The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justice Department</a> charged five Chinese nationals on Tuesday for allegedly photographing an American military installation in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan.</a>
The five individuals are former University of Michigan students Zhekai Xu, Renxiang Guan, Haoming Zhu, Jingzhe Tao, and Yi Liang. The charges stem from an incident in August 2023 when authorities say they were caught taking pictures of military equipment during joint training exercises between the National Guard and the Taiwanese military at Camp Grayling in northern Michigan. 
They were accused of making false statements, conspiracy, and destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations over the incident. The five men were in the United States as part of a partnership between the University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
According to an <a href="https://x.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1841579124030128269/photo/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affidavit</a> from FBI special agent Caroline Colpoys, the five were found on August 23, 2023, between 12:30 a.m. and 1:00 a.m., at a lake adjacent to the Grayling Military Installation. They were at a boat launch with headlamps and cameras.
&#8220;This encounter happened during Northern Strike, one of the largest U.S. National Guard training exercises held in the United States, which included U.S. military personnel from across the United States and, in August 2023, members of the Taiwan military,” Colpoys said.  
When a National Guardsman confronted them, they allegedly falsely claimed to be members of the media. In later interviews with FBI investigators, they said they were just looking at the stars, according to the affidavit. 
After being confronted, the FBI said the five left the area and checked into a nearby motel. While they told investigators that the trip had been spontaneous, records showed that they had pre-booked the motel and were aware that there was a military installation at Camp Grayling. 
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Investigators later said that they found pictures of military vehicles and other equipment on Guan’s phone after the group discussed deleting the photos from their devices so law enforcement could not discover them. 
DOJ spokeswoman Gina Balaya said that the five men, who graduated in 2024, had not been arrested.
“The defendants are not in custody. Should they come into contact with U.S. authorities, they will be arrested and face these charges,” she <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-students-michigan-military-camp-0f757785eb5eecb9e92ac89f99e96c2d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Wednesday. 
Colpoys, an agent focused on counterintelligence and investigating national security threats, referenced previous instances of Chinese nationals trespassing on military installations. In one incident, multiple Chinese nationals studying at the University of Michigan were sentenced to prison for taking pictures of the U.S. Naval Air Station in Key West, Florida.

