South Korea’s largest media outlet, JoongAng Ilbo, reported on July 11 that the country is facing a major territorial threat from China. Unlike the direct conflict of the long-standing tension between North Korea and South Korea, China is quietly advancing a “Yellow Sea Project,” aiming to turn the Yellow Sea – the body of water between China and South Korea – into China’s own maritime territory. This could have serious consequences for South Korea, JoongAng Ilbo reported.

Due to overlapping Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), South Korea and China agreed in 2000 to jointly manage a Provisional Measure Zone (PMZ), allowing fishing by Chinese boats but banning facility construction and resource development. Since 2018, however, China has installed large steel structures in the PMZ, allegedly for the purpose of aquaculture but potentially usable for military purposes. Seoul’s protests against Beijing’s actions have gone unanswered. In February 2025, a South Korean research vessel was blocked and threatened by Chinese forces when approaching the area.

The JoongAng Ilbo article suggests that South Korea consider building similar structures, citing Vietnam’s example in the South China Sea. The article criticizes the Korean government’s weak stance and urges stronger resolve to protect the country’s maritime sovereignty.

Source: Epoch Times, July 11, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/7/10/n14549090.htm

China has adopted a new approach to counter what it perceives as Western media and political criticism by inviting popular European and American influencers to livestream from China and showcase “the real China,” according to recent analysis.

Following the successful visit of American influencer “Speed” (IShowSpeed), who has 38 million followers, China is now courting the world’s top two influencers by follower count: “Mr Beast” and “Khaby Lame.” According to China News Weekly, a Beijing-based Chinese outlet, Mr Beast is expected to visit China as early as the fourth quarter of this year to film a large-scale challenge show, while Khaby Lame joined Chinese social media platforms in July with exclusive content and plans to tour China.

Speed’s China trip in the spring proved highly successful, showing American audiences “clean streets, modern cities, convenient mobile payments, efficient high-speed rail, and affordable new energy vehicles.” During his 17-day visit to eight Chinese cities, he conducted eight livestreams with an average viewership of 8.2 million, generating over 2 billion total views.

This represents Beijing’s new foreign publicity strategy: rather than relying on official messaging with limited impact, China is leveraging overseas top-tier influencers to personally experience the country and influence young international audiences using their own communication styles.

Khaby Lame, an Italian-Senegalese creator known for his wordless reaction videos, has 259 million followers, while Mr Beast, an American known for creative and high-budget content, boasts 600 million followers. Beyond targeting top influencers, China is reportedly launching a “China-Global Young Influencer Exchange Program,” recruiting American influencers with at least 300,000 followers to collaborate with Chinese content creators.

This strategy marks a significant shift from traditional diplomatic communication to leveraging social media influence for international outreach.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), July 11, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202507110100.aspx

Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition recently reported that the German Foreign Trade Federation (BGA) believes there are clear signs that Chinese products originally intended for the U.S. market are turning to Europe.

Dirk Jandura, chairman of the federation, said, “It is no coincidence that China’s exports to Germany have jumped from last year.” He expressed the belief that this was a direct consequence of U.S. President Trump’s tariff war. “Goods that cannot be exported to the United States are now turning to the European market in increasing numbers,” he added.

According to Chinese customs data, China’s exports to the United States fell sharply by 34.5 percent in May, the largest drop since the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. In contrast, China’s exports to Europe rose by 12 percent. Meanwhile, based on data from the German Federal Statistical Office, imports from China increased by more than 10 percent to 67.5 billion euros in the first five months of this year. BGA also indicated that data on air freight and container business in the past few weeks showed that significantly more goods could be heading to Europe.

Due to high U.S. tariffs, Chinese e-commerce exports to the U.S. have fallen sharply – a decline of around 43 percent year-on-year in May. This trend is expected to continue, and e-commerce exports to Europe are expected to increase in June. The German Retail Federation (HDE) indicated that the competition from Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Shein and Temu is increasing. “These goods are instead pouring into Europe,” said Alexander von Preen, president of HDE. The German toy industry has been hit hard in particular.

BGA Chairman Dirk Jandura also pointed out that the rise in Chinese exports to Germany is not only a consequence of U.S. tariffs, but also a clear symptom of massive Chinese overcapacity.

Source: DW Chinese, July 10, 2025
https://tinyurl.com/4vv9pxz8

France’s internal security agency (DGSI) recently confirmed the presence of at least nine covert Chinese “police stations” operating on French soil. These facilities, run by the CCP for the purpose of monitoring, intimidating, or repatriate Chinese nationals, highlight Beijing’s overseas interference tactics. These stations have now been shut down.

A 2022 report by Spanish non-government organization Safeguard Defenders identified over 100 such stations worldwide, initially listing only four in France. French intelligence grew concerned upon discovering the Chinese embassy’s involvement behind the scenes.

Though not officially recognized as police outposts, these stations were run by unregistered “liaison officers” acting on behalf of China, offering services similar to state functions and engaging in unauthorized activities like intelligence gathering, transnational repression, and talent recruitment.

DGSI summoned Chinese representatives in late 2023, demanding closures. The stations were dismantled, but the agents involved were not expelled. France requested three individuals be recalled, but Beijing reportedly declined.

While the physical sites are gone, French authorities warn that covert Chinese operations – such as surveillance and pressure on dissidents – likely continue through plainclothes agents. Source: Radio France International, July 9, 2025
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/法国/20250709-法国情报局-关闭9座中国警察站-特务仍潜伏监视异见人士-法方或拒绝-地下警察局-认定