HANG SENG INDEX DOWN ALMOST 3%.
MEANWHILE, THE FALLOUT FROM THE
U.S. TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM AFTER
AFGHANISTAN, PRESIDENT BIDEN IS
SET TO SPEAK ABOUT TROOPS COMING
HOME TODAY AS NEARLY ALL TROOPS
HAVE NOW LEFT AFGHANISTAN.
BUT YOU NOW CHINA IS LOOKING TO
RAMP UP ITS INVOLVEMENT IN THE
COUNTRY AS A DIRECT LINE TO THE
RICH ASSETS OF THE MIDDLE EAST.
AFGHAN OFFICIALS HAVE REPORTEDLY
BECOME MORE ENGAGED WITH CHINESE
LEADERS ON AN INFRASTRUCTURE
DEAL.
JOINING ME NOW IS THE FORMER
TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR,
KT McFARLAND IS HERE.
ALWAYS A PLEASURE, THANKS VERY
MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
WHEN I SAW THE NEWS THAT CHINA
IS LOOKING TO PARTNER WITH
AFGHANISTAN, I THOUGHT OKAY,
HERE WE GO AGAIN WITH THE CCP
AND ITS EFFORTS TO OVERTAKE
AMERICA AS THE NUMBER ONE SUPER
POWER.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT IS TAKING
PLACE WITH REGARD TO
AFGHANISTAN, KT?
>> YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
I MEAN, THE CHINESE ALWAYS HAD
DESIGNS ON AFGHANISTAN BUT IT
WAS ALWAYS COMPLICATED TO DO
STUFF THERE.
NOW, AMERICA BUILT AN
INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFGHANISTAN
AND THE CHINESE ARE JUST GOING
TO COME RIGHT IN.
WHAT THEY’RE GOING TO DO IS TWO
THINGS, THEY’RE GOING TO GO
AFTER RARE EARTH MINERALS.
CHINA NEEDS A LOT OF THE RARE
EARTH MINERALS THAT AFGHANISTAN
HAS AND IT NEEDS THINGS FOR THE
TECH INDUSTRY.
THE SECOND THING IT’S GOING TO
DO, IT’S GOING TO CUT DEALS WITH
CORRUPT LEADERS IN AFGHANISTAN
FOR THEIR BELT ROAD INITIATIVE.
CHINA WANTS TO BUILD A GLOBAL
TRADING ROUTE.
THEY WOULD HAVE A LAND BASED
ROUTE CALLED THE BELT ROAD
INITIATIVE AND A MARITIME ROUTE
THROUGH THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.
AFTER A BEGAN STAN IS KEY TO THE
LAND BASED ROUTE.
THE CHINESE ARE MOVING IN.
THE CHINESE -- AND YOU SAID THIS
BEFORE, MARIA.
YOU’RE PERFECTLY SUITED TO
UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE YOU’RE A
BUSINESS WOMAN.
YOU’RE AN ECONOMIST DEEP DOWN
BEFORE YOU’RE AN EXPERT ON CHINA
AND OTHER THINGS.
YOU REALIZE THAT CHINA IT WANTS
TO DOMINATE THE WORLD NOT WITH
MILITARY POWER, NOT BY INVADING
PLACES.
THEY WANT TO DO IT WITH
TECHNOLOGY.
THEY WANT TO DO IT WITH TRADE
WAR AND ECONOMIC WAR AND THEY
PLAN TO DO IT IN INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS.
YOU SAW THAT WITH COVID AND THE
TAKEOVER OF THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION.
MARIA: THAT’S RIGHT.
THAT’S WHY EARLIER WHEN I WAS
TALKING WITH JONATHAN WARD I
RAISED THE ISSUE THAT THERE IS A
CHINESE-OWNED COMPANY CALLED
NEXTPERIA WHICH IS CONFIRMING IT
WILL ACQUIRE THE U.K.’S LARGEST
CHIP PLANT.
WE KNOW THAT SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS
ARE IN HIGH DEMAND, VERY
NECESSARY.
TAIWAN SEMI, PROBABLY THE
LEADERSHIP IN TERMS OF
SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS.
THEY WANT TO REUNITE TAIWAN.
BUT THEY WANT TO BEAT US
ECONOMICALLY YOU THROUGH
TECHNOLOGY.
IT’S VERY CONCERNING.
IS EUROPE WITH US IN
UNDERSTANDING THE THREAT OF
CHINA?
BECAUSE WHY WOULD THE U.K. SELL
THE SEMICONDUCTOR PLANT?
>> YEAH, THIS IS GOING TO BE THE
REAL PROBLEM.
UNITED STATES CAN’T STAND UP
ALONE AGAINST CHINA AND ALL
THESE OTHER NATIONS AND RUSSIA.
WE NEED PARTNERS IN THIS.
IF WE ARE GOING TO STAND UP AND
PROTECT OUR TECHNOLOGY, PROTECT
OUR DEMOCRACY, PROTECT OUR WAY
OF LIFE, WE NEED PARTNERS AND
THE NATIONAL -- NATURAL
PARTNER’S IN EUROPE.
THE GERMANS, HOWEVER, FOR
EXAMPLE, MOST POWERFUL IN
CONTINENTAL EUROPE.
THEY WANT TO TRADE WITH CHINA.
THEY WANT TO SELL CARS TO CHINA.