Military vehicle convoy on a highway

5 Chinese Nationals Accused Of Photographing Michigan Military Facility

China

Communist China

Department of Justice

Michigan

Military

National Guard

World

Minnesota Democratic Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tim-walz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Walz</a> called himself a &#8220;knucklehead&#8221; when pressed during the vice presidential <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/debates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debate</a> on Tuesday about falsely claiming he was in Hong Kong during China&#8217;s Tiananmen Square massacre in the summer of 1989.
CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan, one of the debate moderators, noted how multiple news outlets reported that Walz did not actually travel to Asia until later that year after the protests.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Tim Walz is asked why he lied about being in China during the Tiananmen Square massacre: &quot;I&#39;m a knucklehead at times. Many times I will talk a lot. I will get caught up in the rhetoric.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/uTmmeQk7a8">pic.twitter.com/uTmmeQk7a8</a>
&mdash; TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/1841293657493614686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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During the middle of his response, which began with a backstory on why he traveled to China as a teacher, Walz eventually circled back to the question at hand.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve tried to do the best I can, but I&#8217;ve not been perfect and I&#8217;m a knucklehead at times,&#8221; Walz said after insisting that the community that elected him to office &#8220;knows who I am.&#8221;
Walz later said he would concede there are times when he &#8220;will talk a lot&#8221; and &#8220;get caught up in the rhetoric.&#8221;
The &#8220;knucklehead&#8221; comment elicited some mockery and other critiques on social media.
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Moderator: Governor Walz, why did you lie about when you were in China?
Walz: I&#39;m just a country boy knucklehead, aw shucks.
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1841294008888504507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Tim Walz just called himself a knucklehead 
Truest statement of the night!
🤣
&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@kleavittnh) <a href="https://twitter.com/kleavittnh/status/1841292265689362686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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First it was his bad grammar (to explain his lies). Now it’s “im a knucklehead”
&mdash; Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1841292240871690457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“I’m a knucklehead at times” &#8211; Tim Walz
First true thing he’s said!
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1841292204003778954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&quot;I’m a knucklehead at times&quot; was <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tim_Walz</a> ACTUAL response to him lying to voters about being in China during Tiananmen Square. Not very confidence inspiring! 🥴😂
&mdash; Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1841293444200673394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
the moderator: why did u lie about being in hong kong during the tianamen square protests 
tim walz: well you see im middle class and a knucklehead
&mdash; Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) <a href="https://twitter.com/stclairashley/status/1841292770809372865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Brennan followed up with Walz, repeating the substance of her question, asking if could &#8220;explain the discrepancy.&#8221;
During his brief reply, Walz said he &#8220;misspoke.&#8221;
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Moderator: &quot;Can you explain the discrepancy?&quot;
Walz: &quot;I misspoke&#8230;&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nMXPXN3oPZ">pic.twitter.com/nMXPXN3oPZ</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1841297255615123626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The debate featured Walz, who also has faced <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/first-green-beret-in-congress-reacts-to-tim-walzs-military-record-he-has-some-explaining-to-do" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a &#8220;stolen valor&#8221; controvers</a>y during the 2024 campaign, in addition to his GOP rival Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JD Vance</a> (R-OH).
Walz is the running mate to Vice President Kamala Harris while Vance is former President Donald Trump&#8217;s VP pick.

Tim Walz

VP Debate: Walz Calls Himself A ‘Knucklehead’ When Pressed About China Falsehood

2024 Election

Debates

Elections

JD Vance

Politics

A conservative legal firm launched an investigation on Monday into Minnesota Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tim-walz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Walz</a>’s over the vice presidential candidate&#8217;s “extensive, multi-decade” ties to China.
The America First Legal Foundation pressed the Minnesota governor’s office, the FBI, and the Justice Department for documents on Walz&#8217;s links to China, according to Freedom of Information Act requests sent to the entities shared with The Daily Wire. The firm said that Walz&#8217;s numerous trips to China, and his professional and academic ties to the country could have major national security implications.
“Now that he is the official Democrat nominee for Vice President of the United States, Gov. Walz will receive classified national security briefings,” AFL lawyer Michael Ding wrote in a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/Walz%E2%80%93China-FBI-FOIA.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to the FBI. “If there is reason to believe that Gov. Walz is, willingly or unwillingly, an asset of a foreign communist power, then the American people have a right to be informed of all available information before they cast their ballots in November.”
Walz&#8217;s relationship has drawn scrutiny since Vice President Kamala Harris tapped the governor as her running mate. Walz has visited China at least <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmakers-launch-investigation-into-walz-over-extensive-ties-to-communist-china">30 times</a> since the 1980s, and while in Congress was a fellow at China’s Macao Polytechnic University, which says it promotes “devotion to and love for the motherland.” In August, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmakers-launch-investigation-into-walz-over-extensive-ties-to-communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> an investigation into Walz&#8217;s connection to China. Oversight Chair James Comer said earlier this month that the FBI has so far ignored his requests for information. 
In its request to the governor’s office, AFL asked for all documents that reference CCP-backed “Confucius Institutes” or any communication with China’s Ministry of Education, members of the CCP, and the Beijing Genomics Institute. 
“The American people have a right to know if Governor Walz was using his office to further the interests of the PRC and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which employs tactics that seek to influence U.S. lawmakers to achieve policies that are more favorable to China,” America First Legal lawyer Robert Crossin <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/Minn-Gov-China-FOIA.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> to the Minnesota governor’s office, according to a letter shared with The Daily Wire.
“Your prompt production of the requested documents will ensure that the American people can know all the facts before they cast their ballots in November.”
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AFL also asked for communications related to China with the Hormel Institute at the University of Minnesota. 
“Further, former senior national security officials have expressed grave concerns that the Hormel Institute at the University of Minnesota is ‘helping a foreign adversary’ by working with Chinese institutions, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology, that ‘have direct ties to the People’s Liberation Army,” Crossin wrote. 
The letters argue that the document requests should be expedited because of their relevance to the upcoming presidential election.

US-VOTE-POLITICS-WALTZ

Conservative Legal Firm Launches Investigation Into Tim Walz’s ‘Extensive’ China Ties

Minnesota

The U.S. maritime industry is “dangerously” reliant on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> potentially opening the door for the Chinese Communist Party to gain access to critical American infrastructure, according to a new report from House Republicans.
In a <a href="https://homeland.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Joint-Homeland-China-Select-Port-Security-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> released Thursday, House Republicans on the Committee on Homeland Security and Select Committee on the CCP said that the use of Chinese manufactured equipment and technology at American ports jeopardized national security. The report specifically focused on Chinese-government owned ZPMC, a major manufacturer of cranes used at ports across the country.
“The evidence gathered during our joint investigation indicates that ZPMC could, if desired, serve as a Trojan horse capable of helping the CCP and the PRC military exploit and manipulate U.S. maritime equipment and technology at their request,” the committee said in a statement. “This vulnerability in our critical infrastructure has the potential to affect Americans from coast to coast.”
The report accuses ZPMC of leveraging cheap labor and subsidized steel to sell cranes around the world at non-competitive prices, flooding the world market. The lawmakers found that around 80% of ship to shore cranes used at ports in the U.S. come from ZPMC.
According to the lawmakers, ZPMC is owned by the China Communications Construction Group, which has had “significant involvement in militarizing the South China Sea.”
The lawmakers said that this reliance was a cybersecurity risk because ZPMC or one of its contractors had installed cellular modems on cranes at ports in the U.S.
“ZPMC has repeatedly requested remote access to its STS cranes operating at various U.S. ports, with a particular focus on those located on the West Coast,” the report said. “If granted, this access could potentially be extended to other PRC government entities, posing a significant risk due to the PRC’s national security laws that mandate cooperation with state intelligence agencies.”
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Few alternatives exist because there are no U.S.-based companies that make similar cranes, the report found.
Other vulnerabilities in the American maritime industry include the fact that portions of the ports of Long Beach, Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, and Miami are controlled by the China Merchants Group and COSCO Shipping, two state-owned companies.
The lawmakers included several recommendations in their 50-page report on what actions the U.S. should take to bolster its maritime security. These included having the Coast Guard issue guidance telling ports to disassemble any connection between ZPMC cranes to cellular modems.
They also recommended that the Commerce Department analyze U.S. capacity to increase manufacturing of crane technology and increasing security at U.S. ports.

Newspaper Reports Congressional Inquiry Found Suspicious Communications Equipment On Chinese-Made Cranes At U.S. Ports

