Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
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News (1) to (10) / Editor : Fang Xun / Sources: Voice of America, New Tang Dynasty / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/0314/2189214.htm
The CCP is shaking! Lai Ching-te's shocking decision is a historical precedent
- Lai Ching-te defines China as a "hostile force outside the country", Taiwan restores the military trial system to severely punish Communist spies
Image : Taiwan President Lai Ching-te speaks on China's infiltration of Taiwan in Taipei on 13 March 2025. (Photo credit: Taiwan Presidential Office/AFP)
News (1)
Taiwan restores the military trial system to severely punish Communist spies
Taipei—Voice of America/ Faced with the growing threat of CCP infiltration to Taiwan’s military, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te convened a high-level national security meeting on 13 March 2025 and officially announced the restoration of the military trial system, which is responsible for handling major cases involving active military personnel involved in rebellion, leaking secrets, and benefiting the enemy. At the same time, he also clearly defined China as a "foreign hostile force" in an official setting for the first time, emphasizing that the CCP is weakening Taiwan’s national defense and security through various means, and even developing armed organizations in Taiwan, which has attracted widespread attention. Analysts pointed out that this move is not only a response to the surge in communist spy cases in recent years, but also shows that the Taiwanese government is adopting a tougher national security strategy to counter the CCP’s "cognitive warfare" and "legal warfare."
News (2)
Lai Ching-te: Communist spy cases have tripled in three years
Lai Ching-te quoted the latest report of the Taiwan National Security Bureau at the meeting, pointing out that the infiltration of the Taiwanese military by the CCP has reached an unprecedented level of severity. He said that in 2024, a total of 64 people were prosecuted for communist espionage, three times as many as in 2021. Among them, the United Front Party, the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, and the Taiwan Military Government developed treasonous organizations and deployed armed forces for China. This is incredible in a democratic and free society, but it really exists in the current Taiwanese society.
He said: "China is even more deliberately infiltrating and espionage against the national army. Last year, 15 and 28 active and retired military personnel were prosecuted for communist espionage, accounting for a total of 66% of communist espionage cases."
Lai Ching-te held a high-level national security meeting on Thursday and said that recently, active and retired military personnel have been bought by China, sold intelligence, and even formed armed forces to plan to harm their own country and people. This situation makes many people worried.
After retiring, Shi Juncheng, a former Taiwanese Air Force major, went to China for development and was absorbed by the Chinese Communist Party's intelligence agency, falsely claiming to be a U.S. think tank staff member to contact active military personnel to collect confidential intelligence.
Qu Hongyi, a retired school-level officer of the Taiwan Army, has been doing business in China for many years. He was instigated by the Chinese Communist Party to develop an organization in Taiwan, and photographed the appearance, drew maps and coordinates of many important military locations and handed them over to Chinese personnel.
Xiang De'en, the then colonel chief researcher of the Operational Research and Development Office of the Taiwan Army Infantry Training Command, was recruited by his retired colleague Shao Weiqiang and signed a letter of commitment to surrender to Beijing. He then used the pseudonym "Lao Zhang" to spy on the military intelligence of the national army.
News (3)
Taiwan re-establishes military trials to strengthen punishment
In response to the threat of China's infiltration and espionage activities against the Taiwan military, Lai Ching-te said that he would comprehensively review and revise the "Military Trial Law", restore the military trial system, and let military judges return to the front line to work together with the prosecution and judicial organs to handle criminal cases involving active military personnel involved in rebellion, benefiting the enemy, leaking secrets, neglecting their duties, and disobeying orders. In the future, military crimes committed by active military personnel who violate the "Criminal Law of the Army, Navy and Air Force" will be handed over to military courts for trial.
In addition, the law will be amended to add penalties for controversial words and deeds that seriously undermine the morale of active and retired soldiers, such as "pledging loyalty to the enemy", in order to effectively maintain the discipline of the army.
In 2013, an army corporal who was about to retire, Hung Chung-chiu, was tortured to death in the army, which aroused dissatisfaction with the military trial system in Taiwan's civil society. After the Legislative Yuan quickly amended the law, criminal cases of soldiers in non-wartime will no longer be handled by military courts, but will be tried and prosecuted by general judicial authorities; however, active soldiers who commit crimes during war should still be subject to military trials.
However, not long after the military trial system was withdrawn, the Taiwan military found that the "in name only" military law was difficult to discipline the troops, especially the light sentences of soldiers involved in national security crimes, which further undermined the morale of the army. Therefore, many experts and scholars also support the restoration of the military trial system.
News (4)
Military judges return to the front line for light sentences against Communist spies
Yu Zongji, former dean of the Political Warfare College of the National Defense University of Taiwan, said in an interview with Voice of America that military judges are trained by military academies and have been in the military for a long time, so they are much more sensitive to confidential cases than civilian judges. In the past, some civilian judges only sentenced communist spies to "corruption" when trying communist spies. Now that the military trial system has been restored, military judges are back on the front line, mainly to prevent cases of light sentences against communist spies.
Chen Guanting, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan, also said that military judges have practical knowledge of military operations and can accurately grasp the impact of military crimes on military combat effectiveness, especially in cases involving military secrets or special equipment operating specifications, and can correctly interpret technical evidence. At present, facing the frequent cases of communist spies, ordinary courts often find it difficult to fully understand the seriousness of the case when trying cases involving military personnel involved in leaking secrets and rebellion due to lack of military professional background.
Yu Zongji pointed out that military judges' sentences are clear and the penalties of military law are also heavy, which can have a certain effect on curbing military crimes. However, punishing communist spies is only a back-end action. Next, the military's monitoring and security systems should be integrated to prevent the CCP from infiltrating from the front end.
He said: "The situation facing Taiwan is that the enemy is overwhelmingly trying to infiltrate you. There is really no reason to respond with a general mentality of peace and prosperity. It is very important to take the step of restoring the military court. The next step is to strengthen the overall strength of military monitoring and security. These two means of counter-infiltration should be integrated."
News (5)
Taiwan strongly hits back at China's "legal war" and revokes the residence permits of Chinese spouses and strictly investigates artists who echo the united front speech
Lu Deyun, who was once the press secretary of the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, believes that severe punishments, strong arrests, and the restoration of military trials cannot completely solve the problem of communist spies. The important thing is to let soldiers know who they are fighting for? Why are they fighting?
He pointed out that the national army is to fight for the Republic of China, and the confusion of ideology is the fundamental problem of Taiwan. Instead of blaming those retired and active soldiers with weak wills for throwing themselves into the arms of the enemy, it is better to review how this land has become a fertile ground for the CCP to develop spy organizations.
Lu Deyun told VOA: "They have already set up a bunch of spies, and you are only trying to deal with them later. This is called treating the symptoms but not the root cause!"
News (6)
China's all-round infiltration is threatening Taiwanese unity
Lai Ching-te also mentioned that China is trying to confuse the Taiwanese people with their national identity; it regards cross-strait exchanges as a channel for united front work against Taiwan, distinguishing between enemies and friends within Taiwan, and weakening the awareness of enemies and friends; it requires and coerces Taiwanese businessmen to expand their investment in China, lures Taiwanese youth to develop in China, and uses all means to covet Taiwanese talents and steal key technologies, affecting Taiwan's economic security. Many of these means are already defined as "foreign hostile forces" by Taiwan's "Anti-Infiltration Law".
Because Lai Ching-te clearly defined China as a "foreign hostile force" and the military trial system originally set the premise of "wartime" return, Taiwanese society is filled with anxiety about whether war will start.
News (7)
Maintain the normal operation of Taiwan military system in peacetime to implement the smooth operation of the military trial
In this regard, Lieutenant General Shen Shiwei, Director of the Legal Department of the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan, explicitly denied at a press conference on Thursday that it is wartime now. "If it is wartime now, the military trial system will be restored immediately."
However, Shen Shiwei also admitted that 11 years ago, military cases were fully transferred to the judicial organs, and the military system only had wartime trial functions. If the military system does not operate in peacetime, it will be difficult to restore its functions immediately in wartime. Therefore, the law should be amended to maintain the normal operation of the military system in peacetime, so as to implement the smooth operation of the military trial in peacetime and wartime conversion.
Shen Shiwei emphasized that in the future, active military personnel who commit crimes such as violating their duties of loyalty to the country in peacetime will be subject to military trials and if the military commits ordinary criminal cases, the plan will still be handled by the judicial organs.
News (8)
Opposition parties criticize Lai Ching-te for "quasi-martial law"
Ma Ying-jeou Foundation Executive Director Xiao Xucen said that when Lai Ching-te called "China" a "hostile force outside the country", the two sides of the Taiwan Strait may fall into an irreversible situation. This means that Lai Ching-te regards the mainland as an enemy country in the legal system, intending to imitate the Russian-Ukrainian war model and obtain a path to Taiwan independence by provoking war and conflict.
Xiao Xucen said that after the "Hong Zhongqiu incident" that year, former President Ma Ying-jeou promoted the reform of military trials returning to the ordinary judicial system. Now Lai Ching-te is going back on his ways, which makes people question whether the government is gradually promoting the restoration of military law during the rebellion.
As for the possible abuse of power by the executive branch, the people should be cautious and fearful of the future step by step towards martial law or quasi-martial law.
The People's Party criticized Lai Ching-te for restoring the military trial system with one order, and lacking social discussion in the face of major policy changes. The government has the responsibility and obligation to respond to the expectations of Taiwanese society for national security with a clearer outline.
News (9)
Lai Ching-te characterizes the CCP as a "hostile force abroad" and the CCP jumps up and down
On 13 March 2025, President Lai Ching-te of the Republic of China convened a high-level national security meeting and delivered an open hall speech after the meeting. (Song Bilong/The Epoch Times)
Republic of China President Lai Ching-te said that the CCP's continued threats to Taiwan have constituted a "foreign hostile force" as defined in the Anti-Infiltration Act. The CCP first responded with a low profile, and then cursed.
