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Philippine President: Taiwan Conflict Would Inevitably Involve Us

During his state visit to India, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gave an interview to local media outlet Firstpost.

When asked what the Philippines would do if China used force against Taiwan, Marcos replied:

“Speaking very pragmatically, if China and the United States clash over Taiwan, the Philippines cannot possibly stay out of it – simply because of our geographical location. To understand how close Taiwan is to the Philippines, it only takes 40 minutes to fly from Laoag, the capital of my home province in northern Philippines, to Kaohsiung, a major city in Taiwan. That’s how close it is.”

“So, if you think about it, if an all-out war breaks out, we would be drawn into it. I assure you, although very reluctantly – let me say it again – we must defend our territory and sovereignty.”

“In addition, there are many Philippine nationals in Taiwan. That would immediately become a humanitarian issue, because we would have to intervene – either by going there or finding a way to get there – to locate our people and bring them home, just as we always do when they are in conflict zones. To me, at least initially, that is our greatest concern.”

“So I’m saying we would immediately mobilize all our resources to evacuate our people. Given that they would be in the heart of a war zone, that is no easy task. This is definitely no small matter.”

Source: Radio France International, August 7, 2025
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/国际/20250807-小马科斯-若中美在台湾问题上发生冲突，菲律宾不可能置身事外

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend

TikTok Fulfilling CCP’s United Front Strategy to Brainwash Taiwanese Youth

Eric Hsu, a researcher at the Taiwan Democracy Lab, shared findings on how TikTok (Chinese version is called Douyin) is used in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) united front strategy toward Taiwan. A 2025 survey conducted by the lab revealed that TikTok appeals to Taiwanese teens with trendy, short, and algorithm-driven content. However, after entertainment videos, the app often pushes two to three videos of political content related to war, cross-strait unity, as well as political corruption and legislative chaos in Taiwan.

Many teens surveyed see the CCP as efficient but authoritarian and believe its governance model may be necessary for managing such a large country. They feel TikTok offers a more “real” view of China and perceive that cross-strait differences are mostly political.

The study suggests TikTok is used to stir negative emotions, undermine trust in Taiwan’s democracy, and promote unification narratives. Some teens believe unification wouldn’t affect ordinary people much. They view war (CCP’s taking over Taiwan by military) as terrifying and are concerned for their loved ones’ safety; some say they might choose surrender.

TikTok also contains harmful content like cyberbullying and child exploitation, which the study says deserves more serious attention in Taiwan.

Source: Epoch Times, July 25, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/7/24/n14559632.htm

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

Chinese Land Purchases on Japanese Island Raise Security Concerns

Japanese media report that in recent years, Chinese capital has increasingly targeted islands in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Delegations from Dalian, China toured Kasasa Island, and Chinese nationals living in Tokyo and Saitama have also offered high prices to acquire land there.

A recent concern is that a Chinese national has quietly bought over 3,600 square meters of land on Kasasa Island, a small island near Yamaguchi Prefecture with only seven residents. The buyer cleared land, improved roads, and installed utility poles, allegedly to build private villas and a yacht dock.

Residents are alarmed due to the island’s proximity to key military sites, including the Kure Naval Base and former Etajima Army artillery facilities. They fear the land could be used for surveillance or other strategic purposes, especially since the Chinese National Defense Mobilization Law and Intelligence Law require Chinese citizens to cooperate with government orders, even abroad.

Although Japan passed the Important Land Survey Law in 2022 to investigate sensitive land sales, critics say it lacks enforcement power. Local officials warn Kasasa Island could become a Chinese-controlled outpost or drone base, likening it to a form of covert occupation.

Source: Epoch Times, July 29, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/7/28/n14562444.htm

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

Ex-Engineer Details Chinese Navy’s Soldier Monitoring App

Software engineer Liu Dadong, who fled China to the U.S. in 2019, revealed that he once worked on a Chinese Navy project designed to monitor soldiers via smartphone apps. While at a small tech firm in Beijing’s Zhongguancun in 2017, Liu was told to help develop an app for a military bid.

The app had full control over soldiers’ phones – tracking all actions such as app usage, browsing history, calls, typed content, photos, locations, and sensitive keyword searches. The app also maintained a sensitive term list that was regularly updated using official data sources.

Data collected was transmitted to a central server in real time.

Liu said tests confirmed the app’s full access to phone activities. They even tested a “geofencing” (regional monitoring) feature: the app would trigger alerts if a phone moved beyond a preset location range (e.g. 100 meters).

He emphasized that surveillance today reaches all levels of electronic devices, but the most insidious threat lies in chips. “Because chips are tiny and complex, detecting embedded trojans is nearly impossible without blueprints – one reason the Chinese Communist Party is racing to develop domestic semiconductors (to replace foreign chips).”

Source: Epoch Times, July 21, 2025
https://hk.epochtimes.com/news/2025-07-21/80668044

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Information/Technology

China and Russia Hold “Joint Sea-2025” Naval Exercise

According to Xinhua News Agency, the China-Russia “Joint Sea-2025” naval exercise officially began on August 1 at a naval port in Vladivostok, Russia. Themed “Jointly Safeguarding Strategic Sea Lanes and Responding to Security Threats in the Western Pacific,” the exercise aims to further deepen the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and enhance their joint capacity to maintain international and regional peace and stability.

China’s participating forces include the missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, the comprehensive supply ship Qiandaohu, the multi-purpose rescue ship Xihu, as well as fixed-wing aircraft, shipborne helicopters, and marine corps personnel.

Russia has dispatched the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs, the light frigate Loud, the rescue ship Belousov, fixed-wing aircraft, shipborne helicopters, and marine coprs personnel.

From August 3 to 5, Chinese and Russian naval vessels will conduct a three-day joint maritime drill in the sea and airspace near Vladivostok. The exercise will cover submarine rescue, joint anti-submarine warfare, air and missile defense, and maritime combat operations. It will also include live-fire drills to test the results of the earlier joint planning discussions.

After the exercise concludes, China and Russia will also carry out a joint naval patrol in relevant areas of the Pacific Ocean.

Since 2012, the “Joint Sea” series of exercises has been held ten times, becoming an important platform for China-Russia naval cooperation and significantly boosting their capacity for joint maritime operations.

Sources:
1. Xinhua, August 1, 2025
http://www.xinhuanet.com/20250801/8c94598a810c439397ffcf339e10861b/c.html
2. Xinhua, August 3, 2025
http://www.news.cn/world/20250803/5171f70e6c4540dbac55ed8410ec5ece/c.html

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

PLA Adopts New Military Training System with Three-Tier Support Model

According to the Training and Administration Department of the Central Military Commission, China’s military is accelerating the development of a new military training system by introducing a “three-tier support operation model.”

Basic Training:
Support is provided locally and conveniently according to standards, focusing on “intensive specialization.” On the basis of standardizing training facilities at the brigade level or below, multiple support zones are designated based on the distribution and density of military camps and training grounds across the country. This enables basic training to be conducted either within or near the unit’s garrison area by integrating nearby resources.

Combined Arms Training:
Support is shared and jointly built across services and arms, with a focus on “grouped confrontation.” Responsibilities and pathways for matching demand and supply within and across service branches are clarified. Military units at or above corps level take the lead in establishing collaborative zones across branches to enable cross-regional sharing of key resources, regional sharing of scattered resources, and sharing between the military and civil sectors of scarce resources.

Joint Training:
A system-wide support mechanism integrating virtual and real elements across all domains focuses on “systemic optimization.” By building a unified training network architecture, promoting the interconnectivity of training venues, and developing a multi-level, real-time, heterogeneous, and integrated training space, the system creates a large-scale, multi-dimensional, cross-domain training environment.

Source: People’s Daily, July 21, 2025
http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2025/0721/c1011-40526278.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China’s Defense Ministry Responds to Largest-Ever U.S. Air Force Exercise: China is “Confident in Handling all Risks and Challenges”

At a regular press briefing on July 30, China’s Ministry of National Defense was asked to comment on the U.S. Air Force’s recent launch of “Mobility Guardian,” its largest-ever exercise in the Western Pacific. The operation aims to test combat concepts such as Agile Combat Employment and marks a significant intensification of the U.S. “Indo-Pacific strategy.”

Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang responded by saying, “The Pacific should remain a region of peace – not a theater for those who seek to stir up trouble.” He criticized the U.S. for clinging to Cold War-era thinking, showcasing military strength in the Asia-Pacific, using exercises as a pretext to build alliances, and exerting pressure on other nations – actions he said undermine regional peace and stability.

“No matter how fierce the storm, we remain steady at the helm,” Zhang added. He emphasized that China’s military is fully confident and capable of handling all risks and challenges, and will resolutely defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests. He also claimed China’s role as a steadfast force for regional and global peace.

Source: Huanqiu Times, July 30, 2025
https://mil.huanqiu.com/article/4NhooICt6sW

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

Beijing Demands Ukraine Immediately Retract its Sanctions on Chinese Entities

On July 28, 2025, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun addressed the issue at a regular press conference.

A reporter from Russia Today asked: On Sunday (July 27), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he had approved a new round of sanctions proposed by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. The 18th package, which has officially taken effect, targets 53 individuals and entities, including some from China. What is China’s response?

Guo Jiakun stated: “China firmly opposes all forms of unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and are not authorized by the UN Security Council. We urge the Ukrainian side to immediately correct this erroneous decision and mitigate its negative consequences. China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese businesses and individuals.”

Source: China Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, July 28, 2025
https://www.mfa.gov.cn/fyrbt_673021/202507/t20250728_11678284.shtml

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