Buckle up for another high-tension, high-drama ride through East Asia on The Restricted Handling Podcast. In today’s episode — “RH 11.18.25 | China: Spies, Carriers, Nukes & Tourism Wars” — we break down the fast-moving storm swirling around Beijing’s latest diplomatic tantrums, covert operations, and saber-rattling military flexes. From spy rings to aircraft carriers to economic warfare waged through canceled vacations, China’s playing every card in the deck, and we’re unpacking it all. 

The episode kicks off with China’s escalating feud with Japan, now entering full-blown economic warfare mode. After Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s blunt warning that Tokyo would defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion, Beijing went nuclear — metaphorically and maybe literally. We’re talking canceled half-million tourist trips, billions in economic losses, and a propaganda barrage that paints Japan as the new villain of the East. We get into how Beijing’s “weaponized tourism” tactic works, why it’s hitting Japan’s economy where it hurts most, and how Tokyo’s surprisingly unfazed — with Takaichi’s approval ratings actually rising as the standoff deepens. 

Then we move to the South China Sea, where the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines just wrapped another round of joint naval drills. The USS Nimitz took center stage while China’s bomber squadrons circled in response, warning its neighbors not to “collude with external forces.” We talk about how this cat-and-mouse game is shaping the new Indo-Pacific playbook — and why the PLA’s latest warships and drone carriers are sending shivers across the region. 

Back on Taiwan’s shores, it’s spy season. Authorities just busted a Chinese espionage network run by a Hong Kong agent who actually infiltrated the island in person — a first. Two active-duty Taiwanese officers are under arrest, and Beijing’s getting bolder with every move. We also explore how China’s turning AI tools into cyberweapons, reportedly hijacking Anthropic’s Claude AI model to automate hacking campaigns. Welcome to the new frontier of espionage: artificial intelligence with Chinese characteristics. 

And we can’t forget the nuclear file — new satellite images show a massive expansion at China’s Lop Nur test site. More tunnels, more shafts, more questions. Is Beijing prepping to break the test ban era? 

Listen now to The Restricted Handling Podcast — where geopolitics gets bold, fast, and fun.