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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

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

Chinese Police Begin Using AI-Powered Smart Glasses

A video circulating on Chinese social media shows police officers in Tianjin patrolling the streets while wearing AI-enabled smart glasses. The footage demonstrates that the devices can not only recognize people’s identities and vehicle information by connecting to police databases in real time, but also analyze facial expressions and raise alerts.

In one segment, the glasses display details such as green identification frames, scanning prompts, and progress bars. Another clip shows pedestrians at a subway station labeled with “abnormal” expressions, alongside their names and partial ID numbers.

An IT professional in Shenzhen told reporters that these devices are intended for street surveillance and data collection. He noted that experiments with similar technology began as early as 2018 in cities like Beijing and Xi’an, but deployment has accelerated significantly in recent years.

Source: Epoch Times, December 11, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/12/11/n14653185.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics Social Stability

Anti-CCP Party Calls for Seizing Illicit Wealth of Corrupt Officials

According to sources within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), China’s Ministry of Public Security submitted an internal report to the CCP Secretariat on November 20, 2025. The Secretariat subsequently circulated the report to provincial-level authorities.

The report states that a hostile document—issued in the name of the “Recover China Party Beijing–Tianjin Special Branch”—has recently circulated across more than ten major cities and dozens of towns.

The document, titled “During the 2026 Chinese New Year: Seize the Illicit Wealth of CCP Corrupt Officials to Support People’s Livelihoods and Build Momentum for a Popular Uprising,” calls for confiscating corrupt officials’ hidden assets during the holiday period. It asserts that while some officials now store bribes in cryptocurrency, most still keep illicit cash in their own homes or those of relatives or mistresses—and that they would never dare report stolen bribes to the police.

Invoking the classic trope of outlaws taking from corrupt officials, the document frames such actions as a righteous effort to support ordinary people and build momentum for resistance against the CCP. Suggested targets include corrupt officials as well as business figures who collude with them.

It urges nearly 300 million migrant workers returning home for the Spring Festival, along with unemployed university graduates, to respond actively to this call.

Source: Secret China, December 8, 2025
https://www.secretchina.com/news/gb/2025/12/08/1091748.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics Social Stability

Hong Kong National Security Police Arrest Critics After Deadly Wang Fuk Court Fire

Since the National Security Law was imposed in Hong Kong in June 2020, authorities have increasingly used it to suppress dissent, frequently arresting individuals on “sedition” charges. Following the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire on November 26 — which claimed 159 lives — public frustration grew as the cause of the blaze remained unclear for more than ten days.

Hong Kong’s National Security Department has since launched arrests targeting those who criticized the government’s response. On December 6, police detained a 71-year-old man, accusing him of posting online content that incited hatred against the Hong Kong and central governments and of revealing details from an ongoing national-security investigation.

Civic groups calling for accountability have also come under scrutiny. Members of the newly formed Wang Fuk Court Fire Concern Group were among those arrested, including an organizer taken into custody on November 29. Two others — former lawmaker Cheung Kim-hung and a volunteer — were arrested on November 30 for allegedly “inciting hatred” after publicly demanding a full investigation into the fire.

Source: Epoch Times, December 7, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/12/6/n14650175.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics

Japan and Philippines Accuse China of Dangerous Military Actions, Heightening Regional Security Tensions

Japan and the Philippines have recently accused the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and China of “dangerous military conduct,” underscoring sharply rising security tensions in the region. Japan reported that Chinese warplanes from the carrier Liaoning locked their fire-control radar on Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F‑15 fighters twice near Okinawa — an act Tokyo described as reckless and hazardous to international air safety. Meanwhile, the Philippines alleges that Chinese forces fired warning flares at one of its patrol aircraft over a disputed area of the South China Sea.

The incidents occurred just weeks after Japan’s new prime minister suggested the possibility of collective self-defense in response to a crisis in Taiwan, a stance that has already drawn a sharp reaction from Beijing. Both Tokyo and Manila have formally protested the latest actions, demanding that China take measures to prevent such behavior from recurring.

Source: VOA, December 9, 2025
https://www.voachinese.com/a/japan-and-the-philippines-accuse-china-of-dangerous-military-conduct-escalating-security-pressure-on-us-allies-20251208/8091444.html

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

CSIS: Wargame Simulation Indicates Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Unlikely to Succeed if Taiwan, U.S., and Japan Respond Jointly

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments regarding a potential “Taiwan contingency” have prompted a strong reaction from Beijing. Analysts argue that this response reflects more than diplomatic friction—it reveals China’s underlying concerns about U.S.–Japan military cooperation in the event of a Taiwan Strait conflict. Japanese media, citing former Maritime Self-Defense Force officer and current military analyst “Major General Wolf,” note that these concerns rest on concrete strategic simulations rather than conjecture.

A 2023 wargame assessment by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) examined 24 potential invasion scenarios. In the simulations, China secured victory in only two, and only when the United States and Japan failed to coordinate their actions. In nearly every other case, joint U.S.–Japan involvement significantly diminished the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) chances of occupying Taiwan.

Experts distill the formula for preventing a successful takeover into three interdependent factors: Taiwan’s determination to defend itself, U.S. military intervention, and Japanese logistical and basing support. All three components, they argue, are essential. China’s sharp response to Takaichi’s remarks underscores this strategic reality—robust trilateral alignment among Taiwan, the United States, and Japan would make a PLA victory in the Taiwan Strait highly improbable.

Source: Secret China, December 3, 2025
https://www.secretchina.com/news/b5/2025/12/03/1091482.html

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

Greenland Seeks “Democratic Partners” for Rare-Earth Development, Not Open to Join Development With China

Greenland Premier Nielsen told Japanese media Nikkei on November 19 that Greenland is seeking partners from “sound democracies” to jointly develop its rare-earth resources, expressing interest in collaboration with Japan, the EU, and the United States. He noted that EU countries are already engaged in raw-material projects on the island and expressed hope to strengthen those partnerships.

Despite China’s global dominance in rare-earth production, Nielsen emphasized that China is not being considered as a partner. Greenland has received no investment requests from Chinese companies and does not view China as a future collaborator. Instead, the island is focused on working with allies and like-minded nations.

Denmark, the EU member state responsible for Greenland, is also unlikely to support Chinese investment, given the EU’s efforts to reduce reliance on China for critical minerals. According to EU officials, most of the minerals designated as strategic by the European Commission are found in Greenland, prompting the island to prioritize joint projects with Europe and Japan.

Source: Epoch Times, November 22, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/11/22/n14641177.htm

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