Free Republic

Undisclosed communication devices reportedly discovered in Chinese-manufactured solar panels and related equipment have sparked concerns among U.S. officials about the vulnerability of the nation’s power grid, according to a Reuters report. These “rogue” devices, found over the past nine months, could potentially destabilize energy infrastructure and trigger widespread blackouts, sources familiar with the matter told the outlet. The undocumented devices, including cellular radios, were identified in solar power inverters, batteries, electric vehicle chargers, and heat pumps produced by several Chinese suppliers. ... The U.S. has found Trojan horse communication devices in Chinese-made solar power inverters. They are used to connect...

When I write collapse, I’m not referring just to a financial meltdown. I’m referring to a broad-based social collapse that could call into question the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which some historians refer to as the Peasant Dynasty. In order to understand the vulnerability of China, it helps to consider the counter-narrative that the China is a rising great power. We’ve heard for decades that Chinese GDP would soon exceed U.S. GDP to make China the largest economy in the world. China has also long been known as having the largest population in the world. The latest...

Rarely has an economic policy been repudiated as soundly, and as quickly, as President Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs—and by Mr. Trump’s own hand. Witness the agreement Monday morning to scale back his punitive tariffs on China—his second major retreat in less than a week. This is a win for economic reality, and for American prosperity. Make that a partial win for reality. The Administration agreed to scrap most of the 145% tariff Mr. Trump imposed on Chinese goods on April 2 and later. What remains is his new 10% global base-line tariff, plus the separate 20% levy putatively tied to...

SummaryShipping firms, port operators, retailers welcome progress Industry experts say 30% tariffs remain a risk for US consumers Shipping rates could rise with a cargo rush BERLIN/LOS ANGELES, May 12 (Reuters) - The container shipping industry on Monday welcomed an agreement between the United States and China to temporarily slash punishing tariffs, saying it expected to be buoyed by a resulting recovery in bookings from China to the U.S.The United States will cut extra tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports in April to 30% from 145% and Chinese duties on U.S. imports will fall to 10% from 125% for the...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says China admitted they ignored trade commitments under Biden because they knew he wouldn’t enforce them: "Told us they ignored their obligations. We had an excellent trade agreement… Biden chose not to enforce it." https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1921907299704049986

The Trump administration has fully implemented the defunding of the UNFPA that it announced back in March and announced today that no new funding will the directed to it. And the pro-abortion agency is unhappy. As LifeNews reported then, Trump has ordered the defunding of the UNFPA, a United Nations population control agency which promotes abortions worldwide. This is a continuation of his pro-life policy from his previous administration. In 2017, Trump signed an executive order defunding the UN population group because it pushes abortions on other countries and has worked with China for decades to implement its forced abortion...

A recent investigation reveals that PAX Global Technology, a Chinese company under federal investigation for suspicious data transmissions, has ownership links to Che Feng, a Chinese financier closely connected to Hunter Biden. Earlier this month, Hunter Biden dropped his lawsuit against two IRS whistleblowers who alleged there had been a cover-up in former President Biden’s DOJ to block a tax fraud investigation into the former President’s son. However, the financial sector controversies Hunter has incited, particularly with his business dealings in China, remain an ongoing topic of interest and allegedly extend far deeper than tax fraud. For example, Breitbart News...

Key Points President Donald Trump said China “agreed to open” after the two countries agreed to temporarily slash most of the tariffs on each other’s goods. Trump said that was “maybe the most important thing” to come out of trade talks with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer and their Chinese counterparts. The U.S. and Chinese officials said they struck an agreement to pause most tariffs and other trade barriers for 90 days. ********************************************************************** President Donald Trump said Monday that China “agreed to open up” after the two countries announced they would temporarily slash most of the...

The US and China have agreed a deal that will significantly cut the import tariffs, or taxes, both sides have imposed on one another for a 90-day period. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said both countries would lower their reciprocal tariffs by 115% for 90 days. The announcement came after the two countries held intensive talks in Switzerland over the weekend.

GENEVA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng urged on Sunday China and the United States to find proper solutions to problems, and extend the list of cooperation. He, the Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, held a high-level meeting over the weekend with U.S. lead person Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The two sides conducted in-depth, candid and constructive communication on implementing the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries on Jan. 17, and reached a series of major consensuses. He said China and...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday reported "substantial progress" in U.S. talks with China's top economic officials to de-escalate a damaging trade war, but offered no details of an agreement reached as two days of negotiations wrapped up in Geneva. Bessent told reporters that details would be announced on Monday and that U.S. President Donald Trump was fully aware of the results of the "productive talks." U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who participated in the talks with Bessent, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and two Chinese vice ministers, described the conclusion as "a deal we struck with our Chinese partners"...

U.S. & China strike trade deal

...The Turkish foreign ministry called on both parties to "exercise common sense and refrain from unilateral actions."They added, "We expect that measures will be taken to reduce tensions in the region as soon as possible and that the necessary mechanisms, including in the field of counter-terrorism, will be put in place to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents. We also support Pakistan's call for an investigation into the 22 April terrorist attack."...Azerbaijan also issued a statement soon after the attack, condemning violence against Pakistan.In their statement they said, "The Republic of Azerbaijan expresses its concern over the further escalation of...

China’s homegrown passenger jet, the COMAC C919, was supposed to be a national triumph—a gleaming symbol of independence from Boeing and Airbus. But as the world looks on, one thing is becoming clear: this aircraft might just be the aviation equivalent of tofu dreg architecture. It looks smooth on the outside, sounds patriotic in the press release, and gives passengers a front-row seat to a grand experiment in airborne state-sponsored optimism...

In a saga that reads more like a political thriller than a real estate dispute, Texas businessman Timothy Barton is at the center of a high-stakes legal storm that some allege is less about justice and more about silencing dissent. Timothy Barton—a Christian businessman, proud Trump supporter, and founder of the successful JMJ Development—has, in yet another glaring example of Biden-era political persecution, become the latest target of lawfare by a weaponized federal government more interested in shielding the Chinese Communist Party than protecting American citizens. Barton’s “crime”? Sounding the alarm on what he believed to be a covert Chinese...

United States Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday (May 8) that India and Pakistan should de-escalate tensions, but he added that the US cannot control the nuclear-armed Asian neighbours and a war between them would be "none of our business". "We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can't control these countries though," Vance said in an interview on Fox News show The Story with Martha MacCallum. "What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we're not going to get involved in the middle of war that's fundamentally...

This summer, a CCP agent impersonated a Stanford student. Under the alias Charles Chen, he approached several students through social media. Anna*, a Stanford student conducting sensitive research on China, began receiving unexpected messages from Charles Chen. At first, Charles's outreach seemed benign: he asked about networking opportunities. But soon, his messages took a strange turn. Charles inquired whether Anna spoke Mandarin, then grew increasingly persistent and personal. He sent videos of Americans who had gained fame in China, encouraged Anna to visit Beijing, and offered to cover her travel expenses. He would send screenshots of a bank account balance...

Stanford is one of the leading universities in the Unites States and naturally that makes it a target for China. I've written about China's attempts to infiltrate American universities before. Back in January 2020, the head of Harvard's chemistry department, Dr. Charles Lieber, was arrested for lying about his connections to a Chinese program that recruited US scientists and offered them big money to share their expertise with Chinese universities.According to a criminal complaint, Lieber failed to disclose that he was being paid a salary of up to $50,000 per month and up to $158,000 per year in living expenses...

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a lengthy diplomatic visit in the aftermath of a massive drone attack on the Russian capital. Mr. Xi traveled to Russia for a four-day visit that will include signing numerous cooperation agreements and attending a Victory Day parade in Moscow on Friday celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The visit is part of the “no limits” partnership between Russia and China, which Mr. Xi hopes to deepen with the trip. Mr. Xi is also expected to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine with Russian...

China-India Going To War Soon After Pakistan's Attack two neighbors with nuclear weapons on the brink of war india carrying out its deepest strikes inside Pakistan in more 0:07 than 50 years we are committed to take firm and decisive action against 0:13 terrorists and those who support them china's role is very interesting here on one hand is their iron brotherhood with 0:21 Pakistan on the other is the reset with India amid the trade war with the US what does China value more India has 0:29 just unleashed hell on Pakistan over the past few hours dozens if...