Lawmakers Warn Of ‘Trojan Horse’ Threat From China To American Ports

Cybersecurity

Department of Homeland Security

Global Politics

Shipping

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said during an interview that aired over the weekend that if communist China invades Taiwan the impact on the global economy will be ten times larger than the impact from Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine.
Haley made the remarks during an interview on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; with Margaret Brennan while talking about the threat China poses to the world.
She discussed a recent trip she took to Taiwan where she learned about how they are preparing militarily for a potential war with China, including by reducing investment in China, extending the length of required military service for 18-year-olds, and training with the U.S.
&#8220;When it comes to our allies, when it comes to freedom-loving countries, we need to be the best friend to them that we can, because, if China takes Taiwan, what we saw with Russia and Ukraine, it affected 1 percent of GDP, and you saw the economy shake from that,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-full-transcript-09-08-2024/">said</a>. &#8220;If China takes Taiwan, it would be 10 percent of the global GDP. That&#8217;s $10 trillion, compared to the $1 trillion in Ukraine. We need to care about that. We need to care about it from freedom. We need to care about it from the economy. We need to care about it from security.&#8221;
She said that Americans should not assume that everything will be &#8220;OK&#8221; if the U.S. goes into isolationist mode and ignores Russian and Chinese aggression.
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&#8220;What Taiwan is asking for is joint military training and to partner with us so that they can make weapons to defend themselves, and they want intelligence-sharing,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The best way to prevent war from China is to start arming Taiwan now and making sure that they&#8217;re ready.&#8221;
WATCH:
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&#8220;I don&#8217;t think we need to send U.S. troops to defend Taiwan,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiHaley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NikkiHaley</a> says, after President Biden said he would be willing to send U.S. troops but neither Donald Trump nor JD Vance have said so.
&#8220;Taiwan does not want troops,&#8221; she says, adding that Taiwan instead wants joint… <a href="https://t.co/jJVWQ6z6vJ">pic.twitter.com/jJVWQ6z6vJ</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1832804175236719101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2024</a></blockquote>

Nikki Haley Visits “FOX & Friends”

Nikki Haley Explains What The Economic Impact Will Be If China Invades Taiwan

Economy

Nikki Haley

Taiwan

U.S.

A former top aide to New York Democrat Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kathy-hochul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kathy Hochul</a> was indicted in federal court this week for allegedly acting as a foreign agent for the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in exchange for millions of dollars.
Linda Sun was indicted on charges of violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy, the DOJ said. Her husband, Chris Hu, was charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and misuse of means of identification.
Sun allegedly acted as a spy for China and the CCP while working for Hochul and in multiple state agencies, prosecutors said.
The DOJ said, &#8220;Acting at the request of PRC government officials and the CCP representatives, Sun engaged in numerous political activities in the interests of the PRC and the CCP, including blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level New York State officers; changing high-level New York State officers’ messaging regarding issues of importance to the PRC and the CCP; obtaining official New York State proclamations for PRC government representatives without proper authorization; attempting to facilitate a trip to the PRC by a high-level New York State politician; and arranging meetings for visiting delegations from the PRC government with New York State government officials.&#8221;
She allegedly provided improper benefits to Chinese and CCP officials by giving them &#8220;unauthorized invitation letters from the office of high-level New York State officers that were used to facilitate travel by PRC government officials into the United States for meetings with New York State government officials.&#8221;
Her invitation letters reportedly facilitated bringing Chinese nationals into the U.S. illegally.
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Investigators said that in return for her spying, she received &#8220;substantial&#8221; benefits, including &#8220;the facilitation of millions of dollars in transactions for the PRC-based business activities of Hu; travel benefits; tickets to events; promotion of a close family friend’s business; employment for Sun’s cousin in the PRC; and Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a PRC government official’s personal chef that were delivered to the residence of Sun’s parents.&#8221;
Sun and Hu are accused of laundering the money to purchase &#8220;real estate property in Manhasset, New York currently valued at $4.1 million, a condominium in Honolulu, Hawaii currently valued at $2.1 million, and various luxury automobiles, including a 2024 Ferrari.&#8221;

Kathy Hochul

Senior Aide To NY Gov Hochul Charged With Spying For China, Received Millions: Feds

