“Everyone in this world is one of three kinds: a good Terminator, a bad Terminator, or neutral,” says Mamaw in “Hillbilly Elegy” – the autobiography by J.D. Vance, a global bestseller. The character Mamaw, based on his grandmother, categorizes the world this way with reference to the action movie featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as the killer android. In real life, J.D. Vance also seems to draw similar clear lines between good and evil, friend and foe – but what about neutral?
Since the beginning of the week, J.D. Vance has been officially positioned as Donald Trump’s number two and will become vice president if Trump wins the election. As Michael Radunski writes, Vance has already made it clear who the enemy is in real life: China. He claims the People’s Republic is the “greatest threat” to the USA. Vance is what is known as an Asia-First Republican. His goal is for the USA to focus more on China rather than other global hotspots, which could have dramatic implications for Europe.
Beijing is currently facing foreign policy challenges in West Africa: The China-built and funded Niger-Benin oil pipeline is testing the People’s Republic’s doctrine of non-interference. A rebel group demanding the reinstatement of ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum has severely damaged the pipeline and disrupted its operation. Our colleague from Africa.Table, Arne Schuette, explains the conflict.
Our colleagues from Africa.Table have also prepared an exciting and highly topical live briefing for you this week. The topic: “Investing in Africa: Volkswagen’s Experiences”. Of course, it will also cover China – after all, competition does not stop at national borders. Thomas Schaefer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand and SAFRI Chairman, will speak at our Table Café in Berlin. You can register here. Do you want to attend in person? Then send an email to africa.content@table.media.
Courageous government critic, shrewd businessman or clever fraudster? Guo Wengui 郭文贵 is probably mostly the latter: a ruthless conman. Finn Mayer-Kuckuk introduces you to the fallen businessman who was convicted in the USA this week, in today’s Heads.
James David Vance aims to realign US foreign policy. Immediately after his nomination as the potential Vice President under Donald Trump, Vance announced that the Trump-Vance administration would prioritize China. The People’s Republic is the “greatest threat” to the USA. As Vance succinctly put it in a speech last year: “That’s the true enemy.”
Important for Europe: Vance is a so-called Asia-First Republican. His goal: The USA should focus more on China instead of other global hotspots. The Senator from Ohio is convinced: The USA is currently losing ground to China because it is too distracted. This “distraction” for Vance is primarily America’s support for Europe and Ukraine.
Vance’s China policy revolves around two main points: trade and Taiwan.
On trade, Vance is fully aligned with Donald Trump, who started a trade war against China during his first term. Now, he threatens to raise tariffs on all Chinese imports to 60 percent.
Vance also believes that higher tariffs on Chinese imports will boost economic development in the USA. In an interview with “Face the Nation” this week, Vance said: “If you apply tariffs, really what it is is you’re saying that we’re gonna penalize you for using slave labor in China and importing that stuff in the United States. What you end up doing is you end up making more stuff in America, in Pennsylvania, in Ohio and in Michigan.” Additionally, the Republican Party platform states that they want to revoke China’s “most-favored-nation” status.
Vance describes his stance as “economic nationalism”. This means Vance believes that by supporting US production, the rise of China can be directly countered. “We should make more of our stuff,” Vance says, adding: “even at the cost of a few basis points of GDP”. Because that would likely be a side effect of increasingly higher tariffs.
Interestingly, the current US government under Joe Biden also relies on tariffs. They have imposed tariffs worth 18 billion dollars on Chinese goods, including a 100 percent tariff on EVs.
However, Vance is skeptical of EVs and renewable energies. He recently supported a bill to abolish federal tax incentives for electric vehicles. In his view, electric cars only contribute to shifting American jobs to China. Vance, however, does not mention that currently, hardly any EVs from Chinese companies are sold in the USA.
Generally, Vance sees environmental protection as a weakness – even for the EU. “The fact that Europe has become weaker is because they deindustrialized … because they followed the Biden administration’s green energy agenda, which inevitably strengthens China and Russia.” Vance, however, called Joe Biden’s “CHIPS and Science Act” a “great law” – one of very few Republicans to do so. The 2022 act aims to boost semiconductor chip production in the USA to better compete with China and other countries.
Semiconductors also lead directly to the second point of Vance’s China policy: Taiwan. At the beginning of the year, Vance declared on the TV channel “Real America’s Voice”: If mainland China attacks Taiwan, the USA would lose many chips and new technologies “necessary for the modern economy”. His conclusion: “We cannot allow the Chinese to invade Taiwan.”
At this point, Europeans should listen carefully. To effectively defend Taiwan, the USA must, according to Vance, withdraw weapons and support from other regions of the world. Vance primarily mentions Ukraine. He is convinced: war in Ukraine is “an invitation to Chinese aggression because they know we do not have the weapon systems to support both Ukraine and Taiwan”. Shortly after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, Vance stated: “I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”
Vance didn’t want to leave it at that. In the New York Times, he explained that the Patriot air defense systems demanded by Ukraine are equally important for Taiwan. “These weapons are not only needed by Ukraine. If China were to set its sights on Taiwan, the Patriot missile system would be critical to its defense.”
That is correct. And indeed, the USA has promised nearly 900 million dollars worth of Patriot missiles to Taiwan. However, there are delays – partly due to deliveries to Ukraine. For Vance, this is a sign of flawed policy. He is convinced: China must see how strong the USA really is – on-site, not somewhere in Europe.
None of this should be surprising for Europe. In February, Vance attended the Munich Security Conference. At the Bayerischer Hof, Vance urged Europeans to take more responsibility for their military defense, especially for their own production of weapons and ammunition. “Then the USA can deploy its resources against an aggressive China.” Under a Trump-Vance administration, the USA is likely to consolidate its resources – against China. It remains to be seen whether Europeans will take the necessary steps.
The China-built and financed Niger-Benin oil pipeline tests the People’s Republic’s foreign policy doctrine of non-interference. A rebel group demanding the return of deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum severely damaged the pipeline and disrupted its operation. The rebels stated that their attack aimed to force Niger’s Chinese partners to end their oil business with the Nigerien junta.
The nearly 2,000-kilometer Niger-Benin pipeline connects oil fields in eastern Niger through Benin to the Atlantic Ocean, enabling the export of Nigerien crude oil for the first time. The pipeline is expected to increase Niger’s oil production from the current 20,000 barrels per day by an additional 90,000 barrels per day for export. The pipeline is operated by the Chinese state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the only oil company extracting oil in Niger. CNPC began construction in 2019, and the pipeline was officially inaugurated in November 2023, shortly after the Nigerien military coup in July of the same year.
In line with its foreign policy doctrine of non-interference, China did not condemn the military coup but instead quietly accommodated the new rulers: As long as its economic interests are protected, Beijing does not concern itself with who holds power in its partner capitals.
For the Nigerien junta, the pipeline became a vital lifeline. After the coup, many former partners severed ties with Niger, significantly limiting the financial scope of the military rulers. Revenues from oil exports were intended to refill state coffers.
However, even before the attack on the pipeline in mid-June halted exports, only one shipment of oil had been exported through the pipeline. The reason is an ongoing diplomatic dispute between Niger and Benin.
Along with other members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Benin imposed sanctions on Niger following the military coup, including border closures, to force the military to return power to the elected government. Benin’s President Patrice Talon loudly demanded Bazoum’s reinstatement and even supported a military intervention by ECOWAS. Despite the lifting of sanctions in February, Niger has refused to reopen the border with Benin. Barricades originally erected in anticipation of an armed ECOWAS intervention still block the road between the two countries. Benin then prohibited the loading of Nigerien oil. Chinese mediators managed to reach an agreement in mid-May, but it was short-lived.
In this already complex situation, another player is now trying to use Africa’s longest pipeline for its purposes. The rebel group Front Patriotique pour la Libération (FPL) attacked the pipeline in June and threatened further attacks. The group, formed after the July 2023 coup, demands the cancellation of the oil deal with CNPC and a return to constitutional order. FPL is particularly opposed to a 400 million dollar deal with CNPC from April, which they claim financially sustains the junta.
Resolving the dispute is crucial for all three involved countries: Benin earns from transit fees and wants to continue handling imports for Niger; Niger urgently needs to export its crude oil to avoid state bankruptcy; China maintains good relations with both countries, is a recipient of oil exports, and has an interest in protecting its investments in the region.
However, China also faces the fundamental question of the effectiveness of its foreign policy doctrine of non-interference. So far, the People’s Republic has benefited from staying silent on the affairs of other countries. But the Nigerien FPL’s attack on the new pipeline forces Beijing to reassess the situation: Either China lays its cards on the table, insists on its economic interests, and openly sides with the junta, or it tries to negotiate with the FPL, which would alienate the junta.
