Day: February 20, 2026

China’s annual “Two Sessions” are set to open in early March, offering a critical glimpse into Beijing’s political priorities, economic direction and approach to Taiwan. This year’s meetings unfold amid exceptional uncertainty, following the dramatic purge of senior PLA leaders including Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, raising questions about civil–military relations and internal stability. At the same time, China is entering its 15th Five-Year Plan period, with growth targets, defense spending, and industrial policy under intense scrutiny. How will Beijing balance political control, economic strain, and mounting external pressure from Washington? In this episode, we preview the Two Sessions, examine key political and economic signals to watch, and assess what shifts in rhetoric may reveal about China’s intentions toward Taiwan and the evolving US–China relationship. *Recorded on February 6, 2026 at 2pm Taiwan Standard Time Host: Wen-Ti SungProducer: Chinyeh Chiang Our guests: Titus Chen National Chengchi University Institute of International Relations Research Professor and Deputy DirectorWei-Feng Tzeng National Chengchi University Institute of International Relations Associate Research Fellow Chapters:00:00:00 – China Launches New 5-Year Plan amid Purges00:02:36 – China Loses Military Expertise in Latest Purges00:11:34 – Beijing’s Five-Year Plan Clings to 5% GDP Goal00:21:42 – Xi and Trump Discuss Taiwan on Phone Call#GovernmentWorkReport #EconomicGrothTarget #DefenseBudget #TaiwanPolicy #PLA #XiJinping #ZhangYouxia #LiuZhenli #JiangBin #ZhouXinmin #LuoQi #LiuCangli #ZhouChen #CentralMilitaryCommission #CMC #MilitaryPurge #ChinaPurge #PoliticalLoyalty #ChinaMilitary #CentralMilitaryCommission #RocketForce #AntiCorruption #TigersAndFlies #MilitaryModernization #ChinaDefense #DefenseBudget #ChinaEconomy #15thFiveYearPlan #5YearPlan #GDPGrowthTarget #5% #5Percent #ChinaDream #NewQualityProductiveForces #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AIPlus #IoT #InternetofThings #HighTechIndustry #DomesticConsumption #RuralMarket #ChinaGrowth #NumberOneDocument #Agriculture #TaiwanStrait #TaiwanIssues #TaiwanAffairs #CrossStraitRelations #USChinaRelations #XiTrumpSummit #ArmSales #Geopolitics #ChinaForeignPolicy #InternationalAffairs #GlobalSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #EVs #ElectricVehicles #Robotics #InternetOfThings #AerospaceChina #DefenseBudget #ChinaDream #EconomicMobilization #Technocrats #CentennialGoal #NDRC #NationalDevelopmentandReformCommission #TaiwanPlus #TaiwanTalks

Recently, a peculiar trend has swept across the Chinese internet—an unusual fascination with “tearing paper.” However, this isn’t paper being torn, but a material known as “hand-teared steel.”According to Chinese state media, this 0.015-millimeter-thick steel is a “national powerhouse” that has “broken the Western monopoly,” representing the “pinnacle of industry.” On platforms like Douyin and Weibo, countless Chinese nationalists have expressed their heartfelt sentiments, as if tearing this steel somehow pierced the technological barrier imposed by the West.

While the headlines claim victory, China’s economy is quietly breaking. Official data shows Beijing met its 5% GDP growth target for 2025, but a closer look at the numbers reveals a system stabilizing under massive strain. In this video, we uncover the truth behind the Chinese property market crash, where new home prices are plummeting and state-owned firms are buying foreclosed assets at nearly half price.We break down why China’s manufacturing sector is hovering near contraction despite trillions in liquidity injections from the People’s Bank of China. The data exposes a terrifying reality: a deflationary spiral where producer prices are falling, consumer demand is weak, and businesses are refusing to borrow money. Is this the start of a financial crisis that could drag down the global economy?From the hidden youth unemployment numbers to the stalling belt and road momentum, we analyze why the world’s second-largest economy isn’t accelerating—it’s stalling. Watch to understand how this “silent slowdown” will impact global trade, commodity prices, and your portfolio in 2026.#ChinaEconomy #Geopolitics #Recession

A spectacular show at the Spring Festival Gala sub-venue in Yibin, China’s Sichuan, showcased China’s domestically developed unmanned aerial vehicles in their first clustered public appearance on the gala stage.

Japan’s recent election delivered a landslide victory for Sanae Takaichi and her Liberal Democratic Party, securing 316 seats in the lower house—the strongest ruling-party performance since World War II. This gives Takaichi unprecedented power to advance policies once championed by her mentor Shinzo Abe: raising defense spending to 2% of GDP, introducing nuclear-powered submarines, and ultimately amending the constitution to normalize Japan’s military as a full National Defense Force.Far from reviving militarism, these moves stem from deep alarm over China’s rise and military expansion. Takaichi is accelerating Abe’s strategy of building a values-based alliance—especially with the United States—to counter the CCP threat, with clearer commitments to Taiwan’s defense likely ahead. As Cold War 2.0 takes shape, Japan is welding itself firmly to the American camp, setting the stage for sharper Sino-Japanese confrontation in the years to come.

A massive sinkhole has suddenly opened on a busy road in Shanghai, China’s largest financial hub. What caused it?Two Chinese-American female athletes are in the spotlight—not for the medals they won, but for the paths they took. Alysa Liu won figure skating gold for the U.S., while Eileen Gu took freestyle skiing silver for China. A former NBA player calls Eileen Gu a traitor—but she says it’s more about opportunity, not loyalty.Lily Tang Williams, survivor, Mao’s Cultural Revolution: “I think Eileen Gu might consider becoming a Chinese citizen, living there, and seeing what it’s like.”Forty-eight hours after his release by ICE, a Chinese whistleblower with evidence of Beijing’s alleged human rights abuses sat down with us last week. He crossed the U.S. southern border in 2020–21, hoping to escape persecution by the Chinese regime.Takaichi wins big in Japan’s elections, and President Trump unveils a new ‘Board of Peace.’Retired Marine Colonel Grant Newsham joins us to break down what these moves could mean for global politics and China’s reaction: “You’ve seen so many things come out of the White House—this White House that everyone thinks are impossible—and then something happens. So I’m in the wait-and-see mode, but not willing to dismiss it.”00:00 Intro01:03 Subway Site Caves In, Causing Massive Sinkhole in Shanghai01:50 Is Eileen Gu a Traitor to the US?04:53 Eileen Gu Might Consider Living in China: Lily Tang Williams05:31 China Uses Soft Power to Infiltrate the US07:38 China Benefits From Pro-Beijing Celebrities Abroad09:26 Alysa Liu’s Family Has Been Spied on by CCP11:30 Xinjiang Camp Whistleblower Freed After US Asylum Win17:29 Japan’s Power Shift; China Reacts to Board of Peace | Analysis

Xi’s grip on power is being challenged from within the CCP. Who exactly is in the anti-Xi camp—and why are these forces emerging now? This episode breaks down the CCP’s hidden power blocs: the conservatives, the reformists, and Xi’s shrinking inner circle. We examine how the fallout from moves against Zhang Youxia reshaped the balance inside Zhongnanhai, why the PLA’s silence matters, and how internal rules are being used to restrain Xi Jinping without open confrontation.