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Taiwan Troops Will Act Without Waiting for Central Orders If China Launches a Sudden Attack

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said that if China announces a complex military operation around the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan will raise its alert level, immediately conduct combat-readiness drills, and take steps to prevent the situation from escalating from a military exercise into actual conflict.

The ministry added that in the event of a sudden attack, Taiwan’s military units would act without waiting for centralized orders, relying on a decentralized command structure to carry out combat operations swiftly and effectively.

The remarks were made as the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign and National Defense Committee held a briefing on potential conflict hotspots in and around the Taiwan Strait. In a written report, the Defense Ministry emphasized that, in response to China’s expanding military capabilities, Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific countries are strengthening multilateral cooperation and defense preparedness. Taiwan is also closely monitoring China’s military activities and potential future moves to ensure early warning and rapid response.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), December 17, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202512150263.aspx

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend

EU Warns China Is “Weaponizing” Economic Relationships and Calls for Unity in Response

On December 15, EU Vice President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas warned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is increasingly using economic ties as a tool of political pressure against other countries.

Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Kallas said China is “weaponizing economic relationships,” and stressed that the European Union must strengthen its trade and security strategies to respond effectively. She outlined key measures including diversifying supply chains, tightening regulations in critical industries, and developing mechanisms to counter economic coercion.

Kallas emphasized that no single EU member state can address these challenges alone, underscoring that unity within the EU is essential to safeguard economic security and reduce strategic dependencies.

Source: Epoch Times, December 16, 2025
https://hk.epochtimes.com/news/2025-12-16/27356044

Briefings | | |   @CS Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

CCP Air Force Under Open-Ended Retrospective Investigation — Analysts Say It Could Trigger Major Upheaval

Chinese military authorities have publicly announced an open-ended investigation into procurement corruption within the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), a rare and unusual move. Analysts say the announcement may confirm long-circulating rumors of serious problems at the top levels of the Air Force and could lead to significant leadership turmoil.

On December 15, the PLA’s procurement system issued a notice calling for reports and evidence of irregularities in Air Force procurement processes, including bidding, contract execution, supplier penalties, and related activities. Individuals involved in procurement — including suppliers, reviewers, and other participants — are invited to submit information by mail through June 30, 2026.

Analysts suggest the move indirectly indicates that senior Air Force leaders, including Commander Chang Dingqiu and Political Commissar Guo Puxiao, are already under investigation. As further circumstantial evidence, both officials were recently removed from China’s Baidu Encyclopedia, a development often interpreted as a sign that an official has fallen out of favor. There are also reports that Chang Dingqiu died of a sudden heart attack while under investigation, although these claims remain unverified.

Source: Epoch Times, December 19, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/12/19/n14658544.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

People’s Daily: Hardly Anyone Responds to the Boasting — Trump’s “Year-End Review” Sparks Controversy

People’s Daily commented on U.S. President Donald Trump’s primetime national address from the White House on December 17, in which he reviewed the first year of his second term.

The commentary noted that U.S. media outlets and political analysts widely view the speech as a political maneuver aimed at shifting public attention and rebuilding momentum amid slowing economic indicators and Trump’s low approval ratings. If the economic recovery he promised fails to materialize, the Republican Party could face serious challenges in the 2026 midterm elections.

Recent statistics and opinion polls highlight mounting economic and public pressure on Americans:

  • Unemployment rose to 4.6 percent in November, the highest level in several years.
  • Many Americans report that living costs are at record highs, with growing financial strain from essentials such as food, housing, and healthcare.
  • Only about 33 percent approve of Trump’s economic policies, a low point during his current term.
  • Even among his core supporters — the so-called “MAGA” base — support has shown signs of decline.

According to analysts cited in the commentary, Trump’s speech relied on three main tactics:

  1. Blaming predecessors — repeatedly criticizing the record of former President Joe Biden.
  2. Self-praise — claiming strong border security and economic progress, though many of these assertions were later fact-checked and found to be exaggerated or inaccurate.
  3. Vague promises — pledging reforms and tax cuts without providing clear details or timelines.

Democrats criticized the address for offering few concrete solutions, while some U.S. commentators argued that the speech glossed over the real economic hardships facing ordinary Americans — struggles that a wealthy politician may not fully understand.

As the 2026 midterms approach, many observers believe the Republican outlook will remain weak unless economic issues are effectively addressed. Some political insiders even predict that unmet expectations surrounding Trump’s policies could result in the GOP losing control of Congress.

Source: People’s Daily, December 19, 2025
https://world.people.com.cn/n1/2025/1219/c1002-40627969.html

Media Articles | | |   US-China Relations

Media Reports Beijing Sets “Three Conditions” for a KMT–Xi Jinping Meeting

Singapore-based Lianhe Zaobao reported that Taiwan’s Liberty Times, citing sources from Beijing’s Taiwan affairs system and within the Kuomintang (KMT), said Song Tao, director of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Taiwan Affairs Office, stated that if the KMT seeks a “Zheng–Xi meeting” — a summit between the KMT and the CCP’s top leader — it must demonstrate a “firm commitment to following the correct course of history” and meet three specific conditions.

