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Surprise: India and Russia Challenging China in South China Sea

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India is challenging Chinese influence in the South China Sea with its outreach to regional powers, including Russia, with which it has agreed to launch a maritime route that would partly go through the hotly contested waters, analysts said.

Under the memorandum of understanding signed by India and Russia – two traditional security allies – during a regional economic forum this week, a new Indo-Pacific sea route will extend from the port city of Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East, to Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India.

The shipping route will partly traverse the South China Sea, the scene of numerous territorial disputes involving China and neighbouring countries over the years.

In addition to cooperating on the planned maritime route, India and Russia could ramp up their alliance in the military and technological spheres, according to a joint statement released at the economic forum in Vladivostok. . .

“This could signal that India’s cooperation with Russia is now coming to a substantial phase,” Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview. (Read more from “Surprise: India and Russia Challenging China in South China Sea” HERE)

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John Bolton Accuses China of Stealing F-35 Technology to Make a Stealth Fighter. Is This What He Was Talking About?

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US National Security Adviser John Bolton recently accused China of stealing US technology to make a stealth fighter, a charge Beijing has denied.

On a visit to Ukraine last week, Bolton said an unnamed fifth-generation aircraft “looks a lot like the F-35, that’s because it is the F-35. They just stole it”. . .

The FC-31 is made by the Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a branch of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

The aircraft, which made its maiden flight in 2012, has broadly similar specifications to the F-35 although it does have twin engines rather than the American jet’s single engine.

The Chinese fighter has a maximum take off weight of 25 tonnes, a combat range of 1,200km (746 miles) and a top speed of Mach 1.8, or 2,205km/h (1,370mph), whereas the US fighter’s take-off weight varies between 27 and 32 tonnes, has a top speed of Mach 1.6 and a range of up to 2,200km (1,367 miles). (Read more from “John Bolton Accuses China of Stealing F-35 Technology to Make a Stealth Fighter. Is This What He Was Talking About?” HERE)

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LISTEN: Tech Entrepreneur Explains How Wall Street Sells U.S. Out to China

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Foreign states — including China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia — procure intellectual property (IP) developed in America via venture capital (VC) operations, explained entrepreneur Jim Phillips, CEO of NANOMECH and founder of QuSHELL, in a Friday interview on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight with hosts Rebecca Mansour and special guest host Rick Manning.

Manning introduced Philips as a personal friend, listing some of his professional history, saying, “[Jim Phillips] was involved in an executive or founding role in places like Motorola Skytel, a whole variety of different companies that were at the cutting edge of technology at the time. He’s credited with being instrumental in launching things like instant messaging, cable modems, PCS fixed cellular, [and] machine-to-machine-to-machine communications.”

. . .

Phillips added, “More is going to be invented in the next five years than in the history of mankind, and that’s going to compound. That’s just going to continue to happen. So, while it’s a great time to be alive, we’re also — as a country — incredibly vulnerable right now. We’re at war like we’ve never been. It’s just not bombs. People don’t see it. We have a thing called cyberwarfare with a country called China and other countries that’s just phenomenal.”

“We have competitors [and] adversaries like China and Russia,” continued Phillips, “and they are dying to get into the lead. China has said they want to take over America. Right now, they’re growing three times faster than we are. Before long, their GDP will be greater than ours, and people can’t even fathom what that means [for the future]. To that extent, we have to protect our intellectual property. People don’t realize … 60 to 65 percent of the GDP valuation is based on intellectual property. We’re having it stolen, just non-stop. You hear about it in the news, but you don’t hear a lot about how to prevent it.”

“In one of my companies, for instance, I walk in, [the] FBI’s all over, and they say, ‘You’re the second most-hit firewall in the United States by China,’” recalled Phillips. “I didn’t even know it, and they said, ‘By the way, we’re going to have problems even protecting you. You’re going to have to go into logbooks to protect your science and your technology.” (Read more from “Tech Entrepreneur Explains How Wall Street Sells U.S. out to China” HERE)

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Things Are Worse Than We Imagined in China

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Earlier this week, I met with some Christian friends who have lived and worked in China for many years. What they shared with me was chilling and sobering. (They are well-connected and not simply airing personal opinions.) . . .

Arrests, brutal interrogations, imprisonments, disruption of meetings, beatings, destroying of “unauthorized” Bibles and Christian books are increasingly common. In one instance that was shared with me, those owning non-approved Bibles and other resources were hit with “stiff fines and the books earmarked for destruction. But not before they (the materials) were first dumped in piles on the street before they were carted off…followed by the pastor who was then sent to prison.” . . .

Second, President Xi really does have megalomaniacal plans. By removing presidential term limits, he is setting himself up to be emperor for life (as my friends couched it).

Not only so, but I was told that the government, from top to bottom, seems to be in lock step with him (in particular, when it comes to persecuting Christians). . .

Third, while the Chinese people may have enjoyed having more liberties, they are more concerned with a healthy economy. And since more and more Chinese have more and more money, they don’t mind the crackdowns on their liberties, which include greater monitoring of their day-to-day lives. (Read more from “Things Are Worse Than We Imagined in China” HERE)

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Trump Tariffs Tank Asian Equities, Chinese Yuan. China Ready to Negotiate.

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By Daily Wire. President Donald Trump’s latest trade war escalation against China appears to have had an immediate effect on Asian markets and the Chinese Yuan, sending both tumbling early on Monday morning.

“China’s yuan currency fell to 7.1487 to the dollar, its weakest level since early 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis,” AFP reported. “On equity markets, Hong Kong led losses, slumping more than three percent, with investors also spooked by fresh violent protests in the city that saw police use water cannon for the first time. Shanghai lost 1.3 percent and Tokyo ended the morning more than two percent off.”

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He indicated early on Monday that the communist nation was willing to negotiate with the U.S. to prevent the trade war from escalating. (Read more from “Trump Tariffs Tank Asian Equities, Chinese Yuan. China Ready to Negotiate.” HERE)

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China Willing to Resolve Trade Dispute With U.S. via Dialogue: Newspaper

By Reuters. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said on Monday that China is willing to resolve its trade dispute with the United States through calm negotiations and resolutely opposes the escalation of the conflict, a state-backed newspaper reported.

Liu, China’s top trade negotiator, was speaking at a tech conference in Chongqing in southwest China, the Chongqing Morning Post reported. (Read more from “China Willing to Resolve Trade Dispute With U.S. via Dialogue: Newspaper” HERE)

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Trump Tightens the Noose on China; U.S. Firms Clash With President Over ‘Order’ to Abandon China

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By Daily Wire. President Donald Trump announced retaliatory measures against China on Friday after the Chinese government imposed tariffs on the United States, stating that he is increasing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods by an additional 5%.

“For many years China (and many other countries) has been taking advantage of the United States on Trade, Intellectual Property Theft, and much more. Our Country has been losing HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year to China, with no end in sight,” Trump tweeted. “Sadly, past Administrations have allowed China to get so far ahead of Fair and Balanced Trade that it has become a great burden to the American Taxpayer. As President, I can no longer allow this to happen! In the spirit of achieving Fair Trade, we must Balance this very….” . . .

“Trump’s tweets about China earlier Friday helped to send major U.S. stock indexes spiraling more than 2% for the day,” CNBC reported. “The trade war intensified in the morning when China announced new tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. goods in retaliation to the U.S. duties on $300 billion in Chinese products.” (Read more from “Trump Tightens the Noose on China” HERE)

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Trade War Explodes as Trump Clashes With Us Firms Over ‘Order’ to Abandon China, Block Fentanyl Shipments

By Fox News. President Trump’s trade war with China boiled over Friday as Beijing slapped retaliatory tariffs on America and the president declared he’s ordering U.S. companies to prepare to leave the country and relocate back home — prompting pushback from corporate America. . .

But as Trump rejects such warnings while keeping his foot on the gas in the clash with China, American businesses responded to his latest guidance by urging continued trade talks.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a statement saying it wants to see continued “constructive engagement” with China.

“The U.S. business community has for many years called out the lack of progress in addressing China’s unfair trade practices. … Despite our concerns, the 40-year-old trade relationship between our two countries has been for the most part productive, constructive, and mutually beneficial,” said Myron Brilliant, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“While we share the President’s frustration, we believe that continued, constructive engagement is the right way forward. Time is of the essence. We do not want to see a further deterioration of US-China relations. We urge the administration and the government of China to return to the negotiating table.” (Read more from “Trade War Explodes as Trump Clashes With Us Firms Over ‘Order’ to Abandon China, Block Fentanyl Shipments” HERE)

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If China Prevails in Hong Kong, Religious Freedom Could Be the First Right to Disappear

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The world is watching while a record number of Hong Kong residents flood the streets protesting encroachment by China into their way of life. While news coverage has rightly focused on Hongkongers’ defense of their civil liberties, the faith community should be particularly troubled about the future of Hong Kong’s religious freedoms. . .

Under an agreement between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Britain, which ruled Hong Kong for 156 years until 1997, the people of Hong Kong were supposed to be able to live freely in their capitalistic society under a “one country, two systems” model until 2047. The Hong Kong protesters see the extradition bill as an attempt by China’s Communist Party to demolish their way of life and discard their freedoms. . .

Religious persecution is rampant in communist China. Pew Research has named it the fifth most oppressive nation on the planet when it comes to restrictive laws and policies on religious freedom. Since the 19th century, religious groups have suffered greatly in China, with as many as 100,000 lives lost during the Boxer Rebellion and scores of Buddhist and Christian practitioners murdered during Mao Zedong’s reign of terror. . .

Christians are a frequent target of the religious police, often being banned from attending church services or imprisoned because of their faith. In 2017, a Christian pastor, her daughter and her toddler grandson were arrested and the two women were detained after singing a religious song in public (not their first run-in with police). Catholic bishops, who are historically only installed by the Vatican, are strictly appointed by Beijing alone.

There are countless reports of Chinese government officials arresting, torturing and physically abusing members, including children, of both registered and unregistered religious groups. Christians are far from the only people suffering under Xi’s crackdown. As many as 3 million Chinese citizens who practice the supposedly state-sanctioned religion of Islam have been transported to “counterterrorism” camps, where they are tortured until they renounce their faith. (Read more from “If China Prevails in Hong Kong, Religious Freedom Could Be the First Right to Disappear” HERE)

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Trump Says China ‘Moving Troops’ to Hong Kong Border

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President Trump said Tuesday that he’s learned the Chinese government is sending its military to the Hong Kong border amid mounting clashes between riot police and pro-democracy protesters. . .

For more than two months, Hong Kong has seen mass protests urging democratic reforms and an investigation into police conduct.

The demonstrations, in turn, have raised concerns among U.S. officials about how far China might go to clamp down. “The United States, and all the freedom-loving nations around the world, must stand ready to swiftly move to defend freedom if China escalates the conflict in Hong Kong,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said in a statement. . .

Earlier Tuesday, demonstrators shut down operations at Hong Kong’s airport for the second straight day, flooding the main terminal. Officers armed with pepper spray and batons confronted the protesters, who used luggage carts to barricade entrances to the building. . .

Protesters are demanding that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam step down and pull legislation that would allow the government to extradite criminal suspects to mainland China, where they would likely face torture or unfair politically charged trials. Recent demonstrations have called for an independent inquiry into the city’s police and its alleged abuse of power. (Read more from “Trump Says China ‘Moving Troops’ to Hong Kong Border” HERE)

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Women ‘Tied like Pigs,’ Forced Abortions Part of China’s ‘One-Child Policy’

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Although China’s one-child policy ended years ago, the consequences of forced abortions, sterilizations, abandoned newborns, and government abductions are just being realized.

“One Child Nation,” a documentary by Amazon Studios, hits theaters Friday, detailing the devastation felt by parents forced to abandon their children, in many cases knowing they would die, and women forced to have abortions or sterilizations “tied like pigs” to satisfy the Communist Party from 1979 until 2015, similar to human rights abuses reported in North Korea.

“Every woman has almost gone through a forced abortion or forced sterilization,” Nanfu Wang, co-director and producer of the documentary, told PBS. “Sometimes the babies…they were born alive, and because of the policy and her job, she had to kill them after they were born alive, and she is really traumatized because of that.”

Wang spoke to the midwife who delivered her, who admitted doing 50 to 60,000 abortions over her time to enact a policy that the government claims prevented 400 million births. . .

The film’s preview says it “will challenge the way you think.” But Wang said her family, after decades of propaganda and watching the documentary, still believes the policy was a good thing for China overall. (Read more from “Women ‘Tied like Pigs,’ Forced Abortions Part of China’s ‘One-Child Policy'” HERE)

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Here’s What President Trump’s Tariffs Have Done to the Chinese Economy

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The Chinese economy has suffered under President Trump’s tariffs so much that their growth rate has hit a historical low not seen for 27 years.

Trump has accused the government of the second largest economy in the world of unfair trade practices, and has hit the country with tariffs in order to pressure them into trade deals that more agreeable to the United States. . .

That trade dispute has led to the Chinese economic growth rate to drop to 6.2 percent in the second quarter, a rate not seen in China since 1992.

Some economists worry that the trade war between the two largest economies in the world may lead to a global recession, but that has not yet manifested itself in the U.S., which is experiencing an economic boom.

Free market critics of the populist use of tariffs as an economic policy say that they lead inexorably to trade wars which damage international production chains and harm all countries involved. They also point out that tariffs end up being another tax on consumers instead of the countries they are supposed to punish.

(Read more from “Here’s What President Trump’s Tariffs Have Done to the Chinese Economy” HERE)

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