In any case, China’s foreign policy faces a new situation where the old approach no longer suffices. How Beijing ultimately responds remains to be seen. The case of the Nigerien oil pipeline could provide insight into how the People’s Republic will handle the delicate issue of (non-)interference in the future.
At the world premiere in Anhui, VW unveiled the first model of its new EV brand, ID. Unyx. Named after the brand itself, the ID. Unyx is an E-SUV coupe scheduled for release this summer. “We aim to attract young, lifestyle-oriented target groups,” said Stefan Mecha, VW’s brand chief in the People’s Republic.
By 2026, four more models from the new brand are planned, including SUVs and sedans. The sub-brand will have its own dealer network in China, featuring 40 showrooms in 20 cities. The nearly 4.7-meter-long E-SUV coupe, ID. Unyx, is also expected to arrive in Europe, likely in the fall. The basic version of the ID. Unyx with 210 kW (286 PS) and a 77 kWh battery is expected to have a range of up to 621 km, according to the CLTC (China Light-Duty Test Cycle).
According to VW, the first model is largely based on the Cupra Tavascan, but with a redesigned interior and a slightly modified front design. The EV was developed at VW’s new Innovation and Development Center in Hefei. This announcement is VW’s response to the success of BYD, the Chinese manufacturer that overtook Volkswagen as the market leader in China in 2023. fpe
Courageous government critic, shrewd businessman or skilled fraudster? Guo Wengui 郭文贵 is likely the latter: a ruthless charlatan. The exiled Chinese businessman was found guilty by a US court on Tuesday: The 55-year-old swindled his online followers out of billions by promising foolproof investments. The sentence for fraud, embezzlement and money laundering will be announced in mid-November.
Initially, Guo enjoyed high sympathy in the USA because he styled himself as a political activist fighting against the communists. Among his close friends was the far-right ideologue Stephen Bannon, the first chief strategist of Donald Trump. However, Guo’s critical stance towards the Chinese system always had an undertone: As a real estate investor, he had greatly benefited from connections to the leadership in China.
Guo fled to the USA in 2014 because the police were on his heels in China. They were investigating him for bribery, kidnapping and rape, but mainly for defrauding investors in his company. Guo, however, claimed to be politically persecuted and to possess incriminating material against Chinese top officials. In fact, he apparently had access to video material from the security authorities, obtained through bribery, that implicated high-ranking individuals.
In the USA, he couldn’t stop defrauding. In right-wing and conservative circles, he quickly gained a following, telling them fairy tales of quick riches through investments in his companies starting in 2018. He promised in videos on platforms like Twitter and Facebook that anyone who invested with him would only gain. “I am rich, I take care of you,” he assured them. He offered an emotional mix of high returns, the fight against communism, and the dissemination of right-wing “truths” through investments in his media projects.
As revealed in court, his followers transferred around a billion dollars to him. Among other things, Guo used this money to buy a 4,000 square meter mansion, a luxury yacht and a Lamborghini. One of his carpets is estimated to be worth 350,000 dollars. These are not sustainable investments.
But there are even more swashbuckling tales about Guo. Along with Bannon, he founded two online media outlets that later became notorious for spreading false information. Among other things, they, like Trump, touted a malaria drug as a cure for COVID-19.
When US media continue to refer to him as a “government critic” in their reports about his conviction, they fall for yet another of his falsehoods. He only began criticizing the CCP after fleeing China as a wanted criminal; prior to that, he engaged in illegal activities and exploited the system wherever possible. In the USA, he adjusted his scheme under Bannon’s influence. Together, they accused Joe Biden of colluding with China and portrayed Trump as the only one who could stand up to the communists.
In 2020, Bannon and Guo hatched an especially wild story. They announced the founding of a “New Federal State of China” from Guo’s yacht in New York Harbor. The head of the exiled government? Guo. The state’s goal was to overthrow the CCP. Guo even opened an embassy in New York. However, even the right-wing network Fox News found the action highly dubious. It came to nothing, except for the most important currency for right-wing agitators and fraudsters: attention. Finn Mayer-Kuckuk
Although there is still a dispute between China and Nepal over which side the peak of Mount Everest belongs to, and the two countries also disagree on its height, the best view of the highest mountain in the world is from China – at least at sunrise.
“Everyone in this world is one of three kinds: a good Terminator, a bad Terminator, or neutral,” says Mamaw in “Hillbilly Elegy” – the autobiography by J.D. Vance, a global bestseller. The character Mamaw, based on his grandmother, categorizes the world this way with reference to the action movie featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as the killer android. In real life, J.D. Vance also seems to draw similar clear lines between good and evil, friend and foe – but what about neutral?
Since the beginning of the week, J.D. Vance has been officially positioned as Donald Trump’s number two and will become vice president if Trump wins the election. As Michael Radunski writes, Vance has already made it clear who the enemy is in real life: China. He claims the People’s Republic is the “greatest threat” to the USA. Vance is what is known as an Asia-First Republican. His goal is for the USA to focus more on China rather than other global hotspots, which could have dramatic implications for Europe.
Beijing is currently facing foreign policy challenges in West Africa: The China-built and funded Niger-Benin oil pipeline is testing the People’s Republic’s doctrine of non-interference. A rebel group demanding the reinstatement of ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum has severely damaged the pipeline and disrupted its operation. Our colleague from Africa.Table, Arne Schuette, explains the conflict.
Our colleagues from Africa.Table have also prepared an exciting and highly topical live briefing for you this week. The topic: “Investing in Africa: Volkswagen’s Experiences”. Of course, it will also cover China – after all, competition does not stop at national borders. Thomas Schaefer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand and SAFRI Chairman, will speak at our Table Café in Berlin. You can register here. Do you want to attend in person? Then send an email to africa.content@table.media.
Courageous government critic, shrewd businessman or clever fraudster? Guo Wengui 郭文贵 is probably mostly the latter: a ruthless conman. Finn Mayer-Kuckuk introduces you to the fallen businessman who was convicted in the USA this week, in today’s Heads.
James David Vance aims to realign US foreign policy. Immediately after his nomination as the potential Vice President under Donald Trump, Vance announced that the Trump-Vance administration would prioritize China. The People’s Republic is the “greatest threat” to the USA. As Vance succinctly put it in a speech last year: “That’s the true enemy.”
Important for Europe: Vance is a so-called Asia-First Republican. His goal: The USA should focus more on China instead of other global hotspots. The Senator from Ohio is convinced: The USA is currently losing ground to China because it is too distracted. This “distraction” for Vance is primarily America’s support for Europe and Ukraine.
Vance’s China policy revolves around two main points: trade and Taiwan.
On trade, Vance is fully aligned with Donald Trump, who started a trade war against China during his first term. Now, he threatens to raise tariffs on all Chinese imports to 60 percent.
Vance also believes that higher tariffs on Chinese imports will boost economic development in the USA. In an interview with “Face the Nation” this week, Vance said: “If you apply tariffs, really what it is is you’re saying that we’re gonna penalize you for using slave labor in China and importing that stuff in the United States. What you end up doing is you end up making more stuff in America, in Pennsylvania, in Ohio and in Michigan.” Additionally, the Republican Party platform states that they want to revoke China’s “most-favored-nation” status.
Vance describes his stance as “economic nationalism”. This means Vance believes that by supporting US production, the rise of China can be directly countered. “We should make more of our stuff,” Vance says, adding: “even at the cost of a few basis points of GDP”. Because that would likely be a side effect of increasingly higher tariffs.
Interestingly, the current US government under Joe Biden also relies on tariffs. They have imposed tariffs worth 18 billion dollars on Chinese goods, including a 100 percent tariff on EVs.
However, Vance is skeptical of EVs and renewable energies. He recently supported a bill to abolish federal tax incentives for electric vehicles. In his view, electric cars only contribute to shifting American jobs to China. Vance, however, does not mention that currently, hardly any EVs from Chinese companies are sold in the USA.
Generally, Vance sees environmental protection as a weakness – even for the EU. “The fact that Europe has become weaker is because they deindustrialized … because they followed the Biden administration’s green energy agenda, which inevitably strengthens China and Russia.” Vance, however, called Joe Biden’s “CHIPS and Science Act” a “great law” – one of very few Republicans to do so. The 2022 act aims to boost semiconductor chip production in the USA to better compete with China and other countries.
Semiconductors also lead directly to the second point of Vance’s China policy: Taiwan. At the beginning of the year, Vance declared on the TV channel “Real America’s Voice”: If mainland China attacks Taiwan, the USA would lose many chips and new technologies “necessary for the modern economy”. His conclusion: “We cannot allow the Chinese to invade Taiwan.”
At this point, Europeans should listen carefully. To effectively defend Taiwan, the USA must, according to Vance, withdraw weapons and support from other regions of the world. Vance primarily mentions Ukraine. He is convinced: war in Ukraine is “an invitation to Chinese aggression because they know we do not have the weapon systems to support both Ukraine and Taiwan”. Shortly after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, Vance stated: “I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”
Vance didn’t want to leave it at that. In the New York Times, he explained that the Patriot air defense systems demanded by Ukraine are equally important for Taiwan. “These weapons are not only needed by Ukraine. If China were to set its sights on Taiwan, the Patriot missile system would be critical to its defense.”
That is correct. And indeed, the USA has promised nearly 900 million dollars worth of Patriot missiles to Taiwan. However, there are delays – partly due to deliveries to Ukraine. For Vance, this is a sign of flawed policy. He is convinced: China must see how strong the USA really is – on-site, not somewhere in Europe.
None of this should be surprising for Europe. In February, Vance attended the Munich Security Conference. At the Bayerischer Hof, Vance urged Europeans to take more responsibility for their military defense, especially for their own production of weapons and ammunition. “Then the USA can deploy its resources against an aggressive China.” Under a Trump-Vance administration, the USA is likely to consolidate its resources – against China. It remains to be seen whether Europeans will take the necessary steps.
The China-built and financed Niger-Benin oil pipeline tests the People’s Republic’s foreign policy doctrine of non-interference. A rebel group demanding the return of deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum severely damaged the pipeline and disrupted its operation. The rebels stated that their attack aimed to force Niger’s Chinese partners to end their oil business with the Nigerien junta.
The nearly 2,000-kilometer Niger-Benin pipeline connects oil fields in eastern Niger through Benin to the Atlantic Ocean, enabling the export of Nigerien crude oil for the first time. The pipeline is expected to increase Niger’s oil production from the current 20,000 barrels per day by an additional 90,000 barrels per day for export. The pipeline is operated by the Chinese state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the only oil company extracting oil in Niger. CNPC began construction in 2019, and the pipeline was officially inaugurated in November 2023, shortly after the Nigerien military coup in July of the same year.
In line with its foreign policy doctrine of non-interference, China did not condemn the military coup but instead quietly accommodated the new rulers: As long as its economic interests are protected, Beijing does not concern itself with who holds power in its partner capitals.
For the Nigerien junta, the pipeline became a vital lifeline. After the coup, many former partners severed ties with Niger, significantly limiting the financial scope of the military rulers. Revenues from oil exports were intended to refill state coffers.
However, even before the attack on the pipeline in mid-June halted exports, only one shipment of oil had been exported through the pipeline. The reason is an ongoing diplomatic dispute between Niger and Benin.
Along with other members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Benin imposed sanctions on Niger following the military coup, including border closures, to force the military to return power to the elected government. Benin’s President Patrice Talon loudly demanded Bazoum’s reinstatement and even supported a military intervention by ECOWAS. Despite the lifting of sanctions in February, Niger has refused to reopen the border with Benin. Barricades originally erected in anticipation of an armed ECOWAS intervention still block the road between the two countries. Benin then prohibited the loading of Nigerien oil. Chinese mediators managed to reach an agreement in mid-May, but it was short-lived.
In this already complex situation, another player is now trying to use Africa’s longest pipeline for its purposes. The rebel group Front Patriotique pour la Libération (FPL) attacked the pipeline in June and threatened further attacks. The group, formed after the July 2023 coup, demands the cancellation of the oil deal with CNPC and a return to constitutional order. FPL is particularly opposed to a 400 million dollar deal with CNPC from April, which they claim financially sustains the junta.
Resolving the dispute is crucial for all three involved countries: Benin earns from transit fees and wants to continue handling imports for Niger; Niger urgently needs to export its crude oil to avoid state bankruptcy; China maintains good relations with both countries, is a recipient of oil exports, and has an interest in protecting its investments in the region.
However, China also faces the fundamental question of the effectiveness of its foreign policy doctrine of non-interference. So far, the People’s Republic has benefited from staying silent on the affairs of other countries. But the Nigerien FPL’s attack on the new pipeline forces Beijing to reassess the situation: Either China lays its cards on the table, insists on its economic interests, and openly sides with the junta, or it tries to negotiate with the FPL, which would alienate the junta.
In any case, China’s foreign policy faces a new situation where the old approach no longer suffices. How Beijing ultimately responds remains to be seen. The case of the Nigerien oil pipeline could provide insight into how the People’s Republic will handle the delicate issue of (non-)interference in the future.
At the world premiere in Anhui, VW unveiled the first model of its new EV brand, ID. Unyx. Named after the brand itself, the ID. Unyx is an E-SUV coupe scheduled for release this summer. “We aim to attract young, lifestyle-oriented target groups,” said Stefan Mecha, VW’s brand chief in the People’s Republic.
By 2026, four more models from the new brand are planned, including SUVs and sedans. The sub-brand will have its own dealer network in China, featuring 40 showrooms in 20 cities. The nearly 4.7-meter-long E-SUV coupe, ID. Unyx, is also expected to arrive in Europe, likely in the fall. The basic version of the ID. Unyx with 210 kW (286 PS) and a 77 kWh battery is expected to have a range of up to 621 km, according to the CLTC (China Light-Duty Test Cycle).
According to VW, the first model is largely based on the Cupra Tavascan, but with a redesigned interior and a slightly modified front design. The EV was developed at VW’s new Innovation and Development Center in Hefei. This announcement is VW’s response to the success of BYD, the Chinese manufacturer that overtook Volkswagen as the market leader in China in 2023. fpe
Courageous government critic, shrewd businessman or skilled fraudster? Guo Wengui 郭文贵 is likely the latter: a ruthless charlatan. The exiled Chinese businessman was found guilty by a US court on Tuesday: The 55-year-old swindled his online followers out of billions by promising foolproof investments. The sentence for fraud, embezzlement and money laundering will be announced in mid-November.
Initially, Guo enjoyed high sympathy in the USA because he styled himself as a political activist fighting against the communists. Among his close friends was the far-right ideologue Stephen Bannon, the first chief strategist of Donald Trump. However, Guo’s critical stance towards the Chinese system always had an undertone: As a real estate investor, he had greatly benefited from connections to the leadership in China.
Guo fled to the USA in 2014 because the police were on his heels in China. They were investigating him for bribery, kidnapping and rape, but mainly for defrauding investors in his company. Guo, however, claimed to be politically persecuted and to possess incriminating material against Chinese top officials. In fact, he apparently had access to video material from the security authorities, obtained through bribery, that implicated high-ranking individuals.
In the USA, he couldn’t stop defrauding. In right-wing and conservative circles, he quickly gained a following, telling them fairy tales of quick riches through investments in his companies starting in 2018. He promised in videos on platforms like Twitter and Facebook that anyone who invested with him would only gain. “I am rich, I take care of you,” he assured them. He offered an emotional mix of high returns, the fight against communism, and the dissemination of right-wing “truths” through investments in his media projects.
As revealed in court, his followers transferred around a billion dollars to him. Among other things, Guo used this money to buy a 4,000 square meter mansion, a luxury yacht and a Lamborghini. One of his carpets is estimated to be worth 350,000 dollars. These are not sustainable investments.
But there are even more swashbuckling tales about Guo. Along with Bannon, he founded two online media outlets that later became notorious for spreading false information. Among other things, they, like Trump, touted a malaria drug as a cure for COVID-19.
When US media continue to refer to him as a “government critic” in their reports about his conviction, they fall for yet another of his falsehoods. He only began criticizing the CCP after fleeing China as a wanted criminal; prior to that, he engaged in illegal activities and exploited the system wherever possible. In the USA, he adjusted his scheme under Bannon’s influence. Together, they accused Joe Biden of colluding with China and portrayed Trump as the only one who could stand up to the communists.
In 2020, Bannon and Guo hatched an especially wild story. They announced the founding of a “New Federal State of China” from Guo’s yacht in New York Harbor. The head of the exiled government? Guo. The state’s goal was to overthrow the CCP. Guo even opened an embassy in New York. However, even the right-wing network Fox News found the action highly dubious. It came to nothing, except for the most important currency for right-wing agitators and fraudsters: attention. Finn Mayer-Kuckuk
Although there is still a dispute between China and Nepal over which side the peak of Mount Everest belongs to, and the two countries also disagree on its height, the best view of the highest mountain in the world is from China – at least at sunrise.
