China Moves to Block U.S. Sanctions on Chinese Refiners Importing Iranian Oil
On April 24, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd., a China-based independent refinery, for allegedly purchasing Iranian crude oil linked to Iran’s military. U.S. authorities stated that since at least 2023, the company had received shipments overseen by Sepehr Energy—an entity associated with Iran’s armed forces—generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Iran army. The move is part of broader U.S. efforts to pressure Iran’s oil sector, including earlier sanctions on several Chinese “teapot” refineries. These smaller independent refiners – so that they appear as “non-government” actions – are major buyers of Iranian oil, much of which is transported covertly and often labeled as originating from other countries such as Malaysia.
In response, on May 2, China’s Ministry of Commerce issued a blocking order rejecting U.S. sanctions against five Chinese firms: Hengli Petrochemical, Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group Co., Ltd., Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group Co., Ltd., and Shandong Shengxing Chemical Co., Ltd. The order, citing Chinese laws on national security, foreign relations, and countering foreign sanctions, declared the U.S. measures to be an improper extraterritorial application of law.
It further stipulates that no Chinese entity or individual may recognize, comply with, or enforce U.S. sanctions imposed under Executive Orders 13902 and 13846, including measures such as designation on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, asset freezes, and transaction bans.
The blocking order took effect immediately upon issuance on May 2, 2026.
Source: Radio France International, May 2, 2026
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/政治/20260502-美制裁五涉伊朗石油交易中企-中国商务部发布阻断禁令-不得承认执行遵守
PLA Daily: Japan Moves Beyond ‘Exclusively Defensive’ Policy, Expands Offensive Capabilities
People’s Daily has republished a commentary from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily asserting that Japan is moving beyond its long-standing “exclusively defensive” security posture and developing more offensive military capabilities:
On April 27, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated at a security policy review meeting that Japan must prepare for “new forms of warfare” and even “prolonged conflict.”
To this end, Japan is accelerating the development and deployment of longer-range strike capabilities. These include systems such as the Type 25 surface-to-ship missile, with an estimated range of around 1,000 kilometers, as well as hypersonic glide vehicles, with plans to extend strike ranges to approximately 2,000 kilometers. Japan is also acquiring U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and Norway’s Joint Strike Missiles to equip its naval forces.
At the same time, Japan is undertaking a sweeping restructuring of its Self-Defense Forces. This includes what is described as the largest reorganization in the history of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, with the creation of a new “Surface Fleet” composed of three surface combat groups, alongside a patrol and defense group and an amphibious and mine warfare group. Japan is also expanding its space capabilities by upgrading its Space Operations Group to a Space Operations Regiment, with plans to further elevate it into a Space Operations Command. In parallel, it is establishing specialized intelligence units, reflecting a broader effort to modernize and strengthen its overall military structure and operational capacity.
Source: People’s Daily, April 30, 2026
http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0430/c1011-40711778.html
Japan-China Tourism Collapses Amid Diplomatic Tensions
Japanese tourism to China has plummeted by as much as 90% following a sharp deterioration in Sino-Japanese relations triggered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks about a potential “Taiwan contingency.” The fallout has unleashed a triple blow on the travel industry: a dramatic reduction in flights, a sharp cooling of travel demand, and rising fuel costs driven by instability in the Middle East.
According to a report by Kyodo News, approximately 2,691 flights from China to Japan were cancelled in March alone, representing a cancellation rate of around 50 percent. One major Japanese travel agency reported that tour group cancellations to Shanghai surged to 50 percent after Takaichi’s comments in November last year, with the number of Japanese visitors to Shanghai falling 70 percent year-on-year by late last year.
Safety concerns have compounded the diplomatic chill. The 2024 stabbing attack on a school bus carrying students at a Japanese school in Suzhou, and the death of a Japanese schoolboy near a Japanese school in Shenzhen, have made many Japanese travelers wary of visiting China. The Chinese government also urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan in response to Takaichi’s statements, further straining bilateral tourism flows.
The collapse in visitor numbers has devastated Chinese tour guides who specialize in Japanese-speaking tourists. A guide in Xi’an with nearly 30 years of experience said he has not received a single Japanese client this year, while a Beijing-based guide reported that his income has fallen by 90 percent since March.
Industry insiders are pessimistic about a near-term recovery. Japan was once one of China’s top sources of inbound tourists, but experts warn that “as long as China-Japan relations do not improve and flight numbers do not increase, the Japanese tourism market to China will be difficult to recover in the short term.”
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), May 1, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202605010096.aspx
Retired Japanese Military Commander: Janpan’s Early Intervention Could Force China to Rethink Taiwan War Plans
Kiyoshi Ogawa, a former senior commander of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and now a think tank researcher, said in a recent talk that Japan could intervene at an early stage of a Taiwan Strait conflict. Such early involvement, he argued, would significantly disrupt China’s assumed timeline and compel it to reassess its military plans for Taiwan.
According to his analysis, China’s approach to a Taiwan scenario can be broadly divided into three phases:
- A “peacetime” phase involving psychological operations, military exercises, and a blockade aimed at deterring foreign intervention;
- Escalation into active conflict, including missile strikes and cyberattacks;
- A full-scale amphibious invasion after achieving air and sea superiority.
In November last year, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated in a parliamentary response that escalating tensions around Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. She noted circumstances a blockade of the Taiwan Strait could meet this threshold, “if Taiwan is subjected to a military attack, including a naval blockade carried out by warships in conjunction with other measures, it could be regarded as the use of force.”
China’s strategy is widely seen as relying on achieving a rapid victory before external forces—particularly the United States and Japan—can intervene. However, Japan’s position suggests that intervention could occur as early as the initial blockade phase, rather than in later stages of the conflict.
Such a shift would fundamentally alter China’s planning assumptions, potentially forcing a reassessment of its operational timeline and force deployment. Sanae Takaichi’ remarks are viewed as strategically significant and have drawn strong reactions from Beijing.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), April 27, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202604270115.aspx
Zimbabwe Makes History as Africa’s First Lithium Intermediate Exporter
Zimbabwe has taken a significant step in its ambition to capture greater value from its lithium resources. Chinese company Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt announced this week that it has shipped the first batch of lithium sulfate from its operations in the country, making Zimbabwe the first nation on the African continent to export this intermediate product to international markets.
The lithium sulfate was produced at a plant completed by Huayou’s local subsidiary, Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe, in October of last year, with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons. The exact volume of the first shipment was not disclosed. Lithium sulfate can be further processed into lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide, both of which are essential compounds for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries.
The announcement comes weeks after Zimbabwean authorities suspended exports of lithium concentrate, citing irregularities in the export process. The government has since been pushing for stricter local processing requirements, demanding that companies submit written commitments to establish lithium sulfate production lines before January 1, 2027. Until that deadline, a 10% export tax remains in effect, with a new concentrate export ban planned to follow.
As Africa’s largest lithium producer and China’s second-largest supplier, Zimbabwe is eager to derive more economic benefit from the sector. In 2025, the country’s spodumene concentrate exports grew nearly 12 percent, rising from 1.01 million tons to 1.13 million tons. However, falling prices meant export revenues dipped slightly, from $514.5 million to $513.8 million year-on-year.
Other Chinese operators, including Sinomine and Sichuan Yahua, are also accelerating lithium sulfate processing projects at the Bikita and Kamativi mines respectively. While lithium sulfate carries more value than raw concentrate, it still falls short of the final battery-grade products. Whether this momentum will translate into substantial economic gains for Zimbabwe, or serve merely as a stepping stone to higher-value processing, remains to be seen.
Source: Radio France International, May 1, 2026
https://rfi.my/Cf7b
ESET Uncovers New China-Linked APT “GopherWhisper” Leveraging Legitimate Platforms
Researchers from the Slovak cybersecurity firm ESET have identified a previously unknown China-linked advanced persistent threat (APT) group dubbed GopherWhisper. The group leverages legitimate platforms—including Discord, Slack, Microsoft 365 Outlook, and file-sharing services—to carry out command-and-control (C&C) communications and data exfiltration.
Active since at least November 2023, the group is believed to operate from China based on timestamp analysis of chat logs and email activity. It deploys a suite of custom malware tools—primarily written in Go—using injectors and loaders to install backdoors and facilitate cyber-espionage.
Among the identified tools are several backdoors, including LaxGopher, RatGopher, BoxOfFriends, and SSLORDoor, as well as a data exfiltration tool, an injector, and a malicious DLL. Notably, the malware exhibits no code or tactical overlap with previously known threat actors, leading ESET to classify it as a distinct new APT group.
The campaign was first uncovered in January 2025 within a Mongolian government system, where the LaxGopher backdoor was observed using Slack for C&C operations. Subsequent analysis indicates that, in addition to the Mongolian target, dozens of other organizations may have been affected.
Source: Epoch Times, April 26, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/4/25/n14749648.htm
China Extends Zero Tariffs to All African Diplomatic Partners
China’s Ministry of Finance has announced that the country will implement zero tariffs on imports from all 53 African nations with which it maintains diplomatic relations, effective May 1, 2026.
The policy was first announced by President Xi Jinping in a congratulatory message to the 39th African Union Summit on February 14, 2026, in which he declared that China would fully implement zero tariffs for all 53 diplomatically recognized African countries while continuing to pursue the signing of Joint Development Economic Partnership Agreements.
To put the measure into effect, China’s State Council Tariff Commission issued a formal notice specifying that from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2028, zero tariffs will be extended to 20 African countries that have diplomatic ties with China but do not currently qualify as least-developed nations. These countries will receive the preferential rates in the form of a special tariff reduction. However, for products subject to tariff-rate quotas, only the within-quota rates will be reduced to zero, while rates on above-quota imports will remain unchanged. During this two-year implementation period, China said it will continue to push forward negotiations on Joint Development Economic Partnership Agreements with the relevant African countries.
The State Council Tariff Commission described the sweeping measure as a concrete step in China’s commitment to expanding high-level openness and broadening autonomous liberalization. Officials also framed it as a key initiative to deliver on the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and to strengthen what Beijing calls an “all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future.” The commission expressed confidence that the policy would inject significant momentum into China-Africa trade, investment cooperation, and broader African economic development.
Source: Sputnik News, April 29, 2026
https://sputniknews.cn/20260429/1071020254.html
Public Skepticism Over China’s Claim That ‘Lying Flat’ Is Driven by Foreign Forces
On April 28, China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) published an article claiming that foreign organizations have funded so-called “lying flat influencers” on platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou to produce short videos promoting messages like “lying flat is justice” and “anti-involution equals anti-exploitation.” The ministry alleged that anti-China forces abroad are amplifying social anxiety online and spreading narratives such as “hard work is pointless” to shape the mindset of Chinese youth (see Chinascope briefing, “China State Security Claims ‘Hostile Forces’ Are Promoting ‘Lying Flat’ Among Youth”).
The statement was met with widespread skepticism. A netizen from Guangdong, surnamed Liu, told Radio Free Asia that young people today are capable of independent thinking and are not easily manipulated. He argued that the deeper issue lies in the lack of a fair and competitive environment, and that attributing youth disengagement to foreign interference underestimates the public’s judgment.
Online, many users questioned the claims and called on the MSS to provide evidence and specific case details. Some linked the rise of the “lying flat” mindset to structural pressures such as high housing costs and limited job opportunities. Others responded with sarcasm, asking for a public list of influencers allegedly receiving foreign funding and the amounts involved.
A former prosecutor from Anhui said he found the framing not merely unconvincing but troubling, warning that labeling lifestyle commentary as a national security issue evokes echoes of the Cultural Revolution. A legal scholar added that “lying flat” reflects genuine and widespread frustration—particularly the difficulty of upward mobility for lower-income groups and a sense of futility after years of economic strain, including high property prices.
Official data show that youth unemployment among those aged 16 to 24 reached 16.9 percent in March, the highest level this year, while some analysts estimate the actual rate could be closer to 34 percent. The MSS has not released detailed evidence or identified any specific organizations in support of its claims.
Source: Radio Free Asia, April 29, 2026
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhengzhi/2026/04/29/china-lieflat-nationalsecurity-foreign-forces/