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How Chinese Operatives Are Laundering Mexican Drug Money In Broad Daylight

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Mexican drug cartels are partnering with Chinese money laundering networks to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars in drug proceeds to Chinese nationals in the United States, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

The Sinaloa Cartel — formerly headed by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán — is allegedly working with Chinese groups based in the U.S. to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars in cartel cash through American banks and ultimately into the hands of Chinese nationals living in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The scheme often begins in Mexico, where cartels make billions of dollars selling cheap drugs into the United States.

Chinese nationals in the U.S. travel to Mexico to pick up large amounts of cash directly from the cartels. They then deposit the cash into a network of accounts held at major American banks before selling it to wealthy Chinese clients who pay using Chinese yuan, according to the Journal. The money laundering groups then purchase low-cost goods from China, which are shipped to Mexico, and sold under the cover of legitimate trade. The proceeds — in pesos — are returned to the cartels.

Chinese laundering groups in the U.S. have grown in prominence in recent years, partly due to financial restrictions imposed by the Chinese government, added the Journal’s report. Beijing prohibits individuals from moving more than $50,000 out of the country in foreign currency, and many wealthy Chinese nationals also face sanctions, creating strong incentives to bypass legal channels. To purchase homes in America or pay for their child’s tuition at an American university, wealthy Chinese buyers have to find cash somewhere else. (Read more from “How Chinese Operatives Are Laundering Mexican Drug Money In Broad Daylight” HERE)

Dow Jumps Nearly 1,000 and S&P 500 Climbs 2.6% Following a 90-Day Truce in the US-China Trade War

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U.S. stocks are leaping Monday after China and the United States announced a 90-day truce in their trade war. They agreed to take down most of their tariffs that economists warned could start a recession and create shortages on U.S. store shelves.

The S&P 500 was 2.6% higher in early trading and back within 5.5% of its all-time high set in February. Since falling nearly 20% below that mark last month, the index has been roaring higher on hopes that President Donald Trump will lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries. The index, which sits at the heart of many 401(k) accounts, is back above where it was on April 2, Trump’s “Liberation Day,” when he announced stiff worldwide tariffs that caused worries to spike about a potentially self-inflicted recession. . .

It wasn’t just stocks surging following what one analyst called a “best case scenario” for US-China tariff talks. Crude oil prices jumped more than 3% because a global economy less weakened by tariffs would be hungrier for fuel. The value of the dollar climbed against everything from the euro to the Japanese yen to the Swiss franc. And Treasury yields jumped on expectations that the Federal Reserve won’t have to cut interest rates so deeply this year in order to protect the economy from the damage of tariffs. (Read more from “Dow Jumps Nearly 1,000 and S&P 500 Climbs 2.6% Following a 90-Day Truce in the US-China Trade War” HERE)

White House Says Trade Deal Struck With China

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The White House announced Sunday that the United States had reached a trade deal with China but said details wouldn’t be released until Monday.

The breakthrough was announced after two days of talks between U.S. and Chinese negotiators in Geneva.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer emerged from the talks saying “substantial progress” had been made toward de-escalating an all-out trade war between the two economic superpowers.

“The United States has a massive $1.2 billion trade deficit. So the president declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs,” Mr. Greer said. “We are confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to work toward resolving that national emergency.”

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng told reporters that negotiators had agreed to establish a “trade consultation mechanism.” He said the two sides “have taken important steps to resolve differences through equal dialogue and consultation,” according to state news agency Xinhua. (Read more from “White House Says Trade Deal Struck With China” HERE)

Inside China’s Massive Tariff-Dodging Scheme That Kills Its Competition

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In 2016, the U.S.-China trade war forced Beijing to negotiate. Tariffs crippled Chinese factories, major U.S. retailers like Walmart and Costco halted orders, and container shipments stalled. China conceded. But in 2025, when the U.S. imposed a 145 percent tariff expecting similar results, Beijing didn’t flinch. There was no panic, no economic distress, no concessions. Why? Because China had a secret card this time.

Over the past decade, China has built a decentralized export machine: more than 1 million cross-border e-commerce companies shipping directly to U.S. consumers via platforms like Amazon, Temu, and Shein. This army bypasses traditional retail channels, pays no income taxes, evades tariffs, and undercuts American businesses. Here’s how they do it — and why tariffs alone can’t stop them.

How They Game the System

Unlike in 2016, Chinese sellers no longer rely on U.S. retailers’ purchase orders. They ship container loads of goods directly to consumers, systematically undervaluing them on customs declarations.

Chinese e-commerce companies exploit U.S. customs through sophisticated tactics centered on non-resident importer (NRI) structures and delivered duty paid (DDP) clearance. These methods, often facilitated by logistics firms and customs brokers, shield sellers’ identities and minimize duties.

Here’s how it works: Brokers register NRI entities and post bonds for Chinese sellers, clearing goods and delivering them to Amazon fulfillment warehouses. They declare low container values to avoid scrutiny and sometimes misclassify goods as other items to secure a lower tariff rate. Many brokers are Amazon-affiliated (SPN, Send, Ship Track). Platforms like AMZ123.com list hundreds of such providers. Large sellers register multiple NRIs, splitting shipments among them. If one NRI is flagged, only that bond is lost — a minor business expense. (Read more from “Inside China’s Massive Tariff-Dodging Scheme That Kills Its Competition” HERE)

Cardinal Tarnished by Secret Chinese Pact Emerges as Front-Runner for Pope

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An Italian cardinal once tainted by a secret deal with China over the appointment of Catholic bishops has emerged as the favorite to be elected pope.

Pietro Parolin, 70, is a seasoned diplomat who served under Pope Francis as secretary of state – effectively the prime minister of the Vatican City State.

The odds of him being elected as the successor to the late pope when 133 cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday at the start of the conclave are now at 9/4, according to British bookmaker William Hill. . .

Catholics in China are split into two camps – those who are members of an underground church that is loyal to Rome and the pope, and those who belong to a state-sanctioned church that refuses to accept the authority of the pontiff.

Under the deal, struck in 2018 and since renewed several times, Chinese officials were given some input into bishops who are appointed by the Vatican. Critics said the agreement sold out those Catholics who are loyal to Rome and represented a capitulation to Beijing. (Read more from “Cardinal Tarnished by Secret Chinese Pact Emerges as Front-Runner for Pope” HERE)

‘What the Machine Uprising Might Look Like’: Video Shows Robot ‘Going Berserk’

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A video has appeared online of a malfunction of a robot at a China factory.

“Malfunction,” however, might not be the most accurate term.

“This is what the machine uprising might look like: a video is going viral online showing a robot going berserk during testing,” explained NEXTA, a large Eastern European media concern, which posted the video.

One response on social media tried to explain it away: “Clearly unbalanced, then tried using algorithms to rebalance, but the algorithms were not tuned which led to wild oscillations, furthering the imbalance. This is ‘not’ an “attack.”

That might not be reassuring to two workers, near the robot when it powered up, who then jumped out of reach of the flaying robot arms, then circled around to try to stabilize the stand to which robot was attached.

The robot has become so violent it was moving the stand across the floor. (Read more from “‘What the Machine Uprising Might Look Like’: Video Shows Robot ‘Going Berserk’” HERE)

Tough-Talking China Could Be Opening the Door to Tariff Talks

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China may be warming to the possibility of holding talks with the U.S. on tariffs, following a statement from the Chinese Commerce Ministry on Friday.

“The U.S. has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China,” the ministry statement translated by Reuters said, adding that Beijing was “evaluating this.”

What observers are calling a “shift in tone” may present an off ramp for the world’s two largest economies to avoid an ongoing trade war that has impacted markets worldwide.

However, the ministry also warned that “attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in coercion and extortion would not work.”

President Donald Trump’s decision to single Beijing out for import duties of 145 percent comes at a particularly difficult time for China, which is struggling with deflation due to sluggish economic growth and a prolonged property crisis, analysts say. (Read more from “Tough-Talking China Could Be Opening the Door to Tariff Talks” HERE)

Chinese Official Reportedly Seeking Talks With Trump on Fentanyl Ingredients Amid Trade War

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A top Chinese government official is asking what the Trump administration wants the communist nation to do about chemicals used to make fentanyl amid an ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Wang Xiaohong, China’s minister of public security, has been making inquiries about what Trump wants China to do about the fentanyl issue over the last few days, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Chinese companies produce precursors, large quantities of chemicals that eventually flow to Mexican drug cartels, which then make fentanyl and smuggle it into the United States.

Beijing could possibly have Wang meet with senior Trump administration officials in a neutral country, the newspaper reported.

Trump has tried to persuade China, Mexico and Canada to do more to combat the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. (Read more from “Chinese Official Reportedly Seeking Talks With Trump on Fentanyl Ingredients Amid Trade War” HERE)

China Makes Stunning Accusation About Which Country Should Be Blamed for COVID Outbreak

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China pointed its finger at the United States for originating COVID-19 on Wednesday, claiming America was attempting to “shift the blame” after President Trump declared the deadly disease was leaked from a Wuhan lab.

The communist regime argued that “substantial evidence” suggested that COVID might have come from the US earlier than the outbreak in China while insisting the lab leak theory was “extremely unlikely” in a white paper.

“The US government, instead of facing squarely its failure in response to Covid-19 and reflecting on its shortcomings, has tried to shift the blame and divert people’s attention by shamelessly politicizing SARS-CoV-2 origins tracing,” Chinese officials complained.

The report also claimed COVID-19 was circulating around the US earlier than it was officially determined.

The Chinese accusations come after the White House revamped its COVID-19 information earlier this month to push out the assertion that COVID-19 leaked out of a lab in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. (Read more from “China Makes Stunning Accusation About Which Country Should Be Blamed for COVID Outbreak” HERE)

Amazon Hides Origin Of Chinese Knockoffs While Considering Tariff Labels

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For a while on Tuesday, it sounded like Amazon planned to list tariff “import charges” for its products, so shoppers could see a connection between the Trump administration and price increases. If Amazon did that, the administration would consider it a “hostile and political” move, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday morning while speaking with reporters. But the import charge did not play well, and by midday Amazon had distanced itself from the idea.

“The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen.” An Amazon media wrangler pointed The Federalist to this statement and answered no other questions.

But there were other questions. For example, why does Amazon sometimes conceal the country of origin for its products? And will the company make it easier for consumers to find the country of origin?

Everything is made somewhere, but Amazon only sometimes lists the country of origin for shoppers using a computer, and apparently not at all on the phone app.

When the country of origin is missing, Amazon usually names the manufacturer. (Read more from “Amazon Hides Origin Of Chinese Knockoffs While Considering Tariff Labels” HERE)

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