China Protests U.S. Visa Curbs on Huawei Deals in Argentina, as Beijing and Buenos Aires Renew Currency Swap
A spokesperson for China’s embassy in Argentina said on August 6 that the U.S. embassy there has been revoking visas to block Argentine companies from partnering with Huawei, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. The spokesperson claimed Washington has been “deliberately stoking the China threat narrative” and broadening the concept of national security to “blatantly obstruct” normal cooperation between Argentine firms and Huawei. These characterizations reflect the Chinese embassy’s own framing of the dispute rather than an independently verified account. The spokesperson called the U.S. approach arrogant, a disrespect for other countries’ sovereignty, and a violation of free-market principles, urging Washington to abandon what it termed “hegemonic behavior and political manipulation.”
Huawei entered the Argentine market in 2001 and has built a substantial presence there. In March, Argentina’s Córdoba provincial power utility EPEC signed a memorandum with Huawei to advance private wireless networks and smart power distribution. In July, Huawei signed an agreement with the Argentine Agricultural Cooperatives Federation aimed at supporting the digital transformation of 36,000 local farmers.
Separately, Xinhua reported that the People’s Bank of China and the Central Bank of Argentina have renewed their bilateral currency swap agreement, valued at 130 billion yuan (roughly US$18.2 billion) against 28 trillion Argentine pesos. The agreement runs for five years and can be extended by mutual consent. The People’s Bank of China said the renewal — reported via China’s own state news agency — would deepen financial cooperation between the two countries, promote bilateral trade, and help maintain financial market stability.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 6, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202608060132.aspx
Dunhuang Withdraws Job Offer to American Anchor After Backlash Over Taiwan Study, Think Tank Ties
China’s Dunhuang Media Center in Gansu province has confirmed that Edward Kuperman, an American it had planned to hire as an anchor, has given up the position, according to a China Central Television (CCTV) News report on July 31. Chinese internet users had earlier discovered that Kuperman studied in Taiwan and interned at a right-wing American think tank, sparking accusations that the city was “using public funds to support an anti-China figure.”
Dunhuang had reportedly offered a package worth 900,000 yuan (about $125,700) — a 300,000 yuan (about $41,900) annual salary plus 600,000 yuan (about $83,800) in subsidies — to recruit international communication talent in 2025. Kuperman, a Yale graduate in East Asian studies, was the only foreign candidate in the program.
CCTV News reported that local authorities clarified the compensation details after online criticism. The position was an off-payroll hire, and the widely circulated “900,000 yuan” figure was not an annual salary. The actual pay was 300,000 yuan pre-tax per year, plus a 30,000 yuan annual living allowance paid over ten years contingent on passing yearly reviews, and a one-time 300,000 yuan home-purchase subsidy for those who bought property locally after three years of service — partially refundable if employment ended before ten years. The real annual compensation was about 330,000 yuan (about $46,000).
Authorities also said an investigation team had been formed to review the recruitment process for compliance issues raised by some internet users, with corrections and accountability measures to follow.
Kuperman had reportedly studied in Taiwan through National Taiwan University’s ICLP Chinese-language program in 2023 and interned at the American Enterprise Institute, contributing to Taiwan-related reports. Officials said Dunhuang would proceed more cautiously in future talent recruitment while promoting Chinese culture and international exchange.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 1, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202608010078.aspx
China Rebukes South Korean Media Over Casino Marketing Targeting Chinese Tourists
A Chinese embassy official in South Korea has publicly criticized South Korean media for portraying Chinese tourists as the key growth engine for Korea’s foreign-only casino industry, calling the practice deeply objectionable.
South Korean outlets and brokerages have repeatedly argued this year that Chinese visitors have again become the most important growth driver for casinos in Korea reserved for foreign nationals. Shinhan Securities reportedly noted that future profits for Korea’s three major foreign-only casino operators depend heavily on increases in Chinese tourist numbers, with analysts suggesting that further easing of visa-free policies for Chinese travelers could serve as a new growth catalyst. Data cited in the report showed roughly 2.56 million Chinese tourists visited Korea between January and May this year, a year-on-year increase of about 25 percent.
In response, Tang Liang, an official at the Chinese embassy in Seoul, published a signed article in the Korea Times titled “Do Not Do Unto Others What You Would Not Have Them Do Unto You.” The article stressed that Chinese law enforces “zero tolerance” toward gambling, and that Chinese citizens who gamble abroad are also violating the law. It criticized casinos for specifically targeting Chinese tourists for recruitment and accused some media of glorifying this as an “economic growth driver.” The piece noted that Korean law itself bars most Korean citizens from entering casinos, showing Seoul is well aware of gambling’s social harms. China said it would step up efforts to educate its citizens against gambling abroad, and urged South Korea to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities and curb casino solicitation of Chinese tourists for the sake of bilateral relations.
Since September 2025, South Korea has piloted visa-free entry for Chinese tour groups of three or more, later extended through the end of 2026, and from March 2026 began offering five-year multiple-entry visas to Chinese citizens with prior visit history.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 4, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202608040150.aspx
China’s Healthcare Spending Tops RMB 3 Trillion; Aging Population Increases Pressure on Insurance System
China’s National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) reported that spending from the country’s basic medical insurance fund exceeded RMB 3 trillion for the first time in 2025, reaching RMB 3.01 trillion (US$420 billion), according to its 2025 National Healthcare Security Development Statistical Bulletin. Total fund revenue reached RMB 3.59 trillion, while the annual surplus of the pooled insurance fund stood at RMB 525.8 billion. The insurance fund finances outpatient and inpatient care, prescription drugs, and maternity benefits for enrolled participants.
The report also highlights the growing impact of China’s aging population on the healthcare system. The number of retired participants covered by the employee medical insurance program increased by 3.37 million in 2025, surpassing 103 million, representing a 3.2 percent year-on-year increase—well above the 2 percent growth in actively employed contributors. As a result, the ratio of active workers to retirees continued to decline, falling from 3.0 in 2012 to 2.6 in 2025.
Source: Sohu, July 28, 2026
https://www.sohu.com/a/1055861830_121106832
Security Crisis Deepens Around China’s US$65 Billion Pakistan Economic Corridor
China’s China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is facing mounting security challenges as militant attacks on Chinese personnel and infrastructure continue to escalate. A recent Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) report argues that the approximately US$65 billion project has entered a more dangerous phase, with Chinese investments in Pakistan increasingly targeted by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and other separatist groups.
The CPEC’s security environment has deteriorated steadily in recent years. Major attacks include the 2021 suicide bombing that killed nine Chinese engineers working on the Dasu hydropower project, the 2022 suicide attack on Karachi University’s Confucius Institute that claimed the lives of three Chinese nationals, renewed attacks on Chinese workers at Dasu and Karachi in 2024, and continued assaults on Chinese-linked projects in 2025. The worsening security situation has forced Beijing to reassess the risks and costs of its overseas investments, while Gwadar Port—once envisioned as a regional commercial hub—has become a heavily fortified site requiring extensive security measures.
The challenges facing CPEC underscore broader vulnerabilities in China’s BRI strategy. The widening gap between Beijing’s strategic ambitions and local grievances over resource distribution, employment opportunities, and political autonomy suggests that infrastructure investment alone cannot overcome entrenched political instability and local conflicts. As a result, CPEC’s difficulties raise broader questions about the long-term sustainability of China’s overseas development model.
Source: Aboluo, July 26, 2026
https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0726/2412836.html
Malaysia Raids Scam Centers in Forest City, Arrests Over 300 Chinese Nationals
Malaysia’s Johor state police recently raided multiple online scam operations in Forest City, arresting 335 suspects, including 309 Chinese nationals, in one of the largest anti-fraud operations conducted in the area. Authorities said the suspects, aged 20 to 58, also included 19 Indonesians, four Myanmar nationals, and three Malaysians, with some found to be without valid travel documents. Police said two criminal syndicates were operating from the site, running cryptocurrency investment and romance scams that primarily targeted victims in China and Indonesia.
During the joint operation, police searched 27 apartments and five villas that had been converted into scam call centers. Authorities seized approximately US$245,000 in assets, along with fraud-related equipment valued at roughly RM1 million (about US$235,000), including 313 computers, 1,557 mobile phones, 17 laptops, and 10 modems.
Forest City, a US$100 billion artificial island development built by Chinese developer Country Garden, was launched under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a flagship real estate project in Malaysia. However, the development has struggled with low occupancy and has been widely described as a “ghost city” following Country Garden’s financial crisis. As the developer became unable to continue large-scale land reclamation, the Malaysian joint-venture partner and the federal government assumed a larger role in overseeing the project’s future development.
Source: Epoch Times, July 29, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/29/n14819358.htm
Florida Schools to Begin Teaching the History and Terror of Communist Regimes
Beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year, Florida public schools will implement new curriculum standards requiring instruction on the history of communist regimes and the human suffering they inflicted. The standards, approved by the Florida Board of Education in November 2025, were developed by Florida educators and subject-matter experts.
According to the Florida Department of Education, the curriculum is designed to provide students with an accurate and in-depth understanding of how communist ideology suppresses individual freedom, abuses power, and causes widespread human suffering. Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said the new standards are especially important as communist ideology has regained prominence in the United States and globally. He argued that students should understand the historical failures of communist regimes and develop a deeper appreciation for the values of freedom.
Under the new standards, middle and high school students will study the history of communist governments, including the links between communist rule and poverty, famine, political repression, violence, and other forms of state-sponsored terror.
Source: Epoch Times, July 31, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/30/n14820606.htm
PLA Emphasizes Party Leadership During Combat Operations
A People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily article stressed that Party organizations must maintain political leadership throughout combat operations as the PLA increasingly conducts prolonged combat readiness and training missions. The article warns that some units treat Party work as a formality or separate it from combat training, weakening organizational cohesion, operational coordination, and the role of Party members. It argues that Party organizations must remain actively engaged wherever military operations are conducted.
The article cites a combined-arms battalion of the 76th Group Army as an example. During one exercise, when infantry and fire-support units reached an operational impasse, the battalion’s Party Secretary personally led Party-member cadres in reassessing the battlefield situation and developing a revised coordination plan, enabling the infantry to seize the simulated enemy position. Later, during a pause in the exercise, he delivered a “micro Party lesson” to frontline personnel, emphasizing that political work should provide continuous ideological and psychological support throughout military operations rather than serving as a one-time pre-mission mobilization.
In another exercise, dispersed personnel from different companies temporarily lost unified command after coming under simulated enemy attack. The battalion Party Secretary ordered the establishment of temporary Party branches and Party groups to restore command and control, monitor personnel, bolster morale, and coordinate defensive operations. They thus won the battle.
Source: People’s Daily, July 28, 2026
http://dangjian.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0728/c117092-40769317.html