In Beijing’s latest purge of top-tier defense officials, General Li Shangfu is the most senior leader to be “disappeared” inside China. What does the leadership shake-up mean for the Communist Party? Plus, a clue about why hints of China’s future war could be more than just talk. From mopping up Iranian crude oil to an AI race complete with killer robots, war preparations appear to be well underway. How should Washington up its game? Topics in this episode: China’s ‘Missing’ Defense Minister Reportedly Under Investigation U.S. Air Force Sec. Warns of Chinese Military Threat U.S. Seizes Oil Shipment from Iranian Terrorist Org.; DOJ Makes First Criminal Res. on an Oil Sanctions Violator AI-Powered Weapons: the U.s.-China Race for Tech China Sanctions U.S. Defense Contractors House GOP Target Chinese Companies Huawei, SMIC Research Group Hit With Cyber Attack After Sharing Organ Harvesting Testimony China’s Overseas Repression: Canadian Warning ‘A Messy War Scenario’: Mills on China’s Military Shake-Up Leads to ‘Chaos’ ...Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/chinas-missing-defense-minister-reportedly-under-investigation-5492509
Mystery surrounding the whereabouts of China’s defense chief just months after he ascended to the post is now fueling questions about his fate and the stability of the Chinese Communist Party. Li Shangfu, whom Chinese leader Xi Jinping handpicked as his defense minister in March, has been missing from public view for 17 days straight, with his last appearance dated on Aug. 29, delivering a keynote address to African defense officials at the security forum in Beijing. A stream of reports citing sources in China and U.S. officials suggest that Mr. Li has been stripped of his responsibilities and is possibly under investigation for corruption, which would make him the fourth senior Chinese official falling from grace less a year into Mr. Xi’s third term.... 
A U.S. House panel on China asked the Department of Treasury to clarify whether it would endorse U.S. taxpayer funding for a Chinese green energy company over its battery plant in Michigan. The inquiry comes as the Treasury formulates its guidance on applying the term “foreign entity of concern” to incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a new law partly aimed at reducing U.S. dependence on China for renewable energy. “It is perplexing that the U.S. government would perpetuate this chokehold by actively supporting CCP-backed companies expanding their foothold in the U.S. market, especially in a crucial sector such as lithium-ion battery manufacturing,” the chair and the ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wrote in their Wednesday letter to the Treasury, saying that the United States is trying to “reduce the CCP’s chokehold over critical supply chains.”...