China Watch Radio: Recent Episodes
Bill Graff, Michael Olsen, Jonathan McCollyer, Amy Hao
Pealing back a layer in geopolitics, searching through the lessons of history, comparing and contrasting culture, and reading between the lines of "great power competition", China Watch Radio delves into the past, present and future of US/China relations while balancing a critical eye for humanitarian abuses and authoritarian structures with a genuine hope for our shared humanity.
As Xi Jinping arrives in Saudi Arabia, amid questions about the future of the petrodollar, decline in US bound exports from China slow dramatically.
The passions of Democracy rise in the most unlikely place. As and apartment building burns with people locked into their apartments and World Cup spectators celebrate mask-less in huge crowds, the Zero-COVID policy and Xi's "president for life" status are too much for the people to bear. The people of China are inspiring us to fight for our freedoms.
When General Mark A. Milley assures us that, while China sets the pace, the United States will remain the Number 1 military well into the 21st century, what does that really mean and is that really going to prevent a major conflict from breaking out? As the United States loses faith in our institutions and struggles against cultural decline, is there a super man or super woman who will right out trajectory? What role does a religious or spiritual awareness play in the societal level of great power conflict? If any of these questions spark your interest, you won't want to miss this episode of China Watch Radio.
Will US and China icy relations start to thaw now that both countries have completed their own very different versions of elections? If activity around the Spratly Islands are any indicator, where hundreds of Chinese so called fishing vessels, with reinforced hulls and overpowered engines, have congregated to conduct "grey zone" intimidation of other nations fishing fleets, then the answer may well be a resounding "no".
After the recent Senate Report "An Analysis of the Origins of the COVID-19 Pandemic" suggested that the pandemic virus is far more likely to have originated from human research than from the wonders of nature, we thought it would be a good time to have a frank conversation on the topic and say all of the things you get banned from YouTube for saying.
Integrative medicine practitioner Dr. Frank He tells us how changes in China's medical industry, due to the corrupting effects of big pharma money, would have prevented him from providing treatment during the pandemic, had he not moved to the US. Amy and Michael discuss the machinations behind Xi Jinping's ouster of both Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, along with their corresponding factions, explaining that Xi convinced Hu to help remove Jiang, before Xi betrayed Hu and removed him as well.
Amy Hao joins us to greatly illuminate the hidden subtexts of the on going 20th Communist Party Congress in Beijing. She explains why senior party leaders don't wear Covid masks, while lower ranked party members do. She also mentions that 4 high ranking party members, including Jiang Zemin were absent and that one party member did not clap when everyone else did. The conversation also turns to the clandestine power of Blackrock, the semiconductor trade war and the best way for the US to effect positive political change in China.
Amy Hao joins us to illuminate the political tinderbox of the CCP's Twentieth Party Congress starting Oct 16th. Is a recent demonstration on a bridge in Beijing a minor incident or a spark that will lead to a major conflagration? If reaffirmed in his various rolls as leader of the CCP, will Xi reverse his Zero Covid policy or will he hang on to the immense power those restrictions give the state? With the US Commerce Department acting to dramatically curtail Chinese imports of advanced semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, will the CCP retaliate with an export ban on rare earth minerals or something else? Will there be an October surprise or will there be several?
According to whistle blowing NGO Safeguard Defenders, Chinese quasi-police stations have been established throughout the globe and "Chinese authorities claim that from April 2021 to July 2022, 230,000 nationals had been “persuaded to return” to face criminal proceedings in China". One of the police stations is in New York city, home of many Uyghur and the Shen Yun dance company. The PLA Navy has been caught on satellite imagery conducting amphibious landing exercises using supposedly civilian ferries. Peter Zeihan predicts "The End Of China Has Begun", citing China's demographic decline and inability to produce high end semiconductors. Several callers debate how changing demographics do (or don't) effect our national identity, while others question our lack of restrictions on foreign investment.