On 13 March, Lai Ching-te convened a high-level national security meeting with the theme of "building consensus against annexation and responding to China's united front infiltration." After the meeting, he delivered an open-room speech, proposing the five major national security and united front threats currently facing Taiwan, and 17 response strategies, including announcing the resumption of military trials, military judges returning to the front line, opposing the CCP's threat of confusing national identity, and the threat of united front infiltration in cross-strait exchanges.
In his speech, he said that for decades, the CCP's ambition to annex Taiwan and destroy the Republic of China has not changed for a single day. Not only has it continued to use verbal attacks and military threats, but its united front infiltration of Taiwanese society has also become increasingly serious. He also said, "Such a China is already a 'foreign hostile force' as defined by our country's anti-infiltration law. We have no choice but to take more active actions."
News (10)
Lukewarm reactions from the CCP
Lai Ching-te's latest characterization of the CCP quickly attracted the attention of public opinion on both sides of the strait.
At the regular press conference of the Chinese Foreign Ministry that day, spokesman Mao Ning's response was relatively low-key, only reiterating that "Taiwan is part of China" and saying that Taiwan "does not have a 'president'" and "what you mentioned is not a diplomatic issue."
Late that night, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese State Council issued a written reply in the name of spokesman Chen Binhua, in which a series of fierce words such as "stubborn", "rampant", and "perverse" were used to criticize Lai Ching-te, and vicious words such as "those who play with fire will burn themselves" and "shattered to pieces" were used to intimidate.
The following is the full text of Lai Ching-te speech:
Hello, fellow countrymen, media friends at the scene, and good friends watching the live broadcast online. Recently, on many occasions, many Chinese people have expressed the same concerns to me. They have seen that active and retired soldiers have been bought by China, sold intelligence, and even formed armed forces to plan to harm their own country and people; there are artists and cultural workers who, for the sake of personal career interests, do not hesitate to cooperate with Beijing's instructions and say that their country is not a country.
They also saw that the messages used by Chinese official media to stir up internal conflicts in Taiwan are always quickly spread through specific channels. Some people even make a living by helping Chinese official media record united front programs, spreading the message that democracy is useless, suspicion of the United States and the military, and manipulating division and confrontation. Many people are worried that our country, as well as the hard-won freedom and democracy, and the prosperity and progress built together, will be lost bit by bit because of these united front manipulations.
As the well-known strategic scholar Kerry K. Gershaneck analyzed China's united front work, he said: "China is dividing and conquering us through subversion, infiltration, media acquisition, media warfare, psychological warfare, and legal warfare." Their intention is to sow the seeds of discord in our society, so that we are busy with internal conflicts and ignore the real threats from the outside.
The huge threat of the CCP to Taiwan's security
For decades, China's ambition to annex Taiwan and eliminate the Republic of China has not changed for a single day. Not only has it continued to use verbal attacks and military threats, but its united front infiltration of Taiwanese society has also become increasingly serious.
Since 2005, China has promulgated the so-called "Anti-Secession Law", which regards the use of force to annex Taiwan as a national mission. In June last year, it even issued the so-called "22 Articles to Punish Separatism", which regards all those who do not accept that "Taiwan is part of the People's Republic of China" as "punishment" targets, as an excuse to hurt the Taiwanese people. Recently, it has distorted UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, which shows China's increasingly urgent threat to Taiwan's sovereignty.
During this period, China has taken advantage of the freedom and diversity of democratic Taiwan to absorb gangs, media, celebrities, political parties and even current and retired military and police to carry out division, sabotage, subversion and other activities within us.
According to the National Security Bureau report, last year (2024), a total of 64 people were prosecuted for communist espionage cases, which is three times more than in 2021; among them, the United Front Party, the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, and the Taiwan Military Government have developed treasonous organizations and deployed armed forces for China. The cases are incredible in a democratic and free society, but they really exist in the current Taiwanese society.
China has also deliberately carried out infiltration and espionage activities against the national army. Last year, 15 active and 28 retired military personnel (23%) and 43% were prosecuted for communist espionage, accounting for 66% of communist espionage cases.
We are more aware that Beijing has recently attempted to confuse the Taiwanese people with their national identity by widely issuing Chinese passports and enticing Chinese people to apply for Chinese "residence permits", "residence permits" and "identity cards".
China also regards cross-strait exchanges as a channel for united front work against Taiwan, dividing enemies and friends within Taiwan, dividing Taiwan, weakening the enemy and friend consciousness, and intending to override the government's public power and create the illusion that China has "governed" Taiwan, thereby expanding its influence within Taiwan.
We have also noticed that China continues to expand its integration and development strategy for Taiwan, taking various measures to require and coerce Taiwanese businessmen to expand their investment in China, enticing Taiwanese youth to develop in China, and using all means to covet Taiwanese talents and steal key technologies, affecting Taiwan's economic security and greatly increasing the risk of Taiwanese youth going to China.
Such a China is already a "foreign hostile force" as defined by our country's anti-infiltration law. We have no choice but to take more active actions, which is also the purpose of my convening of a high-level national security meeting today. It is time for us to take corresponding preventive measures to strengthen our democratic resilience and national security, and protect the freedom, democracy and lifestyle we cherish!
Below, I will explain in detail the five major national security and united front threats currently facing Taiwan and the 17 response strategies.
First, in responding to China's threats to national sovereignty:
With sovereignty, there is a country; with Taiwan, there is the Republic of China. As I pointed out in my inaugural speech on May 20 last year and in my speech on Double Tenth National Day, since the inauguration of Taiwan's first democratically elected president in 1996, it has been conveyed to the international community that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent and democratic country. Taiwanese and international friends call our country the Republic of China, Taiwan or the Republic of China Taiwan; the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other; Taiwan's sovereignty cannot be violated or annexed, and the future of the Republic of China Taiwan must be decided by the 23 million Taiwanese people; this is the status quo we want to defend.
The biggest consensus in Taiwanese society is to defend democracy, safeguard sovereignty, maintain our democratic and free lifestyle, and firmly oppose Taiwan being annexed by China.
1. Strategy 1: Please ask the National Security Council, the Ministry of National Defense, and the administrative team to fully promote the "Four Pillars of Peace Action Plan" to demonstrate the consensus and firm determination of the whole nation to oppose China's annexation of Taiwan.
2. Strategy 2: Please ask the National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to formulate an action plan, and through cooperation with friendly countries, publicize to the world our national will and social consensus against China's annexation of Taiwan, and counter China's ambition to eliminate Taiwan and belittle Taiwan's sovereignty in the international community.
Second, in response to China's infiltration and espionage threats to the national army
3. Strategy 1: Comprehensively review and revise the "Military Trial Law", restore the military trial system, let military judges return to the front line, and work together with the prosecutorial and judicial organs to deal with active military personnel involved in rebellion, benefiting the enemy,
Criminal cases of military crimes such as leaking secrets, neglecting duties, and disobeying orders. In the future, military crimes committed by active military personnel who violate the criminal laws of the Army, Navy, and Air Force will be tried by military courts.
4. Strategy 2: Carry out relevant supporting reforms, including the formulation of the "Military Judge Personnel Regulations" and the Organization Law of Military Courts and Military Prosecutors Offices. After completing all planning and discussion and finalization, the Ministry of National Defense will make a complete explanation and communication to the society so that the restoration of the military trial system can be trusted and fully supported by the society.
5. Strategy 3: In order to effectively curb the controversial words and deeds of active and retired military personnel that seriously undermine the morale of the national army, the Ministry of National Defense must study and add penalties for "expressing loyalty to the enemy" in the criminal laws of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and revise the relevant regulations for those who receive retirement benefits to effectively maintain the discipline of the army.
Third, in response to China's threat to confuse the national identity of the Taiwanese people:
6. Strategy 1: Request the Ministry of the Interior, the Mainland Affairs Council and other relevant agencies to continue to conduct necessary inspections and management of various documents related to identity identification applied for by Taiwanese compatriots in China, including passports, identity cards, residence permits, and residence permits, especially military, public and educational personnel who have a duty of loyalty to the country, in order to strictly prevent and curb my country from further adopting united front operations in the name of "integration and development" to distort the national identity of the Taiwanese people.
7. Strategy 2: The naturalization and integration of Chinese and Hong Kong and Macao people into Taiwanese society must be considered with more national security considerations while taking into account the development of Taiwanese society and personal rights:
People of Chinese origin who apply to settle in Taiwan should truly give up their Chinese household registration and passport in accordance with the laws of our country and cannot have dual identities.
The relevant systems for Hong Kong and Macao people to apply to settle in Taiwan and stay will add long-term residence regulations to meet actual needs.
Fourth, in response to the threat of China's united front infiltration of Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges:
8. Strategy 1: In view of the increasing risk of traveling to China (from January 1, 2024 to date, the Mainland Affairs Council has received reports of 71 Taiwanese who have lost contact, been detained, interrogated or detained in China; the number of unreported people may be several times higher, including three elderly I-Kuan Tao followers who have been arrested since December last year and have not been released so far), relevant agencies should raise the awareness of Taiwanese people about the risks of traveling to China, continue to strengthen public communication, and implement various registration systems to reduce possible accidents and risks of traveling to China.
9. Strategy 2: A disclosure system for public officials at all levels of the central and local governments to visit China for exchanges should be implemented. From administrative officials to representatives of the people, from legislators to village heads, all should make exchange information public and transparent to be responsible to the people. The Ministry of the Interior should also establish a disclosure system for religious groups and other public welfare organizations to visit China for exchanges to prevent China's interference and united front.
10. Strategy 3: Risk management for Chinese people coming to Taiwan for exchanges:
The review and permission for Chinese people to come to Taiwan should be based on normal cross-strait exchanges and official interactions with equal dignity, and relevant factors such as changes in the cross-strait situation should be taken into consideration. Chinese people with a united front background should be strictly restricted from coming to Taiwan, and Chinese people should be prohibited from coming to Taiwan for activities of a united front nature.
