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Putin and Xi Vow to ‘Deepen’ Alliance After Trump Returns to White House

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Within hours of President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Chinese and Russian leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin held a 90-minute telephone conference to “deepen strategic coordination” and look out for each other’s interests in the “current global situation.”

“This year, I am ready, together with you, to elevate Chinese-Russian relations to a new level, to counter external uncertainties by preserving stability and resilience of Chinese-Russian relations,” Xi told Putin, according to a transcript of the call posted by the Kremlin.

Putin responded by praising collaborative projects, such as a pipeline operated by Russia’s national energy company Gazprom that carries natural gas to China.

“Five years ago, we launched the Power of Siberia gas pipeline together, and today, Russia has become the leading supplier of natural gas to China,” Putin boasted.

“I believe that the past year was very good for us. It can be said confidently that our foreign policy ties and Russia and China’s joint efforts objectively play a major stabilizing role in international affairs,” he said. (Read more from “Putin and Xi Vow to ‘Deepen’ Alliance After Trump Returns to White House” HERE)

Marco Rubio Warns That If US Doesn’t ‘Change Course,’ China Will Control Every Aspect Of Our Lives

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Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio warned during his confirmation hearing Wednesday that it will take China less than 10 years to virtually control every aspect of Americans’ lives — if the U.S. fails to “change course.”

Rubio said the Chinese Communist’s Party’s (CCP) stronghold over key industries and critical materials will lead America to become “entirely dependent” on China for a wide range of products, ranging from medicine to films, in the near future. The nominee, who has repeatedly warned of the threat China poses, said the U.S. must prevent such an “unacceptable outcome” from occurring.

“If we stay on the road we’re on right now, [in] less than 10 years, virtually everything that matters to us will depend on whether China allows us to have it or not,” Rubio said. “Everything from the blood pressure medicine we take, to what movies we get to watch and everything in between, we will depend on China for it. They have come to dominate the critical mineral industry [and] supplies throughout the world. Throughout the world, they’ve now established critical mineral rights, even those who want to see more electric cars, no matter where you make them, those batteries are almost entirely dependent on the ability and the willingness of the Chinese Communist Party to produce and export it to you.”

“So if we don’t change course, we’re going to live in a world where everything that matters to us on a daily basis, from our security to our health, will be dependent on whether the Chinese allow us to have it or not. That is an unacceptable outcome,” he continued. (Read more from “Marco Rubio Warns That If US Doesn’t ‘Change Course,’ China Will Control Every Aspect Of Our Lives” HERE)

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Chinese Drone Giant DJI Removes Geofencing That Protects White House, Airports, Wildfires

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China’s DJI, the world’s leading drone manufacturer, has decided to remove its long-standing geofencing feature, which previously prevented drones from flying over restricted areas such as airports, wildfires, and the White House.

The Verge reports that Chinese drone manufacture DJI has made a significant change to its flight control software, effectively removing geofencing restrictions that have been in place for over a decade. Geofencing drones effectively creates invisible walls around sensitive locations like airports, preventing drone operators from purposefully or accidentally flying their drone into an area where they shouldn’t.

The geofencing feature, voluntarily implemented by DJI, had been designed to automatically prevent drones from flying over sensitive areas such as runways, power plants, public emergencies, and critical government buildings. However, the company has now chosen to place control back in the hands of drone operators, offering only a dismissible warning instead of enforcing strict no-fly zones.

DJI’s global policy head, Adam Welsh, explained to the Verge that this decision aligns with the introduction of Remote ID technology, which publicly broadcasts the location of a drone and its operator during flight. Welsh suggests that this technology provides authorities with the necessary tools to enforce existing rules, making the geofencing feature less critical.

However, the incident involving a sub-250-gram DJI drone damaging a Super Scooper airplane during the Los Angeles wildfires has raised concerns about the effectiveness of Remote ID in preventing such occurrences. The FBI expects to rely on investigative means to identify the drone operator responsible for the incident, as these smaller models may not require Remote ID to operate. (Read more from “Chinese Drone Giant DJI Removes Geofencing That Protects White House, Airports, Wildfires” HERE)

Philippines ‘Pushed to the Wall’ as It Sends Warning to Beijing Ships in South China Sea

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Filipino officials warn that tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea are reaching a breaking point.

China’s hostility in a disputed part of the South China Sea is “pushing [the Philipines] to the wall,” according to Filipino security official Jonathan Malaya, who serves as the assistant director-general of the National Security Council.

The comments come after the Philipines Coast Guard claimed it recently discovered a large Chinese Coast Guard ship in the disputed Scarborough Shoal.

“The presence of the monster ship in Filipino waters… 77 nautical miles from our shoreline, is unacceptable and, therefore, it should be withdrawn immediately by the Chinese government,” Malaya said at a news conference alongside senior military and coast guard officials.

The spotting is among several that PCG has reported in recent months, which the Philipines views as provocation and intimidation from China. (Read more from “Philippines ‘Pushed to the Wall’ as It Sends Warning to Beijing Ships in South China Sea” HERE)

China Hacked Phones and Wants Nuclear First Strike Capability Against U.S.: Ex-Trump Aide

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A former senior aide to Donald Trump claimed China had tapped the president-elect’s phone, stolen “extraordinary” amounts of data and is preparing for a first-strike nuclear capability against the United States.

H.R. McMaster, Trump’s national security adviser from 2017 to 2018, told a think tank event in Washington on Wednesday that the US has to impose “very significant costs” on China for its “massive cyber intrusions”.

