After the deadly quake that struck Dingri County in the city of Xigaze, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday, the China National Space Administration (CNSA)'s Earth Observation and Data Center immediately activated its emergency response mechanism with the participation of a number of civil and commercial space agencies, the administration said on Wednesday. The first batch of three remote sensing images and pre-disaster data have been shared with relevant authorities, it said.
With the joint efforts of civil and commercial space forces, a multi-satellite joint emergency mission was planned and executed, the CNSA said. The center coordinated and dispatched units including the China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application, Spacety Co., Changguang Satellite Technology Co., and Minospace Co., to capture emergency imaging of the quake-hit county and its surrounding areas.
The Changguang Satellite Technology told the Global Times on Wednesday that in order to monitor the real-time situation, it urgently dispatched the Jilin-1 satellite to observe the affected regions. The satellite images were provided to relevant units immediately after capture to assist in earthquake relief efforts.
Dingri County's Cogo Township lies in the epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake. High-resolution images captured by the Jilin-1 satellite on Tuesday show that many houses in the township are made of adobe, which suffered significant collapses during the earthquake. Additionally, satellite images indicate that in Chamso Township, where buildings are primarily made of timber, the earthquake led to severe collapses because of poor seismic resistance. The local government has actively set up temporary tents to provide shelter for the affected residents, the images showed.
The Jilin-1 satellite is China's first domestically developed commercial high-resolution remote sensing satellite. It has established the world's largest sub-meter level commercial remote sensing satellite constellation. This constellation can revisit any location on Earth 35 to 37 times a day, delivering comprehensive remote sensing data and services for agriculture, forestry, meteorology, oceanography, resources, environmental protection, urban construction, and scientific research, the Global Times has learned.
The latest joint statement released by the Quad foreign ministers reflects an obvious division among the four countries, as India, Japan, and Australia - who are improving ties with China - showed a shared reluctance to provoke Beijing in the text while trying to maintain coordination with the US. The grouping's focus on China as a target lacks the momentum to go far due to emerging uncertainties, according to some Chinese analysts on Wednesday.
The Secretary of State of the US and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan issued a joint statement commemorating the 20th anniversary of "Quad Cooperation," which it claimed that the Quad is "a diplomatic network of four countries committed to supporting a free and open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient."
According to the US Department of State, twenty years ago, in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Australia, India, Japan, and the US came together in service to the people of our region for the first time as the grouping now known as the Quad.
The statement ends on an ambiguous note, stating that "the Quad is committed to working together in responding to the future needs of the region."
Although the statement did not mention China directly, some Indian media outlets including the Indian Express and Business Standard have hyped the statement by offering anti-China narrative in their reports, citing so-called China's assertive behavior or China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the region.
"India, Japan, and Australia have improved their relations with China. Explicitly naming China could provoke a strong reaction from Beijing. Therefore, the grouping avoided directly mentioning China in the statement to maintain diplomatic flexibility," Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
While they [India, Japan, and Australia] are unwilling to be tied to the anti-China chariot led by the US, the pressure of China's rise may still lead them to maintain cooperation with the US. This reflects their strategy of balancing national interests, he said.
The statement also reflects the evident differences and division within the Quad grouping, said Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University.
Li told the Global Times that the three members of the Quad have been striving to maintain coordination with the US while keeping their relationship with China stable. This has led to an awkward diplomatic stance within the grouping, revealing divisions and inconsistencies in their actions, Li said.
The Biden administration promotes multilateral cooperation, but the next Trump administration advocates for "America First" and downplays international coordination, making the future of the Quad mechanism uncertain, Japan's Kyodo News reported on Tuesday.
Despite that US hopes to position the Quad as an anti-China instrument, the grouping's anti-China operations may face a lack of momentum in the next four years due to the instability of US politics, Li said.
"Some Indian media outlets often inflame tensions in China-India relations, reinforcing the geopolitical confrontational mind-set between China and India, while paying less attention to the mutual interests and potential for cooperation between the two countries," Qian said.
In September 2024, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian commented at a routine press briefing that Quad is identified as the premier regional grouping that plays a leading role in the US' "Indo-Pacific strategy." It is a tool the US uses to contain China and perpetuate US hegemony, he said in response to a question about US President Joe Biden's comments at the 2024 Quad Leaders' Summit held on September 21, 2024.
Though the US claims that it does not target China, the first topic of the summit is about China and China was made an issue throughout the event. The US is lying through its teeth and even the US media does not believe it, said Lin.
Police in Zibo, East China's Shandong Province, solved a 17-year backlogged case using only a set of fingerprints. The complexity of the case, along with the victim's intricate relationships and the limitations of forensic technology at the time, had made it a longstanding concern for local police.
The incident dates back to late March 2007, when a murder took place in a residential community in the Zichuan District, Zibo, resulting in the deaths of a mother and her son. At that time, the scene was very chaotic, with the room in disarray, leaving very few valuable investigative clues.
Based on the forensic investigation of the scene, local authorities promptly established a special investigation team and designated two groups of police officers to investigate the victim's social relationships based on the results of the scene investigation, while the other group focused on deducing the suspect's motives in order to find a breakthrough to the case.
After relentless efforts, the forensic experts extracted a set of clear fingerprints from the crime scene. The officers printed out the fingerprint images and distributed them to the investigators, ensuring that each had a copy for easy comparison during their inquiries.
However, through investigations of the surrounding environment and the social relationships of the victim, the local police discovered that the fingerprint left at the scene did not match any individuals in the vicinity of the crime scene.
Beyond this fingerprint, there was no other information available, which significantly hindered the investigation of the case.
Based on multiple analyses and assessments, the investigation team narrowed the search to over 400,000 individuals. Team members traveled to various locations across six provinces and 30 cities nationwide, including Mohe in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Xuzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, and Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, covering over 100,000 kilometers to conduct investigations and verify clues, according to the local police.
For 17 years, every time the police solved a case, they would cross-check it against the fingerprint. Whenever a new technology or method emerged, local police would apply it to this case.
Finally, their hard work paid off. The local criminal investigation team recently used advanced comparison methods to uncover valuable and specific clues. After verifying each clue, they successfully identified the suspect.
Local police arrested the suspect surnamed Wang on December 3. During the interrogation, Wang confessed to the crimes committed 17 years ago. With his capture, the murder case from 17 years ago was finally solved.
With cross-Straits relations showing signs of thawing after recent exchange activities, Taiwan authorities' self-proclaimed "presidential office" held its first "tabletop simulation" designed to test the island's response in a scenario conflict with the Chinese mainland while stressing the "defense resilience" of Taiwan's society.
The latest exercise, according to mainland analysts, shows that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities are trying to undermine the current cross-Straits exchange atmosphere by terrorizing Taiwan people with mainland "threats," while also showing that the DPP authorities feel the military pressure from the mainland, but are still unwilling to give up their stubborn secessionist path, even at the cost of Taiwan people's lives.
Taiwan-based media said more than a dozen departments of DPP authorities and civil groups participated in the three-hour simulation on Thursday, which was led by Taiwan island's deputy regional leader Hsiao Bi-khim and top security official Joseph Wu.
The exercise, according to Taiwan media, has simulated scenarios including mainland's "high-intensity grey-zone operation" as well as when Taiwan is "on the verge of conflict," and it's aimed at testing the "response readiness" of Taiwan authorities and civil society.
A DPP authorities' official claimed on Thursday that their goal is to train more than 50,000 volunteers across the island by next year capable of emergency response including first aid capacity, per Reuters.
Zheng Jian, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Friday that the "defense resilience" is the essence of the simulation.
Emphasizing the building of "defense resilience" suggests that the DPP authorities are focusing on alleyway warfare, guerrilla warfare, and the concept of "turning every Taiwan resident into a soldier," Zheng said.
Meanwhile, through hyping up the threat from the mainland, the DPP authorities are also attempting to create fear across Taiwan society and further shape an "anti-mainland" atmosphere, especially at a time when cross-Straits interactions becomes more frequent, Zheng said.
The Chinese mainland has staged the "Joint Sword 2024A" and "Joint Sword 2024B" military drills around the island in May and October in response to Taiwan secessionists' provocation. Meanwhile, the mainland has also been active in promoting cross-Straits exchanges and integrated development