Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on CCP, France, Cuba, U.S.
News (1)
French media commented on the visit of the leader of the Chinese Communist Party: Don’t have any illusions, don’t treat him as a friend
Reporter : Luo Tingting / Editor : Wen Hui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/05/06/a103877740.html / Image : On 5 May 2024, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping arrived in Paris, France, and people protested on the streets against the tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party. (Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images)
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping visited France on 5 May 2024. French media reminded the Macron government not to have illusions and not to regard Xi as a friend.
During Xi's European trip, he will visit France, Serbia and Hungary. Before Xi arrived in France, the French newspaper Le Monde published an editorial on May 4 titled "Macron meets Xi Jinping: Dialogue with China, but no illusions."
The article pointed out that France will not fight the CCP alone, but flattery to China will not work either. Only a unified Europe can have a chance to be listened to by Beijing, not to mention that this is not the case in all fields.
The article analyzed that Xi chose to visit France, Hungary and Serbia, three European countries, for a purpose. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. Xi Jinping visited France to promote the "special relationship" between China and France.
Xi will also visit the former site of the Chinese Communist Embassy in Yugoslavia, which was accidentally bombed by NATO US bombers in Serbia, in order to condemn the United States and win over European countries.
Hungary has always been pro-communist. Xi's visit to Hungary is aimed at weakening Europe from within and at the same time showing goodwill to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The article stated that the CCP has always said that it "hopes to have a strong Europe", but this is not true. The CCP’s true intention is to weaken Western democracies, undermine transatlantic relations, and even the EU itself.
For example, the CCP launched the “17+1 Summit” of 17 European countries and the CCP in Europe in 2012, but this initiative did not work.
The article also mentioned that "continuing to believe that China (the Communist Party) remains neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war will be counterproductive." Putin will visit China after being re-elected as president on 7 May. CCP China and Russia have formed a true informal alliance. The CCP provided Moscow with equipment and materials needed for national defense production and helped Russia invade Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken recently visited China and issued an ultimatum to the CCP, demanding that it stop assisting Russia in evading international sanctions. The U.S. government subsequently imposed sanctions on more than 20 Chinese companies that support Russian military industrial enterprises.
The article stated, "Not talking to China is not a solution to the problem. But they (France) also do not regard Xi Jinping as a friend."
Before Xi arrived in France, Zheng Qinmo, associate professor and director of the Institute of European Studies at Tamkang University, told The Epoch Times on May 3 that France and Germany have long relied on the Chinese market and have never been able to decouple from the CCP. Hungary and Serbia are both pro-CCP European countries.
He said that the current relationship between the United States and Europe is relatively delicate. Xi Jinping is now trying to use both "stick" and "carrot" to European countries with the Chinese market. On the one hand, he provides some orders, and on the other hand, he hopes that the EU will purchase Chinese electric vehicles, solar panels, etc. When launching countervailing investigations, France and other three countries can speak out for the CCP.
However, French President Macron specially invited European Commission President von der Leyen to Paris to talk with Xi Jinping. Zheng Qinmo believes that Macron wants to show the EU that France has not reached any deal with the CCP in private.
In addition, Xi's trip to Europe was accompanied by protests. Many civil organizations protested on the streets of Paris, France, against the tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party and called on the European Union to condemn the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of human rights.
News (2)
What will be the outcome of Xi Jinping’s visit to Europe in a difficult situation?
Editor : Song Feng / Interviewer : Luo Ya / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/05/05/a103877632.html
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping is visiting Europe and will hold talks with French President Macron, Serbian President Vucic, and Hungarian Prime Minister Orban. This is also his first visit to Europe since the outbreak. The outside world is paying attention to what results Xi Jinping will achieve during this visit when relations between Europe and China are tense.
As trade tensions between Europe and China continue to escalate, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping began a visit to Europe on May 5. In France, his first stop, he will hold individual and trilateral talks with French President Macron and European Commission President von der Leyen. After that, he will visit Serbia and Hungary.
Europe is actively promoting countervailing investigations into Chinese electric vehicles, and Xi Jinping's first consecutive visit to three European countries after the epidemic is considered to be seeking more breakthroughs within Europe to change his domestic and foreign affairs dilemma.
Zheng Qinmo, associate professor of the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations at Tamkang University: “Hungary is the most pro-Chinese among EU countries, especially its Prime Minister Orban, who is also pro-China. Serbia is the most pro-China among European non-EU countries. These two countries are key countries in the CCP’s promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative.”
Zheng Zhengbing, a professor at Taiwan's Yunlin University of Science and Technology, said that China's economic situation has been very poor in recent years, and trade with major European countries has dropped significantly. Similarly, the economic situation in Europe is not very good, and the Russia-Ukraine war is still escalating.
Zheng Zhengbing, a professor at Taiwan's Yunlin University of Science and Technology: "So overall, Xi Jinping's current visit to Europe is in a very unfavorable situation. In terms of purely economic and trade terms, without geopolitical impact, he is already very disadvantaged. Put geopolitics into Taking into account the conflicts, I think Xi Jinping himself is also hesitating, conflicting, and hesitating.”
China is promoting the "three new things" represented by new energy vehicles, lithium batteries and solar cells to the world, which have become a new growth point for China's foreign trade and will account for more than half of China's total foreign trade export value in 2023. However, the EU has recently taken a series of actions against China in terms of trade, not only investigating anti-subsidy of electric vehicles, but also raiding the offices of Chinese company Nuctech.
Zheng Qinmo: "For China, the current so-called overcapacity is actually quite serious. As Blinken mentioned a few days ago, China's production capacity has reached 100% of the world's demand and more than that. In other words, it is destined to be a production capacity The surplus model. The world's market is not enough to cope with China's production capacity, not to mention that each country has its own democratic industry, so this is a very big challenge to global trade. "
At the same time, the collusion between the CCP and Russia has also attracted attention.
Zheng Zhengbing: "At first, some people predicted that Putin might visit China before he visited Europe. What we see now is that Putin may not visit China until after Xi Jinping visits the EU. But you see Xi Jinping and Putin has met more than 40 times, and there have been at least two or three very close exchanges this year, privately building the possibility of unlimited cooperation, regardless of whether Xi Jinping really follows Putin's pace. , But in fact, this is a huge threat to the United States, Europe, and the democratic camp.”
Zheng Qinmo pointed out that the three-year epidemic has caused China's domestic demand to collapse, so they can only hope to export their products. However, the impact of the epidemic has caused unemployment in Europe to rise. China continues to assist the Russian military industry and promote the development of war, which seriously violates European interests. Therefore, this forces European leaders to choose a balance point among the conflicts between national security and commercial interests.
Zheng Zhengbing: "At the beginning of the war, Russia was bombarding Ukraine, and there was a very shortage of traditional ammunition, heavy weapons, and precision ammunition. Later, it was discovered that Russia had regained supplies. Among them, some very critical ammunition Almost all spare parts or minor military components are imported through China and some countries in Central Asia.”
Zheng Zhengbing pointed out that China has played a devilish role in promoting the Russia-Ukraine war and threatening the entire Europe, but Europe most hopes that the Russia-Ukraine war will stop and return to a state of peace. But the reality is that the relationship between Xi Jinping and Putin continues to improve, and Macron is the EU leader who is most active in sending troops to Ukraine.
Zheng Qinmo believes that the CCP supports Hamas and Iran and expands in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea and even the Indo-Pacific region, which has had a huge impact on global geopolitics and the international economy. In this way, even if Xi Jinping tries very hard to threaten and induce these European partners, China's relations with Europe will not be substantially improved.
News (3)
Guangdong Meida Expressway collapses, engineer explains in detail the cause of the accident
Editor : Huang Yimei / Interviewer : Yi Ru / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/05/06/a103877864.html
The landslide accident on the Meida Expressway in Guangdong has currently killed at least 48 people. The authorities characterized it as a "disaster" in advance, but there were also public calls for accountability online. Some experts pointed out that this was a man-made project quality problem rather than a so-called disaster. It was a standard shoddy project.
Less than 10 years after its completion, the Guangdong Meida Expressway suddenly collapsed in a large area. The collapsed road surface was about 17.9 meters long and covered an area of about 184.3 square meters. It is known that at least 23 vehicles collapsed, killing 48 people. The time of the incident It’s the first day of China’s May Day holiday.
It can be seen from the picture that it looks like the scene after a mudslide has passed through, and no support structures such as gravity retaining walls can be seen.
Zhu Xueye, a senior bridge structure design engineer in the United States: "You don't have to think about the quality of the project. Because it is very simple. According to the engineering method, it is to compact layer by layer, and prepare a gray sand bottom. The sand and gravel bottom are all prepared. It should have stones and sand, and the layers should be matched in proportion. This profession is very particular. When pressing, the soil, sand and stones must be in proportion. It is not just a pile of soil that will cover the road. When it is built, strict quality control of the project is required before the soil can be filled in. Since it has such a high slope, it must be constructed in accordance with the specifications. "
The authorities explained that due to the continuous heavy rains in Guangdong province, the highway collapsed due to the continuous heavy rains. Zhu Xueye, a senior bridge structure design engineer in the United States, said that unless there is an earthquake, there will be no such so-called natural disasters causing highway landslides.
Zhu Xueye: "Be careful, this is a man-made road. It is not a natural hillside. After a long time, the soil and water eroded, and the bottom became empty, and then the soil washed away, and then collapsed. This place has slope protection. Yes, for normal highway construction, there is a special slope. The soil on the slope that is set cannot be washed away. During normal construction, the soil cannot be washed away. There are slope protections to protect the soil, so How could this happen? It’s impossible. Because the soil becomes more and more stable outside as it settles, how can it be said that it will break down after a long time? This is all nonsense.”
After the accident, the local government announced that it would launch a large-scale investigation of transportation infrastructure such as roads, railways, and waterways throughout Guangdong Province.
Netizens questioned, "Why not investigate safety concerns in advance?" "Why should we investigate the reasons? Isn't it obvious at a glance? Soft foundation treatment, support piles, anchor cables, frame skeletons, and geogrids have not been done. You can choose one of the above options. There will be no landslides. "Severely punish the shoddy project and hold everyone criminally responsible."
Public information shows that the total investment in the Meizhou-Dalian Expressway is approximately RMB 5.637 billion. During the construction period, roof collapses, landslides and water leakage occurred many times. Meida Expressway is operated and managed by Guangdong Dachao Expressway Co., Ltd., which is affiliated to the state-owned Guangdong Provincial Communications Group.
Zhuxueye: "This is the so-called corruption and the great achievements of the Communist Party. The layers of subcontracting are all related. This is that corruption is fatal. It is not just a matter of money. Corruption will eventually kill people. Because it cut corners and was not constructed according to the specifications, it has quality problems. The small ones gradually change, and gradually deteriorate. This quantity changes to qualitative change, and finally it slips due to a certain condition, and something goes wrong. , This is an obvious characteristic of the shoddy project.”
Zhu Xueye said that he believed that the authorities could not find the records of the construction at that time, because it was a substandard project in the first place. He also said that after China has developed rapidly for decades and since Xi Jinping came to power, all kinds of so-called disasters would be quite terrifying if they were collected together. However, many people do not know about them because of the information blockade.
Zhu Xueye: "I have said this a long time ago. China is now very good. Just wait and see in 10 or 8 years. Disasters caused by this kind of shoddy construction are everywhere. Houses, bridges, roads, etc. There are a lot of problems with infrastructure, and houses are cracked. Didn’t you see that some houses were split in half recently? Many houses have not yet been built, and the walls inside are cracked. In a few years, you will find that the high-speed rail is leaking. It’s possible that we can’t drive that fast because the shelves are uneven and the rails are not straight or level.”
In the afternoon of 4 May 2024, the slope of another Jiangzhu Expressway in Guangdong Province also collapsed.
News (4)
Worried about social unrest? China expands monitoring of low-income population
Editor : Meng Xinqi / Interviewer : Luo Ya / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/05/06/a103877870.html
CCP China's economy is in recession and the number of low-income people is increasing. In order to strengthen social stability, the Communist Party of China recently required all localities to strengthen the identification of low-income populations and expand monitoring. The news has attracted attention from the outside world.
On 5 May 2024, the Chinese Communist Party’s official media reported that the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Communist Party of China recently issued a notice requiring all localities to comprehensively carry out the so-called minimum living security marginal families and those with rigid expenditure difficulties on the basis of doing a good job in identifying the minimum living security recipients and extremely poor people. Family recognition work.
In terms of strengthening the dynamic monitoring of low-income populations, the Chinese Communist Party officially requires all localities to expand the scope of monitoring with the goal of "preventing risks" and include other needy people identified by local governments and more low-income populations with potential difficulties or risks as low-income people. Population dynamic monitoring information platform to strengthen hierarchical management and dynamic monitoring.
Lai Rongwei, CEO of the Taiwan Inspirational Association: "So this time the low-income population has been released again, which means that it believes that the current grassroots level in China has already seen a phenomenon that the higher-ups of the CCP think is very serious. Maybe they think that these people If the stomach is not full, there may be social chaos, dissatisfaction, and even cascading, so they ask grassroots party organizations to get up and take action.”
