Today’s Focus: CIA Exposes Brutal Power Struggles within the Chinese Communist Party, Urging Mainland Officials to Take Control of Their Own Destiny; False Toughness or Real Panic, How Long Can the CCP Hold On? Drought Hits Wheat Fields in Shaanxi, Government Neglects Disaster Relief and Instead Orders the Uprooting of Sichuan Peppercorn Trees.
In recent years, an increasing number of CCP officials have gone missing, from high-ranking leaders to grassroots officials, from local regions to the military. Many individuals have mysteriously disappeared! For example, Qin Gang, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the CCP, who often appeared publicly, vanished without a trace during that period. Even lesser-known figures have vanished without causing any ripples. In such an environment, officials at all levels in the CCP are feeling insecure.
In response to this situation, on May 1, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States released two videos aimed at recruiting dissidents in China and dissatisfied officials of the CCP to provide intelligence for the United States.
The two videos, each about three minutes long and produced by the CIA, are in Mandarin. The videos feature Hollywood-style editing and compelling plotlines. The footage is clean, the music tense, the dialogues restrained, and the message clear.
Currently, the videos have been uploaded to the CIA’s YouTube, Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, and X platforms.
The first video targets high-level CCP officials. In the video, senior CCP officials witness their colleagues being purged, sentenced, or even disappearing. They are left feeling uneasy and unsure about the future. The video provides an answer, with a line appearing prominently at the end: “Your destiny is in your hands.”
The second video targets lower-level officials. It focuses on ordinary people who have dedicated themselves within the system but have no opportunities for advancement, toiling for the benefit of others. The video also ends with the message: “Heaven helps those who help themselves. Your destiny is in your hands.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that these two videos are meant to inform those who wish to “come out” that they have other options. The videos instruct these individuals on how to contact the United States through the CIA’s “dark web communication channels” and emphasize the security and confidentiality of this channel, ensuring the future of defectors and their families.
Ratcliffe highlighted that these videos can bypass the CCP’s “firewall” and reach the intended audience. He revealed that the previously released Chinese “dark web guide” had reached millions of Chinese users. This indicates a significant amount of interest among the population in this type of information.
Ratcliffe stated that during his tenure as the first Director of National Intelligence of the Trump administration, the U.S. intelligence system had already begun actively “disentangling” from the CCP, a trend that continues.
This series of actions by the CIA sends a clear signal, indicating that the U.S. intelligence system is actively seeking cooperation with “insiders” within the CCP. The future developments are worth monitoring.
Currently, intense power struggles are ongoing within the top echelons of the CCP. High-ranking officials such as Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, and He Weidong have successively been reported as missing or disgraced, causing a panic throughout the entire CCP officialdom. These feelings of unrest were long anticipated by the CIA.
Former CIA China Analysis Chief Dennis Wilder told the Financial Times, “This type of recruitment video is unprecedented for the CIA’s operations in China.”
During the previous Trump administration, Ratcliffe served as the Director of National Intelligence. At that time, he stated that the CCP was the most formidable adversary of the United States, in terms of economic, political, and military aspects.
In April of this year, Ratcliffe announced in an internal memo that countering the CCP is the CIA’s top mission. He warned, “There has been no more dangerous adversary than the Chinese Communist Party in the history of our nation.” He stated that the CCP is determined to dominate economically, militarily, and technologically worldwide and is actively seeking to surpass the United States in various corners of the globe. The CIA must intensify its efforts to counter the CCP’s threats.
The U.S.-China trade war is escalating, with the CCP recently releasing a high-profile video titled “Don’t Kneel” in both Chinese and English, claiming never to succumb to the United States in trade issues. However, the CCP’s hardline stance has not ignited patriotic fervor among the people. Instead, many criticize the CCP, feeling its vulnerability and struggles under pressure are evident from the video.
Critics point out that just from the theme “Don’t Kneel” itself, the “wolf warrior” tactics displayed by the CCP do not demonstrate a resolute attitude of “holding firm to the end” but rather an internal struggle of “whether to kneel or not.” It can be said that this video sends a clear message to the outside world: the trade war has pushed the CCP to a dead end, where there is no such thing as “Don’t Kneel,” only cowardice in the face of hopelessness.
In the video, while the CCP loudly proclaims not to kneel and encourages countries to resist American “hegemony,” it also derides countries cooperating with the United States as “drinking poison to quench thirst,” and “bowing and scraping,” subtly suggesting that those engaging in trade negotiations with the United States have already “kneeled.”
Comments suggest that the CCP’s attempt to disguise its weakness and inadequacy by elevating its own status while belittling other countries will only arouse resentment and prevent them from gaining true allies. Ultimately, it could lead to “shooting themselves in the foot.”
Analysts indicate that the true purpose of this CCP video is not only self-promotion but also to incite a global anti-American wave, with the CCP even likening itself to a “torch in the dark,” attempting to play a leadership role in a global anti-American alliance.
However, reality is cold and cruel. To date, the vast majority of countries globally have chosen to engage in negotiations with the United States. These countries prioritize their own interests and are not willing to take sides with the CCP at a critical moment in reshaping the new trade order, thereby offending the United States.
Even Vietnam, considered a little brother by the CCP, promptly sided with the United States to block the CCP. Despite Xi Jinping’s personal visit and signing of multiple agreements with Vietnam, their stance remained unchanged.
Countries closely affiliated with the CCP, such as Cambodia, also expressed willingness to compromise with the United States and actively cooperated in blocking Chinese products from entering their markets.
Even the CCP’s closest ally, Pakistan, has reportedly decided to import crude oil from the United States for the first time, with a total amount estimated at around $1 billion, to reduce its $3 billion trade surplus with the United States.
The shifting allegiances of these countries indicate that the CCP’s grey export channel is being gradually blocked.
Of course, this development is related to the high tariffs imposed by the White House on these countries, such as Cambodia facing a levy of 49%, Laos 48%, Vietnam 46%, Myanmar 44%, Thailand 36%, Indonesia 32%, Malaysia 24%, and Pakistan 29%.
Currently, over seventy countries worldwide are negotiating trade agreements with the United States. Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that the Trump administration is considering sanctions against non-compliant countries to force them to reduce their trade ties with the CCP.
Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that China is in direct contact with the United States regarding trade issues. Although the CCP denies this, South Korean media captured images of senior CCP officials entering the U.S. Treasury Building, indicating talks between Chinese and American officials. Subsequently, President Trump revealed during an interview that Xi Jinping had called him. Since negotiations were already underway, why did the CCP release this “Don’t Kneel” video?
China expert Zhang Tianliang analyzed that after CCP officials secretly negotiated at the U.S. Treasury Department, the release of the “Don’t Kneel” video a few days later indicates a breakdown in the negotiations between the two parties.
Zhang Tianliang pointed out that this video, filled with a wolf-warrior spirit and interspersed with Korean War footage, aims to imply that the United States failed to win in the Korean War and now would struggle to win. However, in reality, the CCP has no chance of victory in this trade war, while the U.S. has many uncalled-for sanctions at its disposal, including embargoes on key commodities and technologies.
According to Scott Bessent, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, the U.S. may further intensify restrictions on the CCP as the situation demands.
While trade negotiations progress smoothly for the U.S. globally, Trump is advancing an economic plan that will have a significant impact on American households: exempting families with annual incomes below $200,000 from personal income tax. If implemented, this measure will mean an increase of tens of thousands of dollars in disposable income for these American families each year, stimulating consumption and promoting economic prosperity.
In contrast, the CCP has been pushed to the brink by the U.S.-China trade war. The economic downturn, political crisis, and rising public discontent have combined to create a precarious situation.
Goldman Sachs predicts that China may lose 20 million job positions due to the trade war; Nomura estimates 15.8 million. Secretary of the Treasury Bessent warned on April 29 that if Beijing does not end the trade war soon, millions of Chinese could lose their jobs.
Apart from the risk of losing one or two hundred million job positions, the situation is dire even now. In various Chinese regions, incidents of salary arrears, workers demanding wages, and labor strikes are rampant.
For example, on April 28, over a thousand employees of the Shengdi Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd in Wu Town, Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province, held a two-day strike due to the company’s wage arrears since January 2024 and gathered at the factory and town government demanding unpaid salaries. On April 27, workers at the Shangda Electronics Factory in Suining, Sichuan went on strike to protest prolonged wage arrears and lack of social insurance. On April 24, hundreds of workers at the Huangxi Sports Supplies Co., Ltd in Dao County, Hunan, went on strike to protest the factory closure without compensation; in Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia, workers gathered on rooftop ledges resorting to extreme measures like threatening to jump off to demand wages…
At the same time, rather than showing empathy towards the people, the CCP’s internal power struggles have intensified. Some China experts have described a gradual palace coup underway in the upper echelons of the CCP, with fierce infighting occurring.
Experts point out that the CCP is losing its last remnants of dignity. For today’s CCP, the issue is not about “kneeling” or “not kneeling” but how long they can hold on.
While the power struggle within the CCP continues, the Chinese people truly cannot endure anymore.
Following the severe drought in Guangxi, Shaanxi now also reports drought conditions. In recent months, severe drought has persisted in multiple areas of Shaanxi Province, with conditions becoming increasingly severe. Due to high temperatures and little rainfall, agricultural production in places like Baoji and Xianyang has suffered devastating blows. Currently during the wheat grain-filling stage, if irrigation is not provided soon, this year’s wheat yield is expected to decrease significantly, possibly resulting in a complete harvest failure. In this situation, instead of aiding in drought relief, local governments have opted to organize teams to uproot vast numbers of Sichuan peppercorn trees, instructing farmers to switch to planting wheat. The reason given is that the state has no food reserves, implying a potential famine approaching!
China’s meteorological report stated that this spring in Shaanxi, rainfall has been significantly lower than usual, with drought conditions becoming increasingly apparent. Since late March, the average precipitation in the province has been the lowest since 1961 for the same period, with the average temperature ranking as the third highest since 1961 for the same period.
A villager named Qian Cheng from Baoji lamented that since last winter, the area has experienced notably little rainfall. As of 2025, it snowed only for a few days after the Chinese New Year, and there has been no rain since. He mentioned that local crops mainly consist of wheat, corn, soybeans, and others. Typically, wheat harvest begins in late June to early July, but due to the drought this year, the wheat yield is almost non-existent. Although corn was recently planted, without water, it’s unlikely to thrive.
Qian Cheng expressed, “It’s too dry; the wheat only grew to about 20-30 centimeters but stopped growing. The leaves have dried up. At this rate, this year we may have no harvest, nothing at all. Farmers are suffering too much. An acre of corn land could yield eight or nine hundred catties; an acre of wheat could yield six or seven hundred catties, but with each grain sold for only 1.2 yuan, after deducting costs, very little is left at the end of the year. Currently, villagers still have some food stored, but with this drought, if farmers can’t harvest grains and can’t afford to buy grains, next year, they might not even have food to eat.”
To make matters worse, faced with such extreme conditions, local town governments are mobilizing individuals to cut down the Sichuan peppercorn trees that are crucial to villagers’ livelihoods, forcing them to switch to planting wheat. While farmers are unwilling and reluctant to get rid of the trees, they feel compelled due to the government’s explanation that there are insufficient national food supplies, and China may face a famine.
Qian Cheng said, “Large patches of Sichuan peppercorn trees were all cut down with a single word from the leaders. Although the villagers are resistant, they have no choice. Farmers are truly pitiful; the Communist Party is malicious, causing the death of individuals.”
Mai Ling, a villager in Weinan, stated that this year, without rain in Shaanxi, the wheat lacks irrigation, and a significant yield reduction is certain; farmers are in tears. She remarked, “In another month or two, wheat will be ready for harvest, and the grain is in a critical growth stage now. However, the land is so dry it could ignite. She questioned why the government hasn’t intervened artificially and why the reservoirs aren’t releasing water.”
In desperation, numerous people in Shaanxi have resorted to posting videos, praying for rainfall. One blogger pleading for help stated that wheat is almost completely lost. The year-long efforts of farmers are now beyond hope. Many households say, without rain soon, they really can’t hang on. The extreme drought brings endless sorrow and helplessness for the farming community. The pain and loss caused are indescribable in words. Their hope lies in rainfall bringing vitality and a glimmer of hope to Shaanxi.
According to the data from the China Meteorological Administration and official media, Shaanxi Province has experienced significantly reduced rainfall since late March. In April, the average precipitation in the province has decreased by over 80% compared to previous years.
On the evening of April 24, the Shaanxi Meteorological Observatory issued an orange drought warning, with areas like Xianyang, Baoji, Ankang, and Shangluo reaching moderate to severe drought levels, with some regions facing extreme drought conditions. The meteorological department predicts that high temperatures and drought conditions will persist in Shaanxi for the foreseeable future, severely impacting the normal growth of crops.
—Produced by the “Good News Times” team