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More Verfication: CCP Harvests Organs of Live Falun Gong Practitioners

On December 29, 2020, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) released a report based on an interview made in October 2016 on how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was harvesting the organs of Falun Gong practitioners while they were still alive. The statement by the interviewee, Mr. Lu Shuheng, corroborates previous reports and allegations and confirms that those at the Shanghai Armed Police Hospital did not use anesthetics in the organ harvesting process.  


Mr. Lu, a former Shanghai native residing in California, called the Sound of Hope Radio station in September 2016 while a program on organ harvesting was on the air. On October 2, 2016, Mr. Lu came to the Sound of Hope Radio station and sat in the studio to have a telephone interview with the WOIPFG about his knowledge of the CCP’s policy of harvesting organs from live Falun Gong practitioners.

 

To protect Mr. Lu, the WOIPFG did not release information about the interview until December 29, 2020.

 

Mr. Lu has been in the United States for over 20 years. Several relatives of his in Shanghai had been involved in harvesting the organs of live Falun Gong practitioners.  

 

During Mr. Lu’s visit to China in 2002, one of his relatives asked Mr. Lu to refer those people in the United States that needed an organ transplant. This relative said, “You keep an eye on this. If you can get in touch with a person (to do an organ transplant), you can earn a lot more money than doing renovations!” On another occasion, Mr. Lu learned that another relative, a doctor, performed organ transplant surgeries at the Shanghai Armed Police Hospital and was paid for each operation. “Money can be earned very quickly and in large amounts (when you do organ transplants). So, you just go outside to get (business)!” “The organs are of very good quality and are all fresh, all alive!” 

 

While on the operating table, Falun Gong practitioners would shout out “Falun Dafa is Good” until they succumbed to the pain. The parts needed for organ transplants were not anesthetized because the fewer anesthetics used, the fresher and better the organs would be for transplant.  

 

Mr. Lu has another relative who was deputy director of the Shanghai Labor Reform Bureau and deputy director of the Judicial Bureau. Sometimes, the CCP central government in Beijing would request this relative to swap Falun Gong practitioners for some prisoners so that these prisoners could be released. For each Falun Gong practitioner arrested, the Shanghai police would receive 500 yuan in cash. No booking record would be maintained and the Falun Gong practitioner would be sent directly to a secret location in Pudong, Shanghai.

 

The first allegation of the CCP conducting organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners was made on March 17, 2006, when a nurse from the Liaoning Thrombosis Hospital in Sujiatun, Shenyang City, came forward in Washington, D.C. to disclose the CCP’s large-scale organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. From 2001 to 2003, the hospital held about 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners. More than 4,000 of them were directly burned in a “cremator” in the backyard of the hospital after their organs had been harvested.

 

On July 6, 2006, two Canadian lawyers published an independent report. After assessing 18 elements of evidence that the authors submitted were ‘‘verifiable and in most cases incontestable,’’ the report concluded that ‘‘there has been and continues today to be large-scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners.’’

 

On June 17, 2019, an independent tribunal sitting in London concluded that the killing of detainees in China for organ transplants is continuing, and victims include imprisoned followers of the Falun Gong movement.

 

Source: World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, December 29, 2020

https://www.zhuichaguoji.org/node/130426

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability

President-elect Joe Biden Appointed Thomas Zimmerman to Serve as Deputy Lead for National Security Personnel

President-elect Joe Biden has appointed Thomas Zimmerman as a Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel as part of the new appointments he announced on December 30, 2020. Zimmerman will serve as Deputy Lead for National Security Personnel on the Biden-Harris Transition team.

Mr. Zimmerman has prior experience working in China as a visiting scholar at the Department of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS).

For example, on February 10, 2015, Mr. Zimmerman, senior project officer of the International Cooperation Office of New York University, delivered a speech at the SASS International Relations Institute on the future of the U.S. policy in Afghanistan. In his speech, he discussed the changes in the future U.S. security mission in Afghanistan and the corresponding policy adjustments, how U.S. domestic political changes in the general election would affect U.S. Afghanistan policy, and how China and the United States can jointly cooperate to carry out projects to achieve common goals.

On March 12, 2015, Mr. Zimmerman also participated and spoke at a forum titled, “U.S. Anti-Terrorism Policy and the Asian-African Counter-Terrorism Posture.” The Shanghai Institute of American Studies and the Center for West Asian and North African Studies of the SASS jointly organized the event. During the discussions, Mr. “Zimmerman expressed the belief that, in resolving the Afghanistan issue, the United States is also pinning its hopes on China, hoping that China can play an active role in it. The United States and China share common interests and goals on the issue of Afghanistan. China is advocating the construction of the ‘One Belt, One Road’ strategy, but due to the continued civil war in Afghanistan, the potential for economic cooperation in Afghanistan is difficult to evaluate. Western countries led by the United States have been making strategic retreats from this region and China’s role in resolving the Afghanistan issue has become increasingly apparent.”

In June 2016, Mr. Zimmerman visited the Shanghai Institute of American Studies and conducted internal discussions with attendees from SASS and the Shanghai Institute of American about the “One Belt and One Road,” terrorism issues, and the Sino-US anti-terrorism cooperation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

SASS, a leading think tank in China, was established in 1958 and is primarily funded by the Chinese government. According to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Keven Mallory in June 2017, since 2014, the FBI has assessed that the Shanghai State Security Bureau (SSSB), a sub-component of China’s Ministry of State Security, has had a close relationship with SASS and uses SASS employees as spotters and assessors. The FBI has further assessed that SSSB intelligence officers have also used SASS affiliation as cover identities.

Sources:
Shanghai Institute of American Studies
http://www.sias.org.cn/uploadfiles/2016/09/201609070918471847.pdf
U.S. Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/975671/download

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Global Times: China Will Not Hesitate to Strike Back

On January 11, China’s State media Global Times issued the second editorial responding to the January 9, 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo’s lifting of all restrictions on the official interactions with Taiwan. Global Times issued its first editorial on January 10.

Global Times complained that, “The American establishment is watching from the sidelines and Pompeo and his cohorts are doing whatever they want with Sino-US relations, without any restraints.”

The editorial stated that Pompeo’s moves on Taiwan lack strong support and many want to see the moves fail. “We [China] must turn the final ten days of struggle into a closure that defines a clear bottom line and show to the U.S. and Taiwan the grave consequences when they hit the bottom line.”

The editorial stressed that China must hit back hard. Otherwise, “the Biden Administration will mistakenly believe that the room for pressure on China may be further expanded. The Sino-U.S. relations in the next four years will have a very unfavorable start for China.”

Source: Global Times, January 11, 2021
https://opinion.huanqiu.com/article/41TJNf78eEB

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Xingtai Calls for Emergency Donations of Pandemic Materials

On January 10, 2021, the United Front Work Department of the Xingtai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Hebei Province, issued a solicitation calling for emergency donations of pandemic materials for Nangong city which is under Xingtai’s jurisdiction.

According to the solicitation, the Xingtai epidemic is at a critical stage. “The situation is grave and the task is arduous.” Nangong City urgently needs the following 16 categories of items: single beds, mattresses, quilts; pillows, toiletry bags, thermos bottles, electric kettles, electric plug panels, water buckets with lids; water scoops, washbasins; hand sanitizers, (13) bed sheets, trash bins, medical disposal bags, and portable potties.

“5,000 sets of the above 16 items are urgently needed: 1,000 sets are needed today (January 10), 2,000 more are needed tomorrow (January 11), and the remaining 2,000 sets may be accepted in installments. It is preferred that all sets come in together at one time.”

The authorities indicated that these materials will be used for front-line medical workers and those personnel working with quarantined people.

Source: Dazhongwang, January 11, 2021
https://w.dzwww.com/p/7571109.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Global Times: Count-down of Taiwan’s Final Days

On January 10, 2021, China’s State media Global Times published an editorial in response to the U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo’s announcement on January 9, 2021, that lifts self-imposed restrictions on the U.S.-Taiwan relationship in terms of interactions between diplomats, service members, and other officials of the United States and their Taiwanese counterparts. 

Entitled “Pompeo may have started the count-down of Taiwan’s final days,” the Global Times editorial stated, “Pompeo once again is frantically digging holes and placing mines for Sino-US relations and the Taiwan issue. This is a criminal, structural sabotage to cross-strait peace and the bottom-line stability of Sino-US relations. The extent of its severe consequences is unpredictable.”

The editorial believes Pompeo’s announcement indicates two uncertainties: whether Biden will implement this policy and whether Pompeo will make further big moves such as Pompeo’s surprise visit to Taiwan before stepping down.

“Whether [we should] push the Biden Administration to abolish the crazy decision of the last days of the current U.S. Administration or prevent Pompeo and others from taking actions beyond the bottom line at the last minute, Beijing must clearly and resolutely oppose the U.S. extreme provocations and be determined to fight head-on.” 

 “Beijing needs to send a strong signal that the United States must stop before it is too late. It must let the United States and Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party authorities know that if they dare to let Pompeo visit Taiwan before the end of his term, Beijing’s response will be overwhelming.”

The editorial continued with a threat to Taiwan saying, “The last few days of the current U.S. administration may also be the last few days of the existence of the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party.”