The CCP government claims that it is also necessary to make the public widely aware of the so-called positive role of implementing dynamic monitoring of low-income populations in effectively preventing risks and alleviating life difficulties. It is also necessary to instill the CCP ideology and guide the low-income population with the ability to work to "self-reliance." Through one's own efforts to obtain employment, one can "get out of trouble".
Lai Rongwei: "Looking at the entire policy this way, my feeling is that it will return to what we were talking about before the 1980s. We must control you very firmly. From your life to every party organization It will lock you in a certain unit, and then all your eating, drinking, sleeping, and behavior will be under the supervision of the party. "
The CCP official does not clearly define the income of the so-called “low-income population”.
Epoch Times columnist Wang He: "The Chinese Communist Party has set up low-income standards and established a social assistance system. It seems to be a big deal, as if it wants to build this population database, and it seems to be very concerned about the people. In fact, it is the whole Compared with the real situation in China, this approach is a word game and misleads public opinion at home and abroad, because it conceals the basic facts of the vast number of low-income people in China. "
In October last year, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Communist Party of China announced that the national low-income population dynamic monitoring information platform had collected basic information on more than 66 million low-income people, accounting for approximately 4.7% of the country's total population. These more than 66 million people mainly include nearly 40 million subsistence allowance recipients, more than 4.6 million extremely poor people, and more than 6 million family members on the margins of subsistence allowance.
Wang He: "So it should be said that the number of low-income people in China is very large. From the current official data of the government's relevant assistance, it only admits that there are 66 million people. In fact, compared to the low-income population in China, That’s 600 million people, so if you compare the United Nations’ poverty line and the World Bank’s poverty line with China’s low-income group, you will find that the CCP has told a big lie in this regard.”
Experts point out that there have always been many corruption problems in the CCP’s so-called subsistence allowance system.
Lai Rongwei: "When China faces grassroots social problems, why has it never been able to solve this problem? Because its numbers are simply false. In one of your policies today, you said you would help low-income households , then why many people can’t get money? Because every one of them is a civil servant, and what they care about is not the farmers. What they care about is how to communicate with the superiors, and they have no way to deal with the problems of the grassroots society.”
In fact, the sentence "There are 600 million people in China whose monthly income is only 1,000 yuan" came from the mouth of the late Premier Li Keqiang of the Communist Party of China. Many people believe that this sentence tells the reality of China and awakens the so-called "Chinese Dream" .
Wang He: "So now the CCP says it has 66 million low-income people. This number is far from the actual low-income population in China. Therefore, the widespread poverty in Chinese society and the large-scale low-income people suggest the CCP basically turned a blind eye.”
Outsiders are worried that CCP China's massive unemployment and low-income population may cause more social unrest.
News (5)
Cuba exempts Chinese citizens from visa, Running to the U.S. through new route?
Cuba announced on 4 May 2024 that it would provide visa-free entry for Chinese Communist citizens. After the news was reported by mainland media, it quickly attracted the attention of Chinese netizens.
While announcing visa-free entry, the Cuban Minister of Tourism also announced that direct flights between CCP China and Cuba will resume on17 May 20247.
According to reports, half an hour after the news was released, the search popularity for keywords such as Cuba hotels and air tickets on mainland online travel platforms increased by more than 40% compared with the previous day. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Tianjin, Shandong, Fujian Residents are particularly enthusiastic about searching for Cuba.
News about the visa exemption also quickly became a hot search topic on Weibo. Netizens left messages saying that this has opened up a new path for Chinese people to sneak into the United States, and it is a shortcut.
Someone said: "This route is so convenient. You can fly directly to Cuba and then swim into the United States."
Some people also said: "China's escapees have another quick way to escape to the U.S. They first fly to Cuba, then take a boat to the United States and go directly to the beach."
News (6) to (8) / Reporter : Shang Jing / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/05/07/a103877987.html
News (6)
Nearly 500 Chinese escapees were arrested in two days, more than the total number in 2021
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources, the Border Patrol arrested 262 Chinese nationals in the San Diego area on 1 May 2024, and another 23 on 2 May 2024. A total of 485 Chinese escapees were arrested.
In comparison, in fiscal year 2021, only 342 undocumented Chinese tourists were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The number of Chinese nationals arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border continues to increase, with more than 240 million people arrested in fiscal year 2023, and 24,200 people have been arrested so far in fiscal year 2024.
News (7)
Gallup: The United States has greater influence than China and the Democratic Party is easier to form alliances with
On Monday (6 May 2024), Gallup released a survey report. In 2023, of the more than 130 countries surveyed, 48% favored the United States, while only 21% supported China; more than five-fifths of the countries has a "firm alliance" with the United States, the highest since 2009.
Looking back at Gallup survey data in 2007, when Democrats were in the White House, most countries in the world were more willing to ally with the United States.
News (8)
Protests continue for weeks, Columbia cancels large graduation ceremony
Columbia University announced on Monday that it will cancel its large campus-wide commencement ceremony due to ongoing pro-Palestinian protests, but will hold smaller department-wide celebrations this week and next.
Columbia's campus-wide commencement ceremony was originally scheduled for 15 May 2024.
The school said in a statement that the past few weeks have been "incredibly difficult" for the campus community and that the decision was made after discussions with students.
News (9)
The United States and the Philippines conduct shoulder-to-shoulder military exercises to thwart enemy landings on islands near Taiwan
Reporters : Zhao Fenghua and Mingyu / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/05/06/a103877975.html
On Monday (6 May 2024), the United States and the Philippines simulated defeating an enemy landing on an island near Taiwan during the "shoulder-to-shoulder" joint military exercise. On the same day, the Australian government issued a statement condemning the dangerous interception of Chinese military aircraft.
On 6 May 2024, during the "Side-by-Sider" joint military exercise held in the city of Laoag in the northern Philippines, U.S. and Philippine forces launched missiles and used howitzers and machine gun fire to thwart enemy forces attempting to land on islands near Taiwan.
U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Michael Cederholm: "The core of shoulder-to-shoulder, in addition to the qualities I talked about such as transparency, respect for sovereignty, and seeking peaceful solutions, is to be prepared to deal with worse scenarios."
The US-Philippines annual "Balikatan" joint exercise launched in April this year is the largest military exercise in history and will last until May 10.
Michael Cederholm: “The simulations (exercises) are all done with real-time virtual builds, we have airborne UAS (unmanned aerial systems) tracking targets, we have physical targets that work, so it’s very effective.”
On 30 April, the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard ship of firing water cannons at its supply ship near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, causing damage to the Philippine ship and injuries to the crew.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Monday that he would not retaliate against the CCP and did not want to escalate tensions.
On the same day, the Australian government issued a statement condemning a Chinese Communist fighter jet for firing flares at an Australian helicopter. Fortunately, the Australian pilot evaded the incident in time and avoided a serious accident.
News (10)
The epidemic in China is heating up. Hospitals are full during the May Day holiday and sudden myocardial infarction deaths are increasing
Reporters : Wang Yanjiao and Xiong Bin / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/05/07/a103877990.html
The epidemic in China continues to heat up. During the May Day holiday, people in many places said that hospital outpatient clinics were overcrowded. Many people revealed that there have been a lot of people suffering from myocardial infarction recently, and some people said that the disaster caused by the covid virus is too great.
Mr. Wang, a Beijing citizen (his voice has changed): "(Hospital beds) are so tight that people are sleeping in the corridors. Nowadays, there are more respiratory system, cerebral, and vascular diseases anyway."
On 30 April 2024, a Shandong citizen posted on a social platform that his father was not yet 60 years old. He was fine when he accompanied him for a physical checkup on the 28th, but he died suddenly of cardiac causes on the 30th, suspected to be induced by the covid virus (covi).
Mr. Yang, a Jilin citizen (his voice has changed): "There are people in their sixties who (suddenly die). Some people say that getting the (covi) vaccination is relevant."
Many people left comments under the post saying that their parents also died of a heart attack recently. Some people left messages saying that her student, only 15 years old, died of sudden cardiac death in March this year.
Mr. Chen, a citizen of Wuhan (voice changed): "There are many people around me who have myocarditis and myocardial infarction (sudden death). They must be in their fifties or around sixty. "
On 1 May 2024, a person revealed on social media that her cousin was very young, born in 1983. On 30 April, she said that she took her family for a physical examination on May Day, but he died suddenly on the morning of May Day.
Dong Yuhong, a European virology and infectious disease expert: "The COVID-19 epidemic in China has actually been uninterrupted. This is because this is a very big feature of this virus. It can invade human heart muscle or human blood vessels, causing blood vessel inflammation. , leading to coagulation disorders, which can easily lead to thrombus formation in the blood vessels of the brain, which is a stroke. "
