Guests - Ava Chen, George Khalaf, David Schweikert
China Watch on YouTube
China Watch Wednesday: Ava Chen on the CCP's Collapsing Global Network
Kathleen Winn opened the segment with excitement about recent developments in Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran, noting the strategic moves by President Trump—including 25% tariffs on countries doing business with Iran—that appear to be squeezing the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) overseas footholds.
Ava Chen, representing the New Federal State of China, described the moment as both exciting and critical. "People are dying fighting for freedom in Iran, Venezuela, and beyond," she said. "When you take down a regime like Maduro's, you have to address the roots—roots planted by the CCP over decades."
Chen traced the CCP's strategy back to intelligence revealed by Miles Guo in 2021. On August 16, 2021, Guo warned that while the world focused on Taiwan, the CCP's biggest move was in Cuba and Venezuela. "Don't focus on Taiwan," Chen quoted Guo. "Look at Cuba and Venezuela—that's where they're making their largest deployment."
According to Chen, the CCP sent large numbers of drones, special forces, retired diplomats, and party cadres fluent in Spanish to bolster Maduro's regime and weaken opposition leader Juan Guaidó, whom the U.S. had supported in 2019. The effort succeeded: Guaidó lost domestic and international backing by 2021–2022, exactly as Guo had predicted.
"The CCP never stops," Chen emphasized. "While America debates, Beijing follows its playbook from Unrestricted Warfare (1999) to the letter—media warfare, psychological operations, and lawfare to sabotage U.S. efforts."
She highlighted the CCP's economic leverage over Iran: over 80% of Iran's sanctioned oil goes to China, and a reported $400–750 billion deal effectively gives Beijing control over the regime. Chen cited Guo's revelations that top Iranian leaders, including Khamenei's family, hold gold, bank accounts, and luxury properties in China and Hong Kong. The CCP even created Bank of Kunlun specifically to launder Iran's oil money, a bank long sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury.
Chen pointed to recent events as evidence of success against the CCP network: Maduro's collapse, protests in Iran (with thousands killed), and Iran's last-minute withdrawal from naval exercises with China and Russia—likely to distance itself amid U.S. tariffs.
"Once Venezuela and Iran are gone, the CCP is half dead," Chen declared, citing Guo's analysis. "Russia will be next. Russia will likely reach out to the United States to protect its own interests."
She praised Trump's moves—withdrawing from CCP-infiltrated international organizations, freezing visas for 75 countries (notably excluding China but including Russia and Cuban partners), and applying maximum pressure—as strategic bets that Russia will turn against its "big brother" in Beijing.
Chen closed with optimism rooted in faith: "God has a plan. We're witnessing the end of communism and the liberation of 1.4 billion Chinese people. The Iranian people's fight encourages Chinese inside and outside the mainland. We're about to see light overcome evil."
Arizona's Affordability Crisis and Election Outlook with George Khalaf
George Khalaf, Republican candidate for the Arizona House in Legislative District 3 and a veteran election data analyst, joined Kathleen Winn to discuss the Free Enterprise Club's new legislative agenda centered on making Arizona affordable again.
Khalaf explained that affordability—covering groceries, gas, housing, and overall cost of living—tops voter concerns, especially among swing voters (over 50% cite it as their primary issue). "Republicans have a concrete plan," he said. "Eliminate the grocery tax, allow cleaner Texas-blend gasoline instead of expensive California blends, and conform to President Trump's tax cuts. Legislative Democrats and Governor Hobbs oppose all of it."
He accused Hobbs of pretending to be moderate while vetoing affordability measures and presiding over scandals: pay-to-play contracts, missing millions in agency funds, and potential billions in Medicaid fraud similar to Minnesota's daycare scandal. Khalaf noted one agency head wired $2 million to a spam email account—money likely unrecoverable.
On voter turnout, Khalaf expressed cautious optimism despite Republicans holding a registration edge. "It's not enough to highlight Democratic failures," he said. "We must clearly outline our plan, show what we've already passed that Hobbs vetoed, and prove we'll deliver with a Republican governor."
Top voter concerns beyond affordability, according to Khalaf's door-to-door experience: public safety (border security, law enforcement support, homelessness, drugs, property crime—even in affluent areas like North Scottsdale), and American identity amid the nation's 250th anniversary.
"People are asking what it means to be American and which ideologies threaten it," Khalaf observed. He expressed optimism that younger generations, disillusioned by COVID-era policies, are rediscovering pride in faith, freedom, and country.
Khalaf stressed post-primary unity and authentic, backbone-driven leadership modeled after Trump. "Voters want conviction—someone willing to take arrows and keep fighting for we the people."
Economic Realities and Arizona's Path Forward with Congressman David Schweikert
Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-01), now running for Arizona governor, spoke from a Ways and Means Committee markup in Washington, where Democrats were delaying bills over abortion-related provisions.
Schweikert focused on the looming demographic and fiscal crisis: zero U.S. population growth, fewer 18-year-olds than 20 years ago, double the number of people 65+, and entitlement trust funds exhausted in roughly six and a half years. "In less than three years, over half of federal spending will go to those 65 and up," he warned. "Moody's Analytics projects 30% of tax receipts will service interest alone."
He criticized both parties for avoiding hard truths. "Republicans are supposed to be the party of logic, free markets, and prosperity as morality," Schweikert said. "Yet we let the left drag us into silliness instead of tackling math."
Current borrowing exceeds $8 billion daily this fiscal year. Even new tariff revenue—estimated at $131 billion beyond baseline—covers only two weeks of deficits.
Schweikert highlighted Arizona's economic backslide: from wage growth renaissance a decade ago to recent private-sector job losses and declining affordability. "People moved here because they could buy a home and build a future," he said. "Our kids no longer can."
He blamed Governor Hobbs for losing focus on prosperity and praised Trump's reshoring success, though automation means fewer jobs per factory. Solutions, Schweikert argued, include skills-based immigration reform (keeping foreign-trained engineers), ending low-skill illegal immigration that suppresses wages, and incentives for older workers to remain in the labor force.
"We're borrowing to fund everything," he concluded. "If we don't tell the truth about the math and embrace technology to crash costs—especially in healthcare—Arizona and America will keep declining."