OPINION
Bad News Always Comes with a 'Made in China' Label, And — a No Return Policy
For more than a week, the Australian Navy has been shadowing a fleet of Chinese warships prowling 150 nautical miles east of Sydney — the closest China’s Navy has ever ventured along Australia's seaboard.
This growing presence is no accident.
In late 2024, the China Communist Party (CCP) escalated efforts to isolate Taiwan tightening its grip the First Island Chain with a surge in both air and sea activity.
Beijing treats the South China Sea as its private backyard pool — militarizing islands, deploying missiles and harassing U.S. allies despite international law limiting territorial seas to 12 nautical miles.
China and Russia have escalated attacks on deep-sea cables, targeting critical fiber-optic connections to disrupt Western communications and finance — without direct military confrontation.
These mounting actions in the South China Sea and the Baltic are forcing the U.S. and its allies to urgently bolster subsea cable resilience and accelerate repairs, mitigating the risk of long-term security threats.
This month, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Samuel Paparo warned the Honolulu Defense Forum CCP is showing "clear intent and capability" to attack Taiwan.
China’s ambitions aren’t subtle.
In October, China conducted a massive, simulated air and sea blockade of Taiwan on its' National Day.
Beijing’s Power Grab Shatters Illusion of Freedom
China pledged to uphold Hong Kong autonomy under "one country, two systems" framework in 1997, promising judicial and political independence until 2047.
Yet, in 2020, Beijing systematically eroded freedoms through dissent crackdowns, imposing censorship and enforcing National Security Law ensuring Beijing’s authoritarian grip.
Don't Be Deceived: CCP Is No Friend, Frenemy, or a Mere Competitor
CCP is a Trojan Dragon — hiding ambitions behind diplomacy and trade — while orchestrating America’s downfall from within.
I first engaged with China in 1986, when, at the request of President George W. Bush to the New York Stock Exchange (while serving on the management and executive committees), I led an advance team to Beijing to establish China-U.S. Financial Markets Symposium.
Before the symposium, I had unique distinction of being first foreigner to receive a share of stock in a Chinese company — Flying Happiness Acoustics.
I also was first American to co-host press briefing in the Great Hall of the People. Meeting Deng Xiaoping alongside our delegation remains an unforgettable honor — all symbolic recognition of contributions to China's market reforms at that time.
This initiative brought 25 of Wall Street’s top leaders to educate hundreds of Chinese officials and business leaders on global financial markets and played key role in development of Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. This was during an era of boundless curiosity and eager openness to the West, on the part of China.
That moment in time disappeared.
Today, China’s leadership is assertive, tightly controlled and increasingly at odds with the world that once welcomed its rise.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s global team will navigate balances of diplomacy, economics, and military power — while China’s rigid, top-down system–remains vulnerable to fatal miscalculations.
The greatest danger is not China’s long-term strategy, but overzealous CCP bureaucrat(s) desperate to prove loyalty — unwittingly sparking a crisis in a system which prioritizes allegiance over stability.
It wouldn’t be the first time. Exaggerated quotas led to famine in Great Leap Forward (1958-1962); radical purges caused nationwide chaos Cultural Revolution (1966-1976); military crushed protests in Tiananmen Square Crackdown (1989); catastrophic global catastrophe by local suppression delayed response COVID-19 Cover-up (2020); and aggressive regulations stifling private industry Tech Crackdown (2020, to the present).
Take, Take, Take - How Beijing Manipulates Trade
America’s trade deficit with China ballooned to a staggering $1.67 trillion, with annual shortfalls of $345B (2019), $310B (2020), $355B (2021), $382B (2022) and $279B (2023).
And where does that money go?
Straight into Beijing’s military expansion, global influence campaigns, and technological warfare — all funded by American dollars, to challenge U.S. dominance.
China’s Fentanyl Road Facilitates the CCP’s Silent War on America
If mass destruction were an Olympic sport, China would take the gold — not with bombs, but with fentanyl.
CCP-backed chemical manufacturers collusion in this crisis, supply Mexican cartels with necessary precursors, fueling an epidemic killing nearly 100,000 Americans annually.
Despite Trump's pressuring Beijing in 2019 to classify fentanyl as a controlled substance, the slowdown was brief. CCP suppliers adapted, rerouting shipments.
The deadly flow never stopped — it found new pathways during the Biden administration.
China’s Silent Play for the Panama Canal
For years, China expanded manipulation over the Panama Canal, investing billions into ports and logistics through CCP Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Despite warnings, Biden did nothing as Beijing’s influence grew at this critical trade artery.
That changed on Feb. 2 when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, told Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino to curb China’s influence or face consequences.
The United States would not tolerate a CCP stronghold at the Canal.
The response was swift. Within hours, Panama said it would not renew its BRI agreement, canceling key Chinese contracts.
Panama then granted U.S. military ships free passage through the canal, reinforcing America’s strategic presence and American firms were invited to bid on infrastructure contracts.
Beijing Watches from the Sky, Your Phone — Elsewhere!
China’s espionage costs the U.S. an estimated $600 billion annually, with the CCP infiltrating universities, stealing business secrets — and embedding surveillance into global technology.
Chinese-owned social media apps like RedNote (Xiaohongshu), Lemon8, and Kuaishou (Kwai) raises concerns similar to TikTok risking regulation.
In April 2024, Congress passed a law forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations by January 2025. The Supreme Court upheld the decision and Trump later delayed enforcement for 75 days.
The list goes on..
And let's never forget, the CCP is actively erasing Christianity by enforcing atheism, demolishing churches, and replacing crosses with Xi Jinping’s image.
Play Nice But — Win, Win, Win.
This week, Trump delivered a masterclass in politics and power and show how they are profoundly interconnected.
His direct talks with Valdimir Putin on Ukraine exposed Europe’s three years of failure, sidelining EU leaders. A hastily arranged summit by Emmanuel Macron, produced only predictable EU rhetoric.
Meanwhile, Putin grows dependent on Xi Jinping, deepening China’s grip on Russia. Trump counters with Saudi diplomacy, aiming to weaken Moscow’s reliance on Beijing and pull Russia closer to the West.
(The preceding column reflects the personal opinions of its author.)
Richard Torrenzano is chief executive of The Torrenzano Group which helps organization takes control of how they are perceived™. For nearly a decade, he was a member of the New York Stock Exchange management (policy) and executive (operations) committees. His new book, "Command the Conversation: Next Level Communications Techniques," is slated to be released in March, 2025.
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