THEY DON’T WANT TO JOIN US IN
THIS.
THE BRITS MAY BE A CLOSER ALLY
EVEN THOUGH THE CHINESE ARE
TRYING TO ACQUIRE A BRITISH CHIP
COMPANY.
MAYBE THE PRIME MINISTER OF
GREAT BRITAIN STEPS IN.
I THINK OUR BETTER MOVE IN ALL
OF THIS IS TO LOOK TO ASIA FOR
ALLIES, IT’S TO LOOK TO JAPAN,
KOREA AND PARTICULARLY TO INDIA.
THAT’S THE MOVE.
MARIA: YEAH.
AND YOU KNOW THEY GET IT.
THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY HAS
BEEN BULLYING ITS NEIGHBORS IN
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND DURING
THE 2020 LOCKDOWN ACROSS THE
WORLD, THE CCP USED IT AS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO INVADE INDIA AND
FIGHT OVER THE HIM LAY YA
MOUNTAINS AND KILL 20 SOLDIERS
IN DOING SO.
I RECOGNIZE THE THREAT THAT THIS
IS.
I WANT TO MOVE TO RUSSIA.
PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID THAT HE,
QUOTE, WILL DELIVER A MESSAGE TO
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN
IN REGARDS TO THE LATEST MAJOR
CYBER ATTACK AGAINST U.S.
COMPANIES LIKELY CAUSED BY A
RUSSIAN BASED GROUP, THIS AFTER
BIDEN DELIVERED A SERIES OF RED
LINES FOR THE RUSSIAN LEADER
LAST MONTH IN GENEVA, THAT’S
WHAT HE SAYS HE DID, KT.
BUT AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED,
THERE’S BEEN THE BIGGEST WINNER
OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS
BEEN VLADIMIR PUTIN.
LOOK AT THE PRICE OF OIL, KT.
IT WAS IN THE 30s AND NOW
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT OIL IN THE
70s.
PUTIN HAS BEEN A HUGE
BENEFICIARY OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION.
HAS IT BEEN ALL TALK OUT OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION AND NO ACTION, IN
YOUR VIEW?
>> YEAH, I MEAN, IT’S ALL TALK.
IT’S EVEN WORSE.
IT HAS BEEN ACTION BUT IN THE
OTHER DIRECTION.
BY SHUTTING DOWN THE AMERICAN
ENERGY INDUSTRY, WHAT HAS
PRESIDENT BIDEN DONE, HE’S
PUSHED UP THE PRICE OFISM IT
HURT THE AMERICAN ECONOMY, IT’S
A WIND FALL FOR THE RUSSIAN
ECONOMY.
THE SECOND THING HE’S DONE BY
ALLOWING A PIPELINE BETWEEN
RUSSIA AND GERMANY IT’S ANOTHER
WIND FALL FOR THE RUSSIAN
ECONOMY BECAUSE RUSSIA EXPORTS
ENERGY.
HE’S HELPING THE RUSSIAN
ECONOMY.
BY GIVING VLADIMIR PUTIN A LIST
OF THE COMPANIES, DON’T YOU DARE
HACK THEM, WITH NOTHING TO
SUPPORT IT AND BACK IT UP, IT’S
LIKE -- YOU KNOW, IT’S LIKE
ALMOST INVITING PUTIN TO TAKE
THAT HIT.
WHEN I WENT TO THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION AND WALKED INTO
THE WHITE HOUSE, GOT ALL MY
BRIEFINGS ON CYBER, I WAS
STUNNED TO FIND OUT WE HAD VERY
LITTLE OFFENSIVE CYBER
CAPABILITY, VERY LITTLE ABILITY
TO DETER CYBER ATTACKS.
MARIA: THAT’S VERY DANGEROUS
AND VERY SCARY.
KT, REAL QUICK BEFORE YOU GO.
I THINK YOU WERE SPIED ON.
WE HAD TUCKER CARLSON ON
YESTERDAY AND HE WENT THROUGH
THE EFFORTS BY THE NSA TO SPY ON
HIM AND A HIS TEAM.
WE NOW KNOW THAT THEY DID IN
FACT READ HIS ELECTRONIC
COMMUNICATIONS.
THEY REFUSED TO FLAT-OUT DENY
IT.
DOES THAT RESONATE WITH YOU?
>> YES, SURE.
AND THE NSA ISSUED A STATEMENT
SAYING TUCKER CARLSON IS NOT A
TARGET OF OUR INVESTIGATION.
WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT
OF OTHER CATEGORIES THAT YOU
COULD USE, OTHER THAN THAT.
AND REALLY WHEN THAT PUT THAT AT
THE SAMESTATEMENT OUT, THAT CONF
ME IN FACT THEY WERE LOOKING AT
TUCKER CARLSON’S COMMUNICATIONS,
THEY WERE LOOKING AT MY
COMMUNICATIONS DURING THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
THEY WERE LOOKING AT
EVERYBODY’S, THIS IS AN
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY I THINK
THAT’S GOTTEN WAY OUT OF
CONTROL.
MARIA: IT’S JUST INCREDIBLE THE
WAY AN ADMINISTRATION CAN USE
CONTINUE TELL JENS AGENCY AS --
USE THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY AS
POLITICAL WEAPONS AGAINST
POLITICAL ENEMIES.
IT CONTINUES TODAY.