Guests - Ava Chen, Nate Foster, Betsy Smith
China Watch Wednesday: CCP Tactics on Rare Earth Deals and Organ Harvesting
Beijing's Deceptive Approach to Rare Earth Agreements
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues its pattern of deception regarding trade agreements with the United States, particularly concerning rare earth minerals. Despite recent announcements about a deal being reached between the US and China regarding rare earth supply, Ava Chen from the New Federal State of China warns that actions speak louder than words when dealing with the CCP.
"You really have to pay attention to what the CCP does rather than what they say," explains Chen. "They always use deception, send out smoke screens, and stall for time."
Last Thursday, President Trump announced that a trade deal with China regarding rare earth minerals had been signed. US Secretary Scott Bassent confirmed the agreement, which supposedly would make it easier for American firms to acquire Chinese magnets and rare earth minerals – critical components for manufacturing, microchip production, and high-tech industries.
However, Chen points to concerning patterns that suggest the deal may not be what it appears:
"The state media of the CCP has not mentioned anything. They have been staying quiet about the deal signed. This is very strange behavior. If you have achieved a deal with the world's number one superpower, you're going to be happy. You're going to announce that on TV, especially through your state media."
Even more concerning are the CCP's internal actions. According to a Wall Street Journal article published on June 25th titled "China is Trekking Down Its Rare Earth Experts and Taking Away Passports," the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has quietly ordered rare earth companies to submit detailed personnel lists including employee expertise and research backgrounds. The government is essentially creating information profiles for anyone working in the industry and monitoring them closely.
"The CCP repeatedly mentioned that yes, we're going to make it easy for you to get our rare earth, but we're going to review every six months," Chen notes. "By doing that, they maintain their chokehold at least every six months, not mentioning whether they would honor the agreement in between."
This reality contradicts the public messaging, with the CCP essentially putting their rare earth experts under what amounts to house arrest. "These people are under constant watch... the CCP could crush you in a second if they so choose to do so," Chen warns.
The good news, according to Chen, is that the US is taking steps toward self-sufficiency, with the first rare earth mine starting operations in Wyoming. This development follows President Trump's executive order on the matter, potentially reducing America's dependence on Chinese rare earth supplies.
The CCP's Fear of Its Own People
One of the most revealing insights Chen offers is that the CCP fears its own citizens more than foreign powers. "Who is the CCP scared of the most? The CCP members, Chinese people," Chen explains. "Because they knew everything they've done. And some of them even knew the insights and how the CCP approaches things, their mindset."
This fear extends to anyone who might have inside knowledge of CCP operations, especially those who might share information with other countries. Chen points to the challenges intelligence agencies face in recruiting sources within China:
"That's why it's so hard to break into China now because CIA does not have good quality operating. That's why they put out advertisements. But you can't find those top people you want by simply advertising because your agency is leaky. Nobody on the top CCP would come and knock on the door of CIA. They know you are infiltrated. You are compromised."
Even more concerning, Chen reveals that key witnesses in the COVID-19 investigation have refused to come to the United States, instead seeking protection in Europe. "They know they would be compromised in the United States. They know they're not safe in the United States," says Chen.
According to Chen, this speaks to a deeper problem: "The number one priority for the United States is to clean the CCP inside of your government." She suggests that if this were truly a priority, Miles Guo, a prominent critic of the CCP currently imprisoned in the US, "would be out and would be protected by the highest clearance security level in this country."
The Horrific Reality of Organ Harvesting in China
Chen provided disturbing details about state-sponsored organ harvesting in China – a practice she describes as "systematic institutionalized murder" that began under former CCP General Secretary Jiang Zemin in the 1990s.
"In China, we don't call human beings as human beings," Chen explains. "There's Chinese words to describe human beings. And when I translate it directly into English, it's called 'human mine.' What does that mean? Mining. So you're going to squeeze everything out of your body."
According to Chen, there exists a massive black market where people from around the world travel to China for organ transplants – a practice she describes as "kill on demand." If someone needs an organ and is willing to pay a high price, the CCP will find a match, often from persecuted groups like Uyghurs, religious practitioners, and political dissidents.
"Uyghur, particularly Uyghur because they are Muslim. So the Muslim customers, they want people who never eat pork. So they have to go for Uyghur's organs," Chen explains. "This is why we have concentration camps, not only labor camps, but also a supply of organs to the world."
The process is disturbingly efficient. Chen describes how organ recipients wait in hidden hospitals until a matching donor is identified. "That person that day is still alive, but the next day that person will be dead, will be kidnapped and bring dead."
Chen claims the CCP has even invented a "brain dead machine" to facilitate the harvesting process. The system is particularly beneficial to high-ranking CCP officials and their families, who reportedly receive regular organ transplants to extend their lives.
"That's why so many Chinese top, top officials and their family members live beyond like they're all in nineties and hundreds," Chen says. "How did they live so long? You have to ask the question. What did they consume?"
Making the situation even more alarming is China's comprehensive blood and DNA database of its citizens. "In China, every single person needs to take a blood test. Down to the kindergarten when you're just born, you have a database of the DNAs of the Chinese people," Chen explains. "If you are unlucky enough that one paid for an organ that matches you, that means you could be dead any time."
Xi Jinping's Power Consolidation and Dynasty Building
Despite speculation about potential power struggles within the CCP, Chen warns that Xi Jinping is actually consolidating his position and potentially establishing a family dynasty. Reports suggesting Xi might be losing power are, according to Chen, merely "smoke screens" and "deceptiveness."
"Xi Jinping is very wise and he has a wise counsel," Chen explains. "That's why he can actually not only get power in 2012, but also consolidate it." After securing power between 2012 and 2017, Xi successfully changed the constitution to remove term limits, making himself a "lifelong ruler."
Chen reveals that Xi is now preparing to introduce his family members into positions of power:
"Xi's daughter made the very first diplomatic debut meeting Lukashenko, the Prime Minister in Beijing. A lot of people overlook that news, but that's the very first time Xi Jinping's daughter appeared at an official diplomatic banquet."
According to Chen, Xi's daughter (whose real name is Li Wu, not Xi) has been running China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a few years. Meanwhile, Xi's brother is reportedly controlling the entire National Security Council and Ministry of State Security, while his wife is involved in military personnel matters.
"Xi Jinping's brother and his wife and his daughter are already occupied and making decisions in those important state functions within the CCP," Chen explains. "He is paving the way to seize the moment to turn it into Xi dynasty, just like the Kim's family in North Korea."
Chen suggests that Xi is planning to use an upcoming military parade on September 3rd to further cement his position, potentially with international endorsement. "If Trump decided to go, then that's probably sending a message to the world that Trump is actually endorsing me," Chen warns, expressing hope that Trump would not attend the parade.
Tucson's Public Safety Crisis: Police Staffing and City Leadership
Critical Police Staffing Shortages
The Tucson Police Department is facing a staffing crisis that threatens public safety throughout the city. According to Nate Foster of the Tucson Police Protective League, the department is down approximately 40% from full staffing, with only about 400 officers currently carrying a badge and gun.
"Our ability to respond to things has been drastically reduced," Foster explains. "Our officers pretty much just go from critical scene to critical scene and they're going to burn out."
The mental toll on officers is severe. "The amount of traumatic situations and things our officers respond to is drastically higher than it was 10, 15 years ago," Foster notes. "They're going to burn out at a significantly faster rate than an officer would in another agency that doesn't have the issues that Tucson has."
Compounding the problem is a wave of retirements, with 10-12 officers retiring this month alone. Foster estimates the department loses an average of 5-6 officers monthly throughout the year. Even more concerning, these retiring officers cannot be quickly replaced.
"To replace an officer with a new officer takes over a year," Foster explains. "They don't all make it through the Academy. They graduate and then they still have to go through field training. And then after field training, they've got to be on their own, their probationary status."
Recent Academy classes have been under 20 recruits, insufficient to offset retirements. The candidate pool has been "fished dry," with all law enforcement agencies competing for the same limited pool of applicants.
City Leadership Failures
Foster places much of the blame on Tucson's city leadership, particularly the Mayor and Council, citing a recent 1.5% raise that "was owed to us last year that the city backed out of" as another "slap in the face."
He specifically criticizes Councilmember Kevin Dahl, who opposed the camping ban aimed at addressing homelessness issues, calling him "a major problem." Foster expresses frustration that some unions are considering endorsing Dahl, suggesting there might be "backdoor dealing on raises."
"Kevin Dahl shouldn't be in a position as a city councilman to make backdoor deals to say, 'Oh, if you come and endorse me, then I'll do this,'" Foster argues. "You're in the seat now. Do it now. Don't tell me you're going to do something if you get reelected."
Foster believes the upcoming City Council election is critical for Tucson's future, advocating for candidates J.L. Wittenbraker, Jesse, and Jay. "If we could get all three of them on the mayor and council, I guarantee you Paul Cunningham becomes way more moderate. And Nikki Lee becomes way more moderate and we completely shift the landscape here politically."
Without this change, Foster fears the situation will worsen: "If they don't get elected, there are some very extreme whack jobs running for the mayor and council spots. We're already a far-left extreme, liberal, utopian nightmare that we're going to live in. But if they get elected, it's over."
Failed Policies and Public Safety Consequences
Foster points to the "defund the police" movement as a massive failure nationwide, noting that cities that implemented such policies experienced "huge crime spikes and now they're having to spend tons of money to get these problems" under control.
He argues that Tucson has essentially defunded its police by reducing staffing by approximately 40%, and "it's going to cost a significant amount of money to fix the problem that was created here."
Foster is also skeptical of city-reported statistics on crime and homelessness, suggesting they manipulate data: "They'll either pick portions to sample or ignore other areas that they don't want to sample because it's inconvenient." He contrasts this with the visible reality: "When you drive down Grant, you see it for yourself every day. You can't hide the reality of Tucson right now. It is a disaster."
The defeat of Proposition 414, which would have increased taxes allegedly to fund public safety, was according to Foster, a rejection of dishonest policy. "They were using the police to manipulate the voters into giving them more money, which would have been wasted on affordable housing and their other pet projects," he explains. "The voter would have gotten nothing in return. It wouldn't have put more police in the seats of patrol cars."
He concludes that meaningful change must start with leadership: "How do we fix the police department? You don't fix the police department. You fix the leadership, which then in turn will fix the police department."
Pet Safety During July 4th Celebrations
As Independence Day approaches, pet owners should take precautions to protect their animals from fireworks-related stress and anxiety. Betsy Smith, a former police officer who ran an Animal Control Unit, offers several recommendations:
Know your dog's reactions: Different dogs respond differently to fireworks. Some get angry and bark, others tremble, and some may remain calm.
Consult your veterinarian: Consider appropriate medication options for anxious pets. Smith notes that dogs can safely take CBD or melatonin, but warns against giving them THC products, which can be deadly.
Consider a "thunder shirt": These elastic neoprene coats can help slow dogs' breathing and reduce anxiety.
Mind your own reactions: "One of the things that people make the mistake of doing is when they see their dog get a little frightened or jump when they hear a firework, they start holding the dog and saying, 'It's okay, Fluffy. It's okay. Mommy's here,'" Smith explains. This can actually increase the dog's anxiety. Instead, show your dog that fireworks don't bother you.
Stay home with your pet: "Don't leave your dog on 4th of July. Don't leave your dog at home. Don't leave the dog door open," Smith advises. Many dogs panic and run away during fireworks, leading to overcrowded animal shelters on July 5th.
Smith also warns about seasonal dangers like toads, which can be toxic to pets. "Dogs like to lick toads because they get high," she explains. "The problem is little dogs will lick those toads and we've had them go into seizures. Big dogs sometimes will swallow those toads and it can kill them."
The Colorado River toad (also called the Sonoran Desert toad) is particularly dangerous and can be deadly to pets. Smith advises keeping pets away from these toads, as well as other desert hazards like snakes and scorpions.