ExclusiveChina Evacuates 2.8 Million People Amid Typhoon Bavi; US, Allies Pushing Back Against China at Sea

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story. Nearly 3 million people have been evacuated across China as Typhoon Bavi sweeps through East Asia, on the trail of destruction left by the most powerful storm to hit China this year. Pushing back against Beijing at sea, more than a dozen countries are calling on Beijing to exercise restraint in the South China Sea. This effort is extending beyond the U.S. and its allies in Asia. China is suddenly halting exports of a gas critical to semiconductors. Why chipmakers are sounding the alarm. And lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic are zeroing in on China's illegal organ trade. We take you inside a seminar at the UK Parliament exposing China's transplant abuses. Nearly 3 million people in China have been evacuated. That's as the most powerful typhoon to hit the country this year made landfall over the weekend. More than a thousand flights have been canceled and public transport has been halted. Typhoon Bavi slammed China's shores after killing 17 in the Philippines and injuring more than 100 in Taiwan. The storm also caused power outages affecting more than 20,000 households in Japan. There have been no official reports of deaths or injuries in China. The actual situation remains unclear. In the coastal city Qingdao, huge waves lashed the coastline sending sea water overflowing local dikes. Similar scenarios also happened in southeastern Zhejiang where the typhoon made landfall. A local resident described the impact of the powerful storm. When the typhoon was about to make landfall around 12 a.m., some roof tiles were blown away in the old town and there was a huge noise as tree branches were torn down. Li said he was scared but he's also used to it because he lives by the sea. In another town, the typhoon brought down more than 1,300 trees with over half completely uprooted. Torrential rain also triggered a landslide sending large boulders tumbling onto a mountain road. A businessman who owns a shop facing the sea said the metal frame supporting the entrance canopy had collapsed. When the typhoon approached, we tied the metal frames with the gate, same on the other side. They were all tied up very tightly. In the end, we can do nothing. And the metal frame still collapsed around 11 p.m. They were all blown down by the wind. Lin said there was nothing he could do as rainwater poured into the house. He stayed up until 5 a.m. dealing with the mess. Meanwhile, in northeastern China, a major city was hit by a once-in-a-century downpour. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated across the province as flooding caused water levels to rise above 13 feet. And in northern Hebei province, floodwater washed away vehicles on Sunday. Bavi had weakened to a tropical storm, but forecasters warn the storm could unleash widespread rain across northern and eastern China in the coming days. Boosting efforts to push back against Beijing at sea, more than a dozen countries are calling on Beijing over the weekend to recognize a decision of an international court from 10 years ago. The joint statement was led by the U.S., aiming to push back against China's assertive actions in the South China Sea. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea. Neighboring countries reject those claims. A ruling of an arbitral tribunal in 2016 also rejected Beijing's so-called nine-dash line claims. And now, not only Indo-Pacific countries such as Japan, Australia and the Philippines, but also European nations including the U.K., Germany and Italy have joined the United States. Even Canada, traditionally known for its cautious approach to international diplomacy, has signed onto the statement targeting China's actions. The countries say the ruling remains final and legally binding, while warning against actions they say threaten stability in the South China Sea. On Saturday, they called out Beijing's use of Coast Guard, military and maritime forces to intimidate or obstruct other nations operating in the disputed waters. In a separate statement, the European Union also reaffirming support for the ruling, calling it a landmark decision in peacefully resolving disputes. The 2016 case was brought by the Philippines against China over Beijing's sweeping claims across much of the South China Sea. The tribunal ruled there was no legal basis for Beijing's claims under international law. China has rejected the decision repeatedly since it was issued, calling it invalid and refusing to recognize the tribunal's authority. The dispute continues today with tensions rising between Chinese and Philippine vessels in one of the world's most critical shipping routes. Philippine fishermen who hoped the 2016 ruling would restore their access to a disputed area of the sea, says not much has changed despite the ruling. If you compare the lives of fishing families before the Chinese Coast Guard was present, our families used to live comfortably and had enough. Now we are struggling. It's been 10 years since an international tribunal handed the Philippines a landmark victory against China's claims in the South China Sea. But for fisher folk who fish in and near the waters of the disputed Scarborough Shoal, it has felt like an empty victory. In the end, we did not really feel that victory. We never truly felt the impact of that win. Suddenly, 10 years have passed since we won the arbitration case, yet no one has really felt its benefits. From our perspective, the harassment and pressure from the Chinese Coast Guard has only gotten worse. Oftentimes, as soon as you arrive near Scarborough Shoal, you are met by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel that tries to force you to leave. The Scarborough Shoal has been a traditional fishing ground for several countries, not just China or the Philippines. But China has continued to assert its control of the area, despite the 2016 ruling saying that its blockade of the Shoal was a violation of and had no basis in international law. When we heard that the Philippines had won the arbitration case, most, if not all, fishermen across the West Philippine Sea felt a deep sense joy and celebration. It has become difficult for our children to stay in school, and families of fishermen who fish in the West Philippine Sea often struggle to put enough food on the table because of the harassment and bullying by the Chinese Coast Guard against Filipino fishermen. Maritime law experts say tensions around the Shoal have increased since the ruling because China has moved aggressively to prevent its enforcement. Beijing's actions have forced fisherfolk like Ronnie Drio to work closer to shore. I do not feel that victory because, until now, we are still not free to go to Scarborough Shoal. That is why it is painful for us Filipino fishermen. We cannot go there with a peace of mind and a sense of security. What we want is to be able to go there freely. Sovereignty over the Shoal has not been established, with Beijing rejecting the decision. A decade after the ruling, many Filipino fishermen say its promise has yet to reach the waters where they earn their living. China is clamping down on exports of a critical gas used in shipmaking and hospitals. Beijing's helium exports freeze is fueling concerns of another supply shock. China has unexpectedly suspended helium exports without explaining why. Analysts say the move is aimed at protecting domestic supplies. China is the world's largest helium importer. It relies on foreign sources for over 80 percent of its needs. Unlike natural gas, helium cannot be mass-produced. The world's biggest suppliers include the United States, Qatar and Russia. But this year, the global helium market is already under pressure. War in Iran disrupted Persian Gulf shipping, and Russia slapped its own export controls back in April. China's restrictions could trigger a global shortage and a spike in prices. A prolonged shortage could disrupt semiconductor manufacturing, limit hospitals' MRI operations and squeeze fiber-optic production. Industry giants are sounding the alarm. Intel CEO recently warned a helium crunch would devastatingly impact the semiconductor sector, an industry that takes nearly a quarter of the world's supply. Advanced shipmakers, including ASML, rely heavily on ultra high-purity helium for cooling and manufacturing. The latest move underscores the vulnerability of the global supply chain. It could accelerate Western efforts to diversify sourcing and reduce dependence on China. Construction underway on one of the largest semiconductor manufacturing projects in U.S. history, Micron Technology, pouring the first concrete for its new campus in central New York last week, along side officials from the Trump administration. There's never been a better time to invest in America. There's never been a better time to build in America. We told American workers, your job's going to China. Your job's going to Mexico. Donald J. Trump was the first president to stand up, to have the backbone and say enough. Every single day he has fought for our workers, our communities and our industries. And the result is right here. Micron says it will invest more than $250 billion in the U.S. through 2035 to expand domestic chip production. The company says it plans to produce about 40 percent of its DRAM computer memory in the United States. That's the type of computer memory used in personal computers, laptops and smartphones. Micron says the investment will create tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. The Trump administration saying the New York project alone will support about 50,000 jobs. The announcement comes one day after Apple unveiled a $30 billion agreement with American semiconductor company Broadcom to expand chip production in the U.S. Lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic are focusing on China's trade in human organs. As the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would sanction foreign nationals linked to forced organ harvesting in China, a seminar over in the U.K.'s parliament puts a focus on China's illegal transplant trade. Here's more from NTD's Jane Wirral. A medical atrocity in the spotlight at a U.K. parliament seminar hosted by former leader of the Conservative Party, Sir Ian Duncan Smith. Experts on China presenting evidence of the Chinese Communist Party's lucrative forced organ harvesting trade, where victims die in the process of having their organs extracted and sold for profit. This is innocent people being used as an unwilling organ bank, and the mechanics of how it works is so, I guess, foreign to the common, you know, normal human being's mind that people rush away from this. And this has been one of the biggest challenges. The research is unequivocal, but what we've got with the Communist Party is cover-up, denial, counter-narratives. International human rights lawyer David Matus saying more legislation is needed, such as an immigration ban that would stop those complicit in organ harvesting from entering the U.K., and denying insurance to those who get a transplant in countries known for transplant abuse. He says governments across the world have gaps in their laws and could do more. The U.K. will soon have a new prime minister and a new cabinet, and some would say it's a chance for the U.K. to have a fresh look at its China strategy. They can choose to ignore this, or they can choose to follow America's lead, where you have a bipartisan movement towards finally passing laws on this very issue. We're at that point. It took us years. I'm ashamed of how long it took us to get to this point, but it's here. What I would ask the new prime minister to do is get his staff to offer him a proper briefing on the reality of this, and understand you're dealing with a regime that's not a normal regime. This is not a government that you can negotiate with in a traditional sense. It's not a government that believes in win-win. It's a government that's playing for all the marbles and wants the U.K. and the U.S. and Canada, my home country, as a vassal state, essentially. An independent panel of experts, the China Tribunal, concluding in 2019 that adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual practice are, quote, probably the main source of organ supply in communist China. There's mounting evidence that not only Falun Gong practitioners, but Uyghurs and other minority prisoners of conscience, including Tibetans and Christians, are also targeted. The government must acknowledge the severity of the crimes that Chinese government is committing against the people, not only Uyghurs, Tibetans and Falun Gongs. They need to send a very clear message to the government, to the Chinese government. Business cannot be as usual. There's evidence that forced organ harvesting has killed an untold number of victims. At the seminar, the speaker's bringing forward what concrete steps lawmakers can take next, and at the same time, giving a voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves. Jane Worrell, NTD News. Coming up, digital surveillance and A.I. raising new privacy concerns. Cybersecurity advisor Rex Lee says an electronic bill of rights could better protect Americans from big tech and foreign actors, including the Chinese Communist Party. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Concerns growing over digital surveillance and the global race for A.I. and a proposal for an electronic bill of rights is gaining international attention. Rex Lee, cybersecurity advisor of My Smart Privacy, says stronger digital protections are needed, not only against big tech, but also against foreign actors, including the Chinese Communist Party. Rex Lee, thank you so much for joining us. Always great to have you back on the show. Tiffany, thank you for having me on the show. Now, the U.S., of course, just celebrated the 250th anniversary of this country and, of course, the Constitution and Bill of Rights. But you've been working on something known as the Electronic Bill of Rights. Talk to us about the global traction that this has been getting. Well, Tiffany, I was invited to speak at a cybersecurity conference on tech, A.I. and governance last September in Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, where I was invited over there through Smart Africa. And so I was asked to provide a session on the need for an Electronic Bill of Rights. So, again, this year I'm being invited by Hack the Future through the U.K. Council on A.I. to speak at an event in Nairobi, Kenya in August, based on the need for an Electronic Bill of Rights. So it's gaining traction with foreign governments. So the Electronic Bill of Rights is simply a digital Bill of Rights framework that I was asked to author by Senator Ted Cruz's office in San Antonio after advising Congress on the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal involving Mark Zuckerberg. I was providing questions for Senator Blumenthal's office, most of the senators that were on the Judiciary Committee, including Senator Cruz's office, as well as providing the questions for the senators to ask Mark Zuckerberg, because they don't understand how these apps or platforms operate. And I do because I come out of the app and platform development industry through Carnegie Technologies. So what they wanted were digital rights not written from a tech lobbyist perspective, but somebody who actually has worked on what are called OTA or over their app and platforms, which support billions of end users. From my perspective, digital rights have to be steeped in the U.S. Constitution and existing federal and state consumer protection, child protection and privacy laws that are regulated by the FCC through public trust laws. What a lot of people don't understand today is that when they use their smartphone, tablet, PC, or any other device such as this, they produce the data through a product that they own. It's your data. And then these companies take that data from your device that you own, which I believe the data is your property, and they're exploiting it for targeted advertising. And then what that creates is privacy, security, safety, because they're doing it through addictive technologies embedded in these AI infused apps, platforms, social medias, and chatbots, as well as they're doing it at the expense of your civil liberties by proxy, as well as I believe that your constitutional rights are being violated as well because it's your property. You produce the data, you own the product, you should have rights. So that's how I designed the first edition of the Electronic Bill of Rights back in 2017. And for your viewers out there who follow the Epoch Times, I actually wrote a two-part article called The Need for an Electronic Bill of Rights that was published by the Epoch Times in 2019. So the Epoch Times has been out ahead of this issue since the beginning. I want to dig into that because you did mention the tech lobby and there's a lot of China influence there, if you will, or a lot of working with China. There's a lot of money to be made in China still. What is the concern there when you do have these foreign parties? You mentioned, of course, we're the ones producing this data, which is then being used by companies here in the States, but also elsewhere like China and Russia. Well, so you have to go back to privacy laws that are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. They're called public trust and obligation laws. And they bar unauthorized surveillance on any telephone, computer, or product supported by infrastructure regulated by the FCC, meaning that anything supported by a wireless network using licensed spectrum from the FCC for public use, landline, satellite, and fiber. So how this relates back to Chinese app developers, as well as domestic app developers, what has happened over the years is we're being surveilled by domestic companies as well as foreign companies, not just companies from China and Russia, but all around the world through our telephones. Literally, they're taking your logs. They're taking your emails, your email attachments, your messaging logs. They're recording you when you're not using the apps as well. And they're doing all this over FCC regulated infrastructure. I challenged that in 2015 when I filed a complaint against T-Mobile for transparency on how much information was being taken off my phone. And my case was upheld by the FCC, and T-Mobile had to answer that question. And they basically said any phone, computer, or connected product supported by Android, iOS, and Windows at that time had a mobile operating system are not private forms of telecommunications or computing due to uncontrollable pre-installed surveillance and data mining technology. This is the technology that's embedded in the apps that allow the app developers to collect your information. Any app developers, this includes app developers from Russia and China. So therein lies the problem. And tune into China In Focus tomorrow to watch the second part of the interview. Before we wrap up today's show, here's what we're looking out for this week. The international front against Beijing in the South China Sea is expanding beyond US allies in Asia. More reactions are expected throughout the week. China's second quarter GDP data is due on Wednesday. While China's official economic figures are often questioned because of the communist regime's lack of transparency and possible data manipulation, they can still reveal broader economic trends. And Typhoon Bavi is expected to move out of China by Tuesday, but flooding and rain could linger even after the storm weakens. That's all for today's China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. If you have any feedback on the show or have something you'd like to see us cover, send us an email at chinainfocusintd.com. We'd love to hear from you. For on the clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching.