China in Focus

Security measures for the Chinese Communist Party’s 100th anniversary are ramping up. Now, they’re even affecting kitchen cutlery. Shoppers looking to buy new kitchen knives must first register a buyer ID, and then have their purchases delivered. Severe floods soak provinces across China. And there’s little hope that the surge will subside anytime soon. Cheap Chinese face masks -- reportedly forcing American companies toward the brink of bankruptcy. Out of the world’s most powerful democracies, Italy appeared to keep the closest ties with China. But not any more. And, new action to block Beijing’s threat in the South China Sea. The U.S. and Indonesia are teaming up to build a new maritime training center there.

A new education bill hits the Arizona State House. It requires students to learn about people who fled communism. Beijing mandates a growing list of detailed security measures. That's in preparation for the Chinese Communist Party's 100th anniversary. Despite the strict regulations, one man managed to set a fire, right in front of China’s Foreign Ministry in Beijing. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister outlines the potential for military conflict with Beijing. Two Asia experts give their takes -- while a Japanese politician also chimes in. Is Hong Kong's freedom dying? Some say it’s alive and well. Activists say they’re regrouping behind an invisible front line -- one that’s harder to invade with tear gas and rubber bullets.

18 kids, killed in a school fire. Locked dorm room doors blocked their chance to escape. Now, their families are being silenced — and made to sign compensation agreements. Armed police, caged pigeons, K-9 dogs... that’s the scene ahead of the Chinese Communist Party’s anniversary party. The regime is turning 100 in just a few days -- and is kicking off the milestone with extravagant ceremonies, funded by taxpayers. Hong Kong authorities arrest a senior journalist at the airport. He was trying to leave the city for the UK. The man had worked for now-closed pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. And foreign correspondents working for China's state-run media may actually double as spies. This, according to a former editor-in-chief for a Chinese media outlet. He says he's issued media IDs to Chinese intelligence personnel.

Apple Daily is one of the few independent media outlets in Hong Kong. But they will stop operations by midnight tonight. The chairman of the city's journalist union is warning, it ''will create a chilling effect'' in the city. Northeast China enters flood season one month earlier than usual. At least in the basin of one major river, it marks the highest rainfall level in 60 years. What are the fundamental differences between Canada and Communist China? The Canadian Prime Minister is breaking down. That's after the two sides quarrelled at a United Nation meeting.

Beijing furthers its narratives in the West, with help from Western faces. A Chinese state-owned media is recruiting overseas internet personalities to do it. A Chinese city dubbed “the World’s factory” struggles to control the pandemic and flooding. A state of emergency announced on Tuesday. While schools, kindergartens, and nurseries are shuttered. The U.S. lifts its ban on TikTok and WeChat. The Trump-era rule had tried to block Americans from downloading the Chinese-owned apps, citing national security concerns. The first person charged under Hong Kong’s new national security law is going to trial. But the city’s Court of Appeal says no jury is required. The move breaks away from a nearly 200-year old precedent. And, another blow strikes Chinese telecom giant Huawei, this time in Europe. A Swedish court upholds a ban, blocking the company from selling 5G equipment there.

Hong Kong police raid pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily headquarters. Five top executives were seized under the city’s National Security Law. It marks the second raid in less than a year. The new law has also seeped into the city’s movie sector. We interviewed a long time Hollywood producer to get his take. The U.S. seeks to ease tensions with Russia. This comes as President Biden and Russian President Putin met face-to-face on Wednesday. But China doesn’t seem pleased about the talks. And a young man in Beijing attempted to report a YouTuber for supporting Taiwan independence. But his visit to the police didn’t go exactly as planned.

TikTok might be collecting facial and voice data, without asking its users. There's concern that this data could fall into Beijing’s hands. Eleven dead and two missing. That's the latest update from a mine accident in Northern China. The country has confirmed over ten mining accidents so far this year. Pandemic data isn’t boding well for Chinese-made vaccines. Nine of the ten worst-hit countries have largely used Chinese doses. That’s as France updates its travel regulations -- ruling that Chinese vaccines don’t make the cut. And two U.S. Congress members aim to put pressure on Beijing. They’re trying to sanction top Chinese health officials over the origins of the virus.

President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are facing off in a high stakes meeting in Geneva, Switzerland today. A slew of topics are on the agenda. Senior White House officials said "nothing is off the table for an American president." One key issue is cybersecurity. Despite icy relations between both sides and disagreements on a range of topics, both sides said they are looking at areas of possible cooperation. Such areas include Afghanistan, the Iran Nuclear Deal, arms control and the environment. A federal judge in Louisiana is blocking Biden's new oil and gas leases suspension on federal land and water. Biden signed executive orders on climate change on his first day in office. 13 states filed a lawsuit to overturn Biden's memo. They said the Biden administration overstepped bureaucratic steps required, and argued the move would cost the state's money and jobs. It's a stance shared by the judge, who said in a memo: “The Plaintiff States’ claims are substantial. Millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake.” And California is announcing millions in prize money for getting the shot: six vacation packages for vaccinated residents. The six winners can take up to 4 people each to Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Rancho Mirage. This comes as the state announced masks are still required for everyone in some settings, such as on public transit, in schools, and in hospitals. And California Gov. Gavin Newsom worked to allay fears of vaccine passports. He said the electronic proof of vaccination is voluntary, and added "It’s not a passport. It’s not a requirement. It’s just the ability now to have an electronic version of that paper version." Tune into Deep Dive as we explore these topics and more.

China’s Air Force is patrolling Taiwan again, this time with its largest fleet per day ever. Amid growing tensions there, a U.S. carrier group has entered the South China Sea. At the same time, Australia is spending over $170 million on a naval base upgrade. And limitations on South Korea’s missile range have been lifted, expanding their reach to Beijing. An internet VPN, and a study abroad experience in Taiwan. That’s what shifted one young man’s outlook on the communist system he grew up in. But as he tried to learn more about the outside world, something changed his life forever. On the eve of the Chinese Communist Party's 100th anniversary, control measures are escalating. Drones are grounded in Beijing -- while even pigeons are blocked from flying there. And, inside a confession booth in a new state-run history museum, visitors are encouraged to speak freely about the Chinese regime — but in front of a camera.

An explosion in a Chinese city devastates a city block. City streets in ruin for hundreds of feet surrounding the blast. At least 25 have died. A Chinese nuclear power plant is suspected of leaking dangerous levels of radioactive material. Now, the U.S. government is assessing a report on the risks. Some of the world’s most powerful leaders meet to discuss China. But to keep their talks private, they first cut off the internet in the room. Making sure no one else could listen in. The push back against critical race theory continues in the U.S. A mom who fled communist China has a warning for her local school board - and all of America. And student protests oppose education reform in China. More provinces are now getting involved. While Chinese police appear to be upgrading their crackdown measures.

Chinese residents liken a quarantine site to a concentration camp in the city of Guangzhou. The facility was set up to combat a surge in the CCP virus there. While under at-home quarantine, a group of Chinese citizens were seen crying out to nearby authorities for help. They explained they’d been stuck inside for days without food. A Communist party official, murdered at the university he works for. A lecturer is the main suspect, and police say he was motivated by employment issues. For the first time ever, a Chinese scientist is going on trial in the U.S. That’s for hiding his research work in China, while taking government grants. And another herd of elephants are on the move in southwest China. The group comes after a separate band of 15, who caught the public eye with a more than 300-mile march.

President Biden removes restrictions on social networking apps TikTok and WeChat. The Commerce Department will now review the Chinese-made software, examining claims that the apps pose national security risks. The U.S. Senate passes a bipartisan bill to help the country compete with Chinese technology. New York’s transportation authorities say hackers breached their system in April. They suspect the attackers have ties to Beijing. And neon lights on Hong Kong’s iconic mountain top commemorate a pro-democracy protest. The spectacle marks the 2nd anniversary of the city's anti-extradition movement.

Virus cases are surging in China, but authorities opt to suspend vaccinations there. That’s as questions rise over the efficacy of Chinese-made vaccines. Short incubation period, rapid transmission, and a high viral load. One expert explains the traits he’s most concerned about, of the virus variant spreading in a Southern Chinese city. A rare clash between students and police strikes multiple Chinese universities. To their surprise, the demonstration proved effective. Apple aims to increase privacy for iPhone users. But not in China. The move marks Apple’s latest compromise in order to maintain its services in China. And the White House launches a task force to boost domestic supply chains. The effort to increase U.S. production seeks to make the country more competitive against China.

LinkedIn makes some user content inaccessible within China. The professional social network says the new policy aims to respect local legal requirements. China’s young people are taking up a new attitude toward life: the do-nothing approach. It was born out of a desire not to be slaves to their paychecks, but Chinese authorities are trying to nip it in the bud. A former Huawei director is on trial in Poland. He and a Polish cybersecurity expert allegedly spied for Beijing. This trial could be a significant hit for the Chinese telecom gear company Huawei in the European market. Hungary is protesting plans to open a Chinese university campus in the country. To make its stance clear, Budapest is renaming streets near the university. Giving them titles like: "Free Hong Kong Road," "Uyghur Martyrs' Road," or after Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama. And 15 wild elephants in China have trekked more than 300 miles, and they’re not stopping yet. But just where are they headed?

The world’s two strongest economies are eyeing nuclear deterrents, to target each other. China plans to produce 1,300 nuclear weapons by 2030. While the U.S. seeks to inject $22 billion in its nuclear sector. The World Health Organization has approved a Chinese-made vaccine. But an insider from China's CDC reveals its fatal side effects. A tornado hits Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, killing one person and injuring 16 others. Houses left damaged, with trees bent out of shape. And Cornell University makes a deal with China’s Peking University. It's a plan to set-up a dual-degree program. That’s despite opposition from students and faculty.

Beijing now allows couples to have up to three children. But the major policy shift is seeing mixed reactions. Questions circulate surrounding the pandemic lab leak theory. A video captures scientists at Wuhan’s Virology institute using lax safety precautions. Hong Kong democracy figure Jimmy Lai and other activists are getting extra prison time. That’s as authorities attempt to stop a long-time Hong Kong tradition, honoring the Tiananmen Square massacre. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seize 30,000 Chinese-made necklaces. The makers claim they can protect people from the virus. But American authorities say they could actually poison people. And the family members of a Chinese dissident based in Australia may face punishment in China. Beijing is looking to silence the man by using his child as collateral.

Capitol Hill is debating the Endless Frontier spending bill. But one amendment has already passed -- blocking funding for ‘gain of function’ virus research in China’s Wuhan lab. The lab leak theory resurfaces in news headlines. U.S. President Biden says he's asked the intelligence community to dig deeper into the origins of the pandemic. China’s flood season kicks off early this year. Nearly 80 rivers in Southern China have already surpassed warning levels and may soon start to overflow. And, Hollywood actor John Cena is apologizing to Chinese fans after he referred to Taiwan as a country. Many Americans are accusing him of appeasing the Chinese regime for access to the Chinese market. But a Hollywood producer says, this is part of a bigger systemic issue.

A new U.S. intelligence report sheds light on the origins of the pandemic. It seems to support the idea that the pandemic resulted from a Chinese lab accident. That’s after a fact-checking website removed a label calling it a conspiracy theory. One worker is facing dire consequences, after protesting for fair wages. He’s now been deemed a target in one of China’s anti-terrorist drills. Some call it a technique used to intimidate human rights defenders. 21 runners lost their lives in an ultramarathon race. But investigations reveal that the tragedy might have been avoidable. And controversy surrounds China’s organ transplant industry. We look into what's happening behind the scenes, and examine the accusations made against Beijing.

Outrage in China, after extreme weather conditions killed 21 marathon runners. Citizens are blaming authorities for failing to build a contingency plan. Earthquakes strike five Chinese provinces in just 24 hours. One clocked in at a 6.4 on the Richter scale, killing three and injuring almost 30 more. China's flood season kicks off earlier than usual this year. The first waves of peak water flow have already arrived in two rivers. China's largest river is also filling up, even faster than before. Plans for more nuclear energy projects emerge in China. This time its part of a collaboration with Russia, while concerns rise over how Beijing plans to use them. And U.S. health authorities block certain syringes from entering the country. The made-in-China products have reportedly broken off mid-use, leaving needles stuck in patients’ arms.

Beijing claims it’s kicked a U.S. warship out of its territory. But the U.S. Navy hits back, saying it's defending freedom for all countries. Australia and Japan are boosting their defense spending. That’s as they both face growing military aggression from Beijing. A Chinese businesswoman once enjoyed a great career in China. But that all changed after she received a Chinese-made rabies vaccine some seven years ago. A Chinese state-run media outlet is promoting tourism in China, inviting viewers to visit a Chinese village. Its post came alongside beautiful images of the countryside -- but not China's. The real sights actually came from the Swiss Alps. And Washington is postponing a ban targeting companies tied to Chinese military. It was put in place to prevent Americans from unknowingly funding Chinese military development.

A high rise sends residents and bystanders packing, after it begins shaking and swaying without cause. No earthquakes or strong winds are reported in the region. But a 20-year-old research report might hold the answer. Apple plans to store its Chinese customers’ data inside China, and is handing over the keys to a state-owned company. But Apple claims the information will still be safe. A think tank urges the U.S. to compete with communist China in the global tech sector -- before it’s too late. It says Chinese telecom giant Huawei is using its cloud services to access sensitive data in third world countries. If there’s one thing Democrats and Republicans in Washington can agree on — it’s condemning the Chinese Communist Regime for its ongoing human rights abuses. This time, the Beijing Winter Olympics is in the spotlight. And a special delivery from China: nearly $700,000 worth of fake money, found mailed into the U.S.

A video showcases a number of curious comments from a pro-Beijing Chinese professor. One of the vague remarks praises China for its so-called achievements in "biological warfare.” A website sheds light on the links between Wuhan’s virus lab and the Chinese Communist Party. That’s as many question how deeply those ties go, and others speculate about the pandemic’s origins. Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has just pleaded guilty. He’s among the most high profile arrests made under Hong Kong’s national security law. This, as the Taiwanese branch of his newspaper ends its print edition. New data shows the U.S. is now importing a lot less from China. It’s a sharp decline from before the pandemic started -- largely due to U.S. tariffs on the country. And a report says the Chinese regime is using forced labor to make solar panels. The Communist regime is allegedly making ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region work against their will.

A Chinese state-owned media is using its strongest language yet to threaten the U.S. This, after Beijing simulated an invasion of Taiwan in a military exercise. The President of the Philippines announces his country’s friendship with Communist China is over. He tells Beijing: “Kill me if you want to kill me, I will be here.” One Chinese mother suddenly goes radio silent -- after vocally demanding justice for her late son. What's behind the dramatic change? The U.S. suspends visas for certain Chinese Communist officials and their families. Reports say one Chinese undergraduate just got rejected for an American visa, because that student's father works for China's Ministry of Public Security. And two of five American businessmen in Hong Kong want to leave the city. The biggest reason? The Chinese Communist Party’s suppression of freedom there.

A Chinese teenager was found dead on his high school campus. Thousands of people are now joining his mother’s call for transparency. But police have started arresting protesters. Nearly 300 Chinese maritime militia ships sailing in Philippine waters. It marks Beijing’s largest-ever incursion in the area. China angers another of its neighbors. The regime warns Bangladesh not to join a U.S.-led alliance that’s working to counter Beijing’s influence. A U.S. Senate Committee votes in favor of a new bill. It seeks to prevent communist China from exploiting loopholes in key technology sectors. And, more construction problems surface in China. Glass is missing from a 850-foot glass-bottom bridge, and a pavilion is toppled by strong winds —leading to injuries and even deaths. The accidents are caused by the country's so-called 'tofu buildings' —known to crumble because of extremely poor construction.

⭕️ Support the China news you can't find anywhere else. No censorship. Visit our new own platform: EPOCH TV👉 http://epochtv.com/chinainfocus An independent news outlet in Hong Kong is feeling the heat from Beijing. The newspaper has been attacked twice in the span of a month. Its director suspects it’s part of a crackdown, ordered by the Chinese regime. A grieving mother in China has been arrested dozens of times. She’s looking for answers following her son’s death, which she says could’ve been avoided. Three leopards escaped a Chinese zoo. But the zoo didn’t announce their disappearance until weeks later. One of the big cats is still at large. A curious trend appeared on Chinese social media: Winnie the Pooh. But mentions of the honey-loving teddy bear soon disappeared from trending charts. That's because Chinese netizens often use Winnie the Pooh as an euphemism for Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. And reports reveal a new, German-Chinese vaccine collaboration. A Chinese drug maker will give its German counterpart $100 million. In return, the German company will hand over its vaccine manufacturing technology.