Skip to main content

tv   60 Minutes  CBS  February 25, 2024 7:00pm-8:01pm PST

7:00 pm
ses "her ideas to end soft corruption in politics." let's shake up the senate. with democrat katie porter. i'm katie porter and i approve this message. the economy is simply not working for millions of hard working families. with democrat katie porter. they're working harder than ever and they still can't make enough to get by to afford food and medicine to even keep a roof over their heads. we need to build more housing that's truly affordable. we need to address this terrible epidemic of homelessness. we need to invest in good paying jobs, union jobs and investments in our future. this, this is why i'm running for the us senate. i'm adam schiff and i approve this message. the united nations says a
7:01 pm
catastrophic humanitarian crisis is unfolding in gaza. but israel has barred journalists from independently accessing the gaza strip. >> we have mass casualties coming in waves in hospital. that's happening three or four times a night. >> in one night. >> a yregular day for me was seeing children with shrapnel injuries, death happening in a fully treatable situation because supplies were not available. getting into china is all but impossible for most western journalists. >> this is the financial and economic capital of china. >> but when the u.s. ambassador nicholas burns invited us to come for a visit and interview, we were granted visas. is it our most competitive relationship in the world right now? >> this is the most important, most competitive, and most dangerous relationship that the united states has in the world right now. and will, i think, for the next
7:02 pm
decade or so. >> i'm lesley stahl. >> i'm bill whittaker. >> i'm anderson cooper. >> i'm sharyn alfonsi. >> i'm jon wertheim. >> i'm cecielia vega. >> i'm scott pelley. those stories and more tonight on "60 minutes." you don't have to wait until retirement to start enjoying your second act. with protected lifetime income from pacific life... ...imagine your future with confidence. for more than 150 years... ...we've kept our promise to financially protect and provide. so, you can look forward to leading a whole different type of team. talk to a financial professional about life insurance and retirement solutions with pacific life. my dry eye's made me a burning, stinging, 5-times-a-day,... ...makeup smearing drops user. i want another option that's not another drop. tyrvaya. it's not another drop.
7:03 pm
it's the first and only nasal spray for dry eye. tyrvaya treats the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease fast by helping your body produce its own real tears. common side effects include sneezing, cough, and throat and nose irritation. relying only on drops? not me. my own real tears are my relief. ask your eye doctor about tyrvaya. ♪♪ [storms sound] whatever weather comes your way [wind and snow sounds] weathertech has you covered. [bird chirping] [laughing] with our laser—measured cargoliners. no drill mud flaps and floorliners. to secure your phone don't forget the cupfone. order yours today at weathertech.com. you never know when it's gonna be a weathertech day. perfect weather today... the company goes to the firstborn, audrey. the model train set is entrusted to todd. mr. marbles will receive recurring deliveries for all of his needs in perpetuity, thanks to autoship from chewy.
7:04 pm
i always loved that old man. what's it say about the summer house? yeah. the beach house. the summer residence goes to mr. marbles. plot twist. i'm sorry, what? doesn't make logistical sense. unbelievable. pets aren't just pets. they're more. you got a train set, todd. shop and get a $30 egift card through february 25th, at chewy. generalized myasthenia gravis made my life a lot harder. but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. ♪♪ vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive. in a clinical trial, vyvgart significantly improved most participants' ability to do daily activities when added to their current gmg treatment. ♪♪ most participants taking vyvgart also had less muscle weakness. and your vyvgart treatment schedule is designed just for you. in a clinical study, the most common side effects included urinary and respiratory tract infections, and headache. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection.
7:05 pm
tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. vyvgart can cause allergic reactions. available as vyvgart for iv infusion and also as vyvgart hytrulo for subcutaneous injection. additional side effects for vyvgart hytrulo may include injection site reactions. talk to your neurologist about vyvgart. when the terrorist group hamas unleashed its barbaric attack inside israel last october, the response by the israeli government was swift. israel launched thousands of troops, tanks, and more than 45,000 bombs into gaza,
7:06 pm
decimating entire cities. the hamas run gaza ministry of health says more than 29,000 people have been killed and nearly 2 million displaced. numbers many in the israeli press and the united nations are reporting. israel has barred journalists from independently accessing the gaza strip. defying the long standing president of allowing reporters into war zones. aid workers say a catastrophic humanitarian crisis is unfolding in gaza, but reporting on it has been challenging. so we asked aid workers including two americans to share their view from inside gaza over the last 142 days. a warning, it is difficult to watch. this was the scene at nassar hospital in southern gaza in late january. for weeks, the hospital had been surrounded by fighting.
7:07 pm
but another battle played out inside its crowded corridors. doctors and nurses short on supplies and beds knelt on the floor as they tried to save bombing victims. deeper in the hospital, we saw a doctor, a critical care specialist from pennsylvania. our cbs producer based in gaza shot this video. >> he has a small amount of free fluid. >> the doctor checks on the young victims of an air strike she treated the night before. this 13-year-old boy did not survive. >> the nurses noticed his eyes, pupils are fixed and dilated, which is a sign of brain death. >> the gaza ministry of health estimates 12,000 children have died here since the war began. >> there's no room for that. >> we met the doctor days after she left gaza, exhausted after working a two-week stretch at noser. >> we have mass casualties
7:08 pm
coming in in waves in hospital. that's happening three or four times a night. >> in one night? >> a regular day for me was seeing children with shrapnel injuries i have never in my life seen before with traumatic brain injury, death happening in a fully treatable situation because the supplies are not available. >> dr. ahmed is the daughter of bangladeshi immigrants. she grew up in philadelphia and worked in a hospital there. she's also from medglobal which trains local health care workers in disaster in conflict zones. 39 years old, she's worked in a half dozen war zones including six trips to ukraine in the last two years. she told us supply medicine shortages have deepened the suffering in gaza. >> basic medications. it's pain medication. there are people getting limbs amputated without any
7:09 pm
anesthesia. that's what we're seeing on a day-to-day base. i can tell you that things that we have put into the pipeline to get to gaza can often take weeks to months. >> weeks to months. >> mm-hmm. >> you need them yesterday. >> yeah. >> how does what you're seeing in gaza compare to what you have seen in these other war zones and conflicts? >> it is incomparable, i would say. i don't think i have seen this many children affected in any of the other war zones i have ever been to. i don't think i have seen this many people squeezed in a small area without any ability to leave. i don't think i have been this close to the sound of missile strikes. with the house shaking, where the hospital is shaking while i'm trying to operate in the icu. >> how do you function and operate when you can hear gunfire and explosions at your
7:10 pm
doorstep? >> we go into like medical mission mode. so bombs going off or not, we are absolutely focused on what's in front of us. is it terrifying? yes, of course. do we think about it after the fact? absolutely. you know, there are hospitals that are under siege. this happened with shifa hospital. it happened with nazr hospital, just to name a few. >> the u.n. reports more than 300 health care workers have been killed since the war began. in late january, dr. ahmed and four of her colleagues evacuated nazr. ten days ago, israeli troops stormed the hospital. claiming hamas was hiding inside. patients, staff, and thousands sheltering in the hospital spilled onto the street. >> you know, the idf has accused hamas of hiding and operating in these hospitals. did you see that at all? >> i can really just talk about what i know.
7:11 pm
what i know is that the health care catastrophe in these hospitals, that's what i saw. >> even as explosions surrounded the hospital last week, teams from the world health organization made their way in. negotiating through the dark to evacuate 32 critical patients, some of them children. aid workers say there are still patients and staff inside the hospital with no running water or electricity. >> the international humanitarian law is clear. health care workers, humanitarians, ambulances, and hospitals should be respected and protected. in all situations. unfortunately, this is not the case in gaza. >> this woman is the spokesperson for the palestinian red crescent. it's part of the international red cross. we met her in this call center in ramallah in the israeli occupied west bank.
7:12 pm
here, operators dispatch emergency workers in gaza 50 miles away. this is a recording of one of the calls the red crescent responded to the week we were there. on january 29th, the israeli military ordered parts of gaza city to evacuate, so 15-year-old leanne and her family piled into their car to try and get to safety. they're shooting at us, she tells the operator. the tank is next to me, are you hiding? yes, in the car. we're next to the tank. then -- the line goes dead. when the operator called back, a child answers. 6-year-old hin, the girl's cousin. the tank is next to me, she
7:13 pm
says. i'm so scared. please come. please call someone to come and take me. the red crescent says this is the ambulance they sent. it was discovered along with the bodies of two medics, 12 days after they were dispatched when israeli defense forces left the area. hind was also killed. the 6-year-old's body was found inside this car alongside five members of her family. the idf told us that the incident is still under review. but has accused hamas in the past of using ambulances to transport its fighters. >> the story of hind is not the only story. it's absolutely dozens of calls we're getting since the beginning of the war in gaza where we feel helpless because we are completely denied access to many areas in gaza to only provide our emergency medical services. >> so what you're describing is these people can't leave.
7:14 pm
it's not safe for them to leave, and you can't get to them. >> exactly. >> this is what hind and her family were trying to escape. we obtained this video from a u.n. worker who was with one of the teams allowed into northern gaza. across this apocalyptic landscape, images show two-thirds of gaza has been flattened. satellite images show how densely populated the strip was before the war. today, most of the nearly 2 million residents displaced from their homes have evacuated to the south. here, 40 or more people pack into a room in a makeshift shelter. hundreds share one bathroom. those who can't find space in the shelter settle in the sprawling sand pits of gaza's tent city in rafah on the border with egypt. for gazans, there is no way out. >> we're at the ares border crossing. if you were traveling between
7:15 pm
gaza and israel, you would come through this terminal. on october 7th, hamas stormed the terminal. you can see the damage all around us. obviously, the terminal has been closed since then. so now there is only one border crossing from israel into gaza, and that's for humanitarian aid. >> that crossing is known as carom shalom. the idf would not allow us to film there. before the war, more than 500 trucks carrying goods came through the crossing every day. today, on average, about 85 trucks of aid get through. >> what are the top three things you need? >> scott anderson is trying to get any aid that does come in distributed. anderson is an army vet from iowa who did two tours in afghanistan. "60 minutes" first met him in gaza in 2014 when he served as the deputy director of operations for the u.n. relief and works agency known as unra.
7:16 pm
after the war began in october, anderson who had retired returned to the job. as you know, as an american journalist, we can't get in there. what is it you see? what is it like? >> what you mostly see is people trying to find food, trying to stay warm, and trying to find somewhere to use the bathroom. that's what people's lives consist of. it's very much a pressure cooker environment. you can feel in the air, it's tense. >> there is no commercial food available in gaza. and the u.n. says 70% of people don't have access to clean water. so nearly 2 million gazans are dependent on aid for all their food and water. last week, unicef reported that 1 in 6 children under the age of 2 in northern gaza is severely malnourished. >> everybody is reliant on the international community, the international humanitarian community, to provide their basic necessities. and in an ideal world, there would be 600 trucks a day coming
7:17 pm
into gaza. >> you're nowhere close to that number. >> nowhere close to that number. >> is the holdup in the inspection? >> you have two governments and the u.n. and a lot of people involved. there are security inspections of the goods, which i understand. >> the israelis have said the problem is on the u.n. side. >> i would say that is entirely not true. it's not just the u.n. every day, there's a couple hours where nothing moves. and that's not us. there's just nothing to get. >> for 70 years unra has been the largest aid organization in gaza, providing food, education, and medical care. but to its critics including some israelis, the agency is corrupt. last month, israel accused 12 of unrwa's 13,000 employees for helping to plan and carry out the october 7th attacks. the u.n. fired those employees. but 16 countries including the u.s. have stopped funding the
7:18 pm
organization while investigations are ongoing. >> shocked that somebody associated with the u.n. could do that. but unfortunately throughout history, many individuals have betrayed organizations they work for, betrayed the values. we do uphold u.n. values, humanitarian principles. and we are responding to the best of our ability in gaza right now. >> if unrwa collapses, who would do the work that you're doing? >> there's nothing who can do the work we do. it is the backbone of the operation, and without us, the operation will collapse. >> on thursday, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said he wants to completely shut down unrwa. for the first time, netanyahu outlined his plan for gaza after the war, which allows the israeli military to operate indefinitely. the idf has begun an internal review of its shortcomings before and after the october 7th attacks. amid ongoing negotiations a
7:19 pm
member of israel's war cabinet announced that if the 134 hostages are not home in two weeks, israel will launch a ground offensive in rafah, where more than 1.5 million people are sheltering. the u.s. urged israel to refrain, warning it could worsen an already catastrophic situation. if advanced lung cancer has you searching for possibilities, discover a different first treatment. immunotherapies work with your immune system to attack cancer. but opdivo plus yervoy is the first combination of 2 immunotherapies for adults newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread, tests positive for pd-l1, and does not have an abnormal egfr or alk gene. opdivo plus yervoy is not chemotherapy, it works differently. it helps your immune system fight cancer in 2 different ways. opdivo and yervoy can cause your immune system to harm healthy parts of your body during and after treatment. these problems can be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have a cough; chest pain;
7:20 pm
shortness of breath; irregular heartbeat; diarrhea; constipation; severe stomach pain; severe nausea or vomiting; dizziness; fainting; eye problems; extreme tiredness; changes in appetite, thirst or urine; rash; itching; confusion; memory problems; muscle pain or weakness; joint pain; flushing; or fever. these are not all the possible side effects. problems can occur together and more often when opdivo is used with yervoy. tell your doctor about all medical conditions including immune or nervous system problems, if you've had or plan to have an organ or stem cell transplant, or received chest radiation. your search for 2 immunotherapies starts here. ask your doctor about opdivo plus yervoy. a chance to live longer. (♪♪) (♪♪) (♪♪)
7:21 pm
(♪♪) sometimes, the lows of bipolar depression feel darkest before dawn. with caplyta, there's a chance to let in the lyte™. caplyta is proven to deliver significant relief across bipolar depression. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta treats both bipolar i and ii depression. and in clinical trials, movement disorders and weight gain were not common. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants may increase these risks in young adults. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report fever, confusion, stiff or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be life threatening or permanent. these aren't all the serious side effects. caplyta can help you let in the lyte™. ask your doctor about caplyta. find savings and support at caplyta.com
7:22 pm
american ceos used to swoon over china. its vast pool of consumers has been a magnetic draw for decades. but doing business there has become so fraught and risky with intellectual property theft and an expanded espionage law used to intimidate the business community, that u.s. companies have pressed the pause button.
7:23 pm
on top of that, the u.s./china relationship has become contentious due partly to beijing's belidge lnt activity toward taiwan and in the south china sea. the balloon spy incident of last year and the list goes on. making matters worse, the chinese economy has hit a wall. export growth is slowing. the country's drowning in debt, and youth unemployment has soared. getting into china to tell that story is all but impossible for most western journalists. but when the u.s. ambassador, nicholas burns, invited us to come for a visit and an interview, we were granted visas. we spoke with him at his residence in beijing. >> more money is leaving china for the first time in 40 years than is coming in. from american, japanese, european, korean investors.
7:24 pm
>> now, why is that, and how much of a problem is that for them? >> that's a real problem. for this economy. they have 1.4 billion people here. they have to keep it growing, and foreign capital is important. you ask why. i think there's been a contradiction in the messaging from the government here in china to the rest of the world. on the one hand, they say we're open for business. we want american and japanese businesses here, but on the other hand, they have raided six or seven american businesses since last march. >> raided? >> raided. they have gone into american companies and shut them down. and made accusations. we believe are very much unwarranted. >> the american companies include bane and company and the mince group, a company that does due diligence for other companies that might want to invest here, was raided last year. five of its chinese employees were taken into custody and they're still there.
7:25 pm
another firm cap vision was raided. lest the message wasn't loud and clear, a report about it was put on state-run television. it accused western consulting firms of espionage and stealing national security and military secrets. they want the investment to come back, and they're raiding american companies. >> yes, they have passed an amendment to their counter espionage law and it's written in such a general way that it could be that american business people could be accused of espionage for engaging in practices that are perfectly legal and acceptable everywhere else in the world, clollecting data to do due diligence so you can decide whether to invest in a company or form a joint venture. >> what do you think the chinese are afraid that these companies are going to find out, these due diligence companies? what are they worrying about? >> i think they want to control
7:26 pm
data about the chinese people, about chinese companies. and so that i think is at the heart of the problem, and those american companies operating in that sphere. >> ambassador burns told us that's just one of the concerns he hears about. >> there is still intellectual property theft from american companies here. >> is every american company afraid of that? >> yes. >> all kinds of u.s. companies began flocking to china in the early 1980s, after the country opened to the west under their then leader. now, u.s. banks operate here. walmart has more than 300 stores across the country. shoppers here in shanghai can buy levi's. browse in an apple store, and get a caramel frappuccino. >> starbucks has 6,000 stores in china. 1,000 stores in shanghai. and they want to keep building. because coffee, this was a tea
7:27 pm
culture for hundreds of years. it's now becoming at least with the young chinese a coffee culture. >> they love starbucks? >> they love starbucks and i'll buy you a cappuccino. >> i'll take one. thank you. boeing's here, so is tesla. pfizer, chevron, intel. but while some businesses are thriving, many of the foreign companies are worried about the business climate under president xi jinping. >> if you track china from the death of mao to the opening of china to the world, we have seen a closing of sorts. we have seen a centralization of power of the party. we have seen increased repression of the people of china here. that's a very significant trend. just over the last decade. >> with xi. >> under his leadership. >> part of that trend includes president xi's reversing many of the market reforms that unleashed china's economic
7:28 pm
miracle. >> they have been growing over 40 years. the fastest growth rate in recorded economic history. eight, nine, ten, 11% growth rates. they have lifted 800 million people out of poverty. but what's happening is that growth rate is slowing down. most economists are now projecting they'll be at 2%, 3%, 4% growth, maybe even lower in the next decade. >> can they support their society if it's that low? >> that's going to be difficult for them. >> if there was so much explosive growth, if so many people were lifted out of poverty, why is he turning away from what worked? >> well, i think they have got maybe competing priorities. the government here in china certainly wants the economy to grow. but they also have a national security mind set. they want to control data. >> that's more important, the control, right? than economic growth. it seems that way. >> i think it's open for debate. you're hearing, we're hearing both messages. >> it sounds as if you yourself
7:29 pm
don't know the direction it's going. >> what i perceive here is that the greater energy is with those on the national security side of the government of china. >> on a train trip from beijing to shanghai, the ambassador pointed out that in the decades before president xi, china powered its economy by investing in these high-speed trains. roads, factories, and skyscrapers that light up shanghai, the financial capital of china. but under president xi, china lost more than $120 billion worth of long term foreign investments last year because of the weakening economy and the harsh government tactics which have left american companies uncertain of the future there. >> there are a lot of american companies here, have a lot of them just picked up and left because of this current business
7:30 pm
environment? >> you know, that's interesting. not many. >> not many. >> not many. why not? china is the second largest economy in the world. a big market. so a few american companies have left. but most have stayed. >> some american companies are moving at least some of their operations to singapore, vietnam, mexico, but they're not leaving china. >> they don't want to leave. >> the markets are irresistible to american business people. it's gigantic. >> maybe they're not leaving, but they're not investing. they're not making major investments until they can see exactly where the government is headed. >> yet, because of the 1.4 billion potential consumers, some companies like disney are increasing their investment. >> welcome to shanghai disney resort. >> it recently expanded its shanghai disney land that they told us is thriving. aptar, a $9 billion company
7:31 pm
headquartered in crystal lake, illinois, is another american firm bucking the trend of capital flight. president of aptar asia, a chinese born u.s. citizen, showed us around one of their five manufacturing sites in china. >> we are manufacturing for some of the largest u.s. brands actually, the u.s. consumer brands. >> this factory makes the packaging and dispensing devices for food, pharmaceutical, and beauty products sold in asia. >> all of the customers like p & g, all of that, they're all here doing business. >> aptar in china for nearly 30 years recently invested $60 million in a new factory. she says even in a slowing economy, the company is doing well. american companies here, as the ambassador well knows, are pausing or cutting back on
7:32 pm
investment, but not this firm. you're expanding. >> well, because we are here for the long term, and we believe in the consumption power of the rising middle class. it's 1.4 billion people here, and imagine, for example, health care, and the same with cosmetics and beauty and beverage, all those factors, packaged foods. these are the biggest markets. so we are very confident about the long term. >> what does it say about the confidence really in the u.s./china relationship, it seems to say you believe that things will, what? i'm asking, get better? >> that's a great question for the ambassador. i believe so. i hope so. >> you know, we'll see. >> actually, burns says he's wary of the future, as the fundamental rivalry and mistrust between the u.s. and china is shaking the confidence of the
7:33 pm
business world and has pushed our relationship to its lowest point in half a century. is it our most competitive relationship in the world right now? >> this is the most important, most competitive, and most dangerous relationship that the united states has in the world right now, and will, i think for the next decade or so. >> i want to quote you back to you. and tell us what you meant. you have said divorce is not an option. >> right. our two countries have to live together. this, i think, is the greatest tension in the u.s./china relationship. china's our most significant competitor. and at the same time, china is our third largest trade partner, 750,000 american jobs at stake, agriculture. china is the largest market for u.s. agriculture. one-fifth of all of our export products from agriculture are sent to china.
7:34 pm
that was $40.9 billion last year. >> so we can't afford really to have a real break here. >> well, it's complicated. it's complicated. some people are saying, well, we're so competitive with china, we should end the economic relationship. the consequence of that would be 750,000 american families wouldn't be able to put dinner on the table, and so this makes for an extraordinarily difficult balancing act in my job. >> you're a wallenda brother? i i never thought of myself that way. >> on the tightrope. >> well, we have competing interests here. and balancing those interests is the reality in the u.s./china relationship. we're going to compete. we have to compete responsibly and keep the peace between our countries but we also have to engage. >> more about the balancing act and the biggest economic problem in china today when we come back.
7:35 pm
welcome to cbs sports hq. >> i'm adam zucker in new york with the day in college hoops. with selection sunday just three weeks away, another dominant performance by zachedy as number three purdue continues its push toward a number one seed. st. john's upset crayton. on the women's side, caitlin clark dazzled once again, registering her 16th career triple-double. okay, when you turn around, you're gonna see someone. may i have a turkey and cheese? let's imagine that ll cool j has a bubble around him. -do we want to be inside -- ohh. -hey, i'm keith. there are some situations that young homeowners turning into their parents just can't handle. yeah, there he is. -there's my nephew. -very cool. i got a video of him, uh, playing piano. that's not how you take a selfie. progressive can't save you from becoming your parents, but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto with us. -three, two, one. -we don't need a countdown. just take the picture. pain hits fast.
7:36 pm
so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now, get max strength topical pain relief precisely where you need it. with new tylenol precise. (♪♪) your ancestry is so much more than names and dates. (♪♪) c'mon! it's the story of your family - then and now. a story that made your name mean something. a story you're still writing. so discover your heritage. preserve your traditions. represent all that makes you, you. (♪♪) (woman) oh, well this is me... (man) represent all that it's still early. do you wanna maybe grab a coffee? (vo) with the wells fargo active cash card — you earn 2% cash back on what you want. like coffee. ping-pong. a movie. karaoke.
7:37 pm
and... 2% cash back on what you need. (man) no no no, just my shoe. (vo) like maybe shoes without laces. (man) just my shoe folks. (vo) the wells fargo active cash card. that's real life ready. not flossing well? then add the whoa! of listerine to your routine. new science shows listerine is 5x more effective than floss at reducing plaque above the gumline. for a cleaner, healthier mouth. ahhhhh. listerine. feel the whoa!
7:38 pm
7:39 pm
- lift the clouds off of... - virtual weather, only on kpix and pix+. one in every five people in
7:40 pm
the world is chinese. china's population is four times that of the u.s. and the country is vast. 3.7 million square miles. it overlooks the taiwan strait, where half the world's trade flows every day. and is located about 100 miles away from taiwan. president xi likes to say that the east is rising, the west is declining. but economically, the u.s. is thriving compared to china. in december, moody's, the credit rating agency, cut its outlook for china to negative. and it's facing a long term demographic bind. a decline in the birth rate that experts say is irreversible, meaning the country is both aging and shrinking. ambassador nicholas burns took us on a tour starting in
7:41 pm
beijing. the ambassador and his wife libby like to take early morning walks through a park near their residence. >> this is a 600-year-old ming dynasty park. it's a place for a lot of retirees and a lot of young people. and it's tremendously active. >> it's where the locals come for their early morning routines. like tai-chi, yo-yoing. and ping-pong. you couldn't tell from these scenes that china, where the covid pandemic began, is still emerging from the trauma of president xi jinping's oppressive zero covid policy. burns, 68, a career diplomat who has served in both republican
7:42 pm
and democratic administrations, got to china at the height of the zero covid lockdowns and quarantines. >> when my wife libby and i arrived here in early march of '22, we were quarantined in this house for 21 days for three weeks. shanghai, a city of 26 million people, was completely locked down for 63 days. >> what was that like? in the city? >> we had women who needed to give birth and we had to find a way to get them to the hospital. we had americans who wanted to get out but had to find a way out of their locked compounds to the airport. so zero covid worked for a while in '20 and '21, they had very low or relatively lower infection rates. by 2022, it had really divided this society. >> it set off rare widespread protests. then in december of 2022, president xi ended the policy abruptly. >> the last thing this
7:43 pm
government is going to accept is volatility. >> volatility is something this german businessman who has lived and worked in china for over 30 years hadn't seen since the tiananmen square uprising in 1989. he represents basf, the world's largest chemical producer. you have said this is a ptsd country, post traumatic stress disorder country. what do you mean? >> well, everybody has been traumatized by the lockdowns that took place in many cities across china, and the kind of messaging that came out of the leadership. it's for your own safety. then the lockdown was lifted actually it was more a capitulation from the government. the lockdown basically left and -- >> they said we're wrong, we're going to lift it. >> they never said they were wrong. they wouldn't admit they did something wrong. then basically like a tsunami, covid was rolling across the country. >> after they lifted it?
7:44 pm
>> december and january, i would say a billion people were infected, and certainly lots of people died. >> independent analysts say that an estimated 1.4 million people died. >> this kind of environment really changes your attitude towards life. and in business, we thought we're going to have a comeback story, and we had a good couple weeks, and then the economy basically has been flat since. >> you know, after covid in the west, and the united states particularly, we did have a huge quick rebound. why didn't it happen here? >> well, i think that covid also has covered up a couple long-term problems that china has been building up. for example, in the real estate sector. >> we reported on the real estate sector ten years ago. with astonishing sights like this of empty buildings in city after city across the country. this is today. similar hollowed out wastelands of unoccupied and unfinished
7:45 pm
apartments known as ghost cities. when i was here ten years ago, i never expected to see these buildings still here. what was a housing bubble back then grew and finally exploded. this real estate crisis lies at the heart of china's economic decline. has anybody counted up the number of empty units? i mean, across the whole country? >> the whole of germany, we have 82 million people could move in here right away. 80 to 90 million apartments are empty. >> 80 to 90 million apartments are empty? >> right, unfinished. >> over the years, chinese banks readily loaned money to the developers, as the building boon created millions of jobs and propelled china's growth. but in 2020, the government under president xi clamped down on the rampant borrowing, causing the major developers to
7:46 pm
default on their loans and run out of money. look at that. the facade isn't even finished. he says they couldn't even afford to take down the cranes. in january, evigrand, once china's largest developer, was ordered to liquidate its remaining assets. left in the lurch are millions of chinese citizens who bought these apartments before they were built. >> the developers owe their customers that paid up to the magnitude of $1 trillion u.s. dollars. >> if i did a down payment on one of these apartments, will i ever see that money? >> no, you will not see the money. >> it's gone. >> it's finished. to me, it's really dramatic. >> ten years ago, we were told that this was the way people put money down for their nest egg. >> right. >> for their retirement fund. is that still the case? >> the 66%, two-thirds of family
7:47 pm
household average wealth is in apartments. >> that loss of wealth has depressed consumer spending and dragged down the economy. we wondered if the people blame president xi for that or for the covid deaths. but it was impossible for us to gauge public opinion or if it even matters. while no one from the government would give us an interview, we were able to learn, as yorg who has lived here for 30 years told us, it's not a good idea to bet against the chinese people. what are some of the positive aspects of the economy here? they do have a strong manufacturing base still. >> the big part is between the ears of people, the brains of the chinese entrepreneurs that actually made this success story happen. china is not really good in basic research, but they're fantastic in development. they're world champion in making products better, faster, and cheaper. >> are they better? >> yes, they are in some areas.
7:48 pm
our chinese competitors are breathing down our neck and drive some of us out of the market. >> for instance, china now makes over 80% of all the solar panels in the world, dominates the wind turbine market, is poised to overtake japan as the world's biggest exporter of cars and more. >> the leading trade partner as twice as many countries in the world as the united states. so they have -- >> the leading trade partner -- >> with over 60 countries in the world. >> and now with heavy government subsidies, it is fast becoming the leader in electric vehicles. last quarter, the carmaker byd surpassed tesla as the best selling ev maker in the world. shanghai based nio is trying to break through with high-tech innovations. in december, the company unveiled a new battery with a driving range of 620 miles, more
7:49 pm
than 200 miles further than tesla's top end model. william lee, the ceo and founder of nio, says its battery swap technology allows owners to swap out their depleted battery for a fully charged one in under three minutes. >> 2 1/2 minutes. >> 2 1/2 minutes. >> yes. already installed 2,200 stations all around china. >> china is also developing a humanoid robot industry. look at that. >> it's coming too. >> alex is the founder and ceo of forea intelligence. last year, he launched the gr-1, his first generation humanoid. >> we can do arm, he can swing the arm. you see?
7:50 pm
>> look at the fingers. oh, my word. can he play the piano. >> yeah, future, definitely he can. >> also in the future, he says, the robots could provide health care for china's rapidly aging population. >> maybe we can, for example, we can remote control such kind of robots to help my grandpa, for example. yeah, i think. >> president xi, who visited this company last year, has called for the mass production of humanoids by 2025. in his annual new year's speech, he talked about the country's economic woes and for the first time acknowledged the high unemployment rate. still, he has laid out a long-term goal of doubling china's economy by 2035 and surpassing the west in technology. >> our companies and tech experts are competing on ai and
7:51 pm
biotech and quantum mathematics. all those technological advances will lead to a new generation of military technology. our two militaries are vying for military supremacy, who is going to be the most powerful, and the most strategic part of the world, which is the indo-pacific. >> presidents biden and xi met in san francisco in november in hopes of reestablishing military communications between our two countries, which china had cut off. >> i think we're back to a more settled and stable relationship between the two countries, but it's been a roller coaster. >> the low point, he says, was the spy balloon incident last year. but there's also been the build-up of military bases in the south china sea, the increase of air sorties near taiwan, and the buzzing of u.s. military planes. do you see a lowering of the temperature in the south china sea? >> no.
7:52 pm
and that's a problem. >> you don't. >> and then in taiwan, following speaker pelosi's visit, we have seen for 16 months a much higher rate of chinese both air activity and naval activity that is very intimidating. meant to intimidate. >> they haven't pulled back on that. >> they haven't pulled back on that. i think ultimately, they want to become and overtake the united states as the dominant country globally. and we don't want that to happen. we don't want to live in a world where the chinese are the dominant country. >> when the cold war ended, we all thought our system had won. you know, their system failed. our system rose up. now, he's come back and said no, no, the communist system is the right way. i guess we didn't bury that after all. >> you know, it's interesting to compare the old cold war with this time. what distinguishes this time versus the old cold war, soviet
7:53 pm
union had a strong military and nuclear weapons. it had a very weak economy, which in no way competed with ours. chi china's economy is very strong. we're dealing with an adversary, a competitor in china stronger than the soviet union was in the 1940s, '50s, '60s, '70s, and' 80s. >> if that was a cold war, what are you calling this? >> it's a competition of ideas. a battle of ideas. our idea, america's big idea of a democratic society and human freedom, versus china's idea that a communist state is stronger than a democracy. we don't believe that. so there's a battle here as to whose ideas should lead the world, and we believe those are american ideas. lesley stahl on witnessing china change while reporting for "60 minutes."
7:54 pm
>> this was different from the other times i have been there reporting. >> at 60minutesovertime.com. voices of people with cidp: cidp disrupts. cidp derails. let's be honest... all: cidp sucks! voices of people with cidp: but living with cidp doesn't have to. when you sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com, you'll find inspiration in real patient stories, helpful tips, reliable information, and more. cidp can be tough. but finding hope just got a little easier. sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com. all: be heard. be hopeful. be you. i'm a parking gate. and i'm all out of whack. automated voice: please insert your parking ticket. it's going to take a lot more than a little ticket to get out of here. and if you have cut rate car insurance, this could leave you all bent out of shape. no...ahhh! so, get allstate and be better protected from mayhem...
7:55 pm
yeah...like me. uh, someone! that's broken to pal... hahaha. automated voice: please insert your parking ticket. the right age for neutrogena® retinol? that's whenever you want it to be. it has derm-proven retinol that targets vital cell turnover, evens skin tone, and smooths fine lines. with visible results in just one week. neutrogena® retinol (loud sneeze) big plans? don't let allergies get in your way. this is astepro® allergy. astepro® starts working in 30 minutes,
7:56 pm
while flonase® takes up to 12 hours*. with astepro's® unbeatably fast allergy relief, you can astepro® and go!™
7:57 pm
democrats agree. with astepro's® unbeatably conservative republican steve garvey is the wrong choice for the senate. ...our republican opponent here on this stage has voted for donald trump twice. mr. garvey, you voted for him twice... as your own man, what is your decision? garvey is wrong for california. but garvey's surging in the polls.
7:58 pm
fox news says garvey would be a boost to republican control of the senate. stop garvey. adam schiff for senate. i'm adam schiff, and i approve this message. the last minute of "60 minutes" is sponsored by united health care. there for what matters. now, an update on our story this month on the southern border called a hole in the system. about an hour east of san diego, we found migrants entering the united states illegally. what was remarkable was where many were coming from. through a gap between the 30-foot steel border fence and rocks. we were surprised to see the number of people coming through from china, nearly 7,000 miles
7:59 pm
away. careful, watch. our cameras and at one point this armed border patrol agent standing 25 feet away, did not deter them. but now, "60 minutes" can report the mexican government has placed new outposts near that gap blocking the chinese and other migrants. i'm sharyn alfonsi. we'll be back next week with another edition of "60 minutes." only unitedhealthcare medicare advantage plans come with the ucard - one simple member card that opens doors where it matters for you. what if we need to see a doctor away from home? ucard gets you in with medicare advantage's largest national provider network. how 'bout using it at the pharmacy? yes - your ucard is all you need. huh - that's easy! can it help keep my smile looking good? yep! use your ucard at the dentist. say cheese! get access to what matters with the ucard only from unitedhealthcare.
8:00 pm
previously on the equalizer... (indistinct shouting) i got you. come on, let's get out of here. (screams) briggs. oh. glad you came. this is briggs. best in the biz. learned it all from you. so, how'd you, uh, end up working for bishop security? briggs: rotc in high school led to a scholarship at west point.