The editorial stated that Biden is “worried that the Trump administration may do stupid things including the use of atomic bombs in the last few days.” “If they had a sudden showdown on the Taiwan issue, it would be equivalent to throwing an atomic bomb into world peace. We must give the most severe punishment to those that destroy peace.”

Source: Global Times, January 10, 2021
https://opinion.huanqiu.com/article/41SWawR9QGt

 

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

354 Tested Positive and 11,708 Quarantined in Shijiazhuang

At a press conference on January 8, 2021, the Hebei Province authorities stated that, from January 6 to January 9, 2021, Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, tested 10,251,875 residents for COVID-19. There were 354 positive results and 11,708 residents were quarantined.

Of the 354 positive cases, 298 were from in the Gaocheng District. Gaochen is one of eight districts of the prefecture-level city of Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province.

In Shijiazhuang, local stores are operating online exclusively to serve residents in the 537 residential communities. They include 90 produce wholesale markets, 59 medium to large supermarkets, 359 chain convenience stores, and 1,200 community convenience stores.

According to the local authorities, as of 8 am on January 9, 2021, Shijiazhuang had quarantined 11,708 people and has activated 120 quarantine facilities. The epidemic has not shown a clear turning point, and the risk of spreading still remains.

Source: Sina.com, January 9, 2021
https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/2021-01-09/doc-iiznezxt1528200.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Jiang Jinquan – New Chief Advisor to CCP Leaders

On October 30, 2020, at the press conference of the CCP Central Committee for the 5th Plenary Session of the 19th CCP National Congress, Jiang Jinquan appeared for the first time as Director of the CCP Central Policy Research Office. His appearance confirms that he has been promoted from Deputy Director.

Jiang’s predecessor, Wang Huning, held the position since 2002 and served three CCP Secretaries, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping. For 18 years, Wang had been the chief advisor to the CCP leaders.

Jiang was the focus of the press conference on October 3 as the new Director of the CCP Central Policy Research Office.

The CCP Central Policy Research Office is the highest level think tank of the CCP and an agency directly under the CCP Central Committee. It is dedicated to researching political theories and policies, and to drafting documents for the Politburo. Its functions mainly include “drafting the work report of the Central Committee of the National Party Congress” and “participating in drafting the documents for large-scale Central Committee meetings.”

Jiang Jinquan has been a veteran at the CCP Central Policy Research Office reaching the position of Deputy Director in 2016. In 2018, he was seen accompanying Xi Jinping together with CCP senior leaders, above the CCP provincial heads. He was thus viewed as a member of the core Xi Jinping group.

Jiang Jinquan is an expert on CCP party development. He specializes in the theory of party development in the Central Policy Research Office. He first summarized Deng Xiaoping’s theory on party building, then studied Jiang Zemin’s party-building ideas, and later systematized Hu Jintao’s party-building activities. He was a member of the document drafting group of the 19th CCP National Congress and a member of the CCP Charter revision group. Currently, he is also a member of the CCP Central Party-Building Work Leading Group and head of its secretary group. He has been regarded as a key assistant to Wang Huning.

Source: The Storm Media, October 30, 2020
https://www.storm.mg/article/3159738

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Exporting Excess Capacity through “One Belt One Road”

An internal Chinese Communist Party (CCP) document that Jilin Province issued reveals that the purpose of China’s “One Belt One Road” strategy is to enable China to export excess capacity.

The document disclosed that one of the main tasks of China’s industrial transformation and upgrading is to “solve the excess capacity” problem through the “One Belt One Road” strategy.

According to the Jilin Provincial Government, “with the ‘One Belt One Road’ strategy leading us, our province should take the initiative to find the consumer market, digest excess capacity, adjust economic structure, promote industrial transformation, and promote product upgrading.” The document mentioned China’s first automobile manufacturing plant “FAW” located in Jilin Province, saying that “Changchun FAW and its supporting enterprises will usher in a rare opportunity.”

FAW has had a serious overcapacity problem. Its brands, Pentium, Red Flag, FAW Jilin, and FAW Tianjin have a combined total production capacity of 780,000 vehicles. In 2017, the sales volume was only 210,000 vehicles, and the capacity utilization rate was less than 30 percent.

According to statistics that the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers released, due to the continued decrease in sales and the continued increase in production capacity, the capacity utilization rate of passenger vehicles in China has dropped from 66.55 percent in 2017 to 53.74 percent in 2019.

Internal documents from Anhui Province also show that local governments are actively transferring excess production capacity through “One Belt One Road.”

In the documents, the CCP Chuzhou municipal government in Anhui Province encourages companies with excess capacity to invest in countries along the “One Belt One Road” and focus on supporting companies involving cement, glass and construction materials to establish production facilities along the route.

Source: Epoch Times, October 7, 2020
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/20/10/6/n12458129.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics