US-China Relations - 3. page

Chinese military researchers are investigating how to effectively disrupt Starlink satellite communications in Taiwan during a potential conflict, requiring at least 1,000 to 2,000 drone-mounted jamming devices to suppress the system, according to a report by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post.

The urgency stems from Ukraine’s battlefield success with Starlink following Russia’s February 2022 invasion. After Elon Musk’s SpaceX provided thousands of Starlink terminals to Kyiv within days, Russian forces initially managed to jam the signals. However, SpaceX quietly updated its software and satellite configurations, rendering Russian jamming ineffective and shifting battlefield advantage to Ukraine. This success shocked military establishments worldwide, particularly China’s.

Chinese military authorities subsequently began assessing how to conduct effective electronic warfare if Taiwan obtained Starlink access during a conflict. Research teams from Zhejiang University and Beijing Institute of Technology, which maintains close ties with China’s military, published the most comprehensive public analysis to date in early November in the journal Systems Engineering and Electronics.

The study concluded that traditional ground-based jamming methods are insufficient against Starlink’s large low-orbit satellite constellation and advanced communication technologies, including frequency hopping and adaptive systems. Computer simulations indicate China would need a “distributed jamming” strategy deploying hundreds or thousands of small, synchronized airborne jammers carried by drones, balloons, or aircraft to create an electromagnetic barrier.

Under optimal conditions, each jamming device could suppress Starlink connectivity across approximately 38.5 square kilometers. Given Taiwan’s roughly 36,000 square kilometers, fully suppressing coverage would require at least 935 synchronized devices on drones or balloons. Lower-powered equipment would necessitate approximately 2,000 units.

Researchers acknowledged these figures don’t account for terrain interference, equipment attrition, or Starlink’s continuously improving anti-jamming capabilities, meaning actual requirements could be considerably higher. They emphasized that since many of Starlink’s core technologies remain classified, their simulation data represents only preliminary assessments.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), November 23, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202511230163.aspx

The inaugural IndieChina Independent Film Festival, originally scheduled in New York from November 9 to 15, was abruptly canceled on November 6 after organizers, guests, and volunteers faced a wave of intimidation from unidentified actors. Festival director Zhu Rikun announced the decision, saying he could not, “in good conscience,” expose filmmakers, forum speakers, volunteers, or even audience members to potential danger.

The pressure reportedly began on October 30, when Zhu received a strange phone call from his father in China, urging him not to “do things harmful to the country” while overseas. Soon after, a woman who helps Zhu manage affairs in Beijing was summoned by authorities, threatened for assisting him, and warned that he would face legal trouble if he returned to China.

Within two days, nearly every director still living in China withdrew from the festival—many citing personal reasons. Meanwhile, directors and invited guests abroad told organizers that their family members inside China were being questioned or harassed.

One of the New York screening venues also received an anonymous letter claiming to be from “Chinese students living in New York,” arguing the films might misrepresent modern China and demanding the festival be canceled. A U.S.-based volunteer resigned after family in China were threatened. Zhu said no officials or individuals have provided any explanation of what offense he or the festival allegedly committed.

Human Rights Watch condemned the cancellation as further evidence of Beijing’s transnational repression. The organization noted that three major independent film festivals within China have already been shuttered over the past decade. Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at HRW, stated that the intimidation campaign reaching into New York reflects the Chinese government’s effort to shape global narratives about the country, and urged governments around the world to push back against such censorship.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), November 8, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202511080148.aspx

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that, although the U.S. and China just reached a truce agreement on tariffs and rare earth controls, Beijing has more leverage than just rare earths. It also holds absolute advantages in lithium batteries, mature process chips, and pharmaceutical raw materials.

In the lithium-ion battery field, the world’s top two battery manufacturers are both Chinese companies: CATL and BYD. Even if the batteries are produced in other regions, the core materials are still highly dependent on China. According to data provided by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Chinese suppliers produce 79 percent of the world’s battery cathode materials and 92 percent of the battery anode materials, and control 63 percent of the refined lithium, 80 percent of the refined cobalt, and 98 percent of the refined graphite supply.

In the field of mature process chips, China currently accounts for about one-third of global mature chip production capacity. Although these chips are less difficult to produce than advanced chips, they are crucial for sectors such as automobiles, consumer electronics, and defense. Furthermore, China controls key minerals such as gallium and germanium needed to manufacture chips and optoelectronic products. In 2024, China accounted for 99 percent of global gallium production and was also the world’s largest producer of germanium.

The third important industry is pharmaceuticals. China plays a dominant role in the supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients and their precursor chemicals. For example, most of the acetaminophen and ibuprofen imported into the U.S. come from China, and China is also a major producer of antibiotic raw materials. The U.S. generic drug supply is heavily reliant on India, and a large portion of the active ingredients in Indian generic drugs come from China.

Source: CNA, November 6, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202511060374.aspx

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, writing in his capacity as director of the Communist Party’s Central Foreign Affairs Office, published a signed article in the Party’s mouthpiece People’s Daily declaring that implementing the Party’s foreign policy requires “upholding the fighting spirit.” Wang wrote that the Party has never been intimidated or deterred by pressure, and that only by daring to fight—and being skilled at fighting—can China overcome obstacles and push its diplomatic agenda forward through persistent struggle.

Wang said China has worked to “remove interference and overcome obstacles” in order to promote stable, healthy, and sustainable development in China–U.S. relations. At the same time, he called for strengthening China’s capacity to “fight,” enhancing strategic planning, leveraging multilateral platforms, firmly opposing what he described as “hegemonic and bullying behavior,” and rallying the maximum possible forces for peace and development.

The article—titled “Promoting the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind”—was published following the recent Trump–Xi meeting. Wang highlighted China’s deepening comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia, calling it a new model of major-power relations based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation. He described China–EU engagement as a link between “two major forces, two major markets, and two major civilizations,” while also emphasizing expanded cooperation with emerging economies and BRICS nations.

Wang called developing countries China’s “natural allies” in international affairs, stressing that China, as the world’s largest developing country, is committed to safeguarding their common interests. Building a “community with a shared future for mankind,” he wrote, is a central diplomatic task that requires strict implementation of Party directives—including maintaining the “fighting spirit.” He urged preserving strategic resolve, confronting severe challenges with confidence, and defending national sovereignty, security, and development interests with unwavering determination in the face of powerful rivals.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), November 5, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202511050321.aspx

The 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea saw Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump meet for the first time since 2019, reaching agreements to ease tariffs and export controls. While Trump enthusiastically rated the meeting 12 out of 10, Thai scholars warn that beneath this apparent détente lies an accelerating decoupling between the superpowers that regional nations must carefully navigate.

Associate Professor Dulyapak Preecharush from Thailand’s Thammasat University released an analysis emphasizing that Trump’s foreign policy centers strictly on American national interests, with the U.S. leader believing American interests supersede international community interests. Trump’s approach utilizes “all international relations and diplomatic means to advance national security interests and economic prosperity,” focusing particularly on natural resources and trade that bring tangible benefits to America.

The Thai analysis highlights Trump’s sustained focus on the Indo-Pacific region, which he views as critical to American strategic interests. The region, home to over three billion people and rich in maritime resources, has become central to U.S. strategy through three key approaches: island chain militarization extending from Japan to the Pacific; offshore balancing that reduces direct military spending while supporting regional allies as counterweights to China; and networked security architecture through alliances like QUAD and AUKUS.

Professor Dulyapak’s research emphasizes that the Indo-Pacific’s abundant sea lanes and marine resources are vital to American security and prosperity, with the South China Sea and East China Sea serving as geopolitical and economic flashpoints. His report concludes with a critical warning: regional countries must carefully consider the roles and impacts of these superpowers when formulating their own security strategies and foreign policies, as U.S.-China competition will inevitably shape the region’s future.

Source: Radio France International, November 2, 2025
https://rfi.my/C9ID