A few Snippets from China
These are selected as each of these small reports in reality has an iceberg beneath it.
Xi Backs Stable DPRK Ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he is ready to work with Kim Jong Un to advance China-North Korea relations toward long-term and stable development, according to KCNA reporting on the exchange published on July 5. The message, dated July 1, was sent after Kim congratulated Xi on the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party and followed Xi’s June visit to Pyongyang.
The exchange came after the two leaders pledged in June to deepen bilateral ties amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. China remains North Korea’s largest economic partner, accounting for nearly 98 per cent of the country’s foreign trade in 2024, while Pyongyang has also expanded military cooperation with Russia through troop and munitions support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Kim described the June summit as historic and said North Korea would continue strengthening ties with Beijing. The correspondence signals continued political coordination between Beijing and Pyongyang following the recent summit.
Note: There always has been a relationship. It is new that we now see high level summits with full press, pomp and circumstance.
Chinese AI Chip Firm Emerges
China’s Dongfang Suanxin has exited stealth mode and is betting on 3D stacking for AI chips to work around US export controls. The start-up is led by Wei Shaojun, vice-president of the China Semiconductor Industry Association, and is targeting advanced chip design in China.
The company’s approach focuses on packaging and architecture rather than direct access to the most advanced foreign manufacturing tools. That places it within a broader Chinese semiconductor push to reduce exposure to US restrictions on high-end AI chips and related equipment, especially as access to leading-edge process nodes remains constrained.
If viable, 3D stacking could offer Chinese firms a path to improve AI computing performance without relying solely on the most advanced lithography. The effort also aligns with Beijing’s wider drive for semiconductor self-sufficiency.
Note: This is only one. I see weekly reports of new methods of technology and different ways of tackling the issues of improved AI. What we also see is that China is now reducing availability of its AI to the West.
US-China Stability Gap Persists
At a forum in Beijing on Saturday, Chinese and US relations were described as potentially “constructive” and oriented toward strategic stability, but participants said the two sides still differ on what that framework should mean in practice. The discussion came as attention builds around President Xi Jinping’s possible US visit later this year.
The reported common objective of strategic stability has not produced agreement on the future structure of the relationship. The gap is not over whether ties should be stabilised, but over the terms, balance, and operating model of long-term engagement between the two powers.
Any high-level visit would take place against that unresolved baseline, limiting the scope for a broader reset even if dialogue continues.
Note : Stability Gap – That is a formal way of putting it. What it is in reality is that there is no framework for discussions with the US. We see this theme occurring in terms of US discussions with Russia, with Iran and whoever else talks to them. I do not believe this will change, and the instability will continue.
Nobel Chemist Joins Tsinghua
Last year’s Nobel chemistry laureate Omar M. Yaghi has joined Tsinghua University full-time as a chair professor in Beijing. The university announced the appointment after a July 3 ceremony attended by party secretary Qiu Yong, president Li Luming, and vice president Wang Hongwei.
Yaghi, previously a chaired professor at the University of California, Berkeley, shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Richard Robson and Susumu Kitagawa for work on metal-organic frameworks. His research spans MOFs, COFs, molecular weaving, and reticular chemistry, with more than 300 papers and over 260,000 citations.
The move fits a broader Chinese push to recruit top global scholars, including other Nobel laureates taking full-time posts at Chinese universities in recent months.
Note : We see one after the other Chinese scholar leaving the US for excellent positions in China. This is only one.
China Notifies Japan of Missile Test
Japan was informed by China of a ballistic missile test launch on July 6, according to a Kyodo report. The brief notice identified the event as a Chinese missile test and was conveyed to the Japanese side.
The disclosure is notable because ballistic missile activity by China is closely monitored by Japan amid wider regional security tensions and military signaling in East Asia. Prior notification can reduce immediate uncertainty, but the launch still carries strategic significance given persistent concerns over missile trajectories and surrounding maritime zones.
A related Kyodo update said the missile likely fell outside Japan’s EEZ, according to a Japanese government source.
PLA Sub Fires Pacific Missile
A nuclear-powered People’s Liberation Army submarine fired a test missile in the Pacific on Monday, according to Xinhua. The dummy warhead was launched at 12.01pm on the high seas, marking the PLA’s first known submarine-based missile test since 1982 and the first known launch from a nuclear-powered submarine.
The reported platform is significant because China’s main nuclear ballistic missile submarine is the Type 094, a core leg of its sea-based deterrent. A missile test beyond nearshore waters points to operational activity in the western Pacific, where Chinese submarine deployments are closely watched alongside broader military competition with the US and regional navies.
The test adds a rare public data point on the PLA Navy’s strategic submarine force and its external operating range. It also indicates continued effort to validate sea-based missile capabilities.
Note : Despite China doing the necessary notifications, declared NOTAMS and fulfilled all requirements internationally for a missile test, the launch drew concern and criticism from the US, Australia, Japan, the Phillipines as well as NATO. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said China’s submarine-launched missile test in the Pacific showed the alliance cannot be naive about Beijing. Speaking ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, he said the launch was a signal to NATO after a Chinese strategic nuclear submarine fired a strategic missile with a training dummy warhead around noon on July 6.
Rutte also said he had contacted Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi over the test, according to Kyodo. He is scheduled to meet leaders from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand during the July 7–8 summit, where the launch may also be discussed alongside broader NATO concerns over China and its support for Russia in the war in Ukraine.
The remarks place China’s strategic weapons activity directly into NATO’s Indo-Pacific consultations. They also indicate closer coordination with Japan on regional security developments.
“I want to emphasize that China remains committed to the path of peaceful development and adheres to a self-defensive nuclear strategy. China has always kept its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security. Relevant countries do not need to overinterpret it,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday in response to the West’s comments.
Ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet have arrived in Qingdao to participate in the Russian-Chinese “Joint Sea 2026” exercises.
The Guard Cruiser “Varyag”, the corvette “Resky”, the diesel-electric submarine “Ufa”, and the rescue ship “Igor Belousov” have docked at the pier.
The state flags of Russia and the PRC were raised on the pier. A military orchestra performed the anthems of both countries.
🛥The exercises will take place in the Yellow Sea from July 6 to 13. Sailors of the Russian Navy and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy will refine joint rescue operations, conduct artillery firing, practice anti-submarine tasks, and work on air defense. – ZvezdaNews ⭐️
Note : This is now a regular event