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đŸ China is stealing
Good morning, readers!
Geopolitics nerds like us got a treat recently, getting a glimpse of what The Five Eyes are working on.
Youâve never heard of them? Itâs okay; most people havenât. In fact theyâve never convened to give an interview together. Thatâs how rare this is.
They are breaking that tradition to warn people about one country:
Todayâs hotspots
Chinaâs threat to democracy.
Itâs extremely rare to have all 5 top spy directors of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand in one room. In fact, itâs never been done before.
But they made it an occasion on 60 Minutes recently to expose the biggest threat to democracy and innovation: China.
This is what they are concerned about.
đŸ The Five Eyes.
Intelligence organizations from these five nations collectively form what is known as The Five Eyes. Essentially, it is an intelligence alliance.
Its origins trace back to the World War II era when American and British code-breakers held secret meetings.
đŸ The Five Eyes vs. the Dragon.
The interview was joined by:
US: Director of FBI, Christopher Wray
UK: Director General of MI5, Ken McCallum
Canada: Director of Canadian Security Intelligence Service, David Vigneault
Australia: Director-General of Security, Mike Burgess
New Zealand: Director-General of New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, Andrew Hampton
đ Key points from the interview:
The People's Republic of China represents the defining threat of this generation, this era.
This scale of the theft is unprecedented in human history.
China is trying to steal intellectual property, trade secrets, personal data, and much more from every sector of the economy and society.
China frequently gets into joint ventures with sensitive firms to infiltrate companies, bribing insiders to collaborate with Chinese hackers.
Increasing number of Chinese companies are purchasing land and building plants near US military bases. Recently, Arkansas became the first US state to force a Chinese entity to give up land.
Chinese spies exploit LinkedIn to identify and entice sector-specific workers into leaking sensitive information.
China is meddling in elections and influencing public opinion around to world.
There are around 2,000 active investigations related to Chinaâs espionage efforts.
đŸ Exporting repression.
China is not only stealing state secrets but also exporting its authoritarian influence.
Wray reveals that China tried to sabotage the candidacy of a congressional candidate Yan Xiong, a Chinese American who served in the US military and protested Chinaâs crackdown on Hong Kong.
đ China tried to:
Dig up dirt on him, but failed.
Fabricate lies about him, but failed.
Then they discussed killing him in a horrible âaccident.â
đŸ Why it matters.
This interview offers a unique insight into the strategies of The Five Eyes intelligence chiefs.
It reveals their united front against Chinaâs threat, their outreach to Silicon Valley and other resources, and the universal impact of Chinaâs actions, affecting not just governments and corporations, but individuals and communities too.
But most importantly: Could they be preparing the public for future action against China?
Quick updates
Click the country's name for more.đđ»
đźđ± Israel:
Hamas frees two more hostages.
In the midst of relentless airstrikes on Gaza, two elderly Israeli women, previously held hostage by Hamas since October 7, have been freed. After a brief stay in Egypt, they were flown to Tel Aviv for medical attention.
Meanwhile, the US calls for Israeli restraint against a ground incursion.
â± NOTE: Hamas still holds more than 200 hostages, including a 9-year-old boy who celebrated his birthday in captivity.
đźđ· Iran:
US braces for Iranian-backed militia attacks in the Middle East.
Iran is stirring up trouble in the region by encouraging its proxy groups to target US and Israeli forces. The US has intelligence that the militias are planning to ramp up their drone and missile attacks, as Iran tries to exploit the fierce backlash to US support for Israel.
â± NOTE: Despite lacking concrete proof of Iranâs direct involvement, the Pentagon says it will pin the recent assaults on US forces on Tehran.
đ«đźđȘđȘ Finland & Estonia:
NewNew Polar Bear.
Finland and Estonia are scrutinizing China in the pipeline sabotage probe.
Guess what was near the Baltic Sea gas pipeline when they were damaged by âexternal mechanical forceâ early this month?
A Chinese ship. Specifically, a Hong Kong-registered vessel named NewNew Polar Bear.
Thatâs at least what Finland and Estonia claim anyway. The two countries have asked China to cooperate with their investigations, but China denies wrongdoing.
â± NOTE: The gas pipeline, called Balticconnector, connects Estonia and Finland and is part of the EUâs energy security strategy.
đčđ· Turkey:
Turkish President Erdogan (left) shaking hands with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (right), as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg watches (middle).
Erdogan finally signs Swedenâs NATO bid, but will it pass the parliament?
Swedenâs NATO membership is teetering on the edge. After a lengthy delay, President Erdogan of Turkey has moved Swedenâs NATO application to parliament for approval.
Yet, itâs far from a sealed deal.
Swedenâs sheltering of Kurdistan Workerâs Party (PKK) members, labeled as âterroristsâ by Turkey, has soured relations. The final verdict is still up in the air.
â± NOTE: Hungary is also holding up Swedenâs bid.