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National Intelligence: Unmatched ‘National Security Threat’ Posed by China Includes Election Interference

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China poses a greater national security challenge to the United States than any other country, including when it comes to possible election interference, according to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe.

With the Nov. 3 presidential election fast approaching, a senior U.S. counterintelligence official warned earlier this month that Russia is actively trying to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. That same statement also said China “prefers” President Trump not win reelection and that Beijing views him as being more “unpredictable.” That counterintelligence official said China is “expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020” but seemed to describe China’s efforts as being mostly rhetorical in nature.

But in a statement given to the Washington Examiner, Ratcliffe, a former Texas Republican congressman who has overseen the nation’s 17 intelligence agencies since May, amplified the sense of urgency felt by the Trump administration to counter the broad reach of the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to disrupt an unfavorable status quo.

“China poses a greater national security threat to the U.S. than any other nation — economically, militarily and technologically,” Ratcliffe said. “That includes threats of election influence and interference.”

He said China is “concerned” that Trump being reelected would “lead to a continuation of policies that they perceive to be ‘anti-China.'” Ratcliffe did not mention how Biden, a former vice president, is viewed in Beijing as an alternative U.S. leader. (Read more from “National Intelligence: Unmatched ‘National Security Threat’ Posed by China Includes Election Interference” HERE)

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China Suppresses Catholics Under COVID-19 Cover

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Hundreds of underground Catholics in mainland China were stopped from celebrating the Feast of the Assumption on Aug. 15 in the latest example of communists suppressing Christians under cover of Covid-19.

Although most public places, including movie halls, remain open, churches are yet to function in most parts of China. The Marian feast is a day of obligation for Catholics when they are required to take part in Eucharistic liturgy.

Traditionally, the Feast of the Assumption is considered one of the major Catholic celebrations in China along with Christmas and Easter, when hundreds gather in their parish churches for solemn liturgical celebrations and exchange greetings.

However, this year most churches of the underground communities in Shenyang, Liaoning province, were closed. Officials presented it as a step to avoid large gatherings to check the spread of Covid-19.

A few churches were opened but police beefed up patrols to restrict the number of people gathering in them, local Catholics told UCA News. (Read more from “China Suppresses Catholics Under COVID-19 Cover” HERE)

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Ominous Signs: Where Have China’s Submarines Gone?; China Says Latest U.S. Sailing Near Taiwan ‘Extremely Dangerous’

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By The Drive. China’s massive Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island is one of the greatest strategic interests in the region. It is home to China’s nuclear ballistic missile submarine fleet—the backbone of its second-strike deterrent—as well as other submarines. It sits at the northern edge of the highly contentious South China Sea. To its east is the gateway to the open Pacific and Taiwan. The most intriguing feature of this facility is the mysterious submarine cave built into the side of a mountain that dominates the southern end of the installation. Although I have seen satellite images of the roadway barges removed from the opening, we have never seen one with a submarine actually using it, until now. . .

It isn’t clear exactly what type of submarine is seen in the image, but our best guess would be a Shang class/Type 093 nuclear attack submarine. The type seen is really beside the point, what’s important is that we finally get to see this James Bond-esque feature in action.

As for where all the other submarines are, we have no clue. Tensions are exceedingly high in the region and the U.S. has massively upped its presence there. Meanwhile, Taiwan has gone on elevated alert as China executes war games nearby. While some of those drills could and likely do involve submarines based at Yalin, it’s also possible that others have moved inside the mountain, as well. Why exactly remains unclear. (Read more from “Ominous Signs: Where Have China’s Submarines Gone?” HERE)

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China Says Latest U.S. Sailing Near Taiwan ‘Extremely Dangerous’

By US News & World Report. China’s military said on Wednesday the latest U.S. navy sailing near Chinese-claimed Taiwan was “extremely dangerous” and stirring up such trouble was in neither country’s interests.

The U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin sailed through the narrow and sensitive Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the U.S. navy said, in what have become relatively routine trips in recent months, though they always anger China.

The Eastern Theatre Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army said its air and naval forces followed and monitored the U.S. ship throughout its voyage.

“Any words or deeds that … cause trouble in the Taiwan Strait are not in line with the fundamental interests of China and the United States, harm the well-being of compatriots on both sides of the strait, pose real threats to peace and stability in the region and are extremely dangerous”, it said. (Read more from “China Says Latest U.S. Sailing Near Taiwan ‘Extremely Dangerous'” HERE)

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Chinese Communist Party Insider: ‘Xi Is the Enemy of the World, Has Killed the Country and the Party’

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A former professor at China’s elite Central Party School has issued an unprecedented rebuke of the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, accusing him of “killing a country” and claiming that many more want out of the ruling Chinese Communist party.

Cai Xia, a prominent professor who taught at the school, a higher education institution for top officials, was expelled from the party on Monday after an audio recording of remarks she made that were critical of Xi was leaked online in June. She is no longer in China. The school said in a notice that Cai, a professor at the party school since 1992, had made comments that “damaged the country’s reputation” and were full of “serious political problems”. . . .

“Under the regime of Xi, the Chinese Communist party is not a force for progress for China. In fact, it is an obstacle to China’s progress,” she said. “I believe I am not the only one who wants to leave this party. More people would like to withdraw or quit this party,” she said. “I had intended to quit the party years ago when there was no more room to speak and my voice was completely blocked.” . . .

Cai initially spoke to the Guardian in June after the recording was first released. On that occasion she went further in her denunciation of Xi, blaming him for making China “an enemy” of the world, in comments that will reverberate across the party and the country, where such public criticism from within the party establishment is extremely rare.

On Tuesday, Cai, who initially asked that her June interview not be published because of threats she and her family received, said she was now willing to speak out. “I have much more freedom now. My speech is free from any constraints. I am responsible only for my own conscience and principles,” she said. (Read more from “Chinese Communist Party Insider: ‘Xi Is the Enemy of the World, Has Killed the Country and the Party'” HERE)

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South China Sea: Chinese Military Told Not to Fire First Shot in Stand-Off With U.S. Forces

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China has told its service personnel “not to fire the first shot” as Beijing looks to de-escalate tensions with the United States in the South China Sea, sources familiar with the situation told the South China Morning Post.

Both sides have stepped up their operations in the disputed waters, increasing the risk of incidents that spiral out of control, but Beijing does not want to give American hawks the opportunity to escalate things further.

The sources said Beijing had ordered pilots and naval officers to exercise restraint in the increasingly frequent stand-offs with US planes and warships.

Meanwhile, further details have emerged about a phone conversation between the two countries’ defence ministers last week.

The call was first suggested by the US side about “a month earlier” but was initially given a frosty reception in Beijing. But a source said the Chinese leadership later had a change of heart and decided to reach out as tensions escalated in the South and East China seas. (Read more from “South China Sea: Chinese Military Told Not to Fire First Shot in Stand-Off With U.S. Forces” HERE)

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The Intelligence Community Believes These Foreign Countries Are Helping Biden Win the Presidency; Biden’s ‘Embrace’ of China ‘Dictatorship’ Should Shock Americans

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By Townhall. The intelligence community has identified three countries attempting to influence the US November elections. Two of those countries, Iran and China, are attempting to undermine President Trump’s bid for reelection. Russia — the only country the media seems to care about when it comes to our elections — is reportedly working to undermine Joe Biden, and Biden doesn’t need any help doing that these days.

National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) Director William Evanina issued the statement to keep Americans abreast of foreign efforts to influence the elections.

China, the country responsible for unleashing a deadly pandemic on the world and lying about it, has decided that President Trump is too unpredictable for their communist regime. The intelligence community says China has expanded its influence efforts ahead of the November elections and has become more aggressive with its attacks on the Trump administration and its handling of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s anti-globalist agenda has no doubt ticked off the commies, as has the president’s recent ban on the social media apps TikTok and WeChat. (Read more from “The Intelligence Community Believes These Foreign Countries Are Helping Biden Win the Presidency” HERE)

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Newt Gingrich Claims Biden’s ‘Embrace’ of China ‘Dictatorship’ Should Shock Americans

By Fox News. American voters should closely examine presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his “embrace” of China, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told “The Ingraham Angle” Friday.

“I think there is a huge vulnerability because the Democrats don’t want to deal with the reality of China, and they don’t want to deal with the reality of Xi Jinping and the dictatorship,” Gingrich told host Laura Ingraham. “And I think that will be more obvious as this campaign goes on.”

During an interview at the convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the former vice president told NPR’s Lulu Garcia Navarro he would scrap tariffs on Chinese imports imposed by Trump. “Who said Trump’s idea’s a good one?” Biden asked rhetorically. “Manufacturing has gone into a recession. Agriculture lost billions of dollars that taxpayers had to pay,” A Biden aide later attempted to clarify to Forbes that the Democrat would “reevaluate” the tariffs. . .

Gingrich added that the Democratic view of China goes hand-in-hand with the party’s suspicion of law enforcement and calls for defense cuts. (Read more from “Newt Gingrich Claims Biden’s ‘Embrace’ of China ‘Dictatorship’ Should Shock Americans” HERE)

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India Bans More Chinese Smartphone Apps

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India banned an uncertain number of Chinese smartphone apps Tuesday, adding to the 59 banned at the end of June and 47 more, mostly clones and alternate versions of the original 59, in July.

One of the newly blacklisted apps is Mi Browser Pro, another version of a popular web browser that was preinstalled on many Chinese phones sold in India until the “Boycott China” initiative began.

Both banned versions of Mi Browser are products of the Chinese company Xiaomi, which said this week it was “working towards understanding the development” and would “adhere to all data privacy and security requirements under the Indian law.”

Voice of America News (VOA) noted that fully banning the Mi Browser could potentially halt the sale of Xiaomi smartphones, and others that normally preinstall the app, unless the phone makers agree to stop installing it on phones sold in India.

The updated blacklist includes browser plugins from Chinese mega-corporation Baidu, video editing tools, email services, and possibly the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo — effectively a substitute for Twitter, which China has banned citizens from using. IndiaTV quoted reports on Thursday that said the Weibo app does not appear on software download sites in India, including the Google Play Store. (Read more from “India Bans More Chinese Smartphone Apps” HERE)

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USDA Identifies Seeds Mysteriously Mailed From China

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Officials at the Department of Agriculture identified several of the seeds that were mailed to citizens from China.

An analysis of the seeds revealed that some Amazon shoppers were sent a “mix of ornamental, fruit and vegetable, herb and weed species” in packages they did not purchase. Officials maintained that people should not plant any mysterious seeds they are sent and should continue reporting them to law enforcement. . .

Amazon customers throughout the country reported that they had received mysterious packages of seeds in the mail that they had not ordered. The seeds were shipped from China and were sometimes mislabeled as earrings, beads, or other products. Officials believe it may be part of an Amazon “brushing” scam whereby sellers obtain the addresses of customers and send them an unrequested product in the hopes that the customer will use the product and leave a positive review.

Bernd Blossey, a professor in the department of natural resources at Cornell University, told the New York Times that the seeds identified would not hurt the general environment but that other packages that have yet to be identified could contain invasive species that could harm the U.S. food supply if they are planted. He suggested burning the seeds rather than tossing them in the trash because they could sprout in a landfill. (Read more from “USDA Identifies Seeds Mysteriously Mailed From China” HERE)

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Donald Trump: ‘China Must Be Very Happy’ Democrats Using Coronavirus to ‘Screw up’ Election; Mike Pompeo: AG Barr Will Determine Whether to Postpone the Election

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By Breitbart. President Donald Trump said Friday that China was likely delighted Democrats were trying to implement mail-in voting in the 2020 election, which he said would lead to a “catastrophic” result.

“They’re using the China virus, China must be very happy about it, because they hit us with a virus and now they screw up an election like you will never see,” Trump said about the Democrats.

The president spoke to reporters at the White House after hosting leaders of the National Association of Police Organizations on Friday to discuss law enforcement.

Trump previewed a disruptive Election Day on November 3, noting that it would take several days or even weeks to count all the ballots.

“It’s going to be a very, very sad day for this country,” Trump said. (Read more from “Donald Trump: ‘China Must Be Very Happy’ Democrats Using Coronavirus to ‘Screw up’ Election” HERE)

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Mike Pompeo: AG Barr Will Determine Whether to Postpone the Election

By Law and Crime. President Donald Trump‘s baseless Thursday morning question about postponing the 2020 general election has been given new life. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested the final decision on any such postponement hinges upon whether Attorney General Bill Barr and others at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) can find a legal justification to change the date. . .

“You are one of the most highly trained and accomplished lawyers who are part of this administration,” Kaine summarized, “Can a president delay a presidential election?”

To which Pompeo replied:

In the end, the Department of Justice, and others, will make that legal determination. We all should want–I know you do, too, Senator Kaine–want to make sure to have an election that everyone is confident in.

. . .

“It should happen lawfully,” Pompeo said–the end of his thoughts on the matter. (Read more from “Mike Pompeo: AG Barr Will Determine Whether to Postpone the Election” HERE)

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Trump Doubles Down, Warns November Will Bring ‘Greatest Election Disaster in History’

By Fox News. President Trump doubled down Friday on his warnings surrounding expanded mail-in ballots, declaring November will bring the “greatest election disaster in history” a day after he controversially suggested delaying the vote.

“They think they’re going to send hundreds of millions of ballots all over the United States and it’s gonna come out,” he told reporters at the White House following a meeting with members from the National Association of Police Organizations. “You won’t know the election result for week months, maybe years after. Maybe you’ll never know the election result. That’s what I’m concerned with – it’ll be fixed. It’ll be rigged. People oughta get smart.”

He suggested people vote in person or submit absentee ballots.

“This is going to be the greatest election disaster in history,” he continued on Friday. “And by the way, you guys like to talk to about Russia and China and other places? They’ll be able to forge ballots, they’ll forge them. They’ll do whatever they have to do.” (Read more from “Trump Doubles Down, Warns November Will Bring ‘Greatest Election Disaster in History'” HERE)

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WATCH: Dem Senator Defends ‘Respectable’ China, Says Nation Shouldn’t Be Blamed for COVID; GOP Lawmaker Demands Hearing on China’s ‘Espionage’ Into U.S. Vaccine

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By The Blaze. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) said Thursday that China is “growing into a respectable nation” during a speech cautioning America against holding the communist country accountable for misleading the global community at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We hold China as a potential trading partner, as a country that has pulled tens of millions of people out of poverty in a short period of time, and as a country growing into a respectable nation amongst other nations. I deeply believe that,” Feinstein said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

The senator’s comments fly in the face of numerous reports indicating that the Chinese Communist Party engaged in a cover-up of the origins and dangers of the coronavirus in the crucial early days and weeks of the outbreak, often silencing doctors and journalists attempting to get the truth out. . .

Also, Feinstein’s comments come amid a flood of damning reports that portray human rights abuses carried out by the communist government, namely the mass detention and forced sterilization of Uighurs, a Muslim ethnic minority in China’s Xinjiang region. (Read more from “Dem Senator Defends ‘Respectable’ China, Says Nation Shouldn’t Be Blamed for COVID” HERE)

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Rep. Jackie Walorski Demands Hearing on China’s ‘Espionage’ Into U.S. Vaccine

By New York Post. An Indiana congresswoman on Friday demanded a separate hearing on “Chinese espionage” into the US’s efforts to develop a vaccine – prompting a terse response from her colleague on the special coronavirus committee.

Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski made the request while questioning Dr. Anthony Fauci on China’s role in the spread of the virus during the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing.

“I don’t know how in the world that we could stand there and say no, I don’t think China is a threat to a vaccine for this country when we just indicted two people,” Walorski said, referring to the recent arrest of two Chinese hackers charged with trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research from government agencies and private companies.

“I think we need to investigate that answer on cybersecurity. Why can’t we have a hearing in here?” she asked, before demanding a “commitment” from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) that the panel would hold a hearing. (Read more from “Rep. Jackie Walorski Demands Hearing on China’s ‘Espionage’ Into U.S. Vaccine” HERE)

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