11. Strategy 4: Cross-strait exchanges should avoid being interfered with by Chinese politics and the risk of national security arising from them. The review and management of exchange cases, including religious, cultural, academic, and educational exchanges, should be based on the principles of "depoliticization" and "de-risking", so that civil exchanges can be simplified as much as possible, in line with the original intention of promoting healthy and orderly exchanges.
12. Strategy 5: In order to prevent China from weakening Taiwan's subjectivity through cultural united front work, the Executive Yuan should formulate a plan to enhance the competitiveness of local cultural industries, strengthen guidance and rewards for domestic film and television and cultural and creative industries to deepen the advantages of democratic cultural creation and enhance international competitiveness, and encourage research on Taiwan's local history and culture.
13. Strategy 6: Strengthen guidance and management of film and art practitioners in their development in China. The competent authorities should provide attention to the words and deeds of film and television personnel in China, and clarify the scope of investigation and punishment of words and deeds that endanger national dignity, so as to avoid China's pressure on our film and television personnel to express their opinions or make words and deeds that endanger national dignity.
14. Strategy 7: Relevant competent authorities should take active and effective measures to prevent China from conducting cognitive operations against Taiwan and endangering information security through tools such as the Internet, applications, and AI.
15. Strategy 8: In order to implement the above measures, the competent authorities should comprehensively review the current relevant administrative orders, measures, interpretation orders, etc., and complete the relevant law enforcement regulations; if there are still deficiencies, the rule of law should be further strengthened to propose amendments to the National Security Law, the Anti-Infiltration Law, the Cross-Strait Relations Act, the Hong Kong and Macao Act, the Information and Communications Security Management Act, etc., and strengthen social communication and implement them as soon as possible.
Fifth, in response to the threat of China using "integration and development" to attract Taiwanese businessmen and young people:
16. Strategy 1: The National Security Council, together with the Executive Branch, will make strategic structural adjustments to the economic and trade relations between Taiwan and China based on the economic and trade strategies of "Taiwan First" and "Based in Taiwan, Global Layout"; and based on the principle of "strengthening Taiwan and managing risks", make necessary and orderly adjustments to the flow of people, logistics, capital and technology involved in cross-strait economic and trade, so as to strengthen economic security and effectively respond to China's economic and trade united front and economic coercion against Taiwan.
17. Strategy 2: The Ministry of Education, together with the Mainland Affairs Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and other relevant agencies, will comprehensively deepen the literacy education of young students about China and the proper understanding of cross-strait exchanges. At the same time, it will also widely promote various mechanisms for domestic youth employment and entrepreneurship, provide sufficient information and assistance, so that young students will have more confidence in the national vision and more actively participate in the construction and development of Taiwan.
Conclusion
Fellow countrymen, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Second World War. History tells us that any authoritarian aggression and annexation will eventually end in failure, and the only way to protect freedom and defeat totalitarian aggression is unity.
Faced with increasingly severe threats, the government will not stop its efforts to ensure that national sovereignty is not infringed and that the freedom, democracy and lifestyle of 23 million people will continue as usual. However, the power of the government alone is not enough. We need the joint vigilance and action of all citizens.
Every citizen is the front line of protecting democracy and freedom. We can do this together: First, improve media literacy and do not spread or forward the united front information announced by China; second, participate in and organize civic education activities to enhance awareness of the united front and strengthen social defense resilience; third, immediately expose all acts of collusion in the united front and make all malicious attempts difficult to carry out; fourth, refuse to participate in all activities that sacrifice national interests.
Everyone's vigilance and action is the strongest line of defense against the infiltration of the united front. Only unity can resist division. As long as every citizen plays his or her role in the goal of national prosperity and security and works together, nothing can defeat us.
News (11) to (16) / Editor: Zhongkang / Source: RFA / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/0313/2189008.html
News (11)
Scary signal! The only major bill of the two sessions failed to pass. The ultimate goal of the CCP is exposed
— The two sessions closed without passing the Private Economy Promotion Law Analysis: The ultimate goal of the Communist Party of China is to eliminate the long-term goal of capitalist communism
China's two sessions closed, but the draft law on promoting the private economy, which was seen as a weathervane for supporting the private economy, was not passed. Analysts believe that the CCP's party constitution has shown that the ultimate goal is to eliminate capital, and capital holders only have wishful expectations for communism.
Before the two sessions, CCP leader Xi Jinping met with private entrepreneurs, at which time he declared: "The basic principles and policies of the Party and the state on the development of the private economy have been incorporated into the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and will be consistently adhered to and implemented. They cannot and will not change."
During the two sessions, Premier Li Qiang mentioned in his government work report that measures to regulate local investment promotion will be introduced, and the draft law on promoting the private economy will be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation to improve the development environment of the private economy.
The work report of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China also pointed out that in 2025, the Private Economy Promotion Law, the National Development Planning Law, the Financial Law, etc. will be formulated around the improvement of the socialist market economy legal system, and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, the Banking Supervision and Administration Law, etc. will be revised.
However, on Tuesday afternoon, the third session of the 14th National People's Congress of China closed, and several draft resolutions and work reports were passed during the meeting, but the draft law on promoting the private economy, which has attracted much attention, was not included.
News (12)
The history of the Communist Party of China has repeatedly triggered power struggles due to economic lines
"This is a strong political signal, that is, within the factions of the Communist Party of China, there is still controversy over the line of private economy." Lai Rongwei, executive director of the Taiwan Inspirational Association, said in an interview with this station that in the history of the Communist Party of China, the practice of promoting private economy and promoting the development of capitalism has repeatedly triggered power struggles. During Xi Jinping's tenure alone, former Premier Li Keqiang supported the private economy and intended to promote the "street stall economy", but was immediately suppressed and eventually returned to Xi Jinping's "state advances and private retreats", turning to emphasize "common prosperity".
Image : On 11 March 2025, Xi Jinping and Li Qiang attended the closing meeting of the National People's Congress. (Vincent Thian/AP)
Lai Rongwei said: "Xi Jinping is deeply worried about the private economy, but since he took office, whenever the economy is bad, he will bring up the private economy; once the economy improves, the private economy shrinks again. Xi Jinping has continued to arrest so-called second-generation big entrepreneurs for many years and purge them in the name of corruption."
News (13)
The CCP's six-characters motto for private enterprises: Use, restrict, and transform
Song Yongyi, a retired professor at California State University, Los Angeles, analyzed in our "Asia Wants to Talk" program that the attitude of the Chinese Communist Party, communism and Mao Zedong towards capital was quite clear in the "Communist Manifesto", and the ultimate goal was to "eliminate capital." However, both private entrepreneurs and external bystanders still have illusions, mistakenly believing that a new spring and development climax will come. "There are two main reasons for this: first, the short-sightedness of capital, which cannot see the long-term goals of communism; second, capital holders have wishful expectations for the CCP and communism." Song Yongyi said.
Song Yongyi sorted out the history of the Communist Party of China and pointed out that in 1947, when the Communist Party of China gained an advantage in the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Mao Zedong wrote to Stalin, indicating that one of the core goals of establishing a new China was to "eliminate capital", which confirmed that the Communist Party of China regarded capitalists as the ultimate target of elimination from the beginning. In September 1949, the "Common Program" adopted by the Communist Party of China also proposed to eliminate the bourgeoisie. In addition, Liu Shaoqi said in the "Tianjin Speech" that "the more capitalists exploit, the better", but these views were criticized after the Cultural Revolution. He reminded that the policies of the Communist Party of China at a certain stage were inconsistent with its long-term communist principles, and these promises were often unreliable.
"The Communist Party of China has six words for all private enterprises or capitalists: the first is "utilization", the second is "restriction", and the third is "transformation". The Communist Party of China does not regard capitalists as its own people, but restricts and utilizes them. As for "transformation", it is "elimination" in a philosophical sense." Song Yongyi said that this six-word motto includes both the "strategic policy" of the Communist Party of China towards private enterprises and entrepreneurs and the "tactical policy" at a certain period. However, the CCP is wavering between these goals, because it wants to both eliminate capital metaphysically and give private enterprises a certain amount of development space.
Image : On 17 February 2025, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping attended a symposium with private entrepreneurs in Beijing. (Shen Hong/Xinhua via AP)
News (14)
Chinese scholars say it is not a delay but an adjustment of details
The South China Morning Post quoted Tang Dajie, a senior researcher at the China Enterprise Research Institute in Beijing, as saying that this may be due to the complexity of the new bill and should not be interpreted as a delay in legislation. The bill may still need to be adjusted to absorb feedback and refine implementation details. Tang Dajie speculated that the law may be passed at the meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in April or June.
News (15)
Lai Rongwei: CCP bureaucrats are still on the sidelines about Xi's embrace of the private economy
Lai Rongwei believes that in an authoritarian country, there is no autonomy of the parliament and civil society. If it is believed that China's policies and regulations have not been passed because they need to be further improved, this interpretation has a big logical problem. In fact, China does not need to go through a very complex and cumbersome open debate and discussion process like a democratic society to force policies and laws.
"Officials in the Chinese bureaucracy are still taking a wait-and-see attitude. Even though the top leaders of the Communist Party of China are now calling for the promotion of the vitality of civil society, they still believe that Xi Jinping cannot really embrace the private economy. They are still trying to figure out the intentions of their superiors, and they are worried that they will become the target of the next wave of political purges and anti-corruption struggles." Lai Rongwei added.
News (16)
Song Yongyi: Don't be naive to believe that Xi Jinping supports private enterprises
Song Yongyi pointed out that Xi Jinping and previous Chinese leaders have never concealed their communist goals. The Constitution and the Party Constitution clearly point out that communism must be achieved, and this has never changed. However, private entrepreneurs and liberal intellectuals fantasize about Xi Jinping as China's "savior." In fact, the CCP's words and actions are often contradictory and inconsistent, but many kind people fail to notice this. "Xi Jinping has taken a big step backwards in ideology. He still holds Maoist ideology. Now he claims that he has always supported private enterprises. This is unbelievable. Don't be naive anymore."
