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Monthly Archives: August 2025

Anti-CCP Slogans Projected on Chongqing High-Rise

On August 29, giant projection slogans denouncing the Chinese Communist Party lit up a high-rise in Chongqing University Town. The messages read:

  • “Down with Red Fascism, overthrow the CCP’s tyranny!”
  • “Only without the Communist Party can there be a New China; freedom is not a gift, it must be reclaimed!”
  • “Arise, those unwilling to be slaves—stand up and fight to reclaim your rights!”
  • “No more lies, we want truth; no more slavery, we want freedom. Down with the tyrannical Communist Party!”

The display lasted for more than 50 minutes, drawing crowds of onlookers and spreading quickly online. Police needed about an hour to identify the light source.

The protest was organized by Qi Hong, who is now in the UK with his family. He said he was inspired by Beijing “Bridge Man” Peng Lifa and the youth of the “White Paper Movement.” Before leaving China, Qi set up projection equipment in a local hotel and later triggered it remotely.

In the hotel room, he left a letter addressed to the police:
“Perhaps you are a beneficiary now, but I believe that within three generations—or even one—most people have suffered under CCP persecution. Please, within your ability, treat others kindly and do not harass the innocent. If forced to act, at least raise your gun slightly higher.”

Source: Epoch Times, August 31, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/31/n14584740.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics

Leaders from 26 Countries to Attend China’s Military Parade, including Russia, North Korea, Iran, and Cuba (Updated)

China has officially announced that 26 foreign heads of state and government have been invited to attend the September 3 military parade. On August 30, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto cancelled his trip due to domestic protests in Jakarta; but in the end he still managed to go to China to attend the military parade.

Analysts highlight that a notable feature of this list is the absence of developed countries. Most attendees come from Asia and a few other regions, while major Western nations are collectively absent; Japan and South Korea are also not included. Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on August 31–September 1, but will skip the military parade, which most other SCO leaders will remain to watch.

Ongoing tensions between China and Western countries over trade, technology, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and human rights likely influenced their decision to abstain from participating. Serbian President Aleksandar Vuči and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are the only leaders from European countries, but their pro-Russia stance contrasts with mainstream Western positions. Only two African nations – Congo and Zimbabwe – are attending, marking a sharp departure from China’s historically strong engagement with Africa.

People’s Daily has listed the 26 foreign leaders as:

  • Russia – President Vladimir Putin
  • North Korea – Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission
  • Cambodia – King Norodom Sihamoni
  • Vietnam – President Luong Cuong
  • Laos – Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and President of Laos
  • Indonesia – President Prabowo Subianto
  • Malaysia – Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
  • Mongolia – President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh
  • Pakistan –  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
  • Nepal – Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli
  • Maldives – President Mohamed Muizzu
  • Kazakhstan – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
  • Uzbekistan – President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
  • Tajikistan – President Emomali Rahmon
  • Kyrgyzstan – President Sadyr Japarov
  • Turkmenistan – President Serdar Berdimuhamedov
  • Belarus – President Alexander Lukashenko
  • Azerbaijan – President Ilham Aliyev
  • Armenia – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
  • Iran – President Masoud Pezeshkian
  • Congolese (Brazzaville) – President Denis Sassou Nguesso
  • Zimbabwe – President Emmerson Mnangagwa
  • Serbia – President Aleksandar Vučić
  • Slovakia – Prime Minister Robert Fico
  • Cuba – Miguel Díaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba
  • Myanmar – Acting President Min Aung Hlaing

Sources:
1. People’s Daily, August 29, 2025
https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/pc/content/202508/29/content_30100885.html
2. Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 29, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202508290174.aspx

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

Japan Urges Countries to Avoid Beijing’s Military Parade and the 80th WWII Victory Anniversary Events

Kyodo News reported that the Japanese government, through diplomatic channels, has urged multiple countries not to attend Beijing’s September 3 commemorative events, including the planned military parade.

According to the report, China’s activities are themed “Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War Victory,” and Beijing has reportedly extended wide-ranging invitations to foreign leaders and international organization heads.

Tokyo hopes that by cautioning other countries, it can prevent China’s history-driven narrative from gaining broader influence internationally. Japanese embassies abroad have conveyed that the events place disproportionate emphasis on wartime history and carry strong anti-Japanese overtones, urging governments to carefully consider the level of participation by their national leaders.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 25, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202508250028.aspx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

CCP United Front Outpost Identified in Minnesota

A joint investigation by the Breitbart News Foundation (BNF) and the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) has revealed that an unassuming building in St. Paul, Minnesota serves as the headquarters of the Minnesota Overseas Chinese Service Center (OCSC) – an entity directly tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work Department (UFWD). The UFWD is widely recognized as Beijing’s primary arm for influence operations, overseas lobbying, and the monitoring of Chinese diaspora communities.

The OCSC is led by Dr. Bingwen Yan, who has attended official Chinese government training, was appointed as a Consular Protection Liaison Officer, and helped coordinate shipments of U.S. medical supplies to Wuhan during the COVID-19 outbreak. Yan has also developed close political connections in Minnesota, including campaign contributions to Governor Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar, fueling concerns that CCP-linked influence efforts may be reaching into local U.S. politics. Investigators further found that the OCSC shares office space with a logistics firm tied to Chinese state-owned enterprises with military links. The center and its affiliates have also received U.S. taxpayer-funded grants, and Yan’s University of Minnesota email address is still listed on official CCP websites as an OCSC contact.

The Minnesota findings mirror a broader pattern. Similar “overseas service centers” have surfaced in several U.S. cities, with some doubling as covert CCP police stations used to intimidate dissidents. The FBI has already shut down one such outpost in New York, while lawmakers are advancing measures – including the Expel Illegal Chinese Police Act – to counter foreign interference. The exposure of the OCSC in Minnesota highlights the growing reach of Beijing’s United Front operations and the national security risks they pose.

Source: Epoch Times, August 21, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/20/n14577673.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

Baidu-Lyft Partnership Brings Chinese Autonomous Vehicles to Europe

On August 12, Chinese tech giant Baidu – often called “China’s Google” – announced a partnership with U.S. ride-hailing platform Lyft to launch Level 4 autonomous ride-hailing services in Germany and the UK starting in 2026. These vehicles will operate in designated areas without drivers or safety operators, representing high-level automation with minimal human intervention. The initiative extends Baidu’s Apollo Go (Luobo Kuaipao) network, already the world’s largest autonomous ride-hailing service by volume.

The European move follows Baidu’s July partnership with Uber to expand into Asian and Middle Eastern markets, underscoring a broader global expansion strategy. Apollo Go has completed more than 5 million passenger trips, covering over 100 million kilometers, and by late 2023 deployed over 1,000 vehicles across Beijing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Wuhan. Baidu aims to reach 100 Chinese cities by 2030. Globally, China and the United States dominate the sector: of the 16 cities with driverless taxi fleets in 2024, 12 were in China and four in the U.S. Waymo remains the only Western operator with large-scale commercial services, running about 1,500 vehicles across Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin.

Europe, by contrast, lags far behind. Current projects are limited to small-scale autonomous shuttles, with investment dwarfed by China and the U.S., which together account for 98 percent of the €100 billion invested globally since 2012. European automakers have largely focused on electric vehicles and incremental automation rather than full L4/L5 capabilities. Regulatory caution, fragmented commercial ecosystems, and lingering public concerns over safety and job losses continue to slow adoption. As French economist Jincheng Ni notes, Europe risks falling further behind unless it accelerates investment and builds the infrastructure to support large-scale autonomous mobility.

Source: Radio France International, August 21, 2025
https://rfi.my/BwTN

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Japanese Businesses Report Worsening Conditions in China Amid Deflationary Pressures

Japanese companies operating in China are facing increasingly difficult conditions, according to a survey released Thursday by the China-Japan Chamber of Commerce. Covering the period from January to June 2025, the survey found that 40 percent of respondents reported business conditions had “worsened” or “slightly worsened” – a 10-point increase from the previous survey in late 2024. Only 26 percent said conditions had improved, down slightly from the prior assessment. The chamber has also shifted from quarterly to semi-annual surveys beginning with this round.

Deflationary pressures remain the central challenge, with 60 percent of companies citing falling sales prices as their top concern. Rising labor costs followed at 58 percent, underscoring the squeeze of declining revenues alongside mounting expenses. Chamber Chairman Tetsuro Honma, who is also Vice President of Panasonic Holdings, described the excessive price competition in China as “extremely severe” and a “common concern” across Japanese enterprises.

The survey also touched on safety issues, referencing the July assault on a Japanese woman in Suzhou. Honma emphasized that the chamber continues to press Chinese authorities to guarantee the safety of Japanese nationals. Of roughly 8,000 companies targeted, 1,434 responded, providing a broad snapshot of the growing pressures on Japanese businesses in one of their most important overseas markets.

Source: Kyodo News, August 22, 2025
https://china.kyodonews.net/news/2025/08/dac4bafff0a7-4.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

New Zealand Warns CCP is Top Foreign Interference Threat

On August 21, New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) released its annual “Security Threat Environment Report,” warning that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the most active and serious foreign power interfering in New Zealand.

The report says the CCP uses united front networks, transnational repression, and infiltration to expand influence and access sensitive information, posing long-term risks to national security.

Key points:

  • Transnational repression: Monitoring and intimidating dissidents, activists, and minorities, sometimes involving forced repatriation.
  • Community influence: Using diaspora and cultural groups to push pro-Beijing narratives and weaken independent ties with the government.
  • Economic/tech infiltration: Targeting institutions, infrastructure, and technology; businesses may be exploited through normal exchanges.

The report highlights the CCP’s United Front Work Department (UFWD) as central to these efforts, describing them as “deceptive, coercive, and corruptive.”

It also warns that China’s “National Security Law” forces individuals and organizations to cooperate with state security, raising risks for foreign partners. Espionage targeting policies, technology, and infrastructure is increasing, involving not just intelligence officers but also companies, universities, think tanks, and hackers.

Source: Epoch Times, August 21, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/21/n14578111.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s State-Led Construction Projects Face Shortage of Bidders

In the first half of this year, China’s construction industry experienced a rare phenomenon: large-scale infrastructure projects dominated by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) frequently went unawarded. Preliminary statistics show that in the first quarter alone, among tender announcements issued jointly by 12 leading companies, over 700 projects received no bids, with nearly half remaining unclaimed even after three consecutive attempts.

On social media platforms like Douyin and WeChat, many contractors and netizens reported that no one “dared to take on” projects from SOEs. The reason is that they force their contractors to put in huge upfront investments but often delay payment for a long time or even do not pay back; and in some cases, the tendering parties suddenly go bankrupt or cease operations.

China’s official media, including the Economic Information Daily under Xinhua News Agency, reported that payment arrears in the construction sector continue to worsen. Even central enterprises are sometimes unable to pay downstream suppliers, creating a chain reaction described as “one upstream company falls, and massive downstream companies are doomed.”

Source: Epoch Times, August 15, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/15/n14574019.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Economy/Resources