In this episode, we break down China’s escalating confrontation with Japan after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s blunt warning that Tokyo could respond militarily if China blockades Taiwan. Beijing reacts with fury—and even a wildly inappropriate deleted comment from one of its diplomats that sent Japan’s foreign ministry scrambling to file protests. If you want the latest on the fast-evolving China–Japan–Taiwan triangle, this is your episode.

We also zoom in on China’s pressure campaign against Taiwan, where 21 PLA aircraft and three PLAN vessels pushed right up to the island’s doorstep, with 18 jets crossing the median line. This comes just hours after an unusual “zero activity” pause—so yeah, the whiplash is real. Plus, hear how Taiwan’s Puma Shen, labeled “wanted” by Beijing, is turning China’s intimidation attempts into global headlines.

You’ll get fresh intel on the U.S.’s newly approved $330 million sale of aircraft parts to Taiwan—Washington’s first arms package under Trump’s new term—and what it signals as the USS Nimitz cruises uncomfortably close to China’s backyard.

Then we shift to China’s military modernization freight train, which added two massive milestones: new manned–unmanned teaming footage featuring the stealth GJ-11 drone flying with a J-20, and the Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan beginning its much-anticipated sea trials. Drone carriers, electromagnetic catapults, catapult-assisted UAV operations—China is pushing the tempo in ways that military planners around the world are watching closely.

And that’s not all. We look at China’s royal charm offensive with Thailand, its strategic naval visit to Nicaragua, its AI-generated cop warning citizens not to use VPNs, and its economy struggling with its weakest industrial and retail performance in over a year. Add in the possible resignation of China’s top securities regulator, and the picture inside Beijing becomes even more complicated.

If you want a podcast that mixes clear geopolitical insight with energy, edge, and personality, this episode is your go-to. Buckle up—China brought the heat today.