Day: August 17, 2026

The true frontline of U.S.-China rivalry is the American stock market, the core of U.S. wealth, consumer confidence, and political legitimacy. Beijing views Wall Street as a strategic vulnerability and seeks to crash it through asymmetric means: leveraging Iranian proxies to spike oil prices, reignite inflation, force higher interest rates, and amplify panic via financial intermediaries. Yet the campaign fails. Proxies prioritize their own interests—mirroring a real 2013 Guangxi hitman case where successive subcontractors diluted a contract until it collapsed. China spends heavily for only temporary market dips, accelerating its own fiscal strains while creating discounted buying opportunities for U.S. investors. American market depth and corporate resilience consistently absorb the shocks and rebound, turning Beijing’s costly effort into an unintended subsidy for Wall Street.

Source: The Ultimate Backfire: Why China’s Financial Warfare Is Bleeding Its Own Treasury

When companies look at the China market, they see potentially 1.4 billion consumers. That’s a lie, says our guest David Day, who is the Chairman of the Global Risk Mitigation Foundation.

Source: China’s Hidden Economy

India is transforming Great Nicobar Island into a major maritime and military hub, betting that its strategic location near the Strait of Malacca will strengthen its security and its role in the Indo-Pacific. The multi-billion US dollar project includes a deep-water transshipment port, a dual-use airport and expanded military infrastructure, giving India a stronger presence near one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. The development has also drawn attention in China, where prominent analysts warn that India's growing capabilities could deepen Beijing's "Malacca Dilemma" by increasing the vulnerability of China's vital energy and trade routes. Is Great Nicobar primarily an economic development project — or a strategic counterweight to China's expanding influence across the Indian Ocean? In this episode, we examine why the island matters, how it could reshape the regional balance of power and what it means for China, Taiwan and the wider Indo-Pacific region. *Recorded on August 6, 2026 at 4pm Taiwan Standard Time Host/Senior Producer: Yin Khvat Producer: Suvam Pal Videographer: Celest Kao Our guests: S. B. Asthana Retired Indian Army Major General Roger Chifeng Liu Taiwan Thinktank DIMEs Center Comprehensive Diplomacy Team Director Hindol Sengupta O. P. Jindal Global University Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) Executive Dean and Jindal India Institute (JII) Director Chapters: 00:00:00 – India Unveils Big Nicobar Investments 00:03:04 – Is India Complicating China’s Plans? 00:09:26 – New Delhi Builds Dual-Use Infrastructure

Source: India's Great Nicobar: Why Island 74km From Malacca Worries China | Taiwan Talks EP903

Cameras on British naval drones are sending data back to China. A look at how the West is trying to break free from a Chinese-dominated drone supply chain. A Chinese national pleads guilty to trying to smuggle U.S. military equipment to China. Cryptocurrency was also part of the case. A Chinese rocket exploded shortly after liftoff. Is it an isolated setback—or a systemic problem? Vietnam’s top leader is meeting with his Australian counterpart amid growing tensions across the Indo-Pacific. The two nations are deepening security and economic ties, with critical minerals and the South China Sea high on the agenda. One of Washington’s major allies in Asia is changing its defense strategy, with the Chinese Communist Party in its sights. What’s next for the U.S.-Japan alliance? Retired Marine Colonel Grant Newsham, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy, says: “Now we do have the prospects of Japan becoming a much better ally, not just politically, but in concrete operational terms.” 00:00 Intro 01:14 Cameras on UK Naval Drones Sending Data Back to China 02:06 U.S. Reliance on Chinese Drones, Components 03:09 Chinese Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted U.S. Arms Smuggling 04:17 Chinese Rocket Explodes After Liftoff 05:12 AUS, Vietnam Deepen Security, Critical Mineral Ties 06:56 Japan Signals Urgency in Defense Shift: Newsham 08:43 Japan Moves to Become a Stronger U.S. Ally 09:59 Newsham: China Is Looking for a Fight With Japan 11:20 Beijing Views Iran as Proxy: Gaub 13:28 New Meta AI Model Aims to Compete With Chinese Rivals 14:37 China Uses AI to Influence U.S. Voters: Expert

Source: Cameras on Naval Drones Sending Data Back to China | China in Focus

China has built an arsenal of “carrier killer” missiles designed to threaten US aircraft carriers—but what happens if the US and its allies flip the script? A new CSIS report lays out five ways the US and its allies could put China’s growing aircraft carrier fleet at risk, from submarines and chokepoints to drones, cyber warfare, and long-range strikes. China may be building more carriers, but getting them safely out of its own backyard could be a much bigger problem.

Source: What If We Just Like, You Know…Sunk China’s Aircraft Carriers?

China’s military is facing growing questions over leadership, vacancies, and disappearing senior commanders. This video examines the deepening power struggle inside the PLA and Xi Jinping’s increasingly unusual relationship with China’s military. Are military orders going unsigned, and is Xi Jinping losing control of the Chinese military? As uncertainty grows inside the PLA, the biggest question may be whether anyone is truly in control.

Source: Why Are China’s Top Generals Disappearing?

While taking questions from reporters on Monday, President Donald Trump spoke about attempts to connect with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

Source: 'Did You Speak To Him?': Trump Pressed By Reporters On Request To Speak With Kim Jong Un

The Twin Crises Facing Xi Jinping: Economic Stagnation and Diplomatic Isolation | Digging into China China’s record-breaking July trade figures reveal a stark economic paradox: booming external trade contrasting with a sluggish domestic economy. While green-tech exports and tech-sector inflation propel headline values, volume growth remains modest. Beijing offsets Western tariffs through third-country re-routing and asymmetric currency devaluation against the Euro. However, this reliance on massive trade surpluses is accelerating international retaliation. The US is closing transshipment backdoors, while the EU moves toward comprehensive tariffs and security-based market barriers. This trade friction is compounded by geopolitical isolation. The quiet closure of Israel’s consulate in Chengdu highlights the fallout of Beijing’s transactional diplomacy in the Middle East. Facing growing protectionism and diplomatic retreat, China’s export-led model faces imminent, severe limits.

Source: The Twin Crises Facing Xi Jinping: Economic Stagnation and Diplomatic Isolation | Digging into China

On August 9, a bizarre incident reportedly occurred at a China Construction Bank branch in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. A person claimed that a gold bar he had previously purchased from the bank was sent to a gold shop for processing, where it was found to be made of copper instead of gold.

Source: China’s State Bank Gold Bar Found To Be Copper: $4 Billion Fake Gold Scandal Exposed

China Analyst Tony Fiddis examines Washington’s aggressive Section 232 tariffs on Chinese drones, the slowdown in Chinese outbound tourism, and the global macroeconomic risks of China’s unprecedented trade surplus. Read the complete in-depth analysis on China News Update: https://chinanewsupdate.com/us-drone-… Please Support the Channel (It's just me making China Update): Patreon Link: / chinaupdate One-off Tips Here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chinaupdate Book a one-on-one video consultation with Tony Fiddis for tailored, independent analysis of China’s economy, political landscape and evolving regulatory environment: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chinaupd… Video Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:19 US-China Tensions 02:56 China’s Economy: Overseas Travel 05:18 Personal Announcements 11:07 Could China’s Overcapacity Trigger the Next Global Crisis?

Source: Is China About To Trigger the Next Global Crisis? | US – China Tensions | China’s Economy

Art historian Nathalie Trouveroy has shared never-before-seen footage of the Tiananmen Square protests with Le Monde, shedding new light on how the Chinese regime violently repressed the student protests in June 1989.

Source: Tiananmen Square: Unseen footage reveals how the Chinese regime turned to violent repression

The sixth-generation fighter race has officially begun. In this deep dive, we compare America's F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter with China's mysterious J-50 stealth aircraft. Which fighter has the superior stealth design? Which has the better engines, sensors, AI, electronic warfare capabilities, and loyal wingman drones? And which could dominate the skies in a future conflict? Unlike many comparisons based on rumors alone, this documentary explains what is officially known, what defense analysts estimate, and where the biggest unknowns remain. In this video you'll discover: • Why sixth-generation fighters are changing air combat forever • F-47 vs J-50 design philosophy • Stealth technology and tailless aircraft • Adaptive-cycle engines explained • AI-powered sensor fusion • Electronic warfare and next-generation weapons • Loyal wingman drones and network-centric warfare • Which fighter appears to have the edge—and why the answer isn't as simple as it seems.

Source: Boeing F – 47 vs. Shenyang J – 50: The Ultimate Sixth – Generation Fighter Deep Dive

The largest Chinese embassy in Europe is set to rise in the heart of London: a 20,000 square meter complex at Royal Mint Court. Local councillors rejected it twice. But the government approved it anyway, and a High Court challenge from residents was dismissed this summer. Standing against it is Luke de Pulford, founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China—an international coalition of lawmakers opposing CCP infiltration. Why does this embassy matter, and why should America care? The site sits directly above fiber-optic cables carrying sensitive financial data between the City of London and Canary Wharf, Britain's two main financial districts. The architectural drawings are also conspicuously redacted. "Nearly an entire floor is redacted, so we don't know what the use of those buildings are, and some of those rooms are in the basement area," de Pulford says. "If the Chinese were able to, in some way, sabotage or hack this cabling … They would be impacting any financial services from anywhere in the world who are located in those two financial centers, which of course includes the United States." MI5 lists China as one of the most serious national security threats facing the UK. So why was the embassy approved? "It's partly down to the leverage that China exacts, it's partly down to the carrots that it dangles around economic opportunities, and it's partly down to the blunt coercion it's willing to mete out."

Source: China’s Mega Embassy With Secret Rooms Beneath London | Luke de Pulford