These three demands, privately referred to within the KMT as the “three tickets,” reportedly include:

  1. Blocking the military procurement budget proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government to purchase U.S. weapons. Commentators noted this has already happened, as the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in the Legislative Yuan have twice blocked a NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defense budget.
  2. Immediately halt legislative efforts framed as national security measures that restrict or discriminate against mainland Chinese spouses, as well as mainland Chinese business and investment in Taiwan. Commentators said this has also occurred, noting that KMT legislators recently proposed amendments to the Nationality Act that would allow mainland Chinese spouses holding PRC nationality to run for public office in Taiwan without renouncing their Chinese citizenship. Critics argue that family-reunification channels for mainland spouses have become an important avenue for CCP agents to infiltrate Taiwan’s political system.
  3. Beijing would welcome the KMT firmly restating unification with China as its central strategic goal, while also proposing institutional reforms and concrete actions to eliminate systems deemed unfriendly or harmful to that objective.

According to the report, KMT vice chairpersons visited mainland China several times in recent months to discuss these issues with Song Tao, ultimately securing Beijing’s agreement to hold the “Zheng–Xi meeting” around the Lunar New Year. The KMT rejected the “three tickets” report, denouncing it as fabricated.

Sources:
1. Lianhe Zaobao, December 8, 2025
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/china/story20251208-7932502
2. Epoch Times, December 13, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/12/12/n14654310.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

World Steel Association Warns China’s Steel Overcapacity Is Harder to Contain as Trade Barriers Rise

The World Steel Association says China’s long-standing steel overcapacity problem is becoming increasingly difficult to resolve. Despite a prolonged property slump and weak domestic demand, China’s crude steel output has hovered near 1 billion tons a year for two decades. Sharp production cuts could have serious economic and employment consequences given steel’s central role in the economy.

High output has driven Chinese steelmakers to boost low-priced exports, pressuring producers in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Worldsteel expects China’s steel demand to decline further in 2025–26 without an economic rebound. In response, countries including Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, the EU, the U.S., and Canada have imposed or expanded anti-dumping and countervailing duties, with some tariffs reaching double-digit levels.

Domestic capacity-cut efforts are constrained by local governments’ reliance on steel for jobs and revenue. Although China is seeking new markets such as the Middle East, rising global trade barriers are narrowing export options, with some analysts forecasting China’s direct steel exports could fall by half within five years.

Source: Epoch Times, December 8, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/12/8/n14650989.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Japan Reports Foreign Purchases of Land in National Security–Sensitive Areas, China Leads

The Japanese government has released data on land and building acquisitions in areas deemed critical for national security in fiscal year 2024. Approximately 3 percent of these properties were acquired by foreign individuals or entities, with nearly half coming from mainland China.

Under Japanese law, land surrounding key facilities—such as Self-Defense Forces bases and nuclear power plants—is strictly regulated due to national security concerns.

In fiscal 2024, there were 113,827 newly acquired properties in these sensitive areas, of which 3,498 (3.1 percent) were obtained by foreign individuals or corporations. By region, mainland China accounted for 1,674 acquisitions, the highest number, followed by Taiwan with 414 and South Korea with 378.

Source: NHK, December 16, 2025
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/zh/news/20251216_ML04/

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China Builds Installations in China–South Korea Joint Waters, Raising Security Concerns

A December 9 report by Beyond Parallel, a Korea-focused website run by the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), revealed photographs of 16 Chinese installations constructed within the China–South Korea Interim Measures Zone in the Yellow Sea. Under the 2001 China–South Korea Fisheries Agreement, the overlapping exclusive economic zones in the Yellow Sea are designated as jointly managed waters. The report notes that the construction of permanent facilities in this area violates the agreement.

According to the report, China has repeatedly refused South Korea’s requests to remove the installations and has unilaterally declared no-navigation zones around them. Since 2020, South Korean vessels have attempted to monitor Chinese activities 135 times, with 27 of those attempts intercepted by Chinese coast guard ships. Analysts also note that China has deployed 13 multifunctional buoys capable of collecting oceanographic data but potentially usable for underwater surveillance, including monitoring submarine activity—underscoring their dual civilian-military purpose.

Experts argue that these deployments reflect China’s broader “gray-zone” strategy, in which ostensibly civilian facilities are used to advance military objectives and strengthen maritime control. The Yellow Sea is considered strategically vital for Chinese naval operations moving south from bases in Shandong Province and the Bohai Gulf. The report urges the United States and South Korea to consider publicizing the coordinates of the installations. Meanwhile, South Korean media have called for reciprocal measures, citing similar responses by Vietnam, and South Korea has already begun countermeasures, including deploying its own floating platform in disputed waters—officially for environmental research—to monitor Chinese activities.

Source: Epoch Times, December 14, 2025
https://hk.epochtimes.com/news/2025-12-14/16128304

Briefings | | |   @CS Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend