GERMAN LEADERS CALLS FOR A WESTERN UNITED FRONT AGAINST CHINA
Germany's Defense Minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, has called for a "newly strengthened Western trade alliance" to stand up to China. "German interests – and those of Europe – need an order that can counter both dangers to liberal trade: the aggressively directed state capitalism of China and the temptation for unilateral isolation and decoupling that we are currently observing in Washington. I therefore suggest that we take on the challenge of global competition from a newly strengthened Western trade alliance. As a leading export nation, we Germans see with great concern how China has positioned itself on international trade issues," she said. The next day, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said transatlantic relations would be "determined by the right way of dealing with China. Some may see this as an automatic weakening of the transatlantic relationship. For me, on the other hand, the shaping of our relations with China holds the opportunity for new transatlantic cooperation – because Americans and Europeans share an interest in open societies, human rights and democratic standards, fair trade, free sea routes and the security of our data and our intellectual property." (South China Morning Post, October 26, 2020)
GERMAN EX-SPY CHIEF: EUROPE MUST WAKE UP TO CHINA'S "WORLD DOMINATION"
China is pursuing "world domination" and Europe needs to wake up to the danger, former German spy chief Gerhard Schindler has said. Schindler called on Berlin to strip Huawei equipment from its 5G mobile network and make the country "less dependent" on Beijing. China has been "very cleverly" spreading its influence across Europe, Asia and Africa and its technology is now so advanced that Germany cannot tell if it is being used for sinister purposes, said Schindler, who led Germany's intelligence service from 2011-2016. He said Huawei could create back doors in its 5G equipment and "we would have no idea what they were building. You can imagine scenarios where we are in a crisis and the threat ‘We're going to turn your communication network off' would influence our decisions." (Daily Mail, October 26, 2020)
CHINA COMPELS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS TO TAKE EXPERIMENTAL VACCINE
Outside of clinical trials, 350,000 people have already received China National Biotec's COVID-19 vaccine, even though the remedy has not yet entered broad clinical trials. Medical workers and employees of companies working abroad in the UAE, Peru, Morocco and other locales are among the "volunteers" included in the official "emergency use" program. One vaccinated worker said it was "making a sacrifice for the nation" and "politically incorrect" to question the vaccine. Early vaccinations became a political loyalty test after a 2018 scandal in which children were exposed to faulty vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus. (Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2020)
EIGHT CHARGED AS PART OF CHINA'S "OPERATION FOX HUNT"
The Department of Justice has arrested eight people in three states for threatening, coercing or harassing U.S. residents, conspiring to commit interstate and international stalking and attempting to repatriate them to China. Three others charged still remain at large. The Chinese agents were sent to the U.S. as part of an initiative that has been dubbed Operation Fox Hunt, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray: "The Chinese government's brazen attempts to surveil, threaten, and harass our own citizens and lawful permanent residents, while on American soil, are part of China's diverse campaign of theft and malign influence in our country and around the world." Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said Operation Fox Hunt "is a clear violation of the rule of law and international norms. Rather than work with U.S. authorities for assistance with recognized criminal cases as responsible nations do, China resorts to extralegal means and unauthorized, often covert, law enforcement activity." (The Hill, October 28, 2020)
U.S. SELLS ARMS TO TAIWAN, SO CHINA SANCTIONS DEFENSE FIRMS
The U.S. Department of State has approved a $1.8 billion new weapons package sale for Taiwan and submitted it to Congress for a final review. The sale includes 135 SLAM extended-range land attack missiles from Boeing, Himars mobile artillery rocket systems from Lockheed, and Raytheon's aircraft-mounted surveillance and reconnaissance sensors. Citing those deals and an earlier sale of Lockheed F-16 fighters, China has announced sanctions on the three companies "in order to uphold national interests." Boeing, which sells civilian aircraft such as the 787 and 737 to China's airlines, said over fifty years it has helped create a "safe, efficient and profitable aviation system to keep pace with the country's rapid economic growth." Raytheon and Lockheed, which both have little business in China, said that foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions that are made in cooperation with U.S. authorities. (Bloomberg, October 26, 2020)
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