With Guam rapidly preparing for the possibility of defending its self from a "Pearl Harbor" like strike and two of the worlds most strategically sensitive pipelines, we ask the question "Are we at a tipping point?" David points out a surprising and rising amount amount of domestic support on mainland China for the use of military force to "re-unify" Taiwan. While Michael describes the comical situation where Xie Zhenhua, leader of China's climate negotiations, chides Europe for backsliding on their climate goals. Billy also points out that Blackrock and Vanguard are on course to own just about everything by 2028.
Michael Olson starts off the show describing the many parallels between contemporary "Wokeism" and historical Maoism, suggesting that constant social disruption is the key to power in both cases. David Welch describes the underlying conditions that have apparently provoked a free fall in Chinese real estate. Bill Graff points out the unbalanced nature of the Paris Climate Accords, which place significant CO2 reduction targets on the West while giving China a free pass to build a massive amount of new coal fired energy production capacity through 2030. Jonty McCollyer describes the caricature of, what many critics describe as, China's "debt trap diplomacy", suggesting that, with such a broad scope as the Belt and Road Initiative, there may be many intentions behind the initiative, not all of which are nefarious.
Later on in the show, the conversation turns to the end of globalization, faltering neoliberalism and what the US should be doing to cope with the resultant economic upheaval.
As Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, questions about the economic and military relationship between China and Russia abound. With Xi's likely re-election in October approaching, what are the knock-on effects of his particular brand of authoritarianism, extreme even by the CCP's standards. When two concerned citizens and election researchers discovered US poll worker data being stored on an open database in mainland China, they brought it to the attention of the FBI. After 15 months of investigation, the case was handed to the FBI's D.C. office and suddenly the concerned citizens were the ones being investigated. Who is the FBI really protecting?
As the Solomon Islands recently denied a port call to US warships, Cambodia seems to be joining the Belt and Road initiative and Nicaragua has seized the Taiwanese Embassy and handed it to Mainland China. In this context, our team of China Watchers discusses what strategic acquisitions China needs most to assert its growing hegemony.
Join us as our team of China Watchers digs into the details of political tensions in the South China Sea and the South Pacific. Guam's significantly increasing its US military presence, the Solomon Islands are diverting away US warships, while Russia sells natural gas to China, that China then sells to Europe for a huge markup.
Joe Biden is now condemning a CCP organization his son once lobbied for. What has changed in Washington? Youth employment in China has risen to 19.9%. Is this a signal of impending demographic collapse? Is Taiwan prepared for a blockade? In 1904 Sir Halford John Mackinder wrote "The Geographical Pivot of History" for the Royal Geographical Society, predicting that an alliance centered in the Asian land mass would dominate global politics. Is such an alliance forming right now?
Why is the US National Institute of Health still funding the Wuhan Institute of Virology? Would a Western intervention be justified if the Solomon Islands start becoming a Chinese military base? Did Sri Lanka build China a de facto military base? What would the economic costs be to Taiwan and Mainland China if sanctions increase or if a war breaks out? How does the US and China compare with regards to population decline? Is a great decoupling of the US and Chinese economies underway? Is Chinese national debt spiraling out of control?
As the team debates the various competing claims to the ownership of Taiwan, Amy Hao joins in to add her unique perspective.
It's easy to get caught up in the theater of contemporary geopolitical brinkmanship. Join our team of China Watchers as we go beyond the headlines to ascertain the medium and long term economic and military effects of Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. While China's economy looks to be in worse shape than the US, the underlying question is "how close to losing faith are the Chinese people?" It seems Anthony Fauci still sees funding Chinese military related bio-loabs as a good investment. Why? Is a war over Taiwan on the horizon? Has it already started? What role does the worlds need for high quality microchips and the recently passed CHIPS Act play? After Xi told Biden not to let Pelosi visit Taiwan, how will he act to "save face" domestically and could this be the trigger for a dramatic escalation. Was this move a face saving exercise for the US or a facelift for the Democrats?
Senior Australian Accounting Venture Capitalist William Ricketts joined us to dig deep into Australia/China relations as well as help us understand the nature of the Chinese banking system. He also described the situation in the Solomon Islands with regards to recent inroads made with a Chinese offer to train and augment local security forces. With regards to the Chinese banking system, it sounds like a house of cards primarily supported by foreign trade and investment.
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Tiananmen Square Black Swan Event
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“Tanks to the Banks”. China deploys army tanks to guard it’s Banks from cash withdrawals
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Broader consequences of the housing pricing collapse in China. Is the cure worse than the disease?
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Compare Chinese TikTok to Western TikTok we see in the USA
Special Guest: Joseph Hanneman, Lead investigator of Jan. 6 and Senior reporter at The Epoch Times
Guest Topic: Investigative report of the J6 Committee hearings, does this impact our relationship with China? Joe Hanneman discuss investigative findings to be released in a documentary July 22nd.
There has been a narrative perpetuated about January 6 that omits many of the facts about what happened that day. With in-depth interviews and exclusive video footage, we take an objective look at the issues, the people, and the impacts of the events.
The film takes a deep dive into the shooting of 35-year-old Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt and the deaths of three other supporters of former President Donald J. Trump. It analyzes the police response to the mass live crowds and use of force around the U.S. Capitol. Also examines the human impacts of Jan. 6, including the suicide of one defendant and the long pretrial imprisonment of dozens of others. It also investigates claims that some of the attacks on the Capitol and police were carried out by unindicted suspicious actors.
“The Real Story of January 6” will premiere in a live stream on EpochTV and then be available on demand.
Watch the trailer here: https://www.youmaker.com/v/3Pz0DMKjeq8q
How reliant are we on Chinese Antibiotics? Why are we still investing in China? A huge data breach of Chinese citizens is already having a dramatic effect on what we know about the real Chinese economy and demography. As Sri-Lanka goes belly up, should we point the finger at Belt & Road loans, ESG policies or both? As Shinzo Abe's assassination shocked the world, many Chines saw cause for celebration. Who was Shinzo Abe and what effects will his assassination have?
We discuss the rather dramatic return of a variety of industries to US shores, the possible entry of Saudi Arabia into the BRICS economic group, the stunning revelation that oil released from the US strategic reserve is ending up in a variety of other countries including China, the emergence of tensions between NASA and the Chinese Space Agency, before we go into an in depth comparison of NATO, Russian and Chinese naval forces in the pacific as we discuss the recent transit of Russian and Chinese destroyers near Japanese islands.
Epoch Times senior reporter Nathan Su joined us today to illuminate the nuances of the the "three joint communiques" which form the foundation of U.S. and PRC relations with regards to Taiwan. The team also discusses and, at times, heatedly debates a variety of issues ranging from BlackRock's White House influence to the G7's new international development proposal, the BRICK's nations new proposed alternative to the dollar and the strength of the Chinese navy.
If you were Blackrock CEO Larry Fink and you had to chose between the US, China or one of your yachts, which would you chose? Listen as we discuss a pantheon of topics ranging from US investments (like those managed by Blackrock) supporting Chinese military related industries, to drone swarms and the role of postmodernism in institutional decay.
In a meeting of top US and Chinese military brass PLA Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said, “If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost”. Join us for a deep dive discussion regarding the potential for a military conflict over Taiwan as we ask the question, "why the bellicosity?"
The policy of reducing all cases of COVID to zero is being aggressively pursued in China through severe lockdowns, daily testing and quarantine camps. Given the impossibility of preventing the spread of a disease that most of the world has accepted as endemic, we ask why this policy persists. Is it through incompetence or an attempt to "save face"? Is it a tactic to punish Xi's political enemies? Is it a way of preparing the nation for war? or perhaps all three? Find out in this episode of China Watch Radio.
Will China's grain hording feed the starving millions in the coming food crisis or has most of it rotten or disappeared due to corruption? Is Shanghai finally coming out of lockdown? U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet just took a real soft tone on the Genocide in Xinjiang. 10 Pacific Nations get cold feet on Chinese security and economic deals. China has just launched its new Type 003 aircraft carrier for sea trials. A leaked video appears to show Peoples Liberation Army Top Brass discussing the "normal to war transition". The end of free trade may be the seminal shift of the last several decades.
