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Ecuador Secures $400M From Beijing Over Defective Dam

Ecuador’s Finance Minister Sariha Moya announced that Chinese state-owned PowerChina will pay the Ecuadorian government $400 million in compensation for serious defects and losses linked to the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project, built by Sinohydro. The $3 billion dam, launched in 2016 with Xi Jinping attending its inauguration, has been plagued by cracks, leaks, corruption scandals, and ecological damage, with experts warning its lifespan may be only 15 years instead of the promised 50.

Ecuador had originally sought $580 million in arbitration, while China countersued, but the settlement marks a partial resolution. The case highlights broader problems with China’s infrastructure projects abroad: opaque loans, poor construction, corruption, and political fallout.

Similar controversies have emerged elsewhere: Nepal’s Pokhara International Airport (built with Chinese loans) is deemed substandard; Serbia’s Novi Sad railway station collapse killed 16 and sparked mass protests; and other Chinese-financed projects across Latin America face scrutiny.

Commentators note that China’s BRI model – relying on money, corruption, and construction contracts to secure influence in targeted countries – is backfiring. Instead of winning allies, Beijing now faces reputational damage and a growing wave of compensation claims, with Ecuador setting a precedent that other countries may follow.

Source: Epoch Times, August 26, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/26/n14581281.htm

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

CCP Infiltration in Virginia: Expert Warns of Growing National Security Risks

China expert He Bin recently warned at a Virginia community event that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) infiltration of Virginia is a serious national security concern. Given Virginia’s proximity to Washington, D.C., its role as home to the Pentagon, the CIA, the world’s largest naval base (Norfolk), and the only U.S. shipyard that builds nuclear carriers and submarines, CCP influence poses unique risks.

He outlined multiple examples of CCP penetration in Virginia, including:

  1. Media Control: Beijing secretly funded pro-CCP broadcasts on WCRW/WTSD radio (2011–2023).
  2. Corporate Takeover: China’s WH Group’s $4.7B acquisition of Smithfield Foods, giving China control over 25 percent of U.S. pork production and farmland.
  3. Confucius Institutes: They operated at George Mason University, William & Mary, and Old Dominion University. They have been criticized for undermining academic freedom.
  4. Education Infiltration: Thomas Jefferson High School, one of the best high schools in the U.S., received $3.6M from CCP-linked sources, raising IP transfer concerns.
  5. Chinese Student & Scholar Associations (CSSA): They strengthened surveillance and ideological influence over Chinese students.
  6. Virginia Tech: The university collaborated with Xi’an Electronic Science and Technology University, linked to China’s military.
  7. IP Theft: A Chinese researcher at UVA was charged with stealing trade secrets (case later dropped).
  8. Telecom Threats: China Telecom’s U.S. subsidiary, based in Herndon, was shut down by FCC over national security risks.
  9. NGOs: The Nature Conservancy in Arlington ran CCP-linked projects funded partly by U.S. government grants and Chinese firms.
  10. Port Security: Over 30 Chinese-made cranes at Hampton Roads port raised Pentagon concerns about surveillance.
  11. Espionage Cases: Chinese nationals and local residents in Virginia were prosecuted for spying or leaking defense secrets, including at Newport News Shipyard, the State Department, and even the Federal Reserve.

Source: Epoch Times, August 29, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/28/n14583195.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

Texas Criminalizes Foreign Transnational Repression

On August 26, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed several bills aimed at protecting Texans from threats posed by foreign adversaries. The legislation included: House Bill 128, which prohibits any Texas government entity from establishing “sister city” relationships with foreign adversaries while encouraging cooperation with U.S. allies; Senate Bill 17, which bans individuals, organizations, and entities from certain countries from purchasing real estate in Texas; and Senate Bill 1349, which criminalizes acts of transnational repression and requires the establishment of new training programs for law enforcement.

In fact, as early as last November, Abbott had signed an executive order directing the Texas Department of Public Safety to take measures against cross-border coercion by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). At the time, he specifically cited the CCP’s “Fox Hunt” campaign of attempting to forcibly repatriate overseas dissidents back to China.

Analysts have noted that in recent years, China has increasingly engaged in “long-arm jurisdiction” against certain individuals abroad – using the People’s Liberation Army, public security officials, embassies, or agents – under the pretext of “safeguarding national interests,” thereby undermining other countries’ sovereignty.

Taiwanese media outlet Newtalk commented that by defining foreign “transnational repression” as a criminal offense, Texas has fired the first shot in American society against China. Sources:
1. NTDTV, August 28, 2025
https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/08/28/a104015125.html
2. Newtalk, August 27, 2025
https://newtalk.tw/news/view/2025-08-27/990303

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

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

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

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