Changing Politics & Economics of Western Countries vs The Pariah

[Anonymous]

By Anthony Furey of Sun News Media



O'Toole's platform tackled the big issue Trudeau ignores – China



One of the more interesting Canadian public opinion polls to come out during the pandemic was an Angus Reid poll conducted in May that showed perceptions of the government in China were at an all-time low. Only 14% of respondents held a positive opinion of the leadership in Beijing.



That's as it should be, for anyone familiar with the ruthlessness of what is going on over there and the troubling agenda promoted by Xi Jinping.



Where the head-scratcher comes in is how the current Liberal government either doesn't know or doesn't care that they're so offside from landslide public opinion on one of the most important issues the nation faces.



The public wants a reboot of the Canada-China relationship, something Andrew Scheer was ahead of the curve on when he advocated during the last election for actions such as withdrawing Canada from China's infrastructure bank.



Canadians were already getting frosty on China pre-pandemic. Then they watched as Beijing tried to cover-up the coronavirus and lie about it.



Yet as the case against China has mounted and the need for Canada to decouple from Beijing has become increasingly clear to the vast majority of the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has failed to pivot.



He can't even yet bring himself to ban Huawei, which is really just the first step, the price for admission to show you understand the broader issue.



Enter Erin O'Toole, the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.



A review of O'Toole's platform, headlined "A Call to Take Back Canada", shows that he'll been taking on with gusto this key issue that Trudeau's been ignoring.



After arguing that Trudeau's "cowering approach to the Community Party of China continues to fail us now", O'Toole offers a roadmap to get Canada on the right path that goes beyond merely banning Huawei from the 5G grid.



One of the more alarming things that Canadians have been learning about is the extent to which Chinese organizations like their shadowy United Front have been bullying Canadians of Chinese



descent here on Canadian soil.



Along these lines, O'Toole proposes "cracking down on the efforts of the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate Canadian institutions and intimidate Chinese-Canadians."



It was also frustrating to learn that back in February, when Canada already had confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the Liberals quietly shipped 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment to China, something that was only made public when I broke the news a month later.



When it came time for the favour to be returned, we found much of the PPE sent to Canada from China was faulty.



We've also learned that for months the Canadian government put all of its eggs in one basket in terms of acquiring a vaccine, and that was from a Chinese company.



But the vaccine samples weren't allowed to come to Canada, held up at the Chinese border for what experts believe was further retaliation in the Huawei issue.



Hence why O'Toole is proposing we bring home the manufacturing of "areas like PPE, key commodities and pharmaceutical capacity so that we no longer need to rely on supply chains stretching to



China to supply critical lifesaving needs in future emergencies."



A lot has been made of how Trudeau's decision to prorogue Parliament has shut down the committee was investigating the WE scandal.



But it also means the special committee probing the Canada-China relationship has been shuttered.



The Liberals fought tooth and nail for the committee to not even get off the ground, but lost the battle to the opposition parties.



That's how much they want to avoid discussing this issue.



And who was one of the MPs most pushing for its creation?



Erin O'Toole.

[cc]

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-sanctions-chinese-national-for-fentanyl-trafficking_3476951.html">US Sanctions Chinese National for Fentanyl Trafficking



The United States on Aug. 25 sanctioned an alleged Chinese fentanyl kingpin, describing him as "one of the most significant drug traffickers in the world."



Zhang Taotao, 32, a chemist and chemical supplier based in Shanghai, is accused of shipping fentanyl to the United States. Distributors would then press the drugs into large amounts of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills that were sold across the country, the treasury department said.





------------- China is the largest source of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-like substances in the country, according to a 2018 report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC).



The treasury department sanctioned Zhang and his Hong Kong firm Allyrise Technology Group Co. under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. It said the firm is a front company for Zhang's fentanyl-related financial transactions. The designation freezes any U.S.-based assets that Zhang and the Hong Kong company possess, and bars American dealings with them.



Zhang would use freight-forwarding services or ship the fentanyl via multiple people to disguise that the shipments were from China, the department said. Labeling on the parcels also misstated what was inside to avoid seizure by authorities. Once a package arrived in the country, U.S. distributors would then be able to press one kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of fentanyl into up to one million counterfeit pharmaceutical pills to be distributed to domestic customers, it added.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the fentanyl kingpins have China's unofficial blessing.

[cc]

Those in US Security positions in the US figure ALL China business does exactly and only what the CCP tells them to do



In  fact seems they have established it as fact



There are several past  posts to that effect, prolly in this thread

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the fentanyl kingpins have China's unofficial blessing.

Yes, they do as long as it's all for export.

[cc]

https://www.theepochtimes.com/india-hurries-to-develop-strategic-indian-ocean-islands-to-counter-china_3476581.html">India Hurries to Develop Strategic Indian Ocean Islands to Counter China



The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean lie along a key location in the west-east maritime trade. India has recently renewed its attention to the islands with a series of infrastructure, economic, and defense projects, and experts say this will help India and its allies in the Indo-Pacific.



The country is upgrading its two airstrips in the islands into full-fledged fighter bases, according to Aug. 25 media reports, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also launched other development projects in the past few weeks.



"The Andaman and Nicobar Islands provide critical access and key entry and exit points for the Indian Ocean. They oversee the Strait of Malacca, a key chokepoint connecting the western Pacific to the Indian Ocean," Pratik Dattani, an advisory member to the London-based think tank Bridge India, told The Epoch Times in an email.



"By controlling this, India or the U.S. could, in theory, block the Chinese movement across the Strait, cutting off China's major energy routes from the Middle East."



The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) are a chain of 572 islands that are close to the shipping channel of the Malacca Strait, which lies between Malaysia and Indonesia. While only 38 of the islands are inhabited, they constitute 30 percent of India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).



They increase India's maritime boundary deep into the Indian Ocean and because of their proximity to the Malacca Strait, ensure that the maritime trade necessarily passes through India's EEZ.



"These islands are strategically located to cast an eye on the critical shipping lanes of China, thereby giving India critical, much-needed leverage," Harsh Pant, director of studies and head of the Strategic Studies Programme at Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, told The Epoch Times on a chat platform.



The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reports that 80 percent of the global trade by volume and 60 percent by value goes by sea, and 60 percent of this passes through the Strait of Malacca.



"Its waters are particularly critical for China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, all of which rely on the Strait of Malacca, which connects the South China Sea and, by extension, the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean," said CSIS in a report.

[Anonymous]

India is one of the few countries, if not only country that would seriously challenge Chinese hegemony in the region.

[cc]

https://www.theepochtimes.com/multi-level-marketing-giant-herbalife-agrees-to-pay-123-million-to-settle-chinese-bribery-case_3479952.html">Multi-Level Marketing Giant Herbalife Agrees to Pay $123 Million to Settle Chinese Bribery Case



Multi-level marketing giant Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. has agreed to $123 million to settle federal charges that it bribed Chinese officials to advance its business in China, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Aug. 28.



Herbalife, a Los Angeles-based multi-level marketing company that sells health and dietary supplements, admitted to engaging in a decade-long scheme to bribe Chinese officials and falsifying its books to conceal such payments, the department said.



The company entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement, in which it admitted to conspiring to violate the books and records provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, an anti-bribery law. It also reached a parallel agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).



Prosecutors said that from 2007 to 2016, Herbalife schemed to bribe Chinese officials with cash, entertainment, meals, and travel to obtain direct selling licenses for its Chinese subsidiary, reduce government scrutiny, and remove negative coverage by state-controlled media. During that period, Herbalife obtained direct sale licenses in 28 Chinese provinces, court documents said.



By 2016, Herbalife's China business accounted for about 20 percent—$860 million—of the company's global annual net sales, prosecutors said.



"Herbalife approved the extensive and systematic corrupt payments to Chinese government officials over a 10-year period to promote and expand Herbalife's business in China," acting U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss said in a statement.



[Cash penalties, no hard time .. pffft]

[Anonymous]

Western companies that do business in China are forced to be partners with the CCP.

[cc]

I believe that. I suspect there are no exceptions .. . even encountered it ourselves when we were invited to do a project there



If our govts. hit them for bribery that will not be able to do business in China .. a very very good thing in the overall situation

[Anonymous]

I believe that. I suspect there are no exceptions .. . even encountered it ourselves when we were invited to do a project there



If our govts. hit them for bribery that will not be able to do business in China .. a very very good thing in the overall situation

Our governments know bribery is par for the course in China.

[cc]

https://www.theepochtimes.com/china-arrests-australian-citizen-who-anchors-chinese-state-tv-show_3482442.html">China Arrests Australian Citizen Who Anchors Chinese State TV Show



A Chinese-Australian news anchor at CGTN, the international arm of the Chinese regime's state broadcaster, has been detained in Beijing amid testy relations between Canberra and Beijing.



Chinese authorities have not explained why she was arrested.



Cheng, 49, is the second Chinese-Australian that Chinese authorities have detained since last year, as bilateral tensions escalated over issues such as trade, Beijing's tightening control on Hong Kong, and the Chinese regime's handling of the CCP virus outbreak.



In July, Australia warned its citizens in a travel advisory that they would run the risk of "arbitrary detention" if they travel to mainland China, noting that Chinese authorities have detained foreigners for "endangering national security."

[cc]

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-european-officials-raise-awareness-for-missing-chinese-human-rights-lawyer_3481947.html">US, European Officials Raise Awareness for Missing Chinese Human Rights Lawyer



U.S. and European officials are calling on the Chinese regime to release information about the missing Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng.



On Aug. 30, which is International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China posted a Twitter message: "The Chairs call on the #Chinese gov't to provide information to the family of human rights lawyer #GaoZhisheng, who has been missing since #Beijing police detained him in 2017."



The commission is chaired by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.).



Gao, a self-taught lawyer and a devoted Christian, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times. He began practicing law in 1996, defending victims of government land seizures; families of miners, who are seeking compensation after their loved ones died in coal mining accidents; as well as persecuted Christians and adherents of Falun Gong.





https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2020/08/31/GettyImages-540049194-700x420.jpg">



Grace Geng, daughter of Gao Zhisheng, a renowned human rights lawyer in China, speaks about her father's book "A Human Rights Lawyer under Torture the auto narratives of Gao Zhisheng," during a press conference at the Legislative Council Complex in Hong Kong on June 14, 2016.

[cc]

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-firms-move-supply-chains-out-of-china-explore-options-closer-to-home_3482860.html">US Firms Move Supply Chains Out of China, Explore Options Closer to Home (Summarized)



WASHINGTON—The U.S.-China trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic have forced companies to reduce their excessive dependence on China as a single supplier.



U.S. brands have started to explore sourcing options closer to home, with Latin and South America gaining significant traction in recent months, according to a survey by Qima, a Hong Kong-based supply chain inspection company.



The survey conducted in July among more than 200 businesses around the world found that respondents are increasingly moving their sourcing away from China. Ninety-three percent of U.S. respondents reported that they had plans to further diversify their supply chains. By contrast, less than half of EU respondents had a similar strategy.



..... For example, 75 percent of respondents globally named China among the top 3 sourcing geographies this year, compared to an overwhelming 96 percent last year.



.... Among other Asian countries, Taiwan is emerging "an indisputable leader" as it enjoys overwhelming preference as a sourcing market among American companies.



The survey found that 39 percent of U.S.-based companies indicated plans to source more from the United States and North America and 13 percent from South and Latin America.



"Meanwhile, EU brands are increasingly turning to Turkey as a near-shoring destination," the report said.

[Anonymous]

I'd love to see Taiwan's production lines return.