Chinese Communist Party

Crime

New York

Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) said during an interview over the weekend that if Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump wins back the White House this fall that the administration is willing to threaten an all out trade war against communist China to stop the flow on fentanyl into the United States.
Vance&#8217;s remarks, which he made during a Sunday interview on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; with Margaret Brennan, come as hundreds of thousands of Americans have been killed in recent years from the fentanyl crisis, which has worsened under the Biden-Harris Administration.
When asked if he views China as a competitor or an adversary, Vance responded: &#8220;I think they&#8217;re both and I think that what we want to do here is build the kind of international order where we can check China. We don&#8217;t want to go to war with China, but certainly they&#8217;re an adversary.&#8221;
&#8220;For example, the Chinese know that they&#8217;re manufacturing tons of fentanyl, they&#8217;re letting come into our country,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Kamala Harris has done nothing about this. She should apply diplomatic and economic leverage over the Chinese to stop manufacturing this fentanyl, which then comes into the Mexican drug cartels, which they then ship into our country.&#8221;
Vance said that the solution to the crisis is to go to Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and say: &#8220;Your entire economy is going to collapse unless you get access to American markets. You need to take this fentanyl seriously or we are going to impose serious tariffs and economic penalties for not following our laws and not helping us stem the flow of this deadly poison.&#8221;
When asked if he would be worried about blowback from doing that, Vance responded: &#8220;I think that we have a powerful economy, Margaret, with the best workers in the entire world. If we need to fight a trade war with the Chinese, we will fight it and we will win it, but we cannot do what Kamala Harris has done, which is be so terrified of using the economic power that we have that she&#8217;s not even willing to stop the flow of this deadly poison coming into our country.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> suggests that the U.S. should use economic leverage against China to stop its manufacturing of fentanyl: &#8220;You walk into Beijing, you talk to Xi Jinping, and you say, your entire economy is going to collapse unless you get access to American markets. You need to take… <a href="https://t.co/fOpmyHIzO9">pic.twitter.com/fOpmyHIzO9</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1822647730944061821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>

Republican Vice Presidential Candidate JD Vance Speaks In Wisconsin

JD Vance: Trump Willing To Fight All Out Trade War With China To Stop Fentanyl Crisis

Donald Trump

China&#8217;s Pan Zhanle won a decisive victory in the men&#8217;s 100 freestyle on Wednesday, beating the rest of the field at the Olympic Games in Paris by a full second and setting a new world record — and immediately <a href="https://www.espn.ph/olympics/story/_/id/40696787/china-pan-zhanle-calls-other-olympic-swimmers-unfriendly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threw shade</a> at two of his competitors, Kyle Chalmers (AUS) and Jack Alexy (USA).
Pan finished the race in 46.40, knocking 0.4 off his previous world record time set earlier this year and the world championships in Doha, Qatar: &#8220;Today I finally beat them all. In such a challenging pool, I broke the world record. This is a tremendous performance and a great start for team China.&#8221;
But a short time after the race, he told reporters that some of the other swimmers had been less than friendly towards him.
&#8220;When I finished the 4&#215;100 freestyle relay the other day, I said &#8216;hi&#8217; to Chalmers, but he totally ignored me. Also [Jack] Alexy from the U.S. When we were training, our coach was standing by the poolside and he turned in such a way that the water splashed right onto the coach. I felt he looked down on us a little,&#8221; Pan said in an interview.
Chalmers, who won gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and had hoped to repeat that victory in Paris, finished just over a second behind Pan for the silver medal — but he did not recall any instance in which he had given the Chinese athlete the cold shoulder.
&#8220;I find it a bit weird. I gave him a fist pump before the relays &#8230; and then my focus went to my teammates and my own racing. We had a laugh together at warmdown last night, but no issues from my end,&#8221; he said.
Alexy, who finished seventh in Wednesday&#8217;s final, did not comment on Pan&#8217;s claim.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722626094661000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0xeRV2yZnGyN0DMA1KI89w">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; — MATT WALSH&#8217;S EXPOSÉ ON DEI</a>
As <a href="https://www.espn.ph/olympics/story/_/id/40696787/china-pan-zhanle-calls-other-olympic-swimmers-unfriendly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN reported</a>, &#8220;the Chinese swim team has been under intense scrutiny&#8221; leading up to the Paris Olympic Games after it was revealed that a number of athletes had tested positive for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/us/politics/china-swimmers-doping-food.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned substances</a> in 2021 but were still allowed to compete in the Tokyo Games. China has repeatedly blamed &#8220;contaminated food&#8221; when athletes test positive for banned substances.
For his part, Chalmers <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/01/sports/olympics-feud-erupts-between-chinese-world-record-holder-australian-american-rivals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did not question</a> Pan&#8217;s Wednesday victory or his new world record: &#8220;For him to produce a 46.40 and break the world record in the Olympic final is incredible. I do everything I possibly can to win the race, and guess everyone’s doing the same as I am and staying true to the sport and integrity of sport. I trust that he’s done everything he possibly can to be there. And he deserves that gold medal. And I did everything I possibly could to challenge for that gold medal.&#8221;
American distance swimmer Katie Ledecky weighed in on the use of performance-enhancing substances before the Olympics, saying, &#8220;I hope everyone here (in Paris) is going to be competing clean this week. But what really matters also is: Were they training clean? Hopefully, that’s been the case. Hopefully, there’s been even testing around the world.&#8221;

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Chinese Swimmer Smashes World Record, Throws Shade At Aussie And American Rivals

Australia

General

Olympics

Paris Olympics

Swimming

In yet another move he has made to combat Communist China, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Critical-Mineral-Supply-Chain-Realignment-Act-of-2024-HLA24649.pdf">Critical Mineral Supply Chain Realignment Act of 2024</a> to incentivize safeguarding critical mineral supply chains from China.
The bill imposes mandatory tariffs on electromagnets, permanent magnets, batteries, solar panels, and solar wafers at rates of:
<ul>
<li>150% on goods manufactured by entities controlled by China, irrespective of which country the goods are manufactured in;</li>
<li>On those goods manufactured in China, 150% in the first year, 300% in the second year, 450% in the third year, and 800% each year after that;</li>
<li>25% on goods manufactured in countries that are not allies of the U.S., select free trade partners, or members of the Mineral Security Partnership.</li>
</ul>
“The U.S. and its partners must end Communist China’s critical mineral industrial monopoly. My bill will provide more certainty to industry based in the U.S. and partner and ally countries so they may be able to develop a critical mineral industrial ecosystem China’s market manipulations cannot undercut,” Rubio stated.
Last November, Rubio joined Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) to lead a call for action to secure supply chains and reduce U.S. reliance on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for minerals that are inputs for critical technologies.
The two lawmakers led a bipartisan group of senators who wrote a letter to the White House that <a href="https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/b/7/b77b564b-9f1b-47db-9d54-9d020d91ffc4/5FE33019DC7A2ED1E156EBA22FB39351.11.16.23-senate-critical-mineral-letter-to-amos-hochstein-final.pdf">stated</a>:
<blockquote>
Demand for critical minerals is growing exponentially, yet the U.S. substantially lags behind its adversaries in securing critical mineral supply chains. In fact, in many cases China controls nearly 100 percent of the end-to-end supply chain, and is actively seeking to maintain and increase its control of these resources around the globe. &#8230;
Focusing the efforts of the U.S. government, in coordination with our allies, upon standing up processing, refining, and metallurgical capacity must be a priority if we are going to succeed in reducing our reliance on China for critical minerals.
</blockquote>
Rubio and Warner also wrote a<a href="https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/1/7/17def9a2-d95c-40b1-9028-119f35769394/FCB942C1068EB79B54E8769260B13F59.11.16.23-rubio-warner-letter-to-exim-re-critical-minerals.pdf"> letter</a> to the Chair of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) pushing for EXIM to secure critical mineral supply chains, noting, “The stakes of our economic struggle with the PRC (People’s Republic of China) demands that we reduce our dependence on them in critical technology sectors and for critical goods, especially those with defense and energy applications.”

Former President Donald Trump Holds A Campaign Rally In Doral, Florida

Rubio Introduces Bill Protecting Critical Mineral Supply Chains From China

Congress

Marco Rubio

Mark Warner

Minerals

Communist China is reportedly building a military spy base in Cuba in conjunction with the Cuban government not far from the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, according to newly published satellite images.
The images, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/china-cuba-suspected-spy-bases-da1d6ec9?mod=e2tw">published</a> by The Wall Street Journal, show that the newest spy base is being built at El Salao, a town outside of Santiago de Cuba.
Construction of the base, which has not been previously reported, began at the start of President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration and is &#8220;designed to hold a large formation of antennas known as a circularly disposed antenna array, which can be used to find and intercept electronic signals.&#8221;
The base will likely have the ability to spy on the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay even though the Chinese are using older technology that the U.S. and Russia quit using long ago, the report said.
The spy base at El Salao is the fourth such base on the island, the report said. The other bases are located at Bejucal, Wajay, and Calabazar.
Intelligence officials say that the bases present a serious national security threat to the U.S. because China is using Cuba&#8217;s close proximity to the U.S. to intercept sensitive electronic communications from U.S. military bases, space facilities, military and commercial shipping as well as spy on American citizens.
The news comes as China is aggressively expanding its footprint and influence in Latin American and the Caribbean as it tries to weaken the U.S. in the region and replace the U.S. as the world&#8217;s leading superpower.
China is building a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/chancay-peru-port-china-south-america-trade-ffc75d32?mod=article_inline">megaport</a> in Peru that U.S. officials worry could tip the balance of power in the region and subject Latin nations to economic coercion from the Chinese. China is also aggressively seeking to expand its influence and control in Argentina, Honduras, Colombia, and Brazil through various projects.
China is also moving to effectively <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-begins-rapidly-expanding-on-small-island-near-americas-doorstep">take over</a> the paradise island of Antigua which is only a couple hundred miles away from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
China is constructing a Chinese-run special economic zone on the island that “will have its own customs and immigration formalities, a shipping port and a dedicated airline and will be able to issue passports,” according to a report from Newsweek. “It will establish businesses offering everything from logistics to cryptocurrencies, facial surgery to ‘virology.&#8217;”

CHINA-BEIJING-CPC CENTENARY-GRAND GATHERING (CN)

China Building New Military Spy Base Near U.S. Base In Caribbean

Cuba

Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, who serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, disclosed on Sunday that American taxpayers are “funding thousands of Chinese experiments with direct applications to the Chinese military.”
Writing in <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/feature/stop-federal-grants-strengthening-china%E2%80%99s-military-211761" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The National Interest</a>, Rubio, one of the Republicans at the forefront of confronting Communist China along with Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, mentioned a report that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) had given $30 million in artificial intelligence research grants to a Chinese scientist at the Beijing Institute of Technology. Rubio pointed out that the Beijing Institute of Technology works to create next-generation weapons for the Communist Chinese Army.
But then Rubio submitted new evidence: The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) found that U.S. taxpayers funded the aforementioned experiments. “Their findings note more than 5,000 instances of research collaboration between the DoD’s funding agencies and Chinese entities between 2019 and 2024,” he wrote.
He continued:
<blockquote>
NCIS specifically records eighty-one collaborations with China’s nuclear weapon research and development complex, hundreds of collaborations with the “<a href="https://www.aspi.org.au/report/china-defence-universities-tracker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seven Sons of National Defense</a>” and the “Seven Sons of Ordnance Industry”—China’s premier defense industry-affiliated universities—and seventeen collaborations with China’s <a href="https://unitracker.aspi.org.au/universities/national-university-of-defense-technology/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National University of Defense Technology</a>—the People’s Liberation Army’s premier scientific research institute.
</blockquote>
The experiments “have focused on facial recognition, stealth technology, underwater acoustics, explosives, semiconductors, cryptography, cybersecurity, and data mining,” Rubio asserted, adding, “Such research, facilitated by our own government, may have already given Beijing an edge in key areas of twenty-first-century warfare. &#8230; China now has nearly unfettered access to America’s fundamental research due to a lack of prohibitions in grant language pertaining to co-authorship and collaboration.”
Rubio and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) plan to introduce the FORTIFY U.S. Research Act “to safeguard taxpayer-funded research and close loopholes that have enabled our adversaries to exploit it,” he stated.
Rubio declared that such legislation is “what the American people require to begin restoring their faith in our institutions. The longer we wait to act, the more that faith will fade—and the more its fading will be justified.”
Rubio’s efforts to combat the pernicious influence of Communist China have included the following: In March 2023, he and Iowa GOP Senator Joni Ernst introduced the <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-ernst-introduce-bill-to-deny-federal-funds-to-tiktok-partners/#:~:text=U.S.%20Senators%20Marco%20Rubio%20(R%2DFL)%20and%20Joni%20Ernst,partnership%2C%20or%20advertisement%20with%20TikTok." target="_blank" rel="noopener">No Funds for Enablers of Adversarial Propaganda Act</a> to deny federal funds to any individual or entity that had an agreement, partnership, or advertisement with TikTok. In August 2023, he called for banning TikTok in an <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/08/as-tiktok-comes-for-american-businesses-its-past-time-to-ban-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opinion piece</a>.
Last month, Rubio introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate to expose the corruption of the Chinese Communist government and its leadership.
The bill, titled the “<a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BAG24A07.pdf">Confronting CCP Malign Influence Act of 2024</a>,” would require the Director of National Intelligence to “prepare and make available a report on the wealth and corrupt activities of the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, and for other purposes.”
“Our nation’s greatest adversary is Communist China and the American people must realize the complex reality a new world order, led by Beijing, would pose. Whether it be through economic, social, or military coercion, we are seeing an increased effort from China to displace our nation as the world’s leading power,” Rubio <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-introduces-bill-to-expose-corrupt-nature-of-communist-china/">stated</a>.

Donald Trump And Joe Biden Participate In First Presidential Debate

Rubio Reveals U.S. Taxpayers Funding Chinese Military Experiments, Will Introduce Bill To Fight It

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ted-cruz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ted Cruz</a> (R-TX) said this week that the Chinese are buying up farmland near U.S. Military bases so that they can have launch areas for drones to spy on the bases.
Cruz made the remarks during the most recent episode of his &#8220;Verdict&#8221; podcast with co-host Ben Ferguson.
“There were multiple Chinese spy balloons, and the Biden administration didn&#8217;t bother to tell anyone about them,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;Until finally some ranchers in Montana spotted this one and they got outed on the internet. Were it not for that, we wouldn&#8217;t even know about this one. They kept it secret that the Chinese had been sending spy balloons over U.S. airspace, over U.S. military bases. They&#8217;re engaged in active espionage against us.”
&#8220;The Chinese are buying up land and they&#8217;re claiming they&#8217;re buying it up for farming or ranching, but it allows them to set up reconnaissance sites that allows them to install tracking technology, to use radar, to use infrared scanning, and to view the bases, and from there, to attempt to fly drones over the bases and engage in surveillance,&#8221; he later added. &#8220;And I gotta say, it is insane that we are allowing the Chinese to do this, this should be illegal, we should not allow the Chinese Communists to buy land anywhere near our bases.&#8221;
He said that Democrats have resisted countering China&#8217;s buying up of land around U.S. Military bases because &#8220;today&#8217;s Democrat Party is structurally pro-China.&#8221;
Cruz said that the party&#8217;s major stakeholders — big business, big tech, big Hollywood, big universities — are all in bed with China.
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WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
China Buying Farmland NEXT to U.S. Military Bases to Spy on us, plus Alvin Bragg RELEASED the anti-Israel Protestors who Took Over Columbia.
Don&#8217;t miss this special video episode of Verdict 👇 <a href="https://t.co/kGQwSAt3Za">pic.twitter.com/kGQwSAt3Za</a>
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1805349214173417902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2024</a></blockquote>

Senator Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz: China Is Buying Farmland Near U.S. Bases To Set Up Drones For Surveillance

Espionage

Ted Cruz

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