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CCP Adviser Zhang Weiwei Claims U.S. Capture of Maduro Exposes American “Weakness”

In the early hours of January 3, U.S. forces carried out a long-range operation and captured Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro within just a few hours. The operation came shortly after a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) special envoy met with Maduro to offer political backing, leaving Beijing embarrassed and underscoring the global reach of U.S. military power. Chinese officials subsequently condemned the action as a violation of international law and national sovereignty.

Zhang Weiwei, director of the China Institute at Fudan University and a prominent CCP adviser, has sought to downplay the significance of the operation by reframing it as a sign of American weakness.

“Many forces constrain the United States,” Zhang said. “Even this time, when Trump had Maduro arrested, it actually shows America’s weakness. He does not dare to fight a ground war and can only seize a single president like this—picking on a soft target.”

Zhang further characterized the operation as a “major U.S. strategic miscalculation,” claiming it revealed new “opportunities” for the Chinese Communist Party.

Many online commentators ridiculed Zhang’s argument.

Source: Epoch Times, January 15, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/1/15/n14676265.htm

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

Chinese State Media Condemns U.S. Arrest of Venezuela’s Maduro, Allows Surge of Anti-U.S. Online Sentiment

After Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was reportedly captured by U.S. forces and transferred to the U.S. judicial system, Chinese state media moved quickly to denounce the action as “blatant hegemonic behavior.” On January 4, Xinhua published a sharply worded commentary that was widely republished by mainland Chinese media outlets. Notably, many of these platforms left their comment sections open, allowing an unusual surge of intense and openly hostile anti-U.S. sentiment to appear.

Observers note that Chinese authorities typically restrict or close comment sections when online discussions become excessively heated or deviate from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) preferred narrative. The rare tolerance for high-intensity commentary in this case has prompted speculation that the response was guided within China’s propaganda system.

Analysts say Beijing often employs a dual-track approach on sensitive U.S.-related issues: state media establish the official political framing—casting events as examples of U.S. hegemony or foreign interference—while public comment sections are temporarily loosened to amplify nationalist and anti-U.S. emotions. Scholars caution that this does not indicate a genuine expansion of free expression but rather a controlled release of public sentiment, with comment threads frequently dominated by repetitive, slogan-like messages—possibly posted by the CCP controlled fifty-cents party members—intended to shape broader public opinion.

Source: Epoch Times, January 5, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/1/5/n14669445.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Social Stability US-China Relations

Trump Issues Executive Order for “Companies with Ties to China” to Divest Their U.S.-related Semiconductor Chip Assets

Shanghai-based Chinese online news site Guancha recently reported that U.S. President Trump has once again “targeted China,” making “underhanded” moves in the semiconductor sector. The Trump administration just issued an executive order, again citing so-called “national security” reasons, ordering the forced divestiture of semiconductor-related assets acquired by HieFo.

HieFo Optoelectronics is a photonic chip manufacturing company located in California, USA. On May 1, 2024, HieFo completed the full acquisition of U.S. company Emcore’s wafer manufacturing and photonic chip-related assets. The Trump administration claimed that HieFo was “controlled by a Chinese citizen.” In a press release in September 2025, HieFo confirmed Genzao Zhang as the company’s CEO and co-founder, noting that he previously served as the Vice President of Engineering at Emcore.

Trump issued the executive order under the Defense Production Act. Trump claimed there was “credible evidence” that HieFo’s acquisition of Emcore’s digital chip and related wafer design, manufacturing, and processing business “could threaten U.S. national security.”

This new move demonstrates the U.S. government’s crackdown and restrictions on “companies with ties to China” in areas such as semiconductors amid escalating geopolitical and technological competition between the U.S. and China.

Source: Guancha, January 3, 2026
https://www.toutiao.com/article/7590933838105248282

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

Chinese Media: The American “Kill Line” as Proof of the Superiority of China’s System

Chinese media outlets have recently focused on a concept dubbed the American “kill line” to argue that China’s political and economic system is superior. An article published by Guancha is a representative example.

Borrowed from video game terminology, the “kill line” originally refers to a threshold below which a character can be instantly eliminated. In social discourse, it is used to describe how many Americans live with extremely thin financial margins, such that a single shock—such as illness, job loss, or a missed rent or mortgage payment—can rapidly push them into severe hardship, including poverty or homelessness. Once rent or mortgage payments are missed, credit scores are damaged, making it difficult to obtain loans to buy a car or secure housing. Without transportation or stable shelter, finding or keeping a job becomes nearly impossible, creating a vicious cycle with no clear exit.

The article draws on an interview with Neil, a long-time North America resident and TikTok commentator, to illustrate the lack of economic resilience and upward mobility among large segments of the U.S. population. Neil argues that while earlier generations believed hard work could reliably lead to middle-class stability, many Americans today struggle just to cover basic expenses such as rent and debt payments. The piece contrasts the U.S. system with Canada’s more robust social safety nets and with China’s institutional support mechanisms, concluding that Americans who fall below the “kill line” have few reliable paths back to financial security.

Neil further contends that the United States has entered a phase of “late-stage capitalism.” In this stage, he argues, big data and artificial intelligence may be used to keep the bottom 80 percent of the population in a state of “being alive but continuously exploited”: conditions are kept just tolerable enough to survive, while people are tightly constrained, compelled to keep generating value that is steadily siphoned upward to those at the top.

Source: Guancha, December 29, 2025
https://www.guancha.cn/Neil/2025_12_29_801980.shtml

Briefings | | |   @CS Social Stability US-China Relations

U.S. Bans Imports of New Drone Models from DJI

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added all foreign-made drones and components, including those from China’s DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer, and China’s Autel Robotics, to its “Controlled List,” prohibiting the approval of new drone models for import or sale in the United States. The FCC determined that these foreign companies pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security.

China’s Ministry of Commerce issued a statement expressing its firm opposition, stating that the United States has repeatedly generalized the concept of national security and used state power to suppress companies from other countries, which is a typical practice of market distortion and unilateral bullying. Meanwhile Chinese Foreign Ministry also stated that it firmly opposes the U.S.’s overgeneralization of the concept of national security, its creation of discriminatory lists, and its unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies, and urged the U.S. to correct its erroneous practices – or China will resolutely take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, December 23, 2025
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/china/story20251223-8007543

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

People’s Daily: Hardly Anyone Responds to the Boasting — Trump’s “Year-End Review” Sparks Controversy

People’s Daily commented on U.S. President Donald Trump’s primetime national address from the White House on December 17, in which he reviewed the first year of his second term.

The commentary noted that U.S. media outlets and political analysts widely view the speech as a political maneuver aimed at shifting public attention and rebuilding momentum amid slowing economic indicators and Trump’s low approval ratings. If the economic recovery he promised fails to materialize, the Republican Party could face serious challenges in the 2026 midterm elections.

Recent statistics and opinion polls highlight mounting economic and public pressure on Americans:

  • Unemployment rose to 4.6 percent in November, the highest level in several years.
  • Many Americans report that living costs are at record highs, with growing financial strain from essentials such as food, housing, and healthcare.
  • Only about 33 percent approve of Trump’s economic policies, a low point during his current term.
  • Even among his core supporters — the so-called “MAGA” base — support has shown signs of decline.

According to analysts cited in the commentary, Trump’s speech relied on three main tactics:

  1. Blaming predecessors — repeatedly criticizing the record of former President Joe Biden.
  2. Self-praise — claiming strong border security and economic progress, though many of these assertions were later fact-checked and found to be exaggerated or inaccurate.
  3. Vague promises — pledging reforms and tax cuts without providing clear details or timelines.

Democrats criticized the address for offering few concrete solutions, while some U.S. commentators argued that the speech glossed over the real economic hardships facing ordinary Americans — struggles that a wealthy politician may not fully understand.

As the 2026 midterms approach, many observers believe the Republican outlook will remain weak unless economic issues are effectively addressed. Some political insiders even predict that unmet expectations surrounding Trump’s policies could result in the GOP losing control of Congress.

Source: People’s Daily, December 19, 2025
https://world.people.com.cn/n1/2025/1219/c1002-40627969.html

Media Articles | | |   US-China Relations

CNA: NVIDIA Develops Location Verification Technology

Taiwan’s primary news agency, the Central News Agency (CNA), recently reported that NVIDIA has confirmed the development of a “location verification” technology capable of determining the country in which its chips are actually operating. The feature is designed to help prevent NVIDIA’s artificial intelligence (AI) chips from being smuggled into countries subject to U.S. export restrictions.

The technology has been demonstrated privately over the past few months but has not yet been officially released. It can be installed by customers and relies on NVIDIA GPUs’ confidential (secure) computing capabilities. According to NVIDIA sources, the software was originally created to help customers monitor overall computing performance. It estimates a chip’s location by analyzing communication latency with NVIDIA servers, with accuracy comparable to that of standard internet-based location services. NVIDIA stressed that the software does not allow the company to remotely control or interfere with customer systems, and that all telemetry data sent to NVIDIA servers is read-only, meaning the servers cannot write data back to the chips.

NVIDIA’s location-verification feature is widely seen as a response to pressure from the White House and bipartisan members of Congress to strengthen export controls. In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against several China-linked smuggling networks, accusing them of attempting to illegally export more than US$160 million worth of NVIDIA chips to China.

Source: CNA, December 11, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ait/202512110148.aspx

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

Lianhe Zaobao: China’s November Exports Rebound as Shipments to the U.S. Continue to Slow

Singapore’s leading Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported that newly released data from China’s General Administration of Customs show China’s exports grew 5.9 percent year over year in November, exceeding market expectations.

By product category, exports of machinery, electronics, and high-tech goods accelerated. Shipments of integrated circuits and automobiles posted particularly strong growth, rising 34.2 percent and 53.0 percent, respectively, from a year earlier. By destination, exports to the European Union surged 14.3 percent, the fastest pace since July 2022, with France, Germany, and Italy all recording double-digit increases. Exports to Africa and Latin America also rose sharply, up 28.2 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively. In contrast, export growth to ASEAN slowed to 8.4 percent, the weakest increase since February.

Exports to the United States declined further, plunging 28.6 percent year over year in November, marking the eighth consecutive month of double-digit drops. Analysts cited by Lianhe Zaobao said the overall rebound suggests Chinese exporters are making significant progress in expanding into non-U.S. markets. They added that the slowdown in exports to ASEAN may be linked to a retreat in re-export trade following higher U.S. tariffs on Southeast Asian countries.

China’s export growth outpaced import growth in November, pushing the country’s cumulative trade surplus to a record high exceeding US$1 trillion.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, December 8, 2025
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/china/story20251208-7933064

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations