The President's Daily Brief - September 12th, 2023: UK Police Arrest Alleged Chinese Spies

Episode Date: September 12, 2023

In this episode of "The President's Daily Brief":   Elon Musk turns down Kyiv's urgent plea for Starlink access in Crimea, igniting a widespread debate on the ethical responsibilities of private corporations in global conflicts. Should business leaders be neutral arbiters or active participants in international disputes?   Kim Jong Un leaves Pyongyang aboard his armored train for a crucial meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. What geopolitical ramifications could this high-stakes discussion have?   President Biden burns out in the final leg of his recent overseas tour—did it achieve its intended objectives?   In the Back of the Brief, a thrilling tale of international espionage as UK police arrest alleged Chinese spies. What does this mean for UK-China relations?   Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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in fact, Tuesday, September 12th. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world's stage. Let's get briefed. First up, Elon Musk reveals that he denied Keeves' emergency request for Starlink access in Crimea, citing concerns of becoming complicit in a major act of war. The revelation is sparking a larger debate. on the role of private industry in global conflicts.

Next up, Kim Jong-un departs Pyongyang on his armored train for a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Also, President Biden is back from his overseas trip, so what exactly was accomplished? Well, rounded off in today's back of the brief by stepping into the world of international espionage. UK police arrest alleged Chinese spies, including a research. within the very heart of the British Parliament. But first, today's PDB spotlight. If you haven't heard of Elon Musk's Starlink,

it's a game-changing internet service that uses satellites in space, unlike traditional services reliant typically on underground cables or above-ground lines strung along utility poles. This capability allows Starlink to reach remote or mountainous areas, where laying cables is costly and a logistical change. and a logistical challenge. After Russia initiated its invasion last February, SpaceX, the Elon Musk company that owns Starlink, started delivering thousands of Starlink terminals and support to the Ukraine military.

The network has become a lifeline for Ukrainians, keeping them connected despite conflict-related disruptions. Since the beginning of the war, the Starlink Internet terminals have been critical in maintaining communications as the Russian military targeted and destroyed Ukrainian telecoms facilities. By the way, for much of the first year, the entire cost of the Starlink support was carried by SpaceX. It wasn't until late in the first year of the war that SpaceX began pushing the U.S. government to begin picking up the tab for this effort, which by most accounts totaled over $100 million for the first year alone. Now, Starlink finds itself in the eye of an international storm. A new book by author Walter Isaacson reveals that the Ukrainian government asked Musk to

activate Starlink over the key Russian Navy port of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. Well, it didn't take long for Musk to figure out what Ukraine was up to. They needed internet access for an attack on the Russian fleet docked there. According to Isaacson, Ukraine was preparing to target Russian ships with submarine drones carrying explosives. And that's no small request. As Musk has acknowledged, he declined the Ukrainian government's request. Musk justified his decision, recently tweeting, If I had agreed to their request,

then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation. Now, Musk emphasizes that Starlink's purpose is peaceful. Think Netflix and homework, not drone strikes and military eyes. But the reality is more complex. The Ukrainian military has relied on Starlink to maintain, as an example, communications between surveillance drones and artillery on the ground, assisting in targeting and more effective fire.

Ukrainian officials are slamming Musk, claiming his refusal to support their Crimea coverage request indirectly led to Russian attacks on civilians. Russian chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov, a critic of Putin, called it moral idiocy. For their part, the U.S. government is remaining tight-lipped on the controversy, with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken punting when he was asked about it by CNN's Jake Tapper. The incident put Musk in a tight spot and raises complex questions. As has been the case in the past, technology offers transformative possibilities and is often envisioned and created with benign objectives.

Yet as with Starlink, it can also be weaponized. In addition, this conundrum puts a spotlight on the role of private companies in geopolitical clashes. Where should the line be drawn? What are the moral or ethical responsibilities of a private company that, by their actions, is engaged in supporting government policy and military objectives? We saw this to some degree in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where private contractors worked hand in hand with the U.S. military and our allies to support operational objectives.

for a profit. While there was the upside, contractors served as a force multiplier and allowed for better and more effective deployment of military resources, while on the downside, contractor firms were not always held to consistent standards for training, performance, capabilities, conduct, or transparency and costs. As an aside, Musk has come under fire in the social media world, with some critics legitimately upset that he withheld Starlink's support on this occasion, while others seem to just see another opportunity to criticize Musk because they don't like his apparent politics or loosening of restrictions on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. All right, when we come back, I've got two more developing stories you need to know about.

Kim Jong-un is on the move to Russia for a crucial meet-up with President Putin, and we're diving into the details of President Biden's latest overseas journey. I'll be right back. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue.

Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak, and get your trip right. Kayak. Got that right. Welcome back to the president's daily brief. Last week, we reported that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared imminent. Well, the party's on. According to South Korean news agencies, Kim Jong-un has boarded his armored chiu-choo-and is currently chugging his way to Vladivostok.

The journey could take up to 24 hours, longer if he stops along the way for selfies or refreshments. To digress for a moment, this train isn't your average ride. It's a slow-moving fortress with up to 20 bulletproof carriages. It's so heavily armored that it allegedly can't travel more than 37 miles per hour. It's a symbol of his family's power, as his father and grandfather use this same exact train. Now the Kremlin has confirmed that the meetup is happening soon, and it could even be as early as today. This would be Kim's first trip outside North Korea in over four years.

so you know it's got to be for something significant. The White House is keeping tabs because Moscow might be looking to its old Soviet ally for some help in Ukraine. With Putin's options limited due to sanctions, he's turning to one of the few remaining countries willing to assist replenish the Russian military's depleted stockpiles. The White House recently warned that North Korea will, quote, pay a price if it locks in an arms deal with Putin. The reality is a bit more complex. There are really few remaining options in terms of finding additional meaningful sanctions to place on North Korea.

So what's on the table? Well, North Korea could offer Russia much-needed munitions. In return, North Korea might be eyeballing some of Russia's advanced tech, including nuclear, submarine, and missile technologies. Russian purchases would also supply North Korea with much-needed revenue, much of which typically is siphoned off to their dear leader and selected government and military elites. All right, folks, President Biden arrived home on Monday from his overseas travels to India and Vietnam, where he spent much of his time treading lightly on the topic of China. Vietnam was the last stop prior to returning to the U.S.

When asked about the U.S. strengthening ties with Vietnam, Biden clarified, quote, This isn't about containing China. I just wanted an honest and transparent relationship with them. President Biden insisted that the Vietnam stop is all about having a stable base in the Indo-Pacific and not about sidelining Beijing. Now, not to be cynical, but I suspect that in Beijing, the Xi regime believes it's all about containing the U.S. So there could be a disconnect here in how each perceives the other.

This all unfolded as Vietnam is bumping the U.S. up to its top diplomatic status, which is a big deal, considering the history between the two nations. It's also about the U.S. finding alternatives to relying so heavily on Chinese imports. Now, here's where it gets a bit dicey. A reporter piped up, asking about his recent chat with China's premier Li Jiang at the G20. Biden, admittedly, looking like he could use a solid night's rest replied, we talked about stability, ensuring that the southern hemisphere could adapt to changes. By the end, it was evident that Tripp had taken its toll. As Biden wrapped up, he candidly mentioned, quote, I don't know about you, but I'm going to go to bed. Shortly thereafter, the White House traveling press team abruptly brought the curtains down on the press conference. It was a lengthy

talk from the president, occasionally logical, and at times, somewhat rambling and whatever the opposite of coherent is. Look, clearly the traveling over a short period of time can be difficult for someone who's 80. It's taxing. But you can also argue that, well, that's the job. If all you do is simply look at Biden's chat in Hanoi at the end of his visit through a corporate leadership lens, it's fair to say that if a CEO of a decent-sized Corporation gave that sort of presentation in a high-profile setting, the corporate board would be reasonably asking about a retirement date. All right, UK police have made a startling discovery that could rattle the very core of their

government, Chinese spies allegedly operating within its own walls. More on that in the back of the brief. Welcome back to the PDB. Across the pond, Westminster is buzzing with some spy drama right now. A young researcher in his 20s, with connections to senior conservative MPs, is facing claims of spying for China. He had a Westminster pass, giving him access to personnel and facilities within Parliament. According to police, the man was arrested in Edinburgh under its official Secrets Act. Oh, and he wasn't the only one. Another fellow in his 30s got picked up in Oxfordshire. We know even less about him at this stage. As for now? Well, they're both out on bail, waiting for their next court appearance. Now, you might ask,

what secrets did this guy allegedly spill? Good question. That's still under wraps. But he's been rubbing shoulders with some influential folks like Alicia Kearns, who heads up the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, and Tom Tuganhat, the UK's security minister. As for his identity, media outlets are keeping that mum, respecting police protocol. The researcher is flat out denying everything. He says he's always aimed to educate people about the Chinese Communist Party's threats, and these accusations go against everything he stands for. That's what he says. Now, I've had the honor of working with MI5 and MI6 over in the UK,

as well as the Metropolitan Police, and they are excellent. If they've made these accusations, I, for one, have a high degree of confidence in their claims. The Chinese intelligence apparatus is very well resourced. It's aggressive, and it's motivated. They have a long history of hoovering up any and all economic data, corporate intelligence, research and development, military technology, and other information that they can acquire through a variety of means. So the idea of placing a cooperative individual or a spy within Parliament, it's not a stretch.

In the U.S., the FBI resources are stretched thin, dealing with counterintelligence cases related to China, constantly opening up new investigations. It's been a problem for decades and continues to be, with no sign that Xi has any intention of reining in their broad-based intelligence-gathering efforts. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Tuesday, 12 September. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. Until tomorrow, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

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