A New Pentagon Budget targets China
An invitation to Xinjiang
And unprecedented defaults for Chinese businesses
That and more on this week’s China news
headlines.
This is China Uncensored.
I’m Chris Chappell.
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This week’s China news headlines!
Now you might think that the United States
already spends a lot on its military.
In 2018,
it was about 670 billion dollars.
But, that’s going to change!
Because in this new budget proposal
from the Pentagon for 2020
they’re requesting nearly 50 billion more—
putting it at almost 720 billion dollars.
To give you an idea,
that’s more than the next 6 countries’
military budgets combined.
But why spend so much more now?
Well, according to the Acting US Secretary
of Defense,
it’s because of China, China, China.
In a prepared testimony
to the Senate Armed Services Committee,
Shanahan wrote,
“China is aggressively modernizing its military,
systematically stealing science and technology,
and seeking military advantage
through a strategy of military-civil fusion.”
The new budget proposal includes money
for a bunch of things,
like staying ahead of Chinese bombers,
hypersonic weapons, and cyber attacks.
It also includes about $14 billion
for space based systems and the Space Force.
Because again, China.
What a great time to be alive.
The budget proposal says,
“It is increasingly clear that China and
Russia
want to shape a world
consistent with their authoritarian models—
gaining veto authority over other nations’
economic, diplomatic, and security decisions.”
That’s a concern that the Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also shares.
“China and Russia have capitalized on
our distractions and restraints
by investing in capabilities specifically
designed
to challenge our traditional sources of strength.”
I just hope the new military budget includes
the weapon
I’ve been calling for since the 90s.
...mega thunderzord, power up!
720 billion dollars sounds like a lot for
the US military.
Especially since China’s latest military
budget proposal
is only about 180 billion.
But here’s something the US
doesn’t spend as much money on:
stability maintenance.
That’s the catch-all term for
the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts
to police its own citizens.
And that budget, is 200 billion dollars.
But, as experts have pointed out,
that stability maintenance budget doesn’t
even include
things like the unofficial detention centers,
black jails, and hired gangs
often used by local authorities in China.
So the real amount they’re spending
is definitely more than 200 billion dollars.
Gives you an idea of who the Communist Party
thinks is the biggest threat to its rule.
But sometimes, you just gotta spend the money.
Rolling students over with tanks isn’t free.
Speaking of stopping citizens
from threatening the Communist Party—
the Uighur people of Xinjiang.
But don’t worry!
I hear they’re extremely happy with the
Party.
Because the Communist Party is fighting Muslim
extremism
with job training camps!
State-run CCTV even interviewed
one of the happy Uighurs in one of those camps.
“Abudusaimaiti said he felt lucky to be
accepted by the vocational training center.
‘One who has been infected by extremism
is not him or herself.
They could kill or do even worse things
if his or her thoughts are infected by extremism.
If one's not transformed in time,
there will be dire consequences.’”
He’s not wrong.
Any Uighur who isn’t transformed faces dire
consequences.
Anyway, there’s all kinds of rumors going
around
that these job training camps are actually
more like concentration camps
where they brainwash and torture people.
But that’s only according the Uighurs who’ve
escaped.
Chinese state run media wants you to know
that there’s a lot of fake news out there
about Xinjiang.
That’s why China is inviting European diplomats
to Xinjiang
to see for themselves how great things are.
Well, it’s really more of a “sounding
out of interest,”
not an actual invitation.
But I’m sure if the European diplomats do
visit,
they’ll see how completely,
spontaneously happy the Uighurs are.
“If you’re happy and you know it clap
your hands.”
Unfortunately, we can’t hear the rest of
the song,
but I’m pretty sure the next line is:
“If you’re singing this song for the cameras
so we don’t kidnap your relatives,
stomp your feet.”
Just a guess.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is trying
to spread
what I can only assume is more fake news
to slander the glorious Chinese Communist
Party.
They claim that Chinese authorities
are razing muslim communities to the ground.
And all they offer as evidence
is some fairly clear satellite photos
that appear to show large parts of a city
being razed to the ground.
 
Pff, evidence.
In more news about how well
the Chinese Communist Party is regulating
religion,
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang
has said again that the reincarnation of the
Dalai Lama
should follow Chinese law.
That happened after the Dalai Lama said that
he might reincarnate outside of Tibet,
like, say, in India.
This isn’t the first time the Communist
Party
has taken an interest in reincarnation.
Last time was in 1995,
when they picked the Panchen Lama—
the second-most important figure in Tibetan
Buddhism.
And they did a fantastic job.
State-run Xinhua news paraphrased their Panchen
Lama
as saying he will “resolutely endorse comrade
Xi Jinping
as the core of the Communist Party”
and “endorse socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
I mean, what more could you want in a spiritual
leader—
than endorsing the atheist Communist Party?
Anyway, the current Dalai Lama is getting
on in age—
meaning, he might have to reincarnate soon.
But don’t worry,
because the next Chinese Dalai Lama
will endorse the Communist Party.
They’ll make sure of it.
Bad news for the Chinese economy.
Companies are defaulting on their debts
at an 'unprecedented' level.
On the show we’ve spoken about how bad
debt within the shadow banking system
has created a huge debt bubble in China.
So authorities are doing what they do best:
Cracking down.
The flip side is,
shadow banking is the primary credit provider
for a lot of Chinese companies.
So the crackdown could actually be making
things worse.
You know, maybe the Chinese Communist Party
should give not cracking down a try.
Just something for the suggestion box.
I hear the Party is really open to suggestions.
Please don’t purge me.
Foxconn, the company that makes your iPhones,
may be moving some of its production out of
China.
You see Foxconn is actually a Taiwanese company.
And chairman Terry Gou says he might
move some of its work back to Taiwan.
One reason is because the US-China trade war
makes it more expensive to manufacture in
China.
Another reason is, he doesn’t want to be
forced to keep corporate data in China,
under Chinese law.
Although to be fair—
under Chinese law,
Taiwan is just another province of China.
The United States is continuing to put pressure
on Chinese telecom company Huawei.
The US has warned countries around the world
that Huawei is working with the Chinese regime
to undermine national security.
Now, the US is giving that warning to Brazil.
The Chinese regime has been pushing Huawei
and its 5G network to Brazil
and dozens of other countries
as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.
In a meeting this week,
President Trump apparently told Brazil’s
president
not to take China’s Huawei,
but to take this soccer jersey instead.
Because the soccer jersey can’t spy on him.
Just to be clear,
Trump did not actually say that.
It was a joke.
I don’t want to be responsible
for the next Gorilla channel.
And finally,
there’s a new trend in China:
People are using social media
to post selfies in Goth makeup.
I mean, why goth?!
Of you’re going to bring back the 90s,
at least bring back something cool.
Like Power Rangers.
...mega thunderzord, power up!
But apparently,
the goth thing is actually a subtle protest.
It comes after a woman
was denied entry to the Guangzhou subway
because of her dark makeup.
So some people starting posting photos
of themselves in goth makeup on Sina Weibo—
the Chinese version of Twitter.
And amazingly,
the “Guangzhou Metro has since apologized
on Weibo
for ‘inappropriately’ handling the matter,
and says it has suspended
the security staffer for retraining.”
Which is surprising considering
how the Chinese regime usually handles subcultures.
I mean, this is a regime that banned Peppa
Pig
for being too gangster.
Apparently a subculture developed
where people were getting Peppa Pig tattoos.
Now I see why the Communist Party
needs to spend so much money on stability
maintenance.
Peppa Pig is a serious threat to social harmony.
And just wait until Chinese people discover
emo music and guyliner.
And before you go,
now is the time I answer a question
from a member of the China Uncensored 50-Cent
Army—
fans who support the show
with a dollar or more per episode
through the crowd funding website Patreon.
David Schwimmerer asks,
“How many questions do you actually want
from us?
Is this too many?
What about this?”
Great questions David.
There’s no limit to the number of questions
I want from my loyal 50 cent army!
I hope everyone who contributes to the show
on Patreon
will submit at least one good question.
What’s that, Shelley?
Yes, fine, you can ask Shelley questions,
too.
Or even Matt.
Answering your questions on the show
is a big way we can thank you for your support.
After the first YouTube adpocalypse in 2017,
YouTube began demonetizing a ton of our videos.
But people like you stepped up
and started supporting the show through Patreon.
And if you didn’t,
I wouldn’t be here.
I know not everyone
can afford to support China Uncensored,
but I know everyone thanks those of you who
do.
Except the Chinese Communist Party.
The Communist Party is very mad at you.
It would like you to please stop.
Thanks again for all your questions David.
And thank you for watching China Uncensored.
Once again I’m Chris Chappell,
see you next time.