“They listen to President Trump’s phone and everybody around him for six months, right? They’ve stolen extraordinary amounts of data which we found on our telecom networks,” he told the event organised by the Council on Foreign Relations. (Read more from “China Hacked Phones and Wants Nuclear First Strike Capability Against U.S.: Ex-Trump Aide” HERE)

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End of Days: Pharmacies Flooded With Panic-Gripped Crowds Rushing to Stock up on ‘Miracle Pills’ to Stave off Deadly HMPV Virus

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Pharmacies in China have become inundated with people trying to buy “miracle pills” amid the spread of the deadly HMPV virus .

RadarOnline.com can reveal the flu-like bug, which mostly affects vulnerable people and children, is spreading across the country but it remains unclear how many cases there currently are.

Chinese authorities are keeping information limited but worrying footage of chaotic overcrowding in hospitals, with patients hooked up to IV drips in waiting rooms, has only increased fears of the “mysterious virus” which continues to cause devastation.

Masked-up patients can be seen in Beijing Children’s Hospital as they battle the infectious bug. One mom was spotted trying to comfort a baby that appeared to have a drip connected to its head. . .

According to reports, some pharmacies are starting to ramp up prices of a medication named Xofluza to 300yuan (€40) a box and each box comes with two pills. (Read more from “End of Days: Pharmacies Flooded With Panic-Gripped Crowds Rushing to Stock up on ‘Miracle Pills’ to Stave off Deadly HMPV Virus” HERE)

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Admiral: U.S. Military in Pacific Rapidly Gearing Up for War With China by 2027

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U.S. military forces in the Pacific are deploying large numbers of drone weapons and increasing overall force readiness in preparation for a potential 2027 war with China, according to the commander of the Indo-Pacific Command.

Adm. Sam Paparo stated in a new naval journal article that his forces are rapidly building drone weapons and armed robots for use in both air and sea as part of “Project 33,” named for Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the service’s 33rd CNO.

The strategic guidance plan calls on the Navy to increase its warfighting power “in the fastest time,” according to a Navy fact sheet, with the key goal of preparing “for the possibility of war with the People’s Republic of China by 2027.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the People’s Liberation Army to be ready to use force to annex Taiwan by 2027. U.S. defense officials said the PLA is honing its forces for a possible invasion or blockade of the self-ruled island by that date.

The second objective of the plan is enhancing the Navy’s long-term military advantages. Adm. Paparo stated that China, Russia and North Korea are all threatening stability and security throughout the Indo-Pacific. (Read more from “Admiral: U.S. Military in Pacific Rapidly Gearing Up for War With China by 2027” HERE)

Chinese Government Claims it Didn’t Hack US Treasury Department, but There’s a Problem

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China-backed hackers reportedly breached several U.S. Treasury Department workstations, according to the agency, which notified lawmakers about the hack.

This development comes after Chinese hackers targeted a number of major corporations as part of a broader cyberespionage effort. CNN reviewed the memo the agency sent to lawmakers.

In a letter reviewed by CNN, a Treasury official said it was informed by a third-party software service provider on December 8 that a threat actor used a stolen key to remotely access certain Treasury workstations and unclassified documents.

“Based on available indicators, the incident has been attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor,” Aditi Hardikar, assistant secretary for management at the US Treasury, wrote in the letter.

A Treasury spokesperson said in a statement to CNN that the compromised service has been taken offline and officials are working with law enforcement and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

“There is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury systems or information,” the Treasury spokesperson said.

According to the letter to Senate Banking Committee leadership, the third-party software service provider, BeyondTrust, said hackers gained access to a key used by the vendor to secure a cloud-based service that Treasury uses for technical support.

(Read more from “Chinese Government Claims it Didn’t Hack US Treasury Department, but There’s a Problem” HERE)

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Report: China Rapidly Builds Up Weapons And Psychological Warfare Operations

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The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is undertaking an unprecedented military buildup aimed at challenging America and its allies, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. And, like Nazi Germany’s buildup in the 1930s, the militarization program ordered by the Chinese Communist Party isn’t simply a great power buildup — it’s a weapon in service of a deadly ideology.

The 2024 Department of Defense China Military Power Report and recent analysis by Bill Gertz in the Washington Times reveal this buildup as part of a broader strategy by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to position itself as a global superpower. Meanwhile, the U.S., having spent $5.4 trillion on the global war on terror and attendant, futile nation-building, has left itself strategically vulnerable by diverting critical resources while underestimating the threat from China.

Missile Expansion and Strategic Modernization

China has rapidly expanded the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) arsenal, adding, that we know of, some:

50 new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of striking the continental U.S., for a cumulative total of 400.

300 medium-range ballistic missiles and 100 long-range cruise missiles.

More than 600 operational nuclear warheads, projected to surpass 1,000 by 2030.

(Read more from “Report: China Rapidly Builds Up Weapons And Psychological Warfare Operations” HERE)

Spy Bosses ‘Silenced’ Defense Department, FBI Scientists From Briefing Biden on COVID Lab Leak Evidence

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Spy chiefs “silenced” researchers in the Defense Department and FBI who discovered strong evidence that COVID-19 most likely leaked from a Chinese lab, The Post has learned.

As a result, their findings were kept out of an August 2021 report to President Biden on the origins of the global pandemic.

That report concluded that the virus behind COVID “was probably not genetically engineered.”

After the pandemic erupted in Wuhan, China, three scientists from the Defense Intelligence Agency began trying to figure out exactly where it came from — whether SARS-CoV-2 jumped from bats into humans, or whether the virus was man-made and came from a lab accident.

The “zoonotic origin” theory was backed by powerful members of the public health establishment, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, and questions about a possible “lab leak” were repeatedly dismissed as a conspiracy theory. (Read more from “Spy Bosses ‘Silenced’ Defense Department, FBI Scientists From Briefing Biden on COVID Lab Leak Evidence” HERE)