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DeepSeek Cited Fabricated Research to Support Health Claims, Blogger Found

A health-content creator recently raised concerns about DeepSeek’s reliability after the AI generated apparently fabricated scientific evidence while helping her write a social media post about chewing and cognitive health in older adults. Asked to base the content on scientific data, DeepSeek claimed that elderly people who chewed more than 30 times a day had a 42 percent lower risk of cognitive decline and provided a purported research citation. The creator, who had reviewed extensive literature on the subject, did not recognize the finding and searched multiple academic databases but found no corresponding study.

When she asked DeepSeek again for scientific evidence linking chewing to improved cognition, the AI generated a longer list of purported research findings, including a claim that chewing was more effective than aerobic exercise twice a week in preventing dementia. Unable to verify the claims, she asked DeepSeek to provide the original English-language papers.

DeepSeek then acknowledged that some of its earlier statements were problematic but supplied three supposedly authoritative studies, including paper titles and DOIs. The creator searched for each title and DOI but could not locate any of the papers as described. Some of the DOIs did not exist, while others corresponded to completely different papers. She concluded that the scientific evidence previously provided by DeepSeek was largely fabricated.

Source: Epoch Times, August 22, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/8/21/n14834332.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Information/Technology

CCP Is “Weaponizing” Passports to Pressure Overseas Chinese to Return to China

Reports from overseas Chinese communities allege that Chinese diplomatic missions are increasingly refusing to renew passports for certain Chinese nationals abroad and requiring them to return to China to obtain new documents. A California-based Chinese national known online as Billy claimed on X that the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco had recently rejected some passport-renewal applications without warning, including cases involving people from Xinjiang. A visa-services intermediary reportedly said that people who entered the United States irregularly or applied for asylum were particularly likely to have their renewal applications rejected.

The reports also allege that Chinese consular officials have subjected some asylum beneficiaries to additional questioning and document requests. One intermediary claimed that officials questioned applicants about their religious beliefs and the basis of their asylum claims and, in some cases, asked them to sign statements suggesting that they had sought asylum primarily to obtain employment in the United States rather than because of persecution. Such statements could potentially be used by Chinese authorities as “evidence” that applicants had fabricated or misrepresented their asylum claims. Immigration lawyers reportedly warned asylum beneficiaries against returning to Chinese consulates to renew their passports, citing potential risks if their asylum claims became known to Chinese authorities.

The reports further raise concerns that returning to China could expose overseas Chinese to exit bans or other restrictions preventing them from leaving the country again. China recently adopted new exit-control rules, and there have been reports that Chinese authorities have already begun blocking some individuals from leaving the country.

Critics argue that restricting passport services could leave overseas Chinese who do not want to return to China in a vulnerable position, particularly if their passports expire and they cannot obtain valid travel documents. If the allegations are widespread, they would suggest that China is using passport and consular services not simply for administrative purposes but as a tool to pressure overseas nationals to return to China—with those who refuse potentially left without a valid Chinese passport.

Source: Vision Times, August 21, 2026
https://www.secretchina.com/news/gb/2026/08/21/1103709.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics

China’s Young Envoys Program Draws Scrutiny Over Potential CCP Influence in U.S. Schools

A new investigation by Defending Education alleges that China’s Young Envoys Scholarship (YES) program provides Beijing with opportunities to influence American students and shape perceptions of China. Launched in 2024 after Xi Jinping invited 50,000 U.S. students to study in China over five years, the program is operated by the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE). Defending Education says it has identified more than 83 universities and 27 K-12 schools across 30 states participating in YES.

The report focuses on CEAIE’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). CEAIE’s Chinese-language website identifies Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and Xi Jinping Thought as its guiding ideologies and states that it adheres to CCP leadership. The organization’s leadership also includes former Chinese education officials and university Party secretaries. U.S. lawmakers have identified CEAIE as part of China’s United Front system and warned that CCP-affiliated organizations can use student exchanges as influence operations.

The investigation cites several examples of YES exchanges. In 2024, Muscatine High School students traveled to China on a trip fully funded by the Chinese government after Xi personally invited the school. Other participants included students from the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Indiana University, Carleton College, and Lincoln High School in Washington. Some exchanges involved Chinese organizations that U.S. officials or researchers have associated with CCP influence activities.

Defending Education argues that these programs go beyond ordinary cultural exchange because the trips are often government-funded, carefully organized, and subsequently promoted through Chinese state media, potentially giving Beijing an opportunity to shape young Americans’ views of China and the CCP.

Source: Defending Education, August 13, 2026
https://defendinged.org/investigations/little-red-classrooms-young-envoys-scholarship-program/

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

Chinese Intelligence-Linked Official Buys Building 200 Meters From White House, Raising Security Alarm

A report by The Daily Caller on August 13 raised concerns over Chinese espionage activities in the United States after Philip Qiu, whom the report describes as a former senior Chinese intelligence official, purchased a nine-story historic building less than 200 meters from the White House. Qiu and his family foundation reportedly paid $8.4 million for the Securities Building on July 21. Former CIA operations officer Bryan D. Wright warned that the property could potentially be used as an intelligence base to monitor communications and digital activity around sensitive government facilities.

According to The Daily Caller, Qiu’s background includes military training and work within China’s public security and United Front systems. University records reportedly described him as having received special-forces training, while Chinese government records show that he later worked in organizations affiliated with the United Front system, including the Shanghai branch of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Affairs Development Foundation. In 2023 and 2024, he reportedly helped organize visits for Hong Kong students to Shanghai’s special police forces.

Qiu also founded the Chinese American Museum in Washington, D.C., located about 700 meters from the White House. Although the museum says it has never received funding from, or been controlled or influenced by, any foreign government, The Daily Caller found that Chinese government entities had co-organized at least eight events with the museum, four of which received support from religious organizations controlled by the CCP’s United Front system.

Wright, China expert Gordon Chang, and national-security advocate Michael Lucci urged the U.S. government to investigate the property and consider measures to prevent individuals with alleged ties to Chinese intelligence and security agencies from acquiring strategically sensitive real estate near key government facilities.

Source: Liberty Times (Taiwan), August 15, 2026
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/5540464

Briefings | | |   @CS Defense/Military US-China Relations

Taiwan’s Han Kuang 42 Exercises Expand Focus on Gray-Zone Threats and Whole-of-Society Defense

Taiwan launched its 42nd Han Kuang live-fire military exercise on August 5, a 10-day drill involving more than 20,000 active-duty and reserve personnel. The exercise is designed to test Taiwan’s ability to respond to Chinese gray-zone harassment and a potential transition from peacetime coercion to full-scale conflict. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry is focusing on five areas: whole-of-society defense, counter-blockade and escort operations, medical response, reserve mobilization, and drone-based attack and kill chains.

Military analysts highlighted several unprecedented features. Taiwan is testing drone swarms and integrated attack-and-kill chains, coordinating the navy and coast guard to counter a potential Chinese maritime blockade, and conducting large-scale civilian medical resilience drills. The exercise also includes the mobilization of more than 5,000 reservists, reportedly the largest such mobilization in Han Kuang history.

Another major focus is communications resilience. Taiwan is conducting mobile internet throttling exercises in 14 cities and counties to simulate wartime communications disruptions and test backup systems. During the drills, mobile internet is temporarily slowed rather than shut down, while voice calls and text messaging remain available.

The expanded scope reflects Taiwan’s effort to prepare for a conflict that could begin below the threshold of war. The military is increasingly integrating the coast guard, civilian agencies, medical institutions, telecommunications providers, and reservists into defense planning. The exercises suggest that Taiwan is preparing not only to repel a direct invasion but also to withstand blockade, gray-zone coercion, cyber disruption, and prolonged conflict while maintaining essential civilian functions.

