ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON—Japan led an annual multinational naval exercise that included the Philippines as an observer for the first time, as Filipino coast guard vessels are increasingly harassed by China in the disputed South China Sea. The Annualex exercises that began Saturday off Japan’s coast also included the United States, Australia, and Canada. Their aim is to demonstrate and increase ways the navies can work together, and show their presence and commitment to defend a “free and open” Indo-Pacific, which the allies say is hampered by China’s growing ambitions that include sweeping territorial claims. On Saturday, a selected group of journalists, including The Associated Press, flew on an V-22 Osprey aircraft to the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to observe takeoffs and landings of F-35C “Lightning” stealth fighters, as well as F/A-18 Super Hornet jets and E/A-18 Growlers. The Japanese destroyer Hyuga showed its presence next to the carrier....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/philippines-joins-japan-led-naval-drills-as-brushes-with-china-rise-in-disputed-south-china-sea-5527665
Canadian prime ministers were “ignorant” when they sought economic favour with China and fostered ties with a key political figure involved in Beijing’s organ harvesting from Falun Gong prisoners of conscience, says a former RCMP director. Garry Clement, a former national director of the RCMP Proceeds of Crime Program, made this remark during an event in Ottawa on Nov. 9 marking the launch of his new book, “Under Cover: Inside the Shady World of Organized Crime and the RCMP.” In the book, Mr. Clement recounted his three-year deployment to Hong Kong from 1991 to 1994. During this time, he gained insight how Asian-based crime organizations that extend their operations to Canada are connected to the CCP. In particular, he developed an understanding of the Chinese transnational organized crime syndicates known as “triads” and how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses these gang members for extensive foreign interference and penetration into Canadian society.... 
Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Nov. 9 introduced legislation that requires U.S. investment firms to disclose their private equity, hedge funds, and venture capital investments in foreign adversaries, such as China, in an effort to enhance transparency into how American dollars are invested. The bill, titled the “Disclosing Investments in Foreign Adversaries Act,” requires private investment funds to inform the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) annually of any investments in China and other “countries of concern,” including Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The legislation also requires the SEC to publish an annual report of private funds that invest in these countries and the percentage of those investments....
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday said President Joe Biden is “responsibly” managing U.S.–China competition, and therefore there is a need to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in person on Wednesday. However, one Republican senator has said that the U.S. commander-in-chief has chosen to “embarrass the U.S. here at home.” “The U.S. and China are in competition. President Biden is trying to manage that competition responsibly, so it doesn’t tip over into conflict,” Mr. Sullivan said in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Nov. 12. “President Biden believes there is no substitute for leader-to-leader engagement, face to face, to manage a complex relationship like the U.S.–China relationship.”...