News (17)
The two sessions opened, and an open letter "overthrowing the CCP" was circulated online
Reporters : Qin Yue and Qiu Yue / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/06/a103964567.html
When the CCP's "two sessions" were held, an open letter from overseas called on the Chinese people to "overthrow the CCP's dictatorship and settle accounts with Xi Jinping's crimes", which attracted widespread attention.
This "open letter to all Chinese citizens" was published on the X platform account "Human Rights and Current Affairs" and was signed by Lv Zhanqiu.
In the letter, he accused local officials of corruption based on his own experience, and emphasized that no one can be immune under the CCP's dictatorship. He also criticized the "two sessions" as a "rubber stamp" of the dictatorship, and abolishing the CCP and settling the CCP leader is urgent!
Jie Lijian, acting chairman of the China Democratic Party United Headquarters: "When public opinion changes, it means a huge change. If there is a huge change, it means that the evil of the autocratic system will perish one by one."
Lai Jianping, former Beijing lawyer and chairman of the China Democracy Front in Canada: "The Chinese Communist Party has always been aware that its autocratic rule is unpopular and the profound disaster it has caused to the Chinese people. It has also always had a clear understanding of the resistance of the people, knowing that it is sitting on the crater and that there is a state of life-and-death hostility between it and the people. Therefore, all its purposes in governing are to maintain the one-party dictatorship and to suppress at all costs and by all means. So next they may introduce more measures and more severe suppression."
The letter described Xi Jinping's regime as "shaky" and said that history will prove that tyranny will eventually collapse. The Chinese and English versions of the open letter have been sent to more than a dozen overseas media to attract the attention of the international community.
Jie Lijian: "The Communist Party cannot give it a chance, nor can it change, nor can it move towards a US-China orientation. It is impossible. For so many years, we have been looking forward to it, but in the end, it has become a tiger that will become a threat to the security of the whole world, and it poses a major threat to the world's security."
News (18)
Chen Weijian: The U.S. deleted the statement that it does not support Taiwan independence to pave the way for the restoration of diplomatic relations between the US and Taiwan
Editor: Li Guangsong / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/0219/2177692.html
Recently, the U.S. State Department’s official website has updated its content on Taiwan, deleting the statement “not supporting Taiwan independence” and adding content on Taiwan’s cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense in science and technology and semiconductor projects, as well as a statement supporting Taiwan’s joining international organizations “under appropriate circumstances.” Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung welcomed these changes, believing that this reflects the United States’ support and positive attitude towards Taiwan-U.S. relations.
Although the U.S. State Department stated that this website update is routine and aims to convey to the public the current status of unofficial relations between the United States and Taiwan. However, from a logical level, it is a response to a joint resolution recently proposed by 24 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives on February 6. The resolution recommends that the U.S. government end the “one China” policy and establish formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Although American politicians have proposed the resumption of diplomatic relations with Taiwan many times, this is the first time that so many members have formally proposed it together.
This modification of the State Department’s official website shows that the United States is no longer obsessed with the principle of “only one China.” This is the biggest change in China policy since Trump took office, and this policy breaks the red line that the Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly set for the United States. This change is a nuclear-like blow to the Chinese Communist regime, much more powerful than tariffs and high-tech containment. Tariffs are a double-edged sword, and the interests of both sides will be harmed. High-tech containment can only make China lag behind for a few years, and China will catch up. This is the case with DeepSeek. But if diplomatic relations are restored with Taiwan, the situation will be completely different. This is a political blow that touches the foundation of the Chinese Communist regime. The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly emphasized that this is China's core interest that cannot be touched. In other aspects, it is okay to step on the red line, but the principle of one China cannot be touched. Therefore, successive US governments have been cautious about this. Even when senior US officials visit Taiwan, they reiterate that the one-China policy remains unchanged. But now the Trump administration has officially deleted the statement that it does not support Taiwan independence. This not only denies the one-China principle, but also paves the way for the restoration of US-Taiwan relations.
After the US State Department website deleted the statement about not supporting Taiwan independence, Beijing accused the US of "seriously regressing" on its position on the Taiwan issue on Monday (February 17) and urged the US to "correct its mistakes immediately" to avoid further damage to Sino-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. This statement is obviously quite mild. It only says that the United States has retreated on this issue, not broken through, and has stepped on the red line of China's core interests. China must fight back. It seems that after Trump came to power, China has no intention to compete with the United States on this core interest. The so-called core interests and the so-called red line are gone.
The United States deleted the statement "do not support Taiwan independence". The updated page still emphasizes that the United States opposes any unilateral change of the status quo and supports the two sides to resolve differences through peaceful means. This statement can be understood in this way. That is, Taiwan as the Republic of China is an independent existence. This is also what the Taiwan government has repeatedly emphasized. Taiwan does not need to declare independence. The Republic of China has always been an independent country. Therefore, even if it resumes diplomatic relations with the United States, it will not change the status quo. The differences between the two sides must be resolved in a peaceful way. This is the red line set by the United States for China. Otherwise, the United States will defend Taiwan from aggression in accordance with the "US-Taiwan Relations Act".
China's rise began with the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States and the severance of diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan. If the United States and Taiwan resume diplomatic relations, it will cause a chain reaction internationally, just like when the United States established diplomatic relations with China and severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan, countries around the world followed suit. Of course, the CCP can ignore it, but the diplomatic Waterloo and the complete failure of nationalist unification will inevitably affect domestic politics. One possibility is that Xi Jinping launched a cross-strait war to make up for the failure, and the other possibility is that the CCP requires Xi Jinping to take responsibility and step down. Launching a cross-strait war may lead to the collapse of the CCP regime due to the failure of the war. If Xi Jinping steps down, the CCP may have to recognize one China and one Taiwan, one side and one country in the face of reality. Therefore, the deletion of the State Council website that does not support Taiwan independence is a fatal blow to the CCP.
News (19)
The U.S. Congress opposes the CCP's weaponization of Resolution 2758 confusing the U.S. policy
Reporters: Hu Zonghan and Ning Yuxiang / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/02/23/a103961589.html
The U.S. Congress once again issued a cross-house and cross-party resolution last Saturday (February 22) to counter the CCP's weaponization of "UN General Assembly Resolution 2758", criticizing the CCP for subverting the United Nations and expressing a firm support for Taiwan.
On the 22nd, bipartisan senators and representatives of the U.S. Congress proposed a resolution to oppose the CCP's weaponization of "UN General Assembly Resolution 2758" and confuse the U.S. policy toward Taiwan. The United States does not recognize the CCP's sovereignty claim over Taiwan. The CCP deceives the world, and the United States will not sit idly by.
The United Nations General Assembly, "Resolution 2758" in 1971, stated that the People's Republic of China is China's only representative in the United Nations. However, the CCP expanded its interpretation that Taiwan is part of China and does not need another representative. Blocking Taiwan from participating in international organizations.
Jim Risch, Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen, Democratic chief senator, proposed a similar resolution last year (2024), which countered the CCP's over-interpretation of UNGA Resolution 2758, indicating that the "one China policy" between the United States and its partners is different from the CCP's "one China principle".
This time, the cross-house version of the resolution of the U.S. Congress has expanded its lineup to 8 people, including Republican Senator Pete Ricketts, Democratic Senator Chris Coons, Republican Representative Young Kim, and Democratic Representative Ami Bera.
The 7-page resolution of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives pointed out that the CCP linked the "UNGA Resolution 2758" with the CCP's "one China principle" and claimed to the outside world that the "UNGA Resolution 2758" dealt with Taiwan's sovereignty. In fact, the "UNGA Resolution 2758" only involves the CCP's seat in the United Nations and has nothing to do with Taiwan's sovereignty.
The CCP has limited Taiwan's international space, and the U.S. Congress has expressed its toughness against China across houses and parties, reiterating the United States' consistent support for Taiwan.
News (20)
The epidemic continues to spread. A mainland doctor revealed that a large number of young and middle-aged people died suddenly
Editor : Li Yun / Interview : Xiong Bin / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/09/a103965683.html / Reporters : Xiong Bin and Zhou Tian / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/12/a103966514.html
The epidemic in China continues to spread. Hospitals and crematoriums are overcrowded in many places. People in many places revealed that people around them continue to die, including those born in the 1980s and 1990s. A doctor revealed that in recent years, many 30-year-old young and middle-aged people have died suddenly but the official blocked the news.
Recently, mainland people have been discussing on the Internet that many people around them have died, including those born in the 1980s and 1990s. But related posts have been deleted in large numbers.
At the same time, a set of mortality data for various age groups in China has caused heated discussions. Among them, the mortality rates of those born in the 1980s and 1990s were 5.2% and 3%, respectively, ranking first and third. The Ministry of Public Security's Cyber Security Bureau urgently refuted the rumor and imposed administrative penalties or warnings on netizens.
However, mainland netizens have revealed that many young people around them have died, "it feels that cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are getting younger and younger", and believe that the main causes of death are "high pressure, heavy internal consumption, various internal "rolls", "new crown sequelae, myocardial infarction and sudden death", etc.
In a funeral home in Shandong, someone casually took a photo of the electronic screen and showed that among the 8 dead, 3 were between the ages of 14 and 31.
Mr. Li, a villager in Zhoukou, Henan, told NTD reporters that the local epidemic was raging, and young and middle-aged people in the surrounding villages continued to die.
Mr. Li, a villager in Zhoukou, Henan: "There are many people with fever and colds, very serious. One after another died. The hospital can't accommodate many people, it's very tense, and waves of deaths. There are many pneumonia, myocardial infarction, and cerebral infarction. Many people died in their thirties and forties, and they died inexplicably."
A Hebei netizen said that 5 people died in their village within a month. Netizens in many places also lamented that many people are dying now.
Mr. Li, a villager in Zhoukou, revealed that due to too many deaths and the economic depression, many local people were buried directly to save cremation costs.
Mr. Li, a villager in Zhoukou: "There must be too many deaths in the funeral home. Now we bury the dead. Ordinary people are like ants. They die when they die. They are buried immediately and secretly. Or they die today or die now. They can't wait until tomorrow and bury them tonight. They don't want to spend the money and can't even afford cremation."
The local rural areas hold funerals every day, and there are new graves everywhere in the fields.
Mr. Li: "There are 500-600, 700-800, or even more than 1,000 people in a village, and many people died. How many people died? I didn't count them, but there were people in every village, either this village or that village. There was a village every kilometer, a village every kilometer. There were hundreds or thousands of villages, and people were dying every day. Now, all the people who died were young people. They went to the hospital after the onset of the disease, and then died soon. Sometimes they died before they could even go to the hospital, and no one reflected on this matter."
Mr. Li also revealed that there are many people suffering from myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, and hemiplegia. There are at least ten or eight such people in a village of several hundred people.
Jiangsu doctor Zhang Liang (pseudonym) also revealed that many young people died of myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction.
Jiangsu doctor Zhang Liang: "There are many sudden deaths, which is quite a lot. Because my work is related to this aspect. This type of people are very young, in their thirties or forties. According to medicine, it is basically heart disease, myocardial infarction. In fact, the number of this has become very large since the epidemic. People like this are usually in good health, have no underlying diseases, and are strong and healthy. The positions we contact with them are not very tiring, just like the staff of government agencies and institutions."
Most young and middle-aged people die suddenly without signs.
Zhang Liang: "In medical terms, it is sudden cardiac death. Generally, heart problems occur very quickly. We have a lot of them, such as in the hospital lobby, the heart feels uncomfortable, and it takes a few minutes to go to the emergency room, but emergency treatment cannot be saved. But the heart is difficult to control, and it can be counted as sudden death within 15 minutes at most. This thing is that China has a large population base, and tens of thousands of people die in a city every year, but it does not attract much attention."
Zhang Liang also mentioned that many people are dying in their sleep now.
Zhang Liang: "For people who pass away like this, their medical death certificates will all say sudden cardiac death, which is cardiac arrest. After this epidemic, basically most people in mainland China are in sub-health, and no one is very healthy. Most of their physical indicators are a bit abnormal. Seventy to eighty percent of people will have nodules on their bodies, especially lung nodules, which are basically common. Some people say it is because of the new crown, and the medical staff say it is caused by the vaccine! They all say so, but they can't say it openly. You are not allowed to count this kind of data."
A mainland funeral industry blogger also revealed that more and more people born in the 1980s and 1990s are dying.
A mainland funeral industry blogger: "For those born in the 1980s and 1990s who have chronic diseases and die suddenly, most of them have myocardial infarctions."
Many places in China are expanding funeral homes
As the epidemic spreads in China, the expansion and new construction projects of funeral homes across the country have increased sharply. People in many places have revealed that sudden death is not divided by age. This year, there are more sudden deaths among young and middle-aged people than usual, and cremation requires queuing.
The expansion and new construction projects of funeral homes in China have increased sharply, and many funeral homes have spent huge sums of money on construction. The video circulated on the Internet shows that the crematorium built by Guangshui City, Hubei Province, with a cost of 270 million yuan, covers a vast area, and there are pavilions and towers inside. A funeral home in Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, has a large row of statues, and netizens joked: "Funeral homes make money like a palace."
A citizen of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, revealed to Mr. Xiang that there are more sudden deaths among young and middle-aged people this year, and cremation requires queuing.
Mr. Xiang, a citizen of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia: "There are many young people in their 40s, 50s, 30s and 40s. I guess they had a heart attack. They fell to the ground and convulsed. It was too late to rescue them. There are too many people in the funeral homes. Some time ago, someone died in one of our buildings. We waited for more than ten hours (for cremation). The funeral homes added furnaces to expand. Now more than 20 funeral homes in mainland China are expanding."
Mr. Zhang, a citizen of Jilin, said that after taking the new crown (CCP virus) vaccine, many people developed sequelae. After the immunity was destroyed, they were prone to illness. Young people all had cardiovascular problems, which caused sudden death.
Mr. Zhang, a citizen of Jilin: "There are more people who are sick in winter, and even more in spring. They have runny noses, sore throats, and slight fevers. Severe white lungs need to go to big hospitals. It's COVID-19. The authorities don't allow people to say COVID-19, so they just say it's a cold. There are many sudden deaths, and people of all ages, including young men in their twenties. This didn't happen in the past. There are many deaths in spring, and there are queues at the funeral home."
Wang Kang (pseudonym), who works in the education department of Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, disclosed that the number of sudden deaths in his unit in recent years is much higher than in the past, and the deceased are all people who actively implement the Communist Party's policies.
Wang Kang, a public official in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province: "Old and young people died suddenly. Some could be rescued, but they couldn't be rescued. During the epidemic, the person who was responsible for epidemic prevention died the earliest. He was 50 years old. The side effects of vaccination are very large. There are many kinds of diseases. In the past two years, there have been more cases of leukemia. One person died in his 40s. This winter (2024), there are more people in the funeral home and there are queues again."
Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, once warned: "Stay away from the evil CCP and don't stand with the evil party, because it is backed by the red devil, and its surface behavior is gangsterism, and it does all kinds of evil. God is going to start eradicating it, and those who stand with it will be eliminated."
News (21) to (23) / Reporters : Xu Yiyang and Ning Xin / Editor : Lian Shuhua / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/3/13/n14457905.htm
News (21)
Zhao Leji appeared after the two sessions. The CCP rarely announced the cause of his illness
Image : A security guard stands outside the venue during the two sessions of the Chinese Communist Party on 7 March 2025. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)
Zhao Leji, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chairman of the National People’s Congress, made a public appearance on 12 March 2025 and met with central media leaders and journalists who reported on the National People’s Congress meeting. Previously, the official statement was that he missed the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress due to "respiratory infection", which aroused doubts about his health condition.
That afternoon, Zhao Leji appeared at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and met with journalists involved in covering the conference. It has been a practice for many years for the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to greet central media reporters after the closing of the NPC session.
CCTV footage showed that Zhao Leji was sitting in the middle of the front row of the venue, with Li Shulei, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of the Publicity Department, and Li Hongzhong, member of the Political Bureau and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, on either side of him. CCTV cameras repeatedly showed Zhao Leji speaking with a speech in hand.
Earlier, the closing ceremony of the National People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing on the afternoon of 11 March 2025. At the beginning of the meeting, Li Hongzhong announced that Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People's Congress, had taken leave due to "respiratory infection" and that he was entrusted by the presidium of the conference to preside over the meeting.
Zhao Leji's absence immediately attracted widespread attention. This is the first time in decades that a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee was absent from the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress.
During the Two Sessions, Zhao Leji missed several important meetings for two consecutive days. He did not attend the closing ceremony of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference held on the morning of March 10. The second meeting of the Standing Chairman of the Presidium of the National People's Congress held in the afternoon of the 10th and the third meeting held on the morning of the next day were both chaired by Li Hongzhong.
Zhao Leji's voice was hoarse when he delivered a work report at the National People's Congress Presidium meeting on 8 March 2025.
News (22)
The flu spread from Beijing to Zhongnanhai
In the evening of the closing ceremony of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on 10 March, the Chinese Communist Party officials did not give any specific explanation for Zhao Leji's absence. However, news later spread in Beijing's political circles that the flu had spread to Zhongnanhai.
According to Taiwan media "Shangbao", on the evening of the 10th, rumors that Zhao Leji was ill began to circulate in Beijing's political circles, including claims about an influenza A epidemic that broke out in Beijing several months ago. The report said that in addition to Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee who presided over the CPPCC meeting, was also accused of frequent dry coughs and poor complexion in public, which aroused speculation from the outside world. At the same time, rumors that the flu had spread widely in Beijing and had affected Zhongnanhai continued to ferment.
As the only senior official in the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China who has remained in office since the Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao eras, Zhao Leji's absence from the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress due to "health" problems immediately sparked speculation about a power struggle. In the Chinese Communist Party’s political system, “absence due to illness” is often seen as a bad sign, and may even mean that something has happened to the official.
In 2023, former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang missed a diplomatic summit in Indonesia. At that time, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry explained that he was unable to attend due to "health reasons." However, Qin Gang mysteriously disappeared for a month, and there were rumors that he had been investigated. A few months later, he was officially dismissed from office.
A similar situation also occurred at the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2022. Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping publicly ordered his staff to carry former party leader Hu Jintao away from the venue due to "health reasons", which attracted great attention from the international community.
Since 2023, many of Zhao Leji's subordinates during his tenure as Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection have been successively dismissed. The outside world has therefore speculated that the real reason for his absence from the closing ceremony of the two sessions may not be health problems, but the influence of political struggles, and the saying that "he is suffering from a political disease" has become popular. Zhao Leji’s latest moves have also become a key observation point for the future direction of the Chinese Communist Party’s political arena after the conclusion of the two sessions. Whether this means that the infighting among the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party has further escalated has attracted much attention.
News (23)
Analysis: It is rare for the CCP to announce the cause of Zhao Leji's illness
Chen Pokong, a current affairs analyst based in the United States, told the Epoch Times that it was rare for Li Hongzhong to publicly disclose the cause of Zhao Leji’s illness. He said that according to convention, even if an official at the level of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee is ill, the authorities usually will not disclose it to the public, because it is regarded as a "party-state secret" and the outside world has no way of knowing what exactly happened at the top.
Chen Pokong said that in the past, no matter what kind of illness a senior official suffered from, he would often just "disappear" temporarily. After he reappeared, the authorities would remain silent to the outside world, as if nothing had happened. However, this time Li Hongzhong directly announced that Zhao Leji would be absent from the meeting due to "respiratory infection", which was itself quite unusual. He analyzed that the cause of Zhao Leji's illness might be influenza, but he did not rule out infection with a variant of the new coronavirus.
Political commentator Tang Jingyuan said in an interview with the Epoch Times that Zhao Leji's absence from the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress was mainly related to his health condition. He analyzed that if Zhao Leji had political problems, the CCP would usually deal with it in two ways: either make him completely disappear from the public eye on the grounds of "health reasons"; or allow him to continue to appear and complete all public activities of the two sessions according to established procedures, and then take further action after the meeting. However, Zhao Leji's sudden absence in the middle of the two sessions was more likely due to health reasons rather than political trends.
Tang Jingyuan further stated that the CCP’s rare announcement of the cause of Zhao Leji’s illness has instead sparked widespread doubts, and this situation is precisely caused by the CCP’s own long-term operating model.
He said that in the past, whenever senior officials missed important political occasions due to so-called "health reasons", the outside world often regarded it as a sign of political loss of power. Therefore, this expression has become a cryptic synonym for political changes. This time, the CCP may have deliberately wanted to distinguish Zhao Leji's situation to avoid similar speculation, so it had to publicly state the cause of his illness.
News (24)
When Xi Jinping left the stage, Zhang Youxia did not even turn his head back
Editor: / Fang Xun / Source: New Tang Dynasty / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/0314/2189295.html / Image : At the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China on 11 March 2025, when party leader Xi Jinping left the stage, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia did not look back. (Video screenshot)
At the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China this year, the outside world noticed abnormalities such as the absence of NPC Chairman Zhao Leji and the waving of party leader Xi Jinping's hands. When Xi left, the performance of Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, also attracted attention.
The National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China closed on 11 March. On that day, Radio Free Asia captured the footage of Xi Jinping's hands shaking constantly at the closing ceremony, as well as the clips of Xi's interaction with former Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and others when he finally left.
And many self-media also noticed other abnormalities when Xi Jinping left.
At the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China, the second row of the presidium sat the members of the Political Bureau. Xi Jinping and seven other members of the Standing Committee were in the middle, and the others were on both sides in order. According to the "political rules" of the Communist Party of China, when leaving, Xi Jinping stood up first, passed behind the second row of seats, and walked to the right side of the venue. Those who did not leave, including those in the second row, also turned around and stood to see Xi Jinping off.
The above video shows that when Xi Jinping left, the scene at the opening of the National People's Congress was reenacted, and most of the other officials looked behind Xi Jinping and "turned a blind eye" to Xi. Only Leung Chun-ying made eye contact with Xi Jinping when he passed in front of him. When Xi Jinping stopped to greet Leung, former Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah turned around and nodded slightly to Xi.
Even more abnormal is that many members of the Politburo who appeared in the video, including Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Ho Weidong, turned around and stood beside their seats, watching Xi Jinping, only Zhang Youxia still faced forward, and did not even look back when Xi walked past him.
Commentator Dayu commented in his self-media program that these scenes were "absolutely abnormal."
He also mentioned that this year's "Two Sessions" of the Communist Party of China was the "most chaotic in history", with nothing new and no rules, and the praise for Xi Jinping was the weakest since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. All this seems to show that Xi Jinping's power has fallen into the hands of others, and the real situation of the Communist Party's top leaders "performing to hold on to the situation externally, and chaos without a leader internally".
After the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China last year, there were rumors that Xi Jinping was in poor health and Zhang Youxia was in charge of military power.
In addition, there was a lot of discussion about Xi Jinping's hands moving around at the closing meeting. Some people speculated that he was seriously ill. Some people thought he was nervous. Others said that this reflected his boredom due to losing real power and not wanting to participate in political performances.
Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China, suddenly missed the closing ceremony "due to illness", which also triggered various speculations. Some analysts pointed out that he was purged. Some people also believed that the epidemic had invaded Zhongnanhai. On the 12th, he suddenly appeared again to "refute the rumors", showing no obvious signs of illness, which further aggravated the suspicion of the outside world.
News (25)
Insider reveals Zhao Leji's close confidant died suddenly in prison
Reporter : Li Enzhen / Editor: Li Quan / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/14/a103966963.html / Image : On 11 March 2025, a security guard stood at the entrance before the closing meeting of the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China. (Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images)
The news that Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, was absent from the "two sessions" and immediately "appeared" has caused various speculations. At the same time, former Qinghai Provincial CPPCC member Wang Anna (also known as Wang Ruiqin) revealed that Zhao Leji's close confidant and former Qinghai Governor Luo Yulin died suddenly in prison more than a week ago.
During this year's two sessions of the Communist Party of China, Zhao Leji missed several meetings in succession, and on March 11, he missed the closing meeting of the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China. The official announced that Zhao Leji took leave "due to respiratory infection." On the 12th, the party media let him "appear" again, reporting that he visited party media staff who were reporting on the two sessions in Beijing.
Zhao Leji's unusual behavior has triggered various speculations. First, this breaks the CCP's practice of keeping the health status of senior leaders secret; second, if he was able to "appear" on the 12th, why not let him attend the closing meeting on the 11th. The Beijing authorities' move was considered extremely unusual by the outside world, and also led to many associations of infighting in the officialdom.
At this time, on 12 March 2025, Wang Anna (also known as Wang Ruiqin), a former member of the Qinghai Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and founder of Guang Media, posted on the overseas X platform, "As far as I know, Zhao Leji is likely to be in trouble. The latest news is that his close confidant, former deputy director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, former governor of Qinghai Province, and mayor of Xining, Luo Yulin, died suddenly in prison more than a week ago. This is a very unusual event."
Wang Anna said that according to the news from the front, Zhao Leji's long-term close confidant and white glove Luo Yulin and Luo's long-term close confidant and white glove Yao were arrested from top to bottom, and his people were arrested. Is Zhao Leji safe?
Wang Anna said that although Zhao Leji and Xi Jinping are both known as the "Northwest Gang", they are more of a regional connection. They are not "in the same group". Zhao is Zeng Qinghong's man.
Image : Screenshot from the Internet
Luo Yulin has served in Qinghai Province for a long time, and has served as deputy director of the Qinghai Provincial Finance Department, director of the Provincial Economic and Trade Commission, deputy governor of Qinghai Province and deputy secretary of the Xining Municipal Party Committee, mayor, director of the Provincial Government's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and party secretary. Zhao Leji had frequent interactions with Luo Yulin during his tenure in Qinghai.
In December 2015, when Zhao Leji was a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and Minister of the Organization Department of the Central Committee, he transferred Luo Yulin to Beijing to serve as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the State-owned Key Large Enterprises of the State Council. After Zhao Leji became a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in 2017, Luo successively served as the head of the first inspection team of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission Party Committee and the head of the third inspection team.
Wang Ruiqin once wrote in Guang Media that "Luo Yulin is one of the few people Zhao Leji can trust, and their close relationship is open to the public." "When Zhao Leji was the governor and secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, Luo rushed back and forth to handle many things for Zhao Leji."
Wang Ruiqin said that after Luo Yulin was dismissed, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has unprecedentedly investigated. The Beijing Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has interviewed more than 100 people, and Qinghai has also interviewed 100 or 200 people. The officialdom was shaken and people were panicked. It is generally believed that this is aimed at Zhao Leji.
Wang Ruiqin believes that Wang Qishan cleaned up the previous dynasty and Zhao Leji cleaned up Wang Qishan. Now using a new tool to clean up Zhao Leji may put Zhao Leji in danger and make him deeply afraid. If he is purged, he will most likely sit and wait for death.
Since 2023, many of Zhao Leji's direct subordinates when he was the secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection have been investigated. In addition to Luo Yulin, a former vice-ministerial official of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the Communist Party of China, the other two include Yin Xueru, deputy director of the Ningxia Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, Cui Yunan, a first-level researcher of the 13th Investigation and Review Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, Yao Xike, a former second-level inspector of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission’s Discipline Inspection and Supervision Group in the Ministry of Transport, Liu Ran, deputy director of the Second Supervision and Inspection Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, and Hao Zongqiang, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.
Zhao’s old subordinates in Qinghai were also investigated one after another. Among them are Kong Lingdong, former deputy secretary and mayor of Xining Municipal Party Committee, Qinghai, Xu Guocheng, secretary of the Party Committee, chairman and former deputy mayor of Xining, China Rongtong Agricultural Development Group Co., Ltd., Yao Lin, former director of the Economic and Information Commission of Qinghai Province and former deputy mayor of Xining, Wang Ping, a counselor of the Qinghai Provincial Government (formerly deputy mayor of Xining), and Han Xianghui, secretary of the Party Committee and director of the Qinghai Provincial Emergency Management Department (formerly executive deputy mayor of Xining).
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun once wrote on the overseas X platform that during Xi Jinping's second term, the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Zhao Leji once again focused the anti-corruption efforts on eliminating Wang's cronies, especially in the financial sector, which Wang firmly controlled. After the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Li Xi took office, Zhao's people were doomed. It can be said that one thing defeats another, and in the end, none of them had a good ending.
Zhao Leji disappeared briefly at the "Two Sessions" this time. Epoch Times columnist Wang He recently told NTD that for Zhao Leji, not allowing him to attend such an occasion could be a shake and blow to his political status.
News (26)
Trump's press secretary Levitt unexpectedly becomes a Chinese Internet celebrity
Reporter : Xia Yu / Editor : Liu Ying / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/3/13/n14457739.htm / Image : White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 12, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Karoline Leavitt, the press spokesperson for U.S. President Trump, has been praised by Chinese netizens and has become an Internet celebrity. She is the youngest White House press secretary and is juggling motherhood and career.
Although the U.S.-China trade war is in full swing and bilateral relations continue to decline, President Trump's main aide and White House press secretary Levitt is unexpectedly popular among Chinese netizens.
The White House press secretary is typically the public face of the government and hosts White House briefings almost every day. Levitt's challenge is to deliver a credible message and earn the trust of journalists while remaining loyal to Trump.
Carolyn Levitt, 27, has become an Internet celebrity in China after video clips of her confrontations with American journalists went viral on social media over the past month.
Some Chinese netizens said they found Levitt's ability to balance motherhood and career attractive, while others said her calm and confident tone in defending Trump's controversial policies set an example for how to project both youth and strength in the workplace.
Image : White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press conference at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2025. Levitt announced that the United States will impose a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on China, which will take effect on 1 February. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
"She is really blonde, blue-eyed, pretty and articulate," wrote Shandong social media user Zhang Jieyi.
"Look at the eloquence and temperament of this beautiful spokesperson. There is no frustration, only calmness, and confidence without being rude and aggressive," Zhang said in the caption of a 43-second video.
The video shows Levitt answering a question last month about whether Trump would attend this year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
Image : On 28 January 2025, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt held a press conference in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP)
Steven Tian, a 47-year-old white-collar worker in Shanghai, said Levitt set an example for Chinese employees, who often work hard but are quiet when it comes to advocating for themselves in the workplace.
“She is smart, strong, succinct and refreshing,” wrote Tian, who watched videos of two White House press conferences Levitt held last month on social media.
Born in a small New Hampshire town of about 7,000 people, Levitt was the first in her family to graduate from college.
During Trump's first administration, she served as assistant press secretary and presidential writer. In 2021, she briefly worked for New York Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who has been nominated by Trump to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
In 2022, Levitt ran for the United States Congress, winning the Republican nomination to represent her New Hampshire congressional district but ultimately lost the general election.
Levitt has been by Trump's side since 2024, serving as a spokesman at Trump rallies and during his numerous court appearances. She took nine days off during the campaign last July to give birth to her son and become a mother.
Levitt is not the only American public figure to have become an unexpected celebrity on Chinese social media by being around Trump. President Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka is also a loving wife and mother, as well as a charming career woman with a fashion career, who has also won a loyal following.
(This article refers to a report from the South China Morning Post)
News (27)
Putin suddenly agreed to a ceasefire, but with one condition
Host : Qin Peng / Editor : Li Hong / Publisher : "Qin Peng Observation" Production Team / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/14/a103966984.html
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suddenly said he agreed to the U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, but any ceasefire must address the root causes of the conflict. He said:
"First of all, I want to thank the U.S. President for his attention to the situation in Ukraine and for investing so much energy in it. Of course, we all face many current problems that need to be dealt with. The Chinese President, the Indian Prime Minister and the heads of state of Brazil, South Africa and other countries are all paying attention to this matter. We are grateful for this and we believe that their efforts are aimed at reducing the loss of life in the conflict.
Secondly, we agree with the proposal of a ceasefire, but our position is based on the assumption that a ceasefire will lead to long-term peace. The causes of the crisis will be eliminated. As for Ukraine's preparation for a ceasefire, the meeting between the United States and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia seems to be a decision made by the Ukrainian side under pressure from the United States.
In fact, I firmly believe that Ukraine must ask the United States to stop interfering in its ground situation with the most sincere attitude."
I understand that Putin's words have a hidden meaning, and he mainly conveys four meanings. First, he agrees to a ceasefire, but not an immediate ceasefire. He must communicate with Trump first and put forward his own conditions; second, he brought out Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Modi and others to strengthen his momentum, indicating that he did not agree under pressure from the United States to maintain his tough guy image. At the same time, he also expressed his hope to reduce the loss of life; third, he hoped to solve some of the reasons that led to the outbreak of the war, including NATO's eastward expansion and Ukraine's inability to station NATO troops; fourth, he criticized Ukraine for its lack of sincerity in the ceasefire.
However, Russia's previous two actions also made the outside world doubt Putin's sincerity:
First, his foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov previously rejected the temporary ceasefire agreement, saying that the 30-day ceasefire agreement would give the Ukrainian army an opportunity to reorganize its troops.
Ushakov told Russian state television: "This is just a temporary rest time for Ukrainian soldiers, that's all. Our goal is to reach a long-term peace solution, and there is no need to imitate the steps of peace operations." He said that he had talked with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on Wednesday and conveyed the Russian position.
Putin's speech came shortly after Ushakov's speech. The two people's information is not completely consistent. How should it be understood?
Secondly, just the day before, Putin rarely appeared in camouflage combat uniforms at the Kursk State Operations Command Center on the Russian front line. This is his first visit to the region since the Ukrainian army suddenly invaded Russia in 2024.
After the inspection, he said: "I expect that all the combat tasks facing our troops will be completed and the territory of the Kursk region will be completely liberated from the enemy soon."
That is to say, while Putin agreed to a ceasefire, the Russian army did not relax its actions. On Thursday, the Russian military also said that after retaking a series of villages in recent days, it had recaptured Sudzha, the largest town controlled by Ukraine in Kursk Oblast, close to the Ukrainian-Russian border. Ukraine has always used it as a logistics hub to provide supplies for the Ukrainian army.
So, what do you think of Putin's series of actions? Does he want peace?
From the current information, I think he wants a ceasefire but hopes to take Kursk back before formal negotiations, or at least show his advantage on the battlefield.
In August 2024, Ukraine broke into Kursk Oblast, occupying about 1,250 square kilometers of land at most, but then the Russian army, with the support of the North Korean army, recaptured more than 60% of the territory. By 20 February, Ukraine has controlled about 450 square kilometres.
In March, Russia stepped up its offensive and the territory controlled by Ukraine was greatly reduced again. According to the report of the Institute for War Studies ISW, fighting is still continuing in multiple locations near the border, and Ukrainian troops are retreating, indicating that it is difficult to maintain control of the area.
However, Putin is exhausted and hopes to cease fire as soon as possible:
First, Putin discussed the establishment of a safe zone on the border during his visit to Kursk.
According to The Moscow Times, Putin said that "we are ready for meaningful dialogue, but it must be based on mutual respect and recognition of our security concerns." He also emphasized that "the establishment of a safe zone is essential to ensure the safety of our citizens and prevent any terrorist activities from happening again."
This may be interpreted as a condition for a ceasefire - that Ukraine must agree to the safe zone before Russia will consider stopping the fighting.
The Moscow Times is an independently operated online newspaper founded by Dutch entrepreneurs in 1992. It is headquartered in Amsterdam and its official website is in English and Russian.
Therefore, Putin's visit to Kursk is seen as a display of military success and a bargaining chip for ceasefire negotiations under international pressure, showing his dual military and diplomatic strategies.
Second, according to Reuters' exclusive report on March 13, Russia is asking companies to provide suggestions for lifting Western sanctions, indicating that they are preparing for peace talks.
Two businessmen told Reuters that the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade is asking companies to propose which sanctions Moscow should seek to lift before talks with Washington, adding that restrictions that hinder cross-border payment flows are the most painful.
A person familiar with the matter said that the Ministry of Industry and Trade is distributing a form to companies, asking them which sanctions have the greatest impact on their business and indicating the most sensitive restrictions.
Reuters interviewed a total of more than a dozen people, including employees, consultants, lawyers, economists and consultants of major exporters. They said that payment problems are the most serious, one of them said: "Given the transaction costs and settlement through a third currency, everything becomes more expensive." "Therefore, the most important, the most dangerous and the most painful are the restrictions on dollar settlements." Three sources also emphasized energy sanctions, especially restrictions on the Russian tanker fleet.
On 7 March 2025, Trump threatened to impose further financial sanctions and tariffs on Russia, which would obviously make Russia more nervous.
In short, from the current point of view, Putin is willing to reach a ceasefire, and military and diplomacy are carried out at the same time, showing that he is waiting for more favorable negotiation conditions.
Almost impossible task, What measures will Trump take?
However, even if the two sides temporarily cease fire, it is still very challenging to reach an agreement that all parties agree on. Many people even think that this is an "impossible task"!
Because the initial asking prices of both sides are too different.
Ukraine has always insisted on restoring all territorial integrity, including Russia's full withdrawal, the release of prisoners, and the signing of a peace agreement. Zelensky also hopes that the West will station troops and join NATO and the European Union. After entering Kursk in August 2024, Ukraine also tried to use it as a bargaining chip to exchange with Russia.
For Russia, the price is also high. It hopes to lift sanctions and keep the four southeastern states of Ukraine. The latter is written into the Russian Constitution, and it is very difficult to return them, and even Russia needs to amend the constitution.
So, what to do? Given Trump's negotiating style and past statements, he is expected to adopt the following strategies:
For Ukraine, including:
First: He once threatened to cut off all military and economic assistance, and even intelligence sharing. The United States is Ukraine's main source of military assistance. At the end of last month, after leaving the White House, Ukrainian President Zelensky went to Europe for a tour, and actually only got 2.26 billion pounds from the UK. The rest, only thunder and no rain, are far away.
Second? Trump is expected to promise that if Ukraine agrees to negotiate, the United States will provide continued support, including security guarantees and reconstruction funds.
Among them, many people have been criticizing Trump's mineral agreement as taking advantage of the fire and extortion. But in fact, it was Zelensky himself who took the initiative to propose mineral cooperation to Western countries, including Europe and the United States.
In mid-January this year, British officials signed a 100-year cooperation agreement with Ukraine, claiming to be Ukraine's "preferred partner" for the development of a "critical mineral strategy." According to iPaper, last month, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also raised the issue of minerals when he met with Zelensky in Kiev, "which shows that the Starmer government is still eager to obtain Ukraine's wealth."
This is not surprising. Mining is one of the few resources in Ukraine that can be quickly monetized. In recent years, they have been seeking to attract foreign investment for development and have begun to auction exploration licenses for minerals such as lithium, copper, cobalt and nickel. This is beneficial to all parties: it is an investment for Ukraine and is also conducive to economic construction. In particular, many places have been destroyed by artillery fire. If mining is to be carried out, roads and other infrastructure must be repaired, which requires foreign investors to invest a lot of money, which will provide jobs for Ukraine and increase GDP output.
On the other hand, the United States and other countries entering Ukraine to mine is a very smart "glass plate" strategy that can provide protection for Ukraine.
The so-called "glass plate" comes from the Cold War. At that time, Germany was divided into two parts, one side was socialism (ie Democratic Germany, also called East Germany), the protector was the Soviet Union, and the other side was free Germany (called Federal Republic of Germany, also called West Germany), the protector was the United States, Britain, France and other countries. The capital of East Germany is East Berlin, and the capital of West Germany is West Berlin. West Berlin is completely surrounded by East German territory, which is called an enclave in international geopolitics. It is very dangerous and may be occupied by the Soviet and East German troops at any time. However, the West took a measure at that time to avoid this result: stationing Western troops in West Berlin.
But do you know how many troops were in West Berlin? The United Kingdom, the United States, and France combined had 5,500 people in 1989, and the maximum before was only 12,000 people. The Soviet and East German troops stationed in East Berlin and East Germany were much more, about 560,000 in 1989.
So, after 34 years of the Cold War, West Berlin was preserved by the symbolic Western garrison, which is like a fragile glass plate. It seems fragile, but if the Soviet Union and East Germany invade, the West will fight back from West Germany and Europe. At that time, the military personnel of all Western allies in West Berlin and West Germany reached 815,000 (1989).
Now Trump has a similar strategy for Ukraine: some American companies and personnel move in. If the Russian army dares to take action, it will be the Americans who are attacked, and NATO can take the opportunity to intervene.
So, what about Putin?
First: Threaten to increase sanctions or provide more military assistance to Ukraine. Trump once mentioned that if Russia does not reach an agreement, the United States will increase its support for Ukraine.
Second: If Russia agrees to a peace agreement, the United States will reduce some sanctions or allow it to return to the international community, such as the G8. This may attract Russia to negotiate, especially under economic pressure.
On Wednesday (12 March 2025), Trump met with visiting Irish Prime Minister Martin at the White House and said that if Russia continues the war, it may face "devastating" economic consequences.
He mentioned that the ball is now on Russia's side and hopes that Russia will cease fire. "If we do this, I think it will be 80% of our way to ending this terrible bloody conflict." At the same time, he again implicitly threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia, adding: "We can do it, but I hope it's not necessary."
Earlier, we mentioned that Russia is currently most worried about two major issues, financial sanctions and energy sanctions. Since February 2022, the EU has banned most oil imports from Russia. On January 10, 2025, the Biden administration once again sanctioned Russia's shadow fleet. However, there have always been two huge loopholes here:
First, in order to give EU countries time to convert to energy countries, the United States previously exempted them. As a result, according to incomplete statistics in 2024, Europe purchased 21.9 billion euros of Russian energy, which exceeded the financial aid to Ukraine by about 19 billion euros.
Second, in order to facilitate transactions between the EU and Russia, the United States also left several Russian banks to continue foreign exchange transactions.
Now, Trump can cut off these two items and join forces with Saudi Arabia and others to suppress international oil prices. This is disastrous for Russia.
Of course, we say that diplomacy is an art. It is very interesting that on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Rubio was asked whether the United States would impose more sanctions if Russia refused. Rubio was desperately playing Tai Chi and refused to answer directly. He said that we did not provide weapons to Russia, and the previous sanctions of the United States have been in place. He talked around for a long time. Under the reporter's questioning, he still played Tai Chi and said that we hope Russia can sit at the negotiating table, and it will be a good day, "but we think that it is not constructive for me to stand here today and threaten what we will do if Russia refuses. I hope they can say yes."
Is it interesting? He didn't seem to say anything, but he seemed to have said everything.
News (28)
International Investigation Report: The Ministry of State Security of the Communist Party of China persecutes Falun Gong
Reporters : Li Yun and Qiu Yue / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/14/a103966934.html
Recently, the International Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong published an "Investigation Report on the Ministry of State Security of the Communist Party of China's Persecution of Falun Gong", exposing the crimes of the Communist Party of China in persecuting Falun Gong and the role it played in the new round of attacks on Falun Gong overseas.
The "Investigation Report" pointed out that the Ministry of State Security of the Communist Party of China was one of the earliest institutions to intervene in the persecution of Falun Gong, and regarded Falun Gong as a key monitoring and attack target. One of its core tasks is to implement a systematic persecution of Falun Gong.
The Ministry of State Security of the Communist Party of China uses a huge intelligence network, monitoring equipment and sufficient funding sources to monitor and collect so-called intelligence on Falun Gong practitioners in order to implement the Communist Party's persecution policy.
Wang Zhiyuan, Chairman of the International Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong: "The CCP has launched an intensified persecution of Falun Gong since the second half of 2024. Moreover, this persecution is mainly directed overseas. It has mobilized the power of the entire country, including the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Front Work Department, and the military's long-term overseas spy system, as well as the long-term controlled Chinese communities, overseas Chinese groups, and student unions. These entire forces have launched a new round of intensified persecution against Falun Gong."
Some conscientious people within the CCP system revealed that before the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, CCP leader Xi asked the Political and Legal Affairs Commission to take the lead in coordination, and the Ministry of State Security was responsible for intensifying the media and legal wars to persecute Falun Gong overseas.
Conscientious people from the CCP Ministry of Public Security broke the news that the CCP's overseas attacks on Shen Yun and Falun Gong are intended to try to escape the human rights crime of the century by pushing the United States to convict Falun Gong.
Canadian Chinese writer Sheng Xue: "In fact, after the emergence of Shen Yun, it completely challenged the CCP's overall layout of the previous large-scale foreign propaganda, and snatched a considerable number of people from the state of being brainwashed by the CCP. The CCP certainly cannot tolerate this, and of course it is very, very afraid."
The International Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong report specifically mentioned that under Xi Jinping's deployment, the CCP launched a "legal war and public opinion war" against Falun Gong in order to slander and defame the founder of Falun Gong and attack projects such as Shen Yun and Epoch Times.
Wang Zhiyuan: "The CCP's transnational persecution of Falun Gong is destroying and shaking the foundation of the United States, so the United States will inevitably come out to crack down on the CCP's crimes of persecuting Falun Gong. This is the reaction of the CCP's persecution. So I believe that due to the CCP's persecution, it will inspire more countries or people around the world to learn about Falun Gong and watch Shen Yun, and more people will oppose the CCP, eliminate the CCP, and even disintegrate the CCP."
News (29)
Metropolitan Republican Club Evening with Gordon Chang: Confronting Communist China
Reporters : Chris Bob, Yu Liang, Chi Xiao / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/13/a103966823.html
The Metropolitan Republican Club invited writer Gordon Chang to host a seminar on Wednesday to discuss the development of US-China relations and how to deal with the growing global threat of the CCP, including the CCP's theft of American artificial intelligence technology and the development of DEEPSEEK, and also talked about the Trump administration's response to the CCP's geopolitical challenges. Let's see the reporter's report.
New Tang Dynasty Television reporter Chris Bob: "I'm at the Metropolitan Republican Club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where an event called 'Fighting Communist China, Gordon Chang's Night' has just been held. We interviewed Gordon Chang and the organizers of the event to hear their views."
Christia Renzo, president of the Metropolitan Republican Club: "This is the oldest Republican club in New York. Together with Gordon Chang, we hosted an unusual event tonight. We all know that we are in a cultural war and a veritable trade war with the CCP, involving tariffs, involving the CCP's desire to infiltrate all aspects of geopolitics. Now is the time. China has also talked about it for 100 years. We need to do so too. We need to become the greatest country in the world again."
Jordan Chang, a well-known American writer: "But we have also witnessed, for example, a series of extraordinary protests in Zhengzhou, central China, in October 2022. So the situation in China is very unstable. Although people seem pessimistic now, this may turn into anger at any time. Chinese society has been rebelling against (CCP) repression. It will not stop unless (CCP) stops repressing."
Jordan Chang also held a signing event for his latest book "Red Plan: China's Plan to Destroy America" on the spot.
Renowned American writer Gordon Chang: "What I have done is to trace the roots of the CCP's hostility and viciousness. This is not only directed at the United States, but of course mainly at us, because they see us as the main obstacle to their global domination. Remember, the CCP does not talk about domination, hegemony or control, what they want is to swallow up the world. Therefore, they must eliminate all other forces in the world that compete with them. And the United States is their first target."
News (30)
A strange sight appeared when an old man in Jiangsu was buried: A large group of cranes flew in the sky
Reporter : Luo Tingting / Editor: Wen Hui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/14/a103966979.html / Image : On 10 March 2025, an 82-year-old man in Jiangsu died. When he was buried, a group of cranes flew in and circled in the sky, which surprised the villagers. (Video screenshot synthesis)
Recently, an 82-year-old man in Jiangsu died. When he was buried, a group of cranes flew in and circled in the sky above the funeral procession, which surprised the villagers.
The video circulated on the Internet shows that on 10 March 2025, in Pei County, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, an 82-year-old man died. On the morning of the burial, a large group of cranes flew in and circled in the sky.
"It's really cranes," said the relatives of the old man who saw this scene and filmed the scene, "They are here to pick up grandpa."
According to Mr. Wang, the grandson of the old man, "That morning, a large group of cranes flew from the south. It was about 20 minutes at that time. Many elderly people saw cranes for the first time. I am over 40 years old this year, and it is also my first time to see cranes. Such a large scale, and then wandering at the door for a long time."
Mr. Wang said, "There is no crane breeding farm near us. The elderly in our village who live to 60 or 70 years old have never seen such a large number of cranes."
He added that his grandfather was a well-known good man in the local area, and he enthusiastically helped others to host funerals all his life.
The incident of a large group of cranes flying to the burial of an 82-year-old man has aroused heated discussion among netizens. Some netizens said that the old man was "riding a crane to the west" and "riding a crane to the east."
Such incidents have happened before. In December 2024, an 88-year-old man in Shandong died. When his ashes were taken home, a group of cranes also flew in the air for a long time before flying away.
Local villagers said, "This old man is a blessed man."
On 15 April 2022, an 87-year-old man in Panjin City, Liaoning Province, died. Suddenly, a crane flew to his home to see him off. The old man's relatives felt very magical.
According to the old man's son-in-law, the crane flew in at noon, and did not hide from people, and no one drove it away. It walked to the mourning hall set up in the house by itself, and everyone followed behind.
"Seeing the crane coming, everyone kowtowed to the deceased old father-in-law, and the crane also walked over and seemed to kowtow and bow." The old man's relatives felt very magical. Someone asked the crane to call twice, and it called twice sadly, looking very spiritual.
Netizens exclaimed: "Riding a crane to travel to heaven, the legend has come true."
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