Translation, further editing by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on the U.S., Ukraine, Israel, Panama, CCP China, Taiwan, Thailand
News (1) to (4) / Host : Jin Ran / Publisher : NTDTV "Current Affairs Golden Scan" production team / Editor : Li Hao / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/1/24/n14421060.htm / Image : Provided by "Current Affairs Golden Scan"
News (1)
Trump issues Putin ultimatum
Today should be considered Trump’s third working day since he entered the White House. Although he did not achieve his ultimate goal of ending the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office, Trump issued an ultimatum to Putin yesterday.
Trump’s post on 22 January 2025 was, in my opinion, tantamount to an ultimatum. You cannot read Trump's posts the same way you read other politicians, because Trump himself is a person who does not follow the ordinary path, especially the "politically correct" path. Just kidding, if you follow the martial arts novel, Trump practiced Kung Fu in the opposite direction. So if you want to understand Trump’s words, you have to “listen to the words and the sound of the gongs and drums.”
This post by Trump is a typical Trump style. He first praises you: I love Russia and the Russian people, and I have always had a good relationship with Putin. I guess some people have started cursing after seeing this. In fact, this is Trump's style, which is similar to the Chinese tradition: use courtesy before force. Some people may ask how can you be sure that the "sound" you hear is correct.
Because this time Trump has already made clear what he really wanted to say. Pay attention to the capitalized words in his post - this is what he really wants to say. What are they? The first is: Russia is collapsing. Tell Putin, I have given you face before, now look at your own foundation and see how long you can last.
The second capitalized sentence is: I want to do President Putin a big favor. Tell Putin that I am giving you a way out. What is this stair? It is this third sentence in capital letters: Reconcile now and stop this ridiculous war! It's only going to get worse. In fact, it is telling Putin: either negotiate a ceasefire or let Russia collapse.
The last sentence is the finishing touch: We can use a soft approach or a hard approach - it is best to use a soft approach. It's time to "make a deal". No more loss of life! ! ! Note that Trump used three exclamation marks at the end, which tells you how serious he is.
I saw some people online mocking Trump's threats by saying that Russia's current trade with the US is only over 2 billion per year and that it is not afraid of U.S. tariff sanctions at all.
Do you really think that tariffs are the only stick of economic sanctions? Or do you think that sanctions only apply from the perspective of trade with the United States?
Russia's foreign trade now relies mostly on the export of oil, natural gas and minerals. As long as the United States is serious about it, lowers the price of oil and natural gas, and then imposes tariffs on those countries that import large quantities of Russian products, it will hurt Russia. Look again and see which country would pay money to support Russia and fall out with the United States. Look again and see if the impact on Russia is only over 2 billion US dollars. Let’s go deeper: This is just what Trump can do on the surface.
The feedback from Russia is actually the most interesting: Putin's official spokesperson and the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry are indeed blood relatives, and both of them remain stubborn even after their mouths are boiled, indicating that Trump's words do not contain any new ideas. However, five sources told Reuters that Putin has privately expressed growing concern about Russia's economy and may declare victory in Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine and end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Putin also took the initiative to say: "We are ready to discuss a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine."
News (2)
Israel gives weapons to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending the Davos Forum in Switzerland, also missed the opportunity to sound the sidelines. Zelenskyy said: "I think that ending the war in Ukraine should be a victory for Trump, not a victory for Putin. It's nothing to him." Zelenskyy is too good at talking. If this continues, Trump will be embarrassed not to visit Kiev.
It is not just Zelenskyy who is playing the drums. Israel has also joined in the fun. On 22 January 2025, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Haskel proposed that all weapons seized from Hezbollah by the Israeli army be transferred to Ukraine, and 60% of these weapons are all Russian-made weapons. They were originally intended by Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force to launch another Hamas-like terrorist attack on Israel. This is tantamount to Israel telling Russia that you are not letting me in the Middle East. Well, now you get to taste the same thing.
There are so many weapons you might want to seize, here are some of them.
Does anyone think Israel is so well-equipped with weapons? So many weapons were given away? In fact, there are reasons for this. One is that they want to join forces with Ukraine to punish Putin. In addition, the Israeli army's weapons are American equipment, which are completely incompatible with Russian weapons in terms of ammunition use.
In fact, there is another important reason why Israel does not feel bad about sending them out. This is because Trump has just signed an executive order announcing the official lifting of all restrictions on the delivery of weapons to Israel. Israel is not short of money, and now it can and it would be a natural thing for it to buy all the weapons and ammunition it wants without restrictions and send captured weapons to Ukraine as a gesture of goodwill. In this executive order, Trump also terminated all U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East.
It is really infuriating to say that Israel has just confirmed that the three Israeli female hostages recently released by Hamas were actually being held by Hamas in a UN shelter in Gaza. You heard it right, they are being held in a shelter run by the United Nations in the local area.
When we talk about the Ukrainian army, people tend to think that they have been fighting with weapons provided by the United States and NATO for about three years. If this was true for the first two years of the war, but recently, the use of weapons by the Ukrainian army has undergone key changes. Zelenskyy recently stated that currently 40% of the weapons on the Ukrainian front line are domestically produced in Ukraine, and this proportion is increasing every month. This indicates that Ukraine's defense industry has basically stabilized and is developing rapidly. It also presents the strategic changes in the Russia-Ukraine war from another objective perspective.
News (3)
Chinese Communist Party’s special police entered South Korea to take action? Trump's conversation with US troops in South Korea has hidden meanings
On 23 January 2025, detained South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol attended the fourth impeachment trial. During the trial, former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hien appeared as a witness. On the other hand, the Korean Public Prosecutor's Office stated that it would transfer Yoon Seok-yeol's case to the Procuratorate and recommend prosecution procedures.
At the same time, the ruling People's Power Party, to which Yoon Seok-yeol belongs, hit a new high in the polls, rising to an astonishing 47%, while the opposition Democratic Party, which proposed arresting Yoon Seok-yeol, saw its poll numbers plummet by 13% and dropped to 39%, which means the difference is nearly 8%, exceeding the survey error of general polls and achieving a reversal. Large numbers of people in cities across South Korea took to the streets to support Yoon Seok-yeol, and the support team also shouted anti-communist slogans such as "Get out, Communists!"
The most surprising thing is that Yoon Seok-yeol's lawyers revealed two main reasons why Yoon Seok-yeol suddenly implemented the emergency martial law: the first was that he discovered that the secrets of the U.S.-made THAAD missile defense system deployed in South Korea had been leaked to the Chinese Communist Party; the other reason was that it was South Korean government agencies that were hacked by North Korean hackers.
Recently, when Koreans took to the streets to protest, they encountered violence from police who "could not speak or understand Korean and did not wear name tags." Someone tweeted that these policemen might be "Chinese People's Armed Police" in disguise.
This phenomenon has not only attracted the attention of Koreans, but even a retired U.S. military colonel said in a video that "there are a lot of reports showing that Chinese special forces personnel may have been airlifted to South Korea to serve as special police."
Speaking of the Trump administration's attention, it reminds me of something that I overlooked at the time but now finds unusual. On 20 January 2025, the day of Trump's inauguration, Trump attended a "Commander-in-Chief Ball" attended by military personnel, and Trump unexpectedly connected with the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea via video on the spot, and also talked to the troops in real time. The soldiers on the side had exchanges. It now seems that Trump's words have hidden meanings. He is obviously paying special attention to the current situation in South Korea and has issued a warning to certain forces.
News (4)
Rubio flies to the Panama Canal, embarrassing Chinese spokesperson
Although Trump has been in the White House for four days, only Secretary of State Rubio, a core member of his cabinet, has been unanimously approved by the House and sworn in. Rubio's actions as soon as he took office were unexpected. As Secretary of State, he did not first go to meet his closest European allies.
On his first day in office, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio met with the foreign ministers of Japan, Australia and India and held a four-party meeting. This is a very clear political signal. The new U.S. Secretary of State did not contact the closest ally Britain or greet European partners after taking office, but gathered with U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific region. It seems that the United States has also begun to "rise in the East and decline in the West". The future focus of the United States is self-evident.
Many people may not know that when Rubio was a senator, he was recognized as the most hardworking of all senators. On average, he proposed one or two new bills every working day, looking like a workaholic. Now, after having just finished discussing important matters with the foreign ministers of three countries, he turned around and flew away. Guess where he went?
He was on his way to Panama. Trump had just announced that he would take back control of the Panama Canal from the Chinese Communist Party but Rubio had already headed straight for Panama before he even had time to warm up to his own Secretary of State chair. It is reported that in addition to Panama, Rubio's visit this time also includes Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic in South America. It seems that in addition to the canal issue, the issue of stopping the influx of illegal immigrants from South America to the United States is also the focus of his visit this time.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio is representing the United States to solve the Panama Canal problem, while the Chinese Communist Foreign Ministry is still debating whether Rubio, who is being sanctioned by them, should have the last name Lu or Lu. So recently, when a reporter asked about the relevant question, the Chinese Communist Foreign Ministry spokesperson's confusion was definitely enough to "take 15 people half a month to watch", and when asked about the Panama Canal, the Chinese Communist Party spokesperson actually fell into a long period of brain-blank silence. Some people described it as a top-notch imaginative performance of "stepping on a watermelon rind and sliding wherever it takes you."
News (5)
Trump signs executive order to release files on Kennedy assassination
Reporter : Wu Xianglian / Editor : Ren Zijun / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/1/23/n14420979.htm / Image : On 20 January 2025, U.S. President Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
On Thursday (23 January 2025), U.S. President Trump signed an executive order to publicly align himself with former President John F. Kennedy. F. Kennedy, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
Trump instructed the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to come up with a plan within 15 days for the "full and complete disclosure of records related to the assassination of President Kennedy."
"I have now determined that it is not in the public interest to continue to delete and withhold information from records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and that these records should have been made public long ago," the executive order states.
The executive order also states: "While no act of Congress directs the release of information relating to the assassinations of Senator Robert Kennedy and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., I have determined that the release of all available information in the possession of the Federal Government relating to each of those assassinations is necessary. All records are in the public interest."
In 2024, Trump promised during his campaign to declassify the remaining documents about President Kennedy's assassination, as the assassination has remained a focus of public attention since it took place in 1963. Trump made the same promise during his first term, but kept some documents secret due to intelligence concerns.
In 1963, former President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald. Conspiracy theories persist that the CIA was involved in the assassination or that there was another gunman.
In 2022, the National Archives released nearly 13,000 new files related to the assassination of President Kennedy, the largest declassification of documents since 2018.
In 1992, federal lawmakers passed legislation requiring all remaining assassination records to be made public by October 2017 unless they posed a risk to national defense or intelligence. Both Trump and former President Biden issued extension notices to keep certain documents confidential.
Experts say it is unlikely that the final batch of documents released will contain any major secrets.
In April 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
Former Attorney General Robert Kennedy was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan in 1968.
His son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., supports Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and was nominated by Trump as Secretary of Health and Human Services. In 2023, Kennedy Jr. supported the conspiracy theory that the CIA was involved in the murder of his uncle, President Kennedy, in an interview.
News (6)
Rubio's first overseas visit as Secretary of State to Panama draws attention
Reporter : Zhang Ting / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/1/23/n14420968.htm / Image : On 23 January 2025, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said that Secretary of State Rubio will soon visit Panama and four other countries in Central America and the Caribbean. The picture shows the new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking at the swearing-in ceremony on January 21, 2025. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Panama and four other countries in Central America and the Caribbean later next week. nation. This will be his first official diplomatic trip as Secretary of State.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Thursday that Rubio's visit to Panama will be the beginning of a broader trip by the secretary of state to Central America and the Caribbean. In addition to Panama, Rubio will travel to Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
The move comes as President Trump has placed immigration at the center of his foreign policy agenda and sought to reclaim the Panama Canal.
Bruce said the visits also reflect Rubio's focus on the region and his emphasis on improving relations with neighbors, especially in combating illegal immigration.
While the issue of illegal immigration will be high on Rubio's agenda, the Panama trip is likely to draw the most attention.
Control of the Panama Canal was transferred from the United States to Panama in 1999, after a period of joint management of the canal by the United States and Panama under a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. After being elected as the Uy.S. President in November last year, Trump has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Chinese Communist Party's control of the canal and has proposed that the United States will take back the canal. On 20 January 2025, Trump again stated in his presidential inauguration speech that "the United States spent more money than ever before to build the Panama Canal and lost 38,000 lives."
"We have been treated very badly by this gift that should never have been given, and Panama has broken its promises to us," Trump said. "The purpose and spirit of our agreement have been completely violated. American ships including the United States Navy have been grossly overcharged, have not been treated fairly in any way, shape, or form.”
"The bottom line is that China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama. We're going to take it back," Trump said.
Rubio also raised the issue of the Panama Canal during his confirmation hearing last week. He said there was potential legal basis to argue that Panama had violated the terms of the 1977 treaty. The treaty established Panama's control of the canal.
“While technically the sovereignty of the canal has not been transferred to foreign powers, in reality today foreign powers, through their companies (which we know are not independent), have the ability to turn the canal into a chokepoint in times of conflict, which is a direct threat to the national interests and security of the United States," Rubio said.
The Chinese Communist Party has invested heavily in Panama in recent years and manages two of the country's five ports.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has refuted accusations that China controls the Panama Canal.
"The canal belongs to Panama now and will continue to belong to Panama in the future, and its management will continue to be controlled by Panama and remain permanently neutral," said Mulino.
However, Panamanian authorities said on 20 January 2025 that they had begun auditing companies related to China.
U.S. State Department spokesman Bruce Rubio said Thursday that Rubio's trip "sends a signal to those countries, and it should also send a signal to Americans and those who hold the argument that 'America First' is isolationist, that the opposite is true.”
She said there was a reason Rubio arranged this first trip abroad. It shows how seriously he takes these things, seeking to address issues that are important to him and to President Trump's agenda.
"If we are to remain safe, prosperous and in good shape, we ... have to care about our neighbors — in today's world, certainly in South and Central America," Bruce said.
(This article refers to reports from Reuters and The Hill)
News (7) to (8) / Reporter : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/1/23/n14420913.htm / mage : On 23 January 2025, US President Trump delivered a speech and answered questions via video at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
News (7)
Trump's Davos speech urges companies to produce in the U.S. or face tariffs
U.S. President Trump emphasized at the "World Economic Forum" in Davos, Switzerland that he would fulfill the "America First" policy. A campaign promise that called on companies to move production to the United States or face tariffs.
"My message to every business in the world is very simple: Come make your products in the United States, and we will give you the lowest tax rate in the world," Trump said in a video speech on Thursday (January 23). - Of course this is your privilege - then it is quite simple, you must be prepared to pay the tariff."
Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the EU's imposition of tariffs on American agricultural products and automobiles, saying that the EU was unfair to the United States. At the same time, he also expressed his disapproval of the EU's regulatory measures against major American technology companies - huge fines and lawsuits.
In addition, Trump called on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, to lower oil prices. He said lower oil prices would put pressure on Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine, given that the bulk of its revenue comes from energy sales.
Trump wants quick negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war. In his Davos speech, he reiterated his hope to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as possible to end the war.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump urged Putin to sit down and negotiate a deal, warning that if Moscow does not agree, "I will have no choice but to impose tariffs on all products sold by Russia to the United States and other participating countries." High taxes, tariffs and sanctions."
In the final question, Trump was asked whether Russia and Ukraine would reach a peace agreement when the World Economic Forum is held again next year.
"You have to ask Russia," Trump said, adding that Putin's government was ready for negotiations.
News (8)
Trump says he only wants 'fair' trade with China
According to the Chief Economist Outlook released by the World Economic Forum, 89% of participating economists said they expected a tit-for-tat trade restriction war between China and the United States.
During the question-and-answer session of the forum, Trump made it clear that the core demand of the United States is that it "just wants fair" treatment.
He noted that the huge trade deficit between the United States and China is the result of long-term unfairness and must be addressed.
"All we want is fairness. We just want a level playing field. We don't want to take advantage," Trump said.
On his first day in office, Trump issued a U.S. priority trade policy document, which required the Office of the Trade Representative to evaluate the implementation of the first phase of the U.S.-China trade agreement, quantify the economic damage caused by China's unfair trade practices, and require departments to consider revising potential Additional tariffs, with a particular focus on industrial supply chains and the circumvention of existing tariffs through third countries.
In the snowy ski town of Davos, although officials from the United States' allies are unhappy with Trump's tariff proposals, they also said that Trump's influence at home and abroad has increased significantly since the beginning of his first term. The "America First" agenda is also more likely to succeed than before.
"Over the past 72 hours, the world has witnessed a common sense revolution," Trump said in his speech.
"With this momentum, what we do now and in the future will soon make our country stronger, wealthier, and more united than ever before, and the entire planet more peaceful and prosperous," he added.
News (9) to (10) / Editor : Sun Yun / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/1/24/n14421099.htm
News (9)
Yue Shan: Is the parachuting of the CCP Deputy Minister of National Security into Fujian related to a conspiracy against Taiwan?
Image : Recent news from within the Chinese Communist Party indicates that the power of National Security Chief Chen Yixin has grown. The picture shows security personnel standing behind the glass door outside the Tibet Hall of the Great Hall during the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 6, 2024. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)
On 20 January 2025, Shi Haoyong, deputy minister of the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of State Security, was parachuted in to serve as secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee. This is another senior national security official who has been transferred to a key location for the CCP’s external united front work after Tung Jingwei was parachuted into Hong Kong in July 2023. Fujian is the CCP's frontline province against Taiwan. It is worthy of attention that officials with a national security background are in charge of maintaining stability in Fujian.
News (10)
The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of State Security of the Communist Party of China parachuted into Fujian, possibly involved in a conspiracy against Taiwan
Shi Haoyong first appeared as the deputy minister of the Ministry of National Security on 16 February 2022. Before he was promoted to the deputy minister of the Ministry of National Security, he served as the deputy director of the Office of the Coordination Group for the Construction of a Safe China. The director of the office was Chen Yixin at the time. He could be regarded as Chen's trusted henchman. . Shi Haoyong's background is mysterious. When checking his background information on the Internet, it was only found that he briefly served as deputy governor of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, and member of the Standing Committee of Yanbian Prefecture Party Committee from May 2016 to November 2017.
One of the important means by which the CCP has carried out united front work against Taiwan in recent years has been to promote the so-called cross-strait integration and development demonstration zone in Fujian, and the CCP’s united front plans have also been interspersed throughout. Taiwanese internet celebrity Ba Jiong and singer Chen Boyuan previously collaborated on a film exposing the CCP's dark side of using the Taiwanese Youth Entrepreneurship Base in Fujian to win over and bribe Taiwanese internet celebrities for united front work in Taiwan, including enticing Taiwanese people to apply for Chinese identity cards.
In addition to the layout of the United Front base in Fujian, the CCP’s dispatch of a Political and Legal Affairs Commission secretary with a national security background to Fujian, the front line against Taiwan, may be related to the inclusion of national security operations in the local routine stability maintenance tasks.
Many people are now comparing the threats facing Taiwan to those facing Hong Kong. During the 2019 Hong Kong "Anti-Extradition" movement, the Chinese Communist Party's Ministry of State Security secretly intervened. At that time, it was reported that a large number of the Chinese Communist Party's "National Security Plainclothes" disguised themselves and mixed into the "anti-extradition" crowd. They used a portable sensing device that could be put into a backpack to read the demonstrators' ID information at a certain distance. In fact, the Chinese Communist Party’s national security has done much more than this. It is still unclear whether some of the suicides or unexplained deaths of Hong Kong people at that time involved factors related to the Chinese Communist Party’s national security.
Hong Kong, which still retains a certain degree of freedom despite the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, has been shrouded by the iron curtain of the Chinese Communist Party since 2020. Taiwanese people should learn lessons from this.
On 5 August 2024, the Cross-Strait Urban Planning Institute of Xiamen University issued a document to "start preparations for the takeover of Taiwan as soon as possible," putting forward a plan for the CCP to "fully take over Taiwan." The article was removed from the shelves after it was published. The plan mentioned the establishment of the Taiwan Working Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as soon as possible, the creation of a Taiwan governance pilot zone, and even suggested "consolidating anti-Taiwan independence forces on the island."
The author believes that this has revealed the CCP’s calculations for united front work on the island of Taiwan. This plan has at least been submitted to the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, but it is inconvenient to publicize it. United Front Work + National Security may very well be the real means for the CCP to invade Taiwan, rather than military aircraft and artillery, which are only used as a means of pressure.
According to the current system of the Communist Party of China, the head of the Taiwan Work Leading Group of the CPC Central Committee is Xi Jinping, Wang Huning is the only deputy head, and the secretary-general is Wang Yi, who is also the director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The office of the Central Taiwan Affairs Leading Group, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, are two separate entities with the same staff, and are managed by Xi's confidant Song Tao.
If the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of State Security uses Fujian as a base to intervene in the "invasion of Taiwan", it may also reflect a change in the power struggle at the top level.
The CCP's national security forces are growing stronger. Sources indicate that Falun Gong in Taiwan has become a target of cross-border suppression.
Recent news from within the Chinese Communist Party indicates that the power of National Security Chief Chen Yixin has grown.
An insider of the Chinese Communist Party’s Public Security Bureau previously revealed to the Epoch Times that attacking Falun Gong overseas is part of a plan by the new Chinese State Security Minister Chen Yixin to seek credit and rewards in order to fulfill his power ambitions. Australian legal scholar Professor Yuan Hongbing also disclosed to the Epoch Times that these plans came directly from the conspiracy layout of the highest level in Zhongnanhai, and the mastermind was Xi Jinping.
Yuan Hongbing revealed that after internal adjustments of the CCP, as of the end of December 2024, the overseas crackdown on Falun Gong was actually led by Chen Yixin, Minister of the Ministry of State Security. Previously, it was coordinated and led by the "610 Office" and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
Yuan Hongbing recently told The Epoch Times that a conscientious person within the CCP system revealed that at the end of December 2024, Chen Yixin, Minister of the CCP’s Ministry of State Security, arranged the CCP’s overseas comprehensive crackdown on Falun Gong, mentioning that the CCP’s focus in cracking down on Falun Gong overseas in 2025 is the United States and It’s Taiwan. The united front work and crackdown on Falun Gong in Taiwan focuses on the leaders and backbone members of Falun Gong media in Taiwan, as well as people with social influence.
In my opinion, the CCP's use of spy tactics against the Falun Gong group that believes in "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance" is unlikely to be truly effective. The atheist CCP will not work on true practitioners of the Fa, and can only cause chaos to a few individuals. Even if spies enter Falun Gong, those who still have a conscience will be assimilated; those who commit crimes against practitioners and are beyond redemption will inevitably be held accountable in the future.
Of course, it would be tragic if anyone, from politicians to people from all walks of life, were bought off and used during the CCP’s attempt to persecute Falun Gong across borders in Taiwan.
Some people in Taiwan are secretly helping the CCP to discredit Falun Gong. The government should be alert.
The author learned that Dong Ping (a pseudonym, a supporter of Falun Gong), an overseas anti-communist scholar who does not want to reveal his real name, received several articles, including a video, that slandered and attacked Falun Gong from a Taiwanese scholar last year. Dongping knew the Taiwanese scholar but was not familiar with him, so he suspected that he was a member of the Chinese Communist Party because most people would not take the initiative to do anti-Falun Gong propaganda for the Chinese Communist Party.
Falun Gong, a religious group that has been suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999, has been protesting peacefully and has spread to more than 100 countries around the world. In Taiwan, Falun Gong practitioners have voiced their support for mainland China's anti-persecution efforts with great momentum. For many years in Taiwan, both the government and the public have praised Falun Gong. The contrast in attitudes toward Falun Gong between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait has also made the Chinese Communist Party feel uneasy.
However, there will always be some people who are bought by the CCP and do things that hurt the Taiwanese people and make their loved ones sad and their enemies happy. Some people are secretly and proactively doing propaganda for the CCP to discredit Falun Gong, which would make the Taiwanese people feel disgusted.
The author believes that the parachuting of Shi Haoyong, Deputy Minister of the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of State Security, into Fujian deserves Taiwan’s attention. Here I call on Taiwan’s national security departments to increase their vigilance against the simultaneous involvement of the Chinese Communist Party’s national security and united front systems in “gray warfare” against Taiwan. Taiwan's national security department can make the CCP's cross-border harassment of Falun Gong in Taiwan a special case deployment, such as understanding the anti-Falun Gong trends of pro-CCP people on the island and stopping the harassment. This is also part of protecting Taiwan's security and highlighting the value of protecting a free Taiwan.
News (11)
Trump's CIA director sworn in, may strengthen surveillance of top CCP officials
Reporter : Zhang Ting / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/1/23/n14420881.htm / Image : The picture shows Trump's nominee for CIA director, John Ratcliffe, speaking at the confirmation hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on 15 January 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)
On Thursday (23 January 2025), the U.S. Senate voted 74 to 25 to approve the appointment of John Ratcliffe as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Ratcliffe was then sworn in by Vice President Vance.
In the final vote in the Senate, 20 Democrats and one independent joined the Republicans in supporting Ratcliffe as CIA director.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the Senate floor earlier this week: "He (Ratcliffe) will bring valuable knowledge and experience to his new position." He noted that Ratcliffe Turcliffe previously served as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
"Mr. Ratcliffe will bring the right experience and approach to the CIA, and I look forward to working with him in his new position," Thune said.
The Senate ended debate early Thursday by a vote of 72-26, clearing the way for a full-house vote on Ratcliffe's nomination later Thursday.
On 15 January, the Senate Intelligence Committee held a confirmation hearing for Ratcliffe's nomination. Ratcliffe expressed confidence at the hearing that the United States could meet the challenges posed by Russia and China, and pledged to investigate whether the "Havana Syndrome" suffered by Americans was the result of an attack by hostile forces. He also promised to develop offensive cyber tools.
He also made clear to Democratic lawmakers at the hearing that he would keep the CIA apolitical and would not fire employees because of their political leanings or opposition to the president. His stance on China has also been highly praised by both parties. He has long advocated for cracking down on China, a topic he raised at the hearing.
On 20 January 2025, the Senate Intelligence Committee approved his nomination by a vote of 14 to 3, paving the way for a full Senate vote.
According to people familiar with Ratcliffe who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, after taking office as CIA director, Ratcliffe may promote more proactive covert intelligence activities against Beijing and senior Chinese Communist Party officials.
When Ratcliffe was the Director of National Intelligence, he believed that the Chinese Communist Party was the greatest long-term threat facing the United States.
Some former intelligence officials and Democratic lawmakers have accused Ratcliffe of using the Chinese threat theory to cover up Russia's election interference and political meddling in the United States during Trump's first term. But Ratcliffe and many other national security officials have long believed that successive U.S. administrations have underestimated and been naive about the threat posed by China.
William Evanina, a former senior U.S. counterintelligence official, backed Ratcliffe's position, saying: "Russia is a huge geopolitical threat and an electoral threat, but China's influence is everywhere. John (Ratcliffe) understands this very well.”
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump and his running mate JD Vance's cell phone lines were reportedly hacked by Chinese hackers. A person close to Ratcliffe told the Washington Post: "Trump is very disappointed with this kind of thing."
The source revealed that Ratcliffe will promote intelligence activities targeting senior Chinese Communist Party officials, as well as covert operations aimed at countering Beijing's growing influence around the world, including preventing cyber intrusions by Chinese Communist Party hackers.
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