Day: August 9, 2026

Taiwan is getting ready for a Chinese blockade—and its biggest vulnerabilities could be energy and communications. Chris Chappell looks at Taiwan’s latest war games, China’s growing pressure around the island, and the preparations underway to keep Taiwan supplied if a crisis turns into a conflict.

Source: Taiwan Has 20 Days MAX

China’s economic engine is cooling rapidly, and a major policy rift is opening among top leadership over how to engineer a recovery. China analyst Tony Fiddis examines the growing split between traditional infrastructure spending and radical consumer stimulus.

Source: China’s Top Economist Warns: We Are In Serious Trouble | China’s Economy | US – China

Where is Hu Jintao? A shocking death rumor involving China’s former leader, his wife, and son has sparked intense speculation across the Chinese internet. In this video, we examine the viral Hu Jintao death rumor, the mysterious screenshot, the reported denial, and the questions surrounding its disappearance. We also explore why the rumor is putting Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party under pressure—and what it could mean for China’s political future. What is true, and what is political manipulation?

Source: The Death Rumor Putting Xi Jinping Under Pressure

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council minister says that China's new immigration rules are unclear and will induce panic if implemented. The rules also tighten entry regulations for foreigners.

Source: Mainland Affairs Council Weighs In on China's New Immigration Rules｜TaiwanPlus News

On August 6, water was reportedly seen dripping from the cabin ceiling of an Air China COMAC C919 passenger jet. A flight attendant was filmed walking down the aisle, using tissues to absorb water leaking from gaps in the ceiling panels. The awkward scene quickly drew public attention.

Source: C919 Turns Into “Rain Cabin”: Crew Blocks Leaks, Chinese Airlines Call It “Junk”

The US State Department says it firmly rejects China's efforts to enforce its territorial claim over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Beijing has long claimed sovereignty over the reef, rejecting an international ruling in favor of the Philippines. Washington calls Beijing's declaration of a national nature reserve around the shoal "destabilizing" and says China has no right to deny Fillipino fishers access to a traditional fishing ground.

Source: US Rejects China’s Efforts To Cut Access to Disputed Scarborough Shoal｜TaiwanPlus News

In this hard-hitting opinion piece for *Digging into China*, I argue that the CCP under Xi Jinping has entered "historical garbage time" — the phase where a system's decline becomes inevitable, yet it continues accelerating toward failure. Drawing on Austrian economics, dynastic Chinese history, and current realities, I examine how extreme power centralization, massive subsidies, demographic collapse, and ideological rigidity have created unbreakable dead loops. Xi's leadership has accelerated these contradictions: from zero-COVID's self-inflicted wounds and property crises to elite capital flight and youth disillusionment. While the regime clings to control through surveillance and propaganda, legitimacy erodes. Individuals, however, do not have garbage time — personal agency, skill-building, and truth-seeking remain possible. This is not collapse prediction, but a call for realism. China's trajectory carries risks and costs for the world. True rejuvenation requires freedom and accountability currently absent. The sprint is underway. The question is how we navigate it.

Source: From Miracle to Meltdown: China’s Dangerous Descent Into Historical Garbage Time | Digging into China

Chinese fishing fleets are leaving behind a trail of abused workers, dead crew members, depleted fisheries, and environmental destruction around the world. In this episode of China Uncensored, we expose the horrifying conditions aboard Chinese fishing vessels—and how China’s massive fishing industry is devastating oceans and exploiting workers while expanding its reach across the globe.

Source: The Moment You Realize You've Made A Terrible, Terrible Mistake

The US, Philippines and Japan are joined by a growing group of allies in the largest iteration of the Balikatan exercise yet. With new participants including France, Canada and New Zealand, the drills are expanding in scale and complexity, from live-fire maritime strikes to integrated air and missile defense. For the first time, exercises are being held in the Bashi Channel, just over 100 miles from Taiwan. The strategic importance of the First Island Chain is further underscored by Japan’s larger than expected commitment of 1,400 troops. In response, Beijing has sharply criticized the allies and blocked air travel over wide swathes of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. In this episode, we examine what’s driving this expansion and what it means for Taiwan and regional security. *Recorded on April 21, 2026 at 2:30pm Taiwan Standard Time Host/Senior Producer: Yin Khvat Consultant: Max Yu Research Assistant: Ryan Pham Our guests: Tony Hu Former US Department of Defense Senior Director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia Sana Hashmi Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation Fellow Renato Cruz de Castro De La Salle University Department of International Studies Distinguished Professor Chapters: 00:00:00 – Philippines Hosts Biggest-Ever Drills 00:01:47 – China, Japan Sail Through Strait 00:04:33 – US Allies in ‘Real World’ Exercises 00:13:38 – Japan Sends 1,400 Troops 00:19:20 – Beijing Locks Down Airspace

Source: Balikatan: China Fury as Japan, New Zealand Join US – Philippines Drills | Taiwan Talks EP817

This briefing will look at the construction of military facilities on Antelope Reef, Paracel Islands, and what it means for China’s military capabilities in the South China Sea.

Source: China’s New Base in the South China Sea – What’s its significance?

China’s new mission is the most advanced robotic lander we’ve seen so far, but it’s also just the first step in a Chinese plan that will build their own permanent outpost on a critical piece of land that NASA has already tried to claim, but failed to reach.

Source: What Is Actually Happening With China's Artemis Mission

The United States has cut F-1 visas for Chinese students by nearly 50 percent. What does this mean for American students and U.S. national security? A record the FBI says underscores growing threats: More than 700 terror plots were foiled in the U.S. last year. Espionage arrests also climbed sharply. A warning sign for China's fast-growing biotech industry: The reported death of a child following a gene therapy trial is raising questions about safety reviews and transparency in Beijing. The company involved notably has an office in the United States. Fighter jets scrambling, the internet slowing: Taiwan has kicked off its most realistic war games yet as the threat of a Chinese invasion looms. 00:00 Intro 01:20 U.S. Cuts F-1 Visas for Chinese Students by 46% 03:37 U.S. to Reject More Visa Applications From China 04:20 FBI Says It Prevented 715 Terror Plots in U.S. 05:25 Death of Child Puts China Biotech Under Scrutiny 06:21 Han Kuang 42: Taiwan Trains Forces for a China Invasion 08:43 Taiwan Trains for Real War as 2027 Window Nears 08:57 Brazil Steelmaker Pushes Back on China Steel Growth 10:08 U.S. Plans to Close Five Diplomatic Missions 11:40 Shen Yun Documentary 'Unbroken' Premieres in Sydney 16:00 UK OKs Plans for Chinese ‘Mega Embassy’ 17:18 Residents Seek to Block Mega Chinese Embassy 17:57 China's Mega London Embassy Raises Security Concerns 20:42 Beijing's Ethnic Unity Law: Transnational Repression Tool?

Source: U.S. Cuts F – 1 Visas for Chinese Students by 46% | China in Focus

Source: China's Housing Crisis is Real – Ghost Cities are Everywhere!