Day: February 10, 2026

Taiwan and the US are deepening military cooperation with the establishment of a Joint Firepower Coordination Center, designed to improve target integration and precision strike planning amid rising pressure from China. Supporters argue the move strengthens deterrence by denial in the Taiwan Strait, while critics warn it could narrow strategic ambiguity. At the same time, questions have emerged over Washington’s priorities after Taiwan was not explicitly mentioned in the latest US National Defense Strategy, even as officials emphasize the First Island Chain. How should this omission be interpreted? And what does growing US–Taiwan operational integration mean for regional security? In this episode, we examine the Joint Firepower Coordination Center, evolving US strategy in the Indo-Pacific, and how Taiwan fits into shifting US defense planning under renewed US–China rivalry. *Recorded on February 5, 2026 at 2pm Taiwan Standard Time Host: Wen-Ti SungProducer: Chinyeh Chiang Our guests: Bryce C. Barros GLOBSEC’s GeoTech Center Associate FellowKitsch Liao Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub Associate Director Chapters:00:00:00 – Taiwan, US Build ‘Joint Firepower’ to Deter War00:01:38 – Taiwan and US Integrate Military Systems00:10:56 – Why Did US Omit Taiwan in Official Strategy?00:19:21 – Trump and Xi Talk Trade, Security Ahead of Visit

FBI Director Kash Patel says President Donald Trump is backing the return of the China Initiative. The program, which ended under the Biden administration, targeted criminal activity tied to the Chinese Communist Party. Arrests for Chinese espionage reportedly rose 40 percent during the first year of Trump’s second term.A major shift in Japan’s political landscape. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured a sweeping supermajority victory. Reactions are coming in from Trump and China’s Foreign Ministry.Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in the city’s most severe national security case to date. World leaders are condemning the ruling.The White House is backing Taiwan’s $40 billion push to boost defense spending. Details on infighting among the island’s political parties over the proposal.“Appearance violations.” That’s the official reason a Chinese singer has been repeatedly banned on Chinese social media. His resemblance to Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has become an issue for the regime.00:00 Intro01:12 FBI’s Focus Returns to CCP-Related Threats02:59 Takaichi Wins Snap Election; Trump, China Respond05:53 Hong Kong Jails China Critic Jimmy Lai for 20 Years07:41 WH Backs Taiwan’s Plan to Raise Defense Spending08:46 Honduras Weighs Taiwan Ties After Trump Meeting10:10 Singer-Actor Repeatedly Banned for Resembling Xi Jinping11:15 Farmers Seek Land Pay, Workers Demand Owed Wages12:11 Japan’s Takaichi Secures Landslide Win in Snap Election | Analysis15:43 U.S. to Bring China Under New Nuclear Arms Control?18:36 What’s Next in U.S.-China Relations?🔵Tiffany Meier’s documentary Hollywood Takeover – how Beijing is rewriting the script in America’s film industry: hollywoodtakeover.com

The daily average number of Chinese military aircraft coming near Taiwan last month was the lowest since President Lai Ching-te took office in May 2024, according to defense ministry figures. TaiwanPlus spoke to INDSR’s Su Tzu-yun for his thoughts on what could be driving this decline.

Fujian, the third Chinese aircraft carrier, was commissioned at the Sanya military port in Hainan in November 2025. Just three months later, it became embroiled in another scandal. Chinese media exposed its significant flaws, stating that Fujian not only falls short of American aircraft carriers but also fails to compare to the unfinished Soviet aircraft carrier.

China Update provides the most up to date political, economic, and geopolitical news and analysis on China. Videos are based on hundreds of articles, think tank reports, government statements and other resources in English and Chinese. China Update is fully independent and I make the videos.

Global pressure is building to free Hong Kong media mogul and pro-democracy figure Jimmy Lai after a Hong Kong court sentenced him to 20 years in prison under a controversial national security law.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer discusses President Donald Trump’s critical minerals deals and the framework for the U.S.-India trade deal on ‘Mornings with Maria.’ #foxbusiness #morningswithmaria

A significant industry has emerged of expectant mothers flying from China to states such as California or U.S. territories such as Saipan to give birth to American citizens, says investigative reporter Peter Schweizer.As soon as the newborn is old enough to fly, mother and child travel back to China with their babies. Chinese state-run media began promoting such services years ago, Schweizer says.“They are exploiting this on a massive scale,” Schweizer said. “It’s industrial, and we are completely oblivious to it.”He estimates there are tens of thousands of such cases per year. When the child turns 21, their parents can then potentially claim green cards through them.There are also growing anecdotes of surrogacy as another preferred route.“Politically connected elites in China … are hiring women in the United States to carry their children. They call them carriers. And these women are American citizens,” Schweizer says.Schweizer is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, including most recently “The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon.”In this episode, he breaks down some of the incredible findings of his book.Over the course of history, “migration has oftentimes been used as a weapon: a weapon of subversion, a weapon to overwhelm an enemy, a weapon to divide an enemy, a weapon to sow chaos,” he says.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

After Zhang Youxia was taken down, large-scale PLA troop movements appeared across China—tanks, missile launchers, armored vehicles, and helicopters on city streets. Is the PLA surrounding Beijing to pressure Xi Jinping? This video breaks down what’s really happening inside the Chinese military: who authorized these deployments, why a real coup is unlikely, and how factions inside the PLA are using troop movements as pressure, signaling, and intimidation—not war mobilization.

First order of business: No, this isn’t financial advice. Second order of business: taking a loan out in Yuan to profit from a Chinese collapse is a very bad idea.