Whether it be "unrestricted warfare" of a cultural or economic nature, the push and pull between great powers or the contest between authoritarianism and Liberalism, it is clear that relations between the U.S. and China are at an inflection point. Are we the victims of a clandestine war we didn't even know was being waged against us? To what extent have our military and economic policies created the current climate of animosity? Is China moving to secure strategic relationships in the South Pacific? Has the US left a power vacuum? Find some detailed information and diverse opinions in this episode of China Watch Radio.
In one of our most extraordinary shows, Nury Turkel, human rights attorney serving on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and author of the book "No Escape: The True Story of China's Genocide of the Uyghurs", joins us for a whirlwind two hours detailing the horrors forced on the Uyghur population of Xingjian China by the CCP. Nury explains in various ways the physical, psychological and spiritual abuse not even Orwell could have dreamed of. Don't miss this episode and don't let the topic rest, as 3 million of our human brothers and sisters are interned in massive forced labor "re-education camps" facing constant torture as the CCP persists in destroying their unique and ancient culture.
It's easy to think that the CCP is a political organization of 90 million people that uniformly agree on any given policy, but the reality may be far more complex and illuminating.
The first major faction after the reign of Deng Xiaoping was the Hu Jintao's coalition of peasant farmers. Their sometimes rivals, sometimes partners were the elitist Shanghai coalition, with all the wealth and foreign connections that go along with being "coast elites". The coastal elites, under the leadership of Jiang Zemin, rose above their rivals when Jaing's faction advocated for the Tienanmen Square massacre in 1989. At the time, Hu's faction was more open to negotiate. Jaing created the 6-10 commission (a sort of secret police) to condemn and prosecute the Falun Gong (basically a meditative exercise, with a compassionate morality) practitioners. This was an empowering move, since any political adversary could be accused of being a secret practitioner of Falun Gong and removed from their opposition.
Within the ascending "Shanghai gang", Xi Jinping made his rise. He was born in 1953. He became Governor of Fujian province from 1999 to 2002. He joined the Politburo Standing Committee in 2007 and became General Secretary of the CCP in 2012. Shortly after taking power, he orchestrated the "Tigers and Flies" anti-corruption campaign, which removed insufficiently loyal individuals from all the most significant political, domestic security and military positions.
In this show, we discuss why Xi is conducting such a harsh COVID policy, as well as come to terms with the apparent implosion of the Chinese economy.
As questions about CCP related corruption hang over the Biden Admin's recent appointment to APEC, Michael Olsen describes the scenario in which our investment fund dollars, with a focus on pension funds, end up in China. Bill Graff relates the opening of Tesla's factory in Shanghai, Amy provides some perspective on the ongoing lockdowns and Jonty describes an apparent exodus of foreigners from mainland China.
Rather than invade Taiwan's main island of Formosa, Xi might decide to score a quick victory over Taiwan's smaller islands much closer to the mainland. Wang Wenbin, the CCP's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, makes the case that the US is "the master of disinformation." Peter Zeihan things mainland China will face "dissolution" by the end of the decade. Dissident Chinese poets write things like, “The pandemic has made everything into necessities. … Alas, the world of humans is full of unnecessary things.”
Michael Olson introduces the mystical "Credit Knife Man" of Chinese lore. As the discussion progresses through China's myriad of challenges, including food security, demographic collapse and economic stagnation, Olson describes the recent reappearance of the enigmatic "Credit Knife Man", in which he predicts, among other prognostications that "the red boat will sink". What is the true meaning of the Credit Knife Man's predictions and will they come to pass? Find out in this episode of China Watch Radio.
See Also: Mysterious Credit Knife Man in China brings a shocking prophecy for 2022
Recently, a Chinese individual revealed on social media that the legendary figures who loan knives on credit in Chinese folklore have reappeared. Unlike before, this time the Credit Knife Man has made a shocking prophecy that can influence the fate of all Chinese people. During the Warring States period in China, which started from 475 BC and ended in 221 BC., there was a well-known figure named Guigu Zi. He was the master of Chinese military arts and one of the icons of Taoism. It is said in Chinese folklore that the credit knife people belong to Taoism, and they are the disciples of Guigu Zi. - 56 They are proficient in all kinds of magic, able to foretell the future by Divination of life and death.
Bill Graff exemplifies the draconian nature of the CCP's COVID lockdown policies with a heartbreaking story about the murder of a families pet Corgi after they are shipped off to a quarantine camp. Michael Olson illuminates the description of harrowing conditions in Shanghai with the sounds of thousands of desperate starving residents screaming out their windows. Jonty McCollyer summarizes the history of the pandemic, noting that the West repeatedly echoed the strategies used by China, leading to the current push by Xi and the WHO to institute a global digital ID system.
Whether we're talking about Taiwan, Ukraine or Cuba, strategic ambiguity is a political stance with its upsides and downsides. After a discussion of the Shanghai COVID lockdown with Amy Hao, Michael Olsen asks the team and the audience whether the US should remain ambiguous regarding the independence of Taiwan.
If Blackrock is one of the most powerful (perhaps the most powerful) corporations on Earth and owns a significant share of all the major news organizations including the New York Times, is the concession by the New York Times that the Hunter Biden laptop is authentic a sign that globalist elites are not happy with the direction of the Biden administration? In the age old game of "elite capture", who is pulling whose strings the hardest and which strings are going to snap? To what extent is food supply China's Achilles heel? As China makes military moves in the Solomon Islands, how isolated is Australia? How far along is the process of de-dollarization and is that the real goal of the war in Ukraine? If any of these questions spark your interest, take a listen to today's episode of China Watch Radio.
Photo Courtesy of www.kremlin.ru (No, we're not working for them, just using the photo)
An anonymous US official has asserted that Russia asked China for military aid for the invasion of Ukraine. How serious is this allegation and how much evidence is there to back it up? What would Chinese military aid mean to Russia and what would the US's reaction be? There are some publications coming from voices in China's policy intelligentsia suggesting China should ditch Russia. Are they enough to drive a rift between China and Russia? Amy Hao joins the show in the second half to discuss the massive draconian COVID19 lockdowns in Shenzhen and Shanghai, explaining that the high tech industrialized areas tend to have less support for Xi Jinping. Is Xi using lockdowns to fight against his political rivals?
In a loose format heated conversation the team sift through the clouds of voluminous propaganda emanating from all concerned corners of the earth to expose the hidden chess board on which the power elite gamble with our collective lives and fortunes. Under a barrage of callers, we jostle and compare notes on the underlying causes and possible solutions of the Ukraine conflict. Is this the end of Dollar hegemony? Is China behind the whole thing? Should we just bomb the Russians?
Amy Hao joins us to start off the show with a pop quiz in geopolitical facts, which provokes some interesting discussion even if we get a few questions wrong. Michael Olsen shares the rather supersizing revelation that the Biden administration has ended the DOJ's China Initiative, which, as of February 2020 was conducting around 1,000 investigations into various forms of trade secret theft, under the justification that the program suffered from “a narrative of intolerance and bias”. Billy raises the possibility of an end to "strategic ambiguity" with regards to the US and Taiwan independence. Jonty uses the metaphor of the people as parents and the governments as children to make the argument that war is a catastrophic failure of statesmanship earning all participants a stern reprimand. Several extraordinary callers provided varied incite and ideas for future shows.
Epoch Times Writer James Gorrie joins us to help clear the fog of war and determine what the Russian invasion of Ukraine means for Taiwan. Is the old US led world order in a tailspin? What are our elites goals in China? Will Xi continue as Chairman of the CCP or is he under threat? Is it time to start building a bomb shelter? Learn about all these questions and more on this episode of China Watch Radio.
While former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is not watching the Olympics, how many people are watching the Olympics in Zimbabwe or Norway? The recent conviction of Harvard scientist Charles Lieber for charges stemming from his improper relationship with the CCP begs the question, what is the relationship between US Universities and the Chinese military? Considering the question of "elite capture", Bill Gates has his hand in the cookie jar well past the elbow. What does he get in return? Amy Hao joins the team to discuss the recent revelation about a woman in Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu province who was revealed to have been abusively chained in a shed and apparently used as a sex slave.
As evidence, not just of a lab origin, but of a high level cover up, continues to mount, the team discusses the many nuances of the ever thickening "gain of function" plot. In the spy vs. spy world of "bio-defense", defense and offense are often the same thing and working with your enemies might be the best way to keep an eye on their capabilities. As this rabbit hole gets deeper and deeper, we hope you join us on the climb.
As two of the most enigmatic and controversial figures in geopolitics face off, the China Watch Radio team asks "who is George Soros really?" and "what could his possible motives be?" Meanwhile, the Zero-COVID policy in China seems to have a sharp edge when it comes to political dissidents. Will the extreme "track and trace" technologies ever be relaxed? Moreover, will the West follow suit with its own version of a Social Credit System? Delve into these questions and more in this episode of China Watch Radio.
Leon Lee, director of the award winning movie "Unsilenced" discusses the motivations that drove the making of the emotional true story of the struggle to reveal the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners to the world. The discussion covers the role of Truth or lack there of in maintaining authoritarian systems. Find out more about this extraordinary film, now showing in San Jose, at unsilencedmovie.com
The team discusses the draconian steps taken to make the Bejing Olympics COVID free, the effect of China's low birthrate and Xi Jinping's recent speech at the World Economic Forum. Vivian Wang describes her early life during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, then moves on to describe the trust she came to feel for the people of the United States and the sense that our nation has an identity beyond material acquisition.
Evidence continues to mount that Fauci's NIH funded dangerous gain of function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and then covered it up. The Chinese prepare to host the Olympic's while convincing themselves and the rest of the world that a "Zero COVID" policy is a possibility, despite the societal cost and mounting evidence. Nordic Dave joins us to discuss Chinese culture.
How many University Professors are on the CCP's payroll through the "Thousand Talents" program? Seems like something we should know. As Apple pays the CCP $275 billion for market access and special treatment and hits a $3 Trillion valuation, we discuss whether the CCP controls Apple or Apple controls the CCP. The city of Xi'an, population 13 million, is in dramatic lockdown. People's apartment building doors are being welded shut, many people are struggling to access food and thousands are being transferred to hastily built quarantine camps. Russia and China are working to create an alternative to the SWIFT bank transfer system. Is it the end of the dollar?
Dr. Anders Corr, author of The Concentration of Power: Institutionalization, Hierarchy & Hegemony, joins Michael Olsen and Jonty McCollyer for a unique discussion on the roll of elite capture in facilitating China's rise as a potential global hegemon. Dr. Corr advocates for policies and strategies to limit Chinese economic coercion, while isolating the political class of the West from CCP bribery. Michael Olsen helps describe a 20 year old war with China that the US didn't know it was fighting. Jonty questions whether being ruled by a totalitarian government that eliminates all religious traditions and most cultural traditions doesn't make the CCP guilty of genocide against the Chinese people.
Shen Yun is a dance that cries out for the right of people to worship how they wish to.
Did Biden's Democracy Summit actually advance to cause of democracy? How does the Belt And Road debt trap compare to other nations forms of economic coercion? Are Taiwanese microchip manufacturers playing hardball with US sanctions? Is the Belt And Road initiative falling apart? Is China becoming a colonial power? Are all communists evil or is some evil communist? Does China have the most advanced electric grid in the world? Listen as our team and our engaged audience explore these ideas and many more.
Is the CCP more dangerous than ever or has the US gained the upper hand? Has "Wolf Warrior" diplomacy backfired? Will Apple become a Chinese company? At what point does human right abuse trump national sovereignty? Why does the US's main stream response to COVID look like a cartoon? Delve deeper into all these questions and more on this episode of China Watch Radio.