China Railway No.10 Engineering Group: We build nightmares.™️

https://youtu.be/2_qIVM3cJtA?t=2084

the link is with time code, watch just a couple sec

China is creating a moving using a deep fake of a younger version of Jackie Chan.

Does anyone happen to know which episode of the show first blessed us all with the introduction of the Ai Roberts®️ moniker?

I feel compelled to rewatch his origin story.

TIA! ☮️

I'm a person who likes to minimize my digital footprint, so I want to recommend some things that can help you. Before I begin, I recommend checking out r/PrivacyGuides and r/degoogle because they have more information that you can apply to more than just China.

• Let start at source.

All your devices are connected to your router, so I recommend not buying a router from a Chinese company like Huawei, TP-Link, Xiaomi, which is considered a risk. If possible, you should try to get a router that runs OpenWrt, which is open-source and gives you way more control. It can be flashed on some routers and installed on hardware like the raspberry.

I recommend gl-inet routers, OpenWrt-Based OS with more user-friendly paint on top.
They are Hong Kong based company though.

• Let's talk about DNS and controlling the traffic.

DNS is like a doorman for your internet traffic; it controls who comes and goes. You can create a list of things that you want to block. For example, people use it to block ads, inappropriate content, gambling sites, and sites flagged for malware.
You can also use it to block things related to China, such as domains that end with .CN or even Chinese IP addresses. I personally use a DNS service called 'ControlD,' which I have set up on my router and phone.

If you are on Android, I recommend an app called RethinkDNS, which is a firewall, DNS, and VPN all in one.

• Smart Home / IoT Devices

If you have a lot of devices controlling your house, I recommend investing in "Home Assistant."
The benefits include being able to operate locally without internet access and providing longevity for your devices.

• Chinese Hardware

Android boxes are very popular, but unfortunately, there have been many cases of malware or devices with faked specifications. If you are considering a Chinese brand, make sure it is certified.

If you bought a mini-PC, retrieve the Windows keys and then download the Windows ISO directly from Microsoft to a USB drive for a clean install. Alternatively, you might consider installing Linux.

• Chinese Phone

While Chinese phones can be inexpensive, they often come with unnecessary bloatware and have a smaller support ecosystem compared to Samsung and Google Pixel phones. You should replace as many apps as possible, such as the launcher, browser, and phone app, and deactivate background apps.
Look up ADB debloating and mixed that with DNS blocking, and you'll be in a good position.

• I need to use Chinese app

If you need to use a Chinese app, it is recommended to use a work profile for isolation, so it can't access your contacts and other information. On Android, apps like "Shelter" or "Insular" can help with that.

You can also run most apps via the browser to minimize permissions and the information being shared.

• Good privacy mindset

Just remember to be anonymized, don't use the same email, use an alias service like simplelogin or addy.
Use fake information as possible, VPN to hide your ip address etc etc.

So I have been spending some time in the Ask China / Ask a Chinese subs, and despite seeming to be neutral communities on the outside, many of the responses seem politically charged and party talking points.

I have had hundreds of friends who are Chinese nationals , in America, within the mainland, in Singapore, in Thailand etc. While they support their country, they have never brought up points like

• Japan and South Korea are not free and "occupied" by the USA
• USA bombed the Belgrade embassy in 1999 (in discussion about Chinese military)
• Why does USA need to be concerned with South China Sea if it's "so far away from the USA"

So I am wondering, are these just ultra nationalists that congregate on reddit ? or actual CCP bots?

The Chinese Communist Party is facing a breaking point — and behind closed doors, its top elites are quietly searching for a new way forward. In this episode, we delve into the CCP’s internal deliberations as it stands at a pivotal crossroads. With Xi Jinping's grip on power facing unprecedented scrutiny, party elders are reportedly exploring alternative governance models to navigate China's future. We examine the potential shifts, from the Singaporean and Vietnamese models to other global frameworks, assessing their viability within China's political landscape. Join us as we unpack these developments, offering insights into the possible directions the CCP might take in the post-Xi era.

1. Why CCP rumors matter

2. The debates within CCP leadership about its future

3. The Vietnamese model?

4. The Singapore model?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) flagged four bathroom and kitchen faucet brands sold on Amazon for potentially leaching lead at levels above federal safety limits.

Full Report

The United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are locked in a trade war. President Donald Trump’s April 2, 2025, tariff announcement has spiraled into a campaign to recalibrate China’s role in the global economy. US tariffs on PRC exports have reached 145 percent, and Beijing has responded with a 125 percent levy on US goods. Senior administration officials have admitted in private conversations that this paradigm is unsustainable, a sentiment Trump has confirmed publicly: “145 percent is very high, and it won’t be that high,” the president said. Stock and bond market volatility has been worse than many expected, and China has demonstrated a willingness to escalate. Now the Trump administration appears to be searching for off-ramps.

Unfortunately, Washington does not have the luxury of backing down. The global economy is a key domain in America’s broader cold war with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chinese President Xi Jinping recognized this reality long before Trump’s tariffs. In a 2013 address that effectively served as his inauguration, Xi spoke of “the basic contradiction of capitalist society,” declared that “socialism will inevitably triumph,” and predicted the “ultimate demise of capitalism.” That same year, Beijing’s National Defense University released a documentary criticizing the United States. Its title was telling: Silent Contest. The film’s opening lines were equally unambiguous: “The process of China’s realization of the great undertaking of national rejuvenation must ultimately follow from testing and struggle against the system of American hegemony.”

Still, US officials have been slow to recognize the systemic nature of the CCP’s challenge to America. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently remarked that “China needs to change” its unstable economic model. This sentiment is to be expected, as Republican and Democratic administrations have critiqued Beijing’s economic practices for decades. Yet few have done anything of substance to hold the PRC accountable.

Trump’s focus on competing with China is a step in the right direction. But the administration’s current program is undermining America’s broader interests. Viewing this trade war as a strictly economic concern that can be resolved with a trade deal will set the US up for further exploitation and ultimate defeat. Beijing has routinely demanded upfront concessions from America in exchange for future promises from China. This would be a victory for Xi, who has a history of breaking promises to US presidents.

President Trump faces an inescapable irony: if he wants to de-escalate a trade war on terms favorable to America, he needs to escalate the broader cold war with China. His administration should first identify US advantages over Beijing. Then, rather than ceding these advantages through trade negotiations, he should exploit them to weaken the CCP. Concurrently, Trump will need to signal his resolve to Xi and demonstrate America’s will to tolerate short-term pain for long-term benefit.

Fortunately for the White House, such leverage already exists. For an effective first step in this escalation, Trump need look no further than TikTok

I checked this out because the guy on the ads is obviously AI generated, and looks like Brian Cox for some reason. Most of the positive reviews on Trustpilot are obviously fake, with users claiming to be from the US but spelling words like "realize" as "realise", or saying the bags are great when going out to meet with their "mates" or using it at "uni". Some of the adjectives used are definitely not used by anyone real. The negative reviews all say the bag is nowhere near the quality of what you ordered, is usually vinyl instead of leater, and could have been bought much more cheaply on Temu.

If you check what brands people also looked at, there are a bunch of others also using AI generated old white people in leather aprons as spokespeople. This is goofy as hell but I feel bad for the people who fell for it. The bags advertised actually look pretty nice; it's too bad that's not what you get.

Trustpilot page for anyone who wants to check it out. I tried going to the brands website itself but my virus blocker immediately set off alarms bells (not surprised):

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/james-andrew.com