Chinese and Japanese vessels are facing off in disputed waters near Taiwan, as China cancels 40 percent of scheduled flights to Japan. Tensions between two of Asia’s biggest economies are rising fast. Marine Col. Grant Newsham joins us to unpack what this means for the region:”The Chinese are constantly testing, constantly probing, to see what the Japanese will do to defend themselves, and, as importantly, what the Americans will do to step in to help the Japanese,” he says. “[One possibility is] a standing headquarters where Japanese and American forces and officers conduct the necessary patrols and exercises, ready to defend the area, and, if necessary, to push back, or even to shoot back, if fired upon. We don’t have that. Amazingly enough, the Japanese seem to be wanting to do it themselves, and it doesn’t appear the Americans have actually talked to the Japanese and said, ‘Look, let’s do this together.'”The poor quality of Chinese goods is also back in the spotlight after a devastating fire in Hong Kong. Counterfeit goods cost one Chinese businessman millions of dollars in losses. He shares his firsthand experience: “These counterfeit goods aren’t just made by one company—they’re part of a nationwide, systematic problem.”FBI Director Kash Patel tells The Epoch Times that fentanyl traffickers are struggling as critical precursors from China dry up. But will the Chinese regime honor its side of the fentanyl deal with America?00:00 Intro00:22 Japan Expels 2 Chinese Ships From Disputed Waters01:36 China Cuts 40 Percent of December Flights to Japan03:28 Newsham on China–Japan Tensions and the Senkaku Islands04:09 Beijing Escalates Claims Over Japan’s Senkaku Islands05:12 China Risks Clash While Escalating Tensions With Japan07:09 Lack of Joint Defense Leaves Senkaku Islands Exposed10:10 China Eyes Senkaku to Secure Taiwan Flank11:50 Hong Kong Vows Reform After Fire Kills 15615:06 Fake Goods Are a ‘State-Backed’ Industry in China17:06 Patel: Cartels ‘Scrambling’ After China Fentanyl Cutoff
