China Reportedly Hacked Into AT&T, Verizon Networks | China in Focus

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story. China reportedly hacking into networks run by Verizon and AT&T. What's at stake with the major breach? Two Chinese nationals killed in an explosion in Pakistan. A militant group says it carried out the attack targeting Chinese nationals. A movie screening in Delaware shining a spotlight on forced Oregon harvesting in China. A heart transplant recipient shocked by China's rapid timeline for sourcing fresh organs. So many people here pass away waiting for Oregon. And Coast Guard troops from China and Russia patrolled together in the Arctic for the first time. What's their plan for the ice-covered ocean? We look at the big picture. Chinese hackers have breached three major telecommunications providers, AT&T, Verizon and Lumen. That's according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post citing unnamed officials. NTD reached out to the three companies. AT&T gave no comment on the Washington Post article. The others did not reply before airtime. Officials said there could be more victims as the hackers first got into the systems months ago. Authorities are investigating the case to figure out the true scale of the breach. At stake is the system that these companies use to work with federal authorities for lawful wiretapping requests. A former U.S. intelligence official told the Washington Post that if China gets a hold of the information, it could prove a major setback for U.S. efforts to collect Chinese intelligence saying, quote, it enables them to understand exactly who the U.S. government is interested in and to either undermine the government's intelligence collection efforts or to feed the United States disinformation. It's unclear if Chinese hackers have accessed the information. The FBI warned this April that Chinese hackers have managed to breach critical U.S. infrastructure from telecommunications to water treatment facilities. We found persistent PRC access in our critical telecommunications, energy, water and other infrastructure sectors. All of this with the goal of giving the Chinese government the ability to wait for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow. These hackers are tied to the Chinese army. In August, they compromised four U.S. internet companies. The victims' names were not made public. Beijing has been lifting information from the U.S. through cyber attacks for decades. A list of information that Chinese hackers stole, security clearance, background information on over 20 million Americans, financial records on 150 million Americans. In 2006, a bureau under the U.S. Commerce Department had to throw away all of their computers following cyber attacks from China. Two Chinese nationals are dead in Pakistan after an attack. The group that claimed responsibility for the attack said they targeted Chinese nationals. This asks the Chinese Communist Party seeks to expand its influence in Asia. Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday night. That's according to the Chinese embassy in Pakistan in what it called a terrorist attack. In a statement emailed to journalists, the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the explosion, stating it was aimed at a convoy of Chinese engineers using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. Karachi police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, Deputy Inspector General of Police Azfar Mahesar gave this update late Sunday. According to initial information, an oil tanker caught fire which spread to several other vehicles causing collateral damage. We're determining if there was an element of terrorism involved, which we cannot rule out at the moment. Pakistan broadcaster Jio News reported at least 10 others were injured in the blast. The Chinese embassy condemned the attack, expressing condolences to the victims and their families. The BLA, seeking independence for Balochistan, has a history of targeting Chinese interests. The group accusing Beijing of aiding in the exploitation of the region. Similar incidents have been reported several times in the last years. Last time in March, a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers working on a hydropower project in Pakistan. Pakistan is a key part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, which the U.S. and its Western allies criticize as being debt-trapped diplomacy. That's because China seizes major assets, like infrastructure, for any countries it lends to that become unable to pay off their Chinese debt. Forced organ harvesting in China. One of the darkest human rights abuses of our time. A new movie titled State Organs is working to expose these crimes, shocking many audience members at last week's screening in Delaware. Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting and the Delaware Medical Freedom Alliance organized a screening of State Organs. The movie exposes forced organ harvesting in China. It's an atrocity. It truly is. The screening also featured a panel discussion with experts and Zheng Peiming. He's the first known survivor of forced organ harvesting. Zheng described his ordeal in graphic detail, recounting the pain he endured, as well as his miraculous escape. He added, quote, Millions are still suffering. I stand here today not just for myself, but for all the victims who cannot speak. A heart transplant recipient from Delaware also attended the screening, saying he was shocked to find out that people can get new organs in China within weeks. So many people here pass away waiting for organs. The president of the Delaware Medical Freedom Alliance called what China is doing criminal human rights abuse. He added that people should do more to fight it. You know, a lot of people in America are apathetic to what happens here. And they say, well, there's nothing we can do about it. So something happening 10,000 miles away, they're even more apathetic because they don't know what they can do about it. He says the most important thing people can do is to speak up and to stand up against evil when they see it happening anywhere around the globe. Aryan Pasdar, NTD News. Next, rising joint activities by Russia and China right on America's near Arctic doorstep. The U.S. Coast Guard recently located four Chinese and Russian patrol vessels in the Bering Sea, which sits right between Alaska and Russia. Last Wednesday, China admitted for the first time that its Coast Guard troops have conducted joint patrols in the Arctic Sea with their Russian counterparts. Beijing added that Chinese troops have been patrolling in the northern Pacific Ocean since late September. The Chinese report came one day after the Pentagon warned about Beijing and Moscow's increasing interests in the region. The Bering Sea sits at a crossroads between Russia, the U.S. state of Alaska, the Arctic Ocean and the northern Pacific Ocean. It's becoming increasingly important for strategic fronts like the economy and defense. Here's why. More sea routes have become accessible as the icebergs in the Arctic melt. And China is seeking to hop on the trend, mainly to gain alternative pathways if the U.S. alliance were to block its major trade routes in the Indo-Pacific. What's more, the Arctic's rich resources make it even more appealing to China. To access the Arctic, China must work with Russia, which controls the longest coast in the Arctic. Western sanctions on Russia after invading Ukraine have pushed Moscow and Beijing closer than ever. China has already invested heavily in Russian oil and natural gas projects in the Arctic. What's even more concerning, experts predict Moscow would likely fire nuclear-powered missiles from Russia over the Arctic in a potential conflict as the U.S. ability to deter strikes in the region is lacking. For a deep dive into China's Arctic presence, we spoke to Rick Fisher, Senior Fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center. Rick Fisher, thank you so much for joining us. Great to have you back on the show. Thank you, Tiffany, for having me back. China's Coast Guard entered the Arctic Ocean for the first time. This was part of a joint with Russia, although Russia has not acknowledged that the drill took place. But what message is China sending here, especially by working with Russia? The Coast Guard exercise, joint Coast Guard exercise, is really just the latest in a number of joint Chinese-Russian military adventures in the vicinity of Alaska and the Arctic, to include joint bomber exercises, joint patrols of naval combatant ships, Chinese deployment of bombers to bases much closer to Alaska, and now the joint Coast Guard exercise. The Chinese and the Russians simply want to impose on the United States added burdens, that as the United States increases its assistance in deployments in Northeast Asia to help Japan, to defend South Korea, to help defend Taiwan, China and Russia have the option of, shall we say, increasing the heat near Alaska. Now, Rear Admiral Megan Dean said in a statement, quote, this recent activity demonstrates the increased interest in the Arctic by our strategic competitors. Now, given this increased interest, especially as you laid out, this isn't the first time we saw the bombers in July and then the navies in 2022 and 2023. What does the Arctic offer strategically, economically, both Russia and China really want? Well, they both covet a secure, alternate, strategic, logistic route that would allow Russia to ship petroleum in great volumes, so much more cheaply to Chinese coastal cities, and also for the Chinese to load their exports to Russia, including military exports, into what, at least for the most part, is a secure route. And having to sail past Alaska is not secure, of course, but once they get past Alaska, they're pretty secure because it'll be quite difficult for the allies to operate in the Arctic that close to the northern areas of Russia. Rick Fisher, thank you so much for your time. Tiffany, thank you. Coming up, the future of a U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean hangs in the balance. The U.K. now primed to hand over the land to a country closely tied to China. Facing Indo-Pacific threats posed by Beijing and North Korea, two U.S. allies look to deepen their strategic partnership. All while their navies train in the waters they seek to protect. And from a Chinese Communist Party advocate to Beijing's critic, a Chinese man in exile tells NTD what sparked his 180-degree flip. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. A power struggle in the Indian Ocean. Britain is returning the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, an island country in East Africa. Despite the handover, it's keeping control over a shared U.K.-U.S. military base in the territory. But critics are condemning the move. They say Mauritius has close ties to China. NTD's international correspondent Malcolm Hudson has more for us from London. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended a deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to the small East African island nation Mauritius. Critics of the deal have warned it risks allowing China to gain a military foothold in the Indian Ocean, while others have raised concerns about the potential future of other U.K. overseas territories. Starmer was questioned about this on Friday. In relation to the Chagos Islands, look, the single most important thing was ensuring that we had a secure base, the joint U.S. in particular, U.K. base. Hugely important to the U.S., hugely important to us. We've now secured that, and that is why you saw such warm words from the U.S. yesterday. Under the agreement, the Diego Garcia military base on Chagos will remain under U.S. and U.K. control for at least 99 years. The U.S. has had a presence there since 1966, with an air base playing a crucial role during the 2003 Iraq War. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the deal guarantees the U.K.'s long-term relationship with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner. The U.K. has been negotiating with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands since November 2022. But talks halted under the previous British government amid concerns over Chinese influence. Mauritius has a close relationship with China. Last month, the Bank of Mauritius and the People's Bank of China signed a bilateral currency swap agreement. The two countries have also signed a free trade agreement, which came into force in 2021. These strategic ties have been touted as helping Mauritius establish itself as an international financial centre in the region. British politician Ian Duncan Smith, who has been sanctioned by China, said giving up Chagos is a huge mistake. He said he cannot see how the U.K. or the U.S. will be able to continue using the island base as is currently done. The Chagos Islands are one of the U.K.'s last remaining overseas territories. Thirteen others remain, including the Falkland Islands next to Argentina. Amid the agreement over the Chagos Islands, Argentina has vowed to gain full sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Falkland's Governor Alison Blake has sought to reassure residents that Britain maintains unwavering commitment to her territory. She said that the historical context between the Chagos and Falkland Islands is very different. Malcolm Hudson, NTD News London. A small island country in South Asia, the Maldives, taking one step closer to India. The Maldives president is expected to talk with top Indian officials this week, with a focus on mending ties that have deteriorated and seeking more support and cooperation. On the other side, India is looking to recover its military presence in the country. For decades, neighbouring India has been a critical provider of development assistance to the country. But China also has interest in the Maldives. Beijing has lent the country nearly 1.4 billion dollars, about 11 times what India has lent to the nation. What's more, the Maldives sits on a strategic location in the Indian Ocean. It's critical to China's oil shipments from the Persian Gulf. India aims to reduce China's military influence in the region due to security concerns. And more on the Indo-Pacific. Two U.S. treaty allies, South Korea and the Philippines, deepening their partnership. On Monday, the two nations announced broader strategic defence and security cooperation. NTD's Flora Hua has more. Our two countries will continue to work together in order to establish a rules-based maritime order and for freedom of navigation and overflight, in pursuance of the principles of international law in the South China Sea. President Marcos and I reaffirmed that the international community will never condone North Korea's nuclear programs and its reckless provocation, as well as its illegitimate military cooperation with Russia. The South Korean president kicked off an Asia trip by making the Philippines his first stop. He said that North Korea will likely stage major provocations ahead of the U.S. November election, such as a nuclear test explosion and a long-range missile test. Besides tensions on the Korean Peninsula, territory disputes in the South China Sea were also on the agenda. The Philippines faces repeated aggression from China in the disputed waters. Seoul also pledged to help modernize the Philippine military and strengthen cooperation between their coastguards. At the same time, naval drills involving forces from the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Japan and the Philippines are underway in the waters between the Philippines and Taiwan. And in China, a recent survey reveals how China's struggling economy is hitting public sentiment. Data signals that the percentage of Chinese citizens who are optimistic about the future has taken a significant plunge since Chinese leader Xi Jinping took office. About one-sixth of Chinese people say they feel pessimistic about the future, seven times more than the number 20 years ago. The bleak figure comes from a BBC report citing a joint survey by Harvard and Stanford. About three-quarters of Chinese people were hopeful about the future in 2014 when Xi Jinping took office. That number plummeted to less than half in 2023, a drop of 26 percent. Meanwhile, over 60 percent of respondents agree that effort is always rewarded before 2014. By 2023, only 28 percent said they believed if they work hard, their hard work would pay off. A young Chinese man making a dramatic transformation, shifting from a devoted supporter of the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, to a passionate critic. In an exclusive interview with NTD, he shares his journey of breaking free from the regime's propaganda, uncovering stark realities under CCP rule, and ultimately deciding to stand against it. My great-grandfather was one of those persecuted by the Communist Party. The CCP coerced the public into turning against him, ultimately leading to his tragic death. Zhang Guorui is a young man from southern China's Guangdong province, now living in exile in the Netherlands. At an event last week condemning the Chinese Communist Party for its takeover of China, Zhang delivered a powerful testimony. He told NTD that his great-grandfather, a landlord, was killed during a brutal political campaign half a century ago. Zhang once viewed his great-grandfather's death as a historical tragedy, but didn't recognize it as a consequence of the CCP's rule. He explained that at the time, he thought the regime had good intentions, largely due to being influenced by extensive propaganda campaigns. But then something changed. What really got me thinking was a story I heard from a veteran at a small shop in my hometown. His experiences showed me the true nature of the Communist Party. The veteran Zhang spoke with had lost both legs during a battle, yet he received the equivalent of just $21 a month in benefits from the state. For Zhang, it highlighted the harsh reality of the CCP's abandonment of those who sacrificed for the country, and awakened him to what he now says is the cruel nature of the regime. Zhang's family also experienced the CCP's oppression firsthand. That's when the regime forcibly demolished their mushroom farm and refused to compensate them for the loss. Zhang later discovered online reports of many similar cases across China, found through bypassing China's censorship firewall. The knowledge spurred him to become an outspoken critic of the regime. He frequently expressed his anti-communist views in public restrooms using a sharpie, chosen because they're among the rare public spaces without surveillance cameras. Soon after he tweeted a video of himself writing slogans in a public restroom, all of his social media accounts based in China got blocked by Chinese authorities. The police raided his home and summoned his relatives to pressure him. Zhang left China for the Netherlands last April. He now participates in the anti-communist movement overseas. He says he's deeply concerned for young people his age. He believes that only by maintaining independent thinking can they break free from the CCP's brainwashing. 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 ChinaInFocusNTD.com. We'd love to hear from you. For around the clock original news coverage, visit us at NTD.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching. See you soon. Coming up on NTD, stay tuned for America's Hope with Kelly Wright. On October 7th last year, Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250 hostages. In response, Israel initiated military operations in Gaza to eliminate Hamas and recover the hostages. The conflict persists a year later, with many hostages still unaccounted for, despite global calls for a ceasefire. This episode revisits Kelly Wright's report on survivors, the families of hostages, and leaders striving for peace in the Middle East. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protests continue, as Israel confronts threats from Hamas, Hezbollah and other radical groups. That's tonight at 10 p.m. after China In Focus. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.