s old couch had the stain of the century.
Vice President Mike Pence said the US is also considering
punishing Chinese officials for human rights abuses.
“Vice President Mike Pence has signaled that the Trump administration
is open to using the Global Magnitsky Act
to sanction top officials in Xinjiang, China.”
The Global Magnitsky Act is basically targeted sanctions.
Rather than hitting an entire country,
it targets specific officials involved in crimes.
It prevents them from traveling to the US,
seizes any property they own in the US,
and punishes companies and banks for doing business with them.
It basically cuts these officials off from the high end lifestyle
they typically enjoy in the Western world.
No more sipping Espresso Martinis in Miami.
Tragic.
Pence also met with representatives
of religious groups persecuted in China,
including Christian, Uighur Muslim,
and Falun Gong representatives.
In response, the Chinse Communist Party
couldn’t decide whether to condemn the meeting
or just pretend the persecuted groups didn’t exist.
Tough choices.
And late last week,
a Uighur man was detained in Qatar.
They were going to deport him back to China.
So he made an impassioned plea over social media.
“I need the world's help”
And after his story spread on social media,
he was put on a plane...
to the United States.
Yes, the US State Department rescued a Muslim refugee.
And confused a lot of Americans.
But if human rights aren’t enough of a weapon
against the Chinese Communist Party,
there’s always actual weapons.
The US has withdrawn from the INF treaty.
That’s the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
The reason, the State Department says,
is “the Russian Federation’s continuing violation of the treaty.”
Another reason is China.
According to the treaty,
the US couldn’t flight test or posses
intermediate-range ground launched missiles.
China never signed on to the INF treaty.
And guess what China has been building?
Now that the US is out of the INF treaty,
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has said the US plans to deploy
non-nuclear INF-range missiles in Asia,
“sooner rather than later.”
The Chinese Communist Party...is not pleased.
And has warned it will “not stand idly by.”
Which is fantastic!
The CIA already said a year ago we’re in Cold War 2
And now we have a right proper arms race going on!
You know what that means!
James Bond movies will be good again!
The real question is,
will she be a trigger-happy womanizer like the previous 007s?
But it’s not just US missiles China has to worry about.
Taiwan is developing a new supersonic cruise missile.
But from a certain point of view,
doesn’t that really just mean China is developing
a new supersonic cruise missile?
What’s that Shelley?
No?
Ok.
Taiwan is reportedly building 20 of the Yun Feng missiles
as well as 10 truck-based launchers.
This would give Taiwan the ability to hit
many of the Chinese military bases
that would potentially be involved in an assault on the island nation.
And even NATO is getting involved.
The Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg,
says NATO needs to address quote,
“the rise of China.”
Specifically how China is,
“Investing heavily in critical infrastructure in Europe,
[its] increased presence in the Arctic
and also increased presence in Africa,
and in cyberspace.”
Of course, the real question is whether NATO
will *actually* do anything.
Meanwhile, China is threatening India.
In a few months,
India will be starting trials for 5G systems in the country.
But the Indian government has yet to make it clear
whether or not they’ll let the Chinese telecom company Huawei join.
Countries around the world have been joining
the United States’ call to ban Huawei over national security concerns.
But it’s a good thing the Communist Party is so good at diplomacy.
They know just how to soothe any fears India may have.
With threats!
Chinese officials told the Indian ambassador in Beijing
that “there could be ‘reverse sanctions’ on Indian firms
engaged in business in China should India block Huawei.”
In other words, if India bans Huawei,
China will make Indian private businesses operating in China suffer.
Hopefully those companies then will pressure the Indian government
to put their short-term profits ahead of national security.
So clearly, things aren’t going well for China.
And now, even New Zealand is even getting upset.
The Chinese consulate in Auckland
praised a group of Chinese students at a New Zealand university f
or a demonstration of “spontaneous patriotism.”
See, students had put up a Lennon Wall
at the University of Auckland
to support Hong Kong protesters.
Of course, the Chinese consulate wasn’t referring to
the people who put up the Lennon Wall as “patriots.”
It was *these* guys who were the “patriots.”
Hong Kong is different from China.
Hong Kong is a part of China.
If you don’t like China, get out of China.
Hey hey hey
Hong Kong is a part of China, I tell you that.
Hey, you are not human.
F—ing stupid pig.
Back off!
Stop Fighting!
Security.
I’m...pretty sure she fell on purpose.
But it made international news, so good on her.
Of course, that didn’t stop mainland Chinese students
from allegedly wrecking the Lennon Wall.
The good news is, the New Zealand government
“has rebuked China over its recent comments
and actions where it sought to suppress freedom of speech
and voiced support for violent opposition
to Hong Kong protesters in New Zealand.”
Meanwhile in the Land Down Under, a Chinese student—
clearly *not* a patriot—
joined a local protest in support of Hong Kong protesters.
A few days later,
Chinese officials visited his parents in China.
And they warned them not to let the student
participate in any more protests.
So that his family could stay safe.
Also, his parents had to assure the officials
that their son was loyal to the Communist Party.
Which proves again that Chinese Communist Party influence
in liberal democracies is nothing to worry about!
Oh, and then masked men destroyed a Lennon Wall
at another university in Australia.
And with the destruction of that Lennon wall,
the Hong Kong protesters have been defeated.
Right.
By the way, school is starting soon.
And if you’re a university student,
why not set up your own Lennon Wall?
Be sure to take lots of pictures and video
of what happens and send it to me
on the China Uncensored facebook page,
or my twitter account, @chinauncensored.
And showing that the Communist Party is really losing its grip,
it has banned Chinese movies and actors
from going to one of the biggest movie award ceremonies in Asia—
because it’s in Taiwan.
And thus Taiwan fell,
and became a part of Mainland China once again.
Wow, such good strategies the Communist Party comes up with.
And that’s it for this week’s China news headlines!
And now it’s time for me to answer a question from one of you—
a fan who support China Uncensored
with a dollar or more per episode,
by contributing through Patreon.
Largezo asks,
“Do you think that the PRC will conduct a military intervention
in Hong Kong in the near future?”
Well, that is the question everyone is asking.
Certainly the Chinese Communist Party has been hinting about that.
And let’s not forget the PLA garrison in Hong Kong
making videos showing them fighting unarmed protesters.
But currently top Communist leaders
are at the annual Beidaihe meeting
And guess what?!
“Jiang Zemin, the 92-year-old former president
and a heavyweight among party elders,
is expected to attend the conclave this year.”
And if you’ve been watching the show,
you know Jiang Zemin is behind a faction
trying to undermine Xi Jinping.
And I’m sure he’d love for things go Tiananmen in Hong Kong.
Because that would be very bad for Xi Jinping.
But probably nothing concrete will happen until that meeting wraps.
And secretive Party meetings are so secretive
so who knows what will come out of it.
Thanks for your question.
And thanks to everyone watching!
We could not make this show without your support.
Whether it’s supporting us through Patreon
or just watching and sharing the show
with your friends and family.
So thank you from me
and everyone on the China Uncensored team.
Once again I’m Chris Chappell,
see you next time.