By Nancy Thorner -
On Saturday afternoon, June 22, the “Committee on the Present Danger: China” (CPDC) and the National Indian American Public Policy Institute (NIAPPI) hosted a public event, forum and panel discussion at the Rana-Reagan Community Center, 343 St. Paul Boulevard, Carol Stream, IL to address the “unrestricted warfare” waged for decades by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against American electronics and other manufacturers and the importance of India under the leadership of newly reelected Prime Minister Narendra Modi in addressing the threat posed by the two nations’ mutual foe: the People’s Republic of China. Referred to as a constitutional government and the largest democracy in the world, over 600 million Indian voters re-elected Modi by a landslide on May 23, 2019. Modi is now considered the "new Reagan of India."
The Committee on the Present Danger: China, or CPDC, was launched in Washington, D.C. on March 25, 2019 by a group of Washington policy advisers, including Steve Bannon, and former U.S. government officials to facilitate “public education and advocacy against the full array of conventional and non-conventional dangers” posed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Not a new concept, a Committee on the Present Danger (CPD) likewise existed in 1976 composed of U.S. foreign policy experts to counter the Soviet Union during the cold war in the Regan administration.
The Carol Stream event was attended by 1,000-plus Hindu-Americans and others in the Chicagoland area. Many of the attendees were first generation Hindus who were comfortable interacting with one another in their native Indian dialects. A sea of color was created by the Hindu-American women wearing traditional colorful Indian saris. The meeting also happened against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping in his stop in Osaka, Japan on Saturday, June 29, which is meant as a face-to-face dialogue on trade.
Organized and managed by Hasi Patel, Bhastiya Senior Chicago Center and Bhavna Modi of Manpasand, Inc., (photo above) the event was hosted by Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, (photo below) founding chairman of the AVG Group of Companies of Chicago, an electronics inventor and a manufacturing expert with 50 years of experience, a former member of President Reagan’s Business Advisory Council, and founder of the National Indian American Public Policy Institute. Shalli also headed Trump's 2016 Indian/Hindu American Campaign and is revered and respected throughput the Hindu-American community
In what is a traditional way by Hindus to welcome guests and to begin a program, a lamp lighting ceremony took place.
President Trump has participated twice in this Hindu welcoming tradition. Also practiced was the Hindu Tilaka ceremonial ritual of putting a red dot on the foreheads of each CPDC member guest as an expression of welcoming and honoring.
Friendship of “Shalli” and Bannon
"Shalli" Kumar officially opened the formal part of the program. Shalli referred to Bannon as Trump's #1 campaign guy. It was Bannon who introduced Shalli to candidate Trump, which resulted in a rally of Hindu-American supporters on Oct. 15, 2016, with Bollywood celebrities and catchy music in Edison, New Jersey. Candidate Trump was initially asked if he would appear in traditional Indian garb, but declined thinking it best to wear a suit and a red tie.
As noted by Shalli, even though the rally happened in the middle of the Billy Bush debacle, the turn-out was overwhelming. Trump at the time promised "Shalli" that "the Indian and Hindu community will always have a true friend in the White House.” (The Democrat Party had summarily dismissed the importance of the Hindu-American bloc of voters in the 2016 election.) 80% of Hindu Americans are now registered Republicans.
As to what is really going on in America, Shalli doesn’t put blame on the Chinese people, but on the radical Communist Party. Hindu-Americans contributed greatly to American manufacturing but are now finding competing with China, especially in the manufacture of electronics, mostly a losing battle
Featured CPDC guests
Founding members of the "Committee on the Present Danger: China" present at the Carol Stream Hindu American public event were Brian Kennedy, Chairman, Former President, Claremont Institute; President of American Strategy Group; Frank Gaffney, Vice Chairman, Center for Security Policy; President and CEO, Save the Persecuted Christians; and Steve Bannon, former Strategic Advisor to President Trump. At the event Bannon accepted the honorary chairmanship of the Republican Hindu Committee from Shalli Komar.
Other CPDC members featured were Utah Congressman Chris Stewart, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee of Intelligence, and Lieutenant General Steve Kwast, USAF.
Astute comments were made by each of the above named CPDC members:
Chairman Brian Kennedy reminded the assembled that the demise of the Soviet Union “was not inevitable or even likely, instead it was well thought out, debated in forums like this and later implemented by men and women in the Reagan Administration who defended Reagan’s policies.” He warned of the broad lack of awareness among Americans about the present danger posed by Communist China but commended our Commander-in-Chief for being keenly alive to it: “President Trump like Reagan before him understands this threat and is taking actions to ensure our national survival.”
Vice-Chairman Frank Gafney addressed how China has been deliberately destroying our manufacturing base, our trade balance, and our economic, and our national security. At the G-20 meeting with the Communist dictator of China, Trump will be under pressure to cut a deal with the China Communist Party. The problem facing any deal is that China doesn't honor their commitments, so even if the perfect deal were made it would still be inadequate. Trump can't settle for a false deal that only focuses on one set of problems, the tariff issue. China's military buildup, Belt and Road, and China's wish to dominate space must also be addressed.
Rep. Chris Stewart remarks were from a Washington, D.C. prospective. As Stewart said: "Nothing is more important than the threat of China, and it's fast becoming a near peer of ours." A former Air Force pilot (Stewart made the fastest non-stop flight around the world), Stewart values his time spent flying more than his time in Congress. Calling the Chinese military complex a present-day threat, Stewart mused how only several years ago what China is now capable of doing would have been unheard of. As Stewart said, "Whenever you have an emerging nation and an established nation, there will be conflict." Stewart was among nine Republican committee members who signed a letter seeking Rep. Adam Schiff's "immediate" resignation over the continuation Russia witch hunt.
Lt. General Steve Kwast remarks were centered on the perspective of national security. General Kwast opined that we are dealing with a predatory competition. China is attacking us with a strategy that many are blind to. It's geared to undercut our industrial base and our economy. China, across every industry, wants to undercut our industrial base. Our role in government in the 21st Century is to work to protect the free market, partnering with those nations who share our values. If we do things right there will be peace and prosperity for all of humanity, as the economy is the basis of our national security.
Newt Gingrich check in
Founding member and former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, checked in by video, as did Kevin Friedman, founder and CEO of Freeman Global Holdings and a New York Times bestselling author. Kyle Bass, Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Hayman Capital Partners, made his presentation through Skype.
All three added greatly to the conversation about the Chinese Communist Party's unrestricted economic, financial, technological, and other forms of warfare against the U.S. industrial base.
Newt Gingrich described three ominous strategic victories Communist China has already secured: Its seizure of and effective control over the South China Sea; its empire-building inroads in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe; and its possibly irreversible ascendancy in the global 5G wireless market.
Kyle Bass spoke about China's 62% tariff pork and how this Chinese tariff might put President Trump in a better position at the G-20 Summit. Bass related that during the past 2 to 3 months swine fever has killed upwards to 40% of China's pig population. In 60 to 90 days many more pigs will have to be killed, at which time China will experience a severe pork shortage.
Kevin Friedman zeroed in on this nation's economic war with China, expressing concern over granting China Favorite Trade (MFN/NTR) Status when considered an emerging nation. In the interim China has advanced to #2 and before long could become the #1 economic engine the world. Friedman blamed the short sightedness of Wall Street and New York-listed Alibaba Group Holding. 156 Chinese companies are listed on the American Stock Exchange, with 600 linked over the counter, which has resulted in 9.2 billion of our money going to Chinese companies.
Vikram Kumar spotlighted as a young, successful entrepreneur
Vikram Aditya Kumar, the eldest son "Shalli" Kumar, like his dad, is an accomplished engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. Vikram's presentation addressed how Trump’s tariffs have affected the electronics business in the Chicago area. In his early 30's, Vikram is already the President & Chief Executive Officer at EZ Automation.
As to what has occurred in the leadership of both parties from 2000-2007, 3.5 million manufacturing jobs were eliminated and 5,000 companies were closed during this same period. In Chicagoland over 5,000 jobs were lost in the electronics business, as the manufacturing of electronic items was transferred to China. We then imported back from China $300 billion worth of electronic products.
In his presentation Vikram displayed the inside of a "mother board" still manufactured here in the U.S. by his company. So far tariffs have been placed only on these base board with negative effects. Instead, the small components used in assembling the boards should all have tariffs imposed on them, so tariffs are applied to everything that comes from China. In so doing Vikam believes 100% of the jobs lost in the electronics business here in the Chicago area will come back to Chicago. The PC assembling board business would also return to the U.S.
The event concluded with a panel discussion featuring eight Hindu American Chicago-area manufacturing entrepreneurs. All were affected in some way by China's warfare against the American manufacturing and industrial base, even experiencing bankruptcy, yet all touted sustained tariffs as to what was needed to revive the electronics industry lost here in the Chicagoland.
