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Blow to China’s Military Plans After New Nuclear Submarine ‘Sinks’

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China’s newest nuclear attack submarine has sunk in a shipyard accident, in a setback to the country’s attempts to overtake the United States in a naval arms race, according to US officials.

The sinking of the first of a new Zhou-class of nuclear-powered submarines triggered a scramble for Beijing to cover up the incident, officials told The Wall Street Journal.

The newly built vessel, which features a distinctive X-shaped stern, was sighted on satellite images alongside a pier at Wuchang Shipyard as it was being equipped for sea in late May.

It is claimed to have sunk later that month or in early June. Suspicion was said to have been raised when floating cranes were seen at the site soon afterwards.

Brent Sadler, a former submarine officer at Washington’s Heritage Foundation think tank, said: “The sinking of a new nuclear sub that was produced at a new yard will slow China’s plans to grow its nuclear submarine fleet. This is significant.” (Read more from “Blow to China’s Military Plans After New Nuclear Submarine ‘Sinks’ HERE)

An American Pastor Held in a Chinese Jail for Nearly Two Decades Is Finally Home

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A pastor who the United States says was wrongfully detained in a Chinese prison for nearly two decades has been released, according to the State Department, ending a case that the Biden administration said was a top priority in efforts to stabilize relations with Beijing.

David Lin, 68, was detained in China in 2006 after helping to construct an unapproved church building. He was later sentenced to life in prison for contract fraud, a charge he denied.

Lin was one of three Americans deemed by the US State Department to have been wrongfully detained in China. Businessmen Kai Li and Mark Swidan are still held behind bars, on espionage and drug-related charges respectively.

“We welcome David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China,” a spokesperson for the US State Department said in a statement Sunday. (Read more from “An American Pastor Held in a Chinese Jail for Nearly Two Decades Is Finally Home” HERE)

China Able to Spy on US With Intelligence-Gathering Devices on Seaport Cranes, House Report Finds

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A Chinese company installed intelligence gathering equipment on cranes used at seaports across the US that could allow Beijing to spy on Americans and cripple key infrastructure, according to a new congressional report.

The Republican majorities on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and House Homeland Security Committee found that the Shanghai-based, state-owned ZPMC engineering company had pressured American port authorities to allow remote access to its cranes, “with a particular focus on those located on the West Coast.”

“If granted, this access could potentially be extended to other [People’s Republican of China] government entities, posing a significant risk due to the PRC’s national security laws that mandate cooperation with state intelligence agencies,” adds the report, the outcome of a yearlong investigation.

The devices found attached to the cranes include cellular modems that were “not requested by US ports or included in contracts … [and] constitute a significant backdoor security vulnerability that undermines the integrity of port operations,” the report said.

“These unknown modems were believed to be installed under the auspices of collecting usage data for the equipment,” the report said, citing contract documents and statements from port operators. “These modems – although not necessary for the operation of the cranes – created an obscure method to collect information, and bypass firewalls in a manner that could potentially disrupt port operations.” (Read more from “China Able to Spy on US With Intelligence-Gathering Devices on Seaport Cranes, House Report Finds” HERE)

China Halts Foreign Adoption of Children Amid Demographic Crisis

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The Chinese government on Friday announced that it will no longer allow foreign families to adopt Chinese children, ending a program that has found homes overseas for more than 160,000 children since 1992. While Beijing refused to clearly explain its decision, most observers suspected it was a response to declining birth rates in China.

The cutoff of foreign adoptions was so abrupt that families with pending cases had no idea if their adoptions would go forward. When the U.S. State Department sought clarification, Chinese officials said they “will not continue to process cases at any stage.”

“We understand there are hundreds of families still pending completion of their adoption, and we sympathize with their situation,” the State Department said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry mumbled something about bringing foreign adoptions into line with “the spirit of relevant international conventions.”

This might have been a vague reference to Denmark and the Netherlands saying earlier this year that they will no longer allow overseas adoptions. Both of those decisions were prompted by bureaucratic irregularities and allegations of fraudulent paperwork, after a sharp decline in foreign adoptions during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. (Read more from “China Halts Foreign Adoption of Children Amid Demographic Crisis” HERE)

Look Who’s Using Social Media to Impersonate American Voters and Spread Divisive Narratives

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A new report has found Chinese operatives are using social media platforms to impersonate American voters and spread divisive narratives about issues in the U.S., particularly social issues, and political conversations around the 2024 presidential election.

Graphika, a company that analyzes online social media behaviors, published their report titled “The #Americans” Tuesday, detailing how Spamouflage – a Chinese state-linked influence operation – has become increasingly aggressive on social media platforms, using personas disguised as Americans to sew divisive narratives.

Spamouflage is an influence operation first monitored by Graphika in 2019. Active on over 40 online platforms, it uses inauthentic accounts to promote pro-China and anti-Western narratives. Graphika determined the origins of the operation are linked to the Chinese government.

Graphika’s ATLAS intelligence reporting, which analyzes real-time intelligence and data, identified over a dozen accounts claiming to be American citizens, fifteen Spamouflage accounts were found on X, while one account was found on TikTok.

These accounts all claim to be American citizens, and have been found to be sowing doubt in the U.S. electoral process, while also targeting social issues like gun control, racial inequality, and the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Analysts state much of the content was likely generated through the use of artificial intelligence. (Read more from “Look Who’s Using Social Media to Impersonate American Voters and Spread Divisive Narratives” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Bombshell Indictment: Top New York Democrat Aide Worked as Agent of Influence for China, Communist Party

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A former top aide to New York Govs. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Kathy Hochul (D) used her high-ranking position in the state’s government to peddle influence for China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while profiting millions in the process, an unsealed federal indictment alleges.

On Tuesday, federal prosecutors unsealed the indictment against 41-year-old Linda Sun, born in China and a naturalized American citizen, and her husband, 40-year-old Chris Hu. The indictment charges the couple with operating a money laundering and bank fraud scheme thanks in part to Sun’s allegedly acting as an agent of influence for China while working in Cuomo and Hochul’s administrations.

The couple were arrested and arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday.

The 64-page indictment is far-reaching, detailing Sun’s alleged work as an agent for China and her husband’s subsequent illegal business dealings in China. In particular, the indictment lays out how Sun allegedly acted on behalf of the CCP while working for Cuomo, who is called “Politician-1,” and Hochul, who is called “Politician-2.” The indictment states:

The defendant LINDA SUN acted at the order, direction, or request of representatives of the [People’s Republic of China (PRC)] government and the CCP to engage in political activities intended to influence the public, including the [New York State (NYS)] government, with respect to the political or public interests of the PRC government and the CCP. (Read more from “Bombshell Indictment: Top New York Democrat Aide Worked as Agent of Influence for China, Communist Party” HERE)

Look Who’s Stirring up Trouble Between Russia and China

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Taiwan’s president is stirring up trouble between allies Russia and China, after he stated on Taiwanese media that China should take back land from Russia if Beijing truly believes Taiwan being in China’s control is about territorial integrity, according to the Straits Times.

During the Quing dynasty, China’s last royal dynasty, China signed the Treaty of Aigun in 1858 which turned over a huge swath of land to Russia – a treaty modern-day China has referred to as “unequal.”

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, who has been labeled a “separatist” by China, mentioned this tidbit during his interview, and dismissed China’s claim it wants control of Taiwan because of “territorial integrity.”

“China’s intention to attack and annex Taiwan is not because of what any one person or political party in Taiwan says or does. It is not for the sake of territorial integrity that China wants to annex Taiwan … If it is for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t it take back the lands occupied by Russia that were signed over in the Treaty of Aigun? Russia is now at its weakest right?” Lai said.

Lai said the intentions of China are clear, it wants to change the international order and establish a hegemony.

(Read more from “Look Who’s Stirring up Trouble Between Russia and China” HERE)

WATCH: China on Verge of Starting a War With Its Neighbors, Including U.S. Allies

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The People’s Republic of China is on the verge of starting a war with its neighbors, and by extension the U.S., as it increases its aggression in a series of situations, close calls, over the past week.

The U.S. Naval Institute reported Monday that China violated Japanese airspace after it flew a Y-9 electronic intelligence aircraft over the Danjo Islands in the East China Sea, which is part of Japan’s territorial waters.

Japanese officials stated in response to the violation, Self-Defense Forces launched two fighter jets from its Western Air Command, and issued notices and warnings, and further released a protest against the airspace violation.

Japan’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Masataka Okano, summoned the Chinese ambassador to the Foreign Affairs of Japan, strongly urging the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prevent any further recurrences.

According to Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies’ 2024 China Security Report, China viewed the U.S. as a threat to its Chinese Communist Party after the Cold War, however, China avoided confrontation and instead worked on promoting cooperation between the two nations. (Read more from “WATCH: China on Verge of Starting a War With Its Neighbors, Including U.S. Allies” HERE)

China Poised to Cut Off U.S. Military From Key Mineral as America’s Own Reserves Lay Buried Under Red Tape

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China is planning to restrict exports of a key mineral needed to make weapons while a U.S. company that could be reducing America’s reliance on foreign suppliers is languishing in red tape, energy experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Chinese government announced on August 15 that it will restrict exports of antimony, a critical mineral that dominates the production of weapons globally and is essential for producing equipment like munitions, night vision goggles and bullets that are essential to national security, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Perpetua Resources, an American mining company, has been navigating red tape for years to develop a mine in Valley County, Idaho, that could decrease reliance on the Chinese supply of antimony, but the slow permitting process is getting in the way, energy experts told the DCNF.

It can take years to secure all the necessary approvals and permits to develop a mine like the one Perpetua Resources is trying to operate. One of the key permitting laws in place is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which also applies to federal land management actions and the construction of certain public infrastructure projects like highways.

“After six years of planning and early engagement, we began the [NEPA] permitting process in 2016. We are now eight years into NEPA,” a Perpetua Resources spokesperson told the DCNF. The company is hoping to extract antimony from the largest known deposit in the U.S., and Perpetua Resources’ development could also produce millions of ounces of gold as well. (Read more from “China Poised to Cut Off U.S. Military From Key Mineral as America’s Own Reserves Lay Buried Under Red Tape” HERE)

Tim Walz Taught at China’s State-Run Macau Polytechnic University Until at Least 2007

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Tim Walz lectured on international relations at a state-run university in China and made dozens of trips to the Communist country — many of them now under scrutiny a week after he was chosen as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.

US Congressman Jim Banks of Indiana is demanding the Pentagon investigate whether the Minnesota governor complied with foreign travel reporting requirements “for his security clearance during his many trips,” some of which took place while he was a senior ranking member of his state’s Army National Guard.

In a letter to the Pentagon Tuesday, Republican Banks called the situation “an obvious security risk.”

Walz was a visiting fellow at the CCP-sanctioned Macau Polytechnic University until at least 2007, according to public filings and press reports. The school was established in 1981 and subscribes to the vision of China’s Belt and Road Initiative — a massive infrastructure program that is the cornerstone of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s aggressive pursuit of influence overseas.

“We do this in alignment with China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” reads a statement from Marcus Im Sio Kei, the rector of the Macau Polytechnic University, on the school’s website. “We are committed to cultivate talented individuals to serve the country and Macau.” (Read more from “Tim Walz Taught at China’s State-Run Macau Polytechnic University Until at Least 2007” HERE)