Day: July 31, 2025

China says it will hold joint military drills with Russia in August. The announcement comes after Taiwan held its largest-ever military exercise in July and while a joint exercise led by Australia and the U.S. is ongoing. 📹 Reporter(s): TaiwanPlus#TaiwanPlus #TaiwanPlusNews #TaiwanNews

China-Philippines LIVE: China Threatens Action Over Taiwan-Philippines Military Pact | War LIVEAs tensions flare in the South China Sea, the US, Japan, and the Philippines step up their united front against China’s growing assertiveness. Joint drills, new missile deployments, and open military support signal that a showdown could be closer than ever. Is the region on the brink of war? #china #taiwan #war #philippines

China is facing an outbreak of chikungunya—a virus spread by mosquitoes that can sometimes be deadly. There is no vaccine, and the World Health Organization is sounding the alarm. How serious is the threat?Another round of U.S.–China trade talks has wrapped up. Will China concede to President Donald Trump’s tariff pressure? And how will tariffs impact China if rates snap back? An expert weighs in.With tensions rising between the United States and China, India is caught in the middle. We break down what’s behind India’s balancing act.Apple is shutting down a store in China. It’s a rare move, coming amid rising pressure from local brands and a shaky Chinese economy. What does it mean for the tech giant in one of its biggest markets?China’s super dam project in Tibet is casting a shadow over its neighbors downstream. Here’s how the massive project could give Beijing more power to influence South Asian countries. An expert breaks it down.00:00 Intro01:00 China Faces New Fatal Mosquito-Borne Virus Outbreak02:26 Will CCP Concede to Trump’s Tariff Pressure?08:05 Trump: 25% Tariff on India Starting Aug. 109:17 India Tries to Balance Relations With U.S. and China11:03 Apple to Close a Store in China for the First Time12:58 Behind China’s Tibet Dam: Leverage and Environmental Costs15:22 What the World Looks Like if China Beats U.S. in AI🔵Tiffany Meier’s documentary Hollywood Takeover – how Beijing is rewriting the script in America’s film industry: hollywoodtakeover.com

On July 25, Shanghai released its economic data for the first half of 2025. The city’s GDP reached 26.22 trillion yuan, a 5.1% increase year-on-year, matching the growth rate of the first quarter. However, Shanghai’s general public budget revenue grew by just 0.2%, while expenditures increased by 13.5%. The rate of fiscal income growth is far behind the GDP growth rate. In the first half of the year, the average disposable income per resident in Shanghai was 46,805 yuan, a 4.6% increase. Consumer prices (CPI) in the city rose by 0.1% year-on-year, remaining steady from the first quarter.J

On July 26, Taiwanese voters went to the polls to vote on whether to recall 24 opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers. Dubbed the “Great Recall” in local media, it was launched by independent civic groups who argued that the targeted lawmakers were helping China and undermining Taiwan’s democracy by grabbing power away from the courts and the executive branch. The run-up to the vote was marked by heated debate, claims of fraudulent signatures, and strong public engagement by supporters of both parties. The result had the potential to shift control of the legislature from the KMT to President Lai Ching-te’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). In the end, however, the wave was not even a ripple. All of the July 26 votes fell short. What happened? And what does it mean for Taiwan’s democracy? In today’s episode, we discuss the recall campaign, the winners and losers, and China’s reaction. Our guests: Hwang Kwei-bo National Chengchi University Department of Diplomacy Professor Former Kuomintang Deputy Secretary-General Vincent Chao Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Former Political Head of TECRO, Taiwan’s De Facto Embassy in Washington, D.C. Tseng Yueh-ying Taiwanese Politics Commentator ‘Translation Matters’ Facebook Page Administrator Chapters 00:00:00 – Reflecting on the ‘Great Recall’ 00:02:32 – Campaign’s Winners and Losers 00:08:27 – Campaigners: DPP Failed to Help 00:14:38 – Lai: ‘Civic power’ Not in Vain 00:20:08 – China’s Role in Recall Campaign#GreatRecall #RecallVote #RecallElections #MassRecallCampaign #TaiwanPolitics #DemocraticProgressiveParty #DPP #Kuomintang #KMT #LaiChingTe #PresidentLai #CivilSociety #CivilGroups #CrossStraitRelations #TaiwanStrait #RecallPetition #LegislativeYuan #TaiwanLegislature #JudicialYuan #ExecutiveYuan #Democracy #Constitution #ChecksandBalances #TaiwanTalks

Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang discusses China’s concerns over Nvidia chips, the latest regarding the Panama Canal ports deal and more on ‘Mornings with Maria.’ #foxbusiness #foxbusinessnews #china #technology #panamacanal #chinausa

Xi Jinping has faded. The Party is paralyzed. And one general is making his move. Zhang Youxia, once seen as a loyal deputy, is now acting like China’s Prigozhin—but smarter, quieter, and still inside the system. He’s pulled elite troops from Beijing, sidelined Xi’s allies, and taken control of the military machine. No speeches, no slogans—just orders. With the Fourth Plenum in limbo and party elders locked in deadlock, Zhang isn’t waiting for consensus. He’s rewriting the rules. This isn’t a coup that happened. It’s one that’s happening now—one quiet move at a time. And it’s far from over.1. Zhang’s recent military maneuver2. The CCP’s deadlock on succession3. Zhang Youxia’s plan going forwardSino-Russian video on Lei’s Looking Glass: • The forgotten betrayal that still haunts C… My latest video on Lei’s Looking Glass channel: • Why Harvard is linked to China’s most prot…

A potential blockade of Taiwan burst into the American consciousness in 2022 when China showed its displeasure about then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit by surrounding the island with missile impacts. This and subsequent Chinese exercises appeared to simulate a quarantine or blockade. This possibility was not a surprise to regional experts and the Taiwanese themselves, who had long been aware of this threat. Among the five types of joint campaigns discussed in Chinese doctrinal writing is the “joint blockade campaign” (联合封锁战役), and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has signaled that it would consider such blockade actions in the event that it took action against Taiwan. Such a blockade would not just affect China, Taiwan, and the United States. The disruption of international trade, particularly restrictions on computer chip production, would affect every country on the planet.Given this political and security environment, it would be prudent to study all forms that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could take in order to inform the policies of Taiwan, Japan, and the United States. Yet, there has been little agreement about what a “blockade” would entail, and still less quantitative analysis of possible scenarios.This report proposes a framework for understanding the range of blockade scenarios, analyzes them with a series of 23 wargames, and assesses the operational challenges that the respective parties would face in implementing and countering a blockade. The project does not argue that conflict, including a blockade, is inevitable or even necessarily likely. However, the project does argue that conflict is possible, given China’s commitment to reunification, using force if necessary, and its continuing military buildup. This project, therefore, concludes by proposing policy changes to better deter a blockade and to cope with one should it occur.This project was funded by a grant from the Smith Richardson Foundation.