Source: Epoch Times, August 7, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/8/7/n14825270.htm

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

PLA Commentary Accuses Japan of Moving Toward Nuclearization, Warns Hiroshima’s Tragedy Could Happen Again

On August 10, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) published an article through its Junzhengping (“Military Politics Commentary”) account criticizing Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her remarks on Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles during ceremonies marking the 81st anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The article highlighted Takaichi’s statement that Japan is “currently adhering to” the principles, arguing that the wording leaves open whether Tokyo intends to continue observing them. It warned that “What happened yesterday in Hiroshima and Nagasaki may not be impossible tomorrow in Japan.”

Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles—not possessing, not producing, and not introducing nuclear weapons—have served as a cornerstone of Japan’s nuclear policy since their adoption by the Diet in 1971. Japanese media noted that Takaichi’s wording differed from that traditionally used by previous prime ministers, who have explicitly affirmed Japan’s continued commitment to the principles.

The PLA commentary portrays Takaichi’s wording as evidence that Japan’s conservative government may be moving away from its postwar anti-nuclear policy. It concludes: “If the Japanese government insists on playing with fire over nuclear issues, the heavy hammer of history will eventually fall again. What happened yesterday in Hiroshima and Nagasaki may not be impossible tomorrow in Japan.”

Source: QQ, August 10, 2026
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260810A05ADE00?id=20260810A05ADE00&path=a&app=news&suid=&redirect_pc=1

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

Chinese Communist Party Cultivates Ties With U.S. Democratic Socialists

A Fox News commentary by Douglas MacKinnon on August 6 alleged that some members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have accepted Chinese government-sponsored trips to China, received VIP-level treatment, and publicly expressed support for the People’s Republic of China and “Chinese socialism.” The report cited research indicating that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increasingly engaged with Western left-wing political groups through organized visits and high-level hospitality.

These exchanges appear to go beyond cultural diplomacy, with Chinese officials using carefully managed itineraries and political messaging to promote a favorable image of the CCP while downplaying criticism of its one-party rule, political repression, and human rights record. One DSA leader who recently visited China reportedly said Chinese officials treated the delegation “like royalty” and described the officials as displaying a “calm and comfortable confidence.”

The report also highlights an alleged double standard within parts of the DSA. While the organization advocates restricting or abolishing institutions such as police, prisons, ICE, and the military as instruments of state oppression, some members have expressed support for a Chinese political system built around extensive police, intelligence, surveillance, and censorship powers.

Source: Aboluo, August 10, 2026
https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0810/2419098.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics US-China Relations

Israel Closes Chengdu Consulate as Bilateral Relations with China Continue to Cool

Israel officially closed its Consulate General in Chengdu on August 5, marking a symbolic downgrade of its diplomatic presence in China. In a farewell message published on the consulate’s official WeChat account, Consul General Gadi Harpaz announced the closure of the mission, which had operated since November 2014 and covered Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Israel did not provide an official explanation for the decision.

Analysts attribute the closure to a combination of political, strategic, and practical considerations. The sharp deterioration in bilateral relations following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel is widely viewed as the key turning point. Beijing’s refusal to explicitly condemn Hamas, coupled with its criticism of Israel’s military response, eroded mutual trust and accelerated the cooling of bilateral ties. The closure reflects a broader downgrading of Israel-China relations, which are now largely limited to routine diplomatic engagement.

For decades, Israel maintained close ties with China, supplying advanced technologies—including defense-related technologies—while expanding bilateral trade and investment. However, cooperation began to decline after 2019 amid intensifying U.S.-China strategic competition, particularly in the infrastructure and technology sectors.

Analysts also note that the Chengdu consulate served a region with relatively limited commercial and consular activity, making it a practical candidate for closure as bilateral relations weakened.

Source: Epoch Times, August 8, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/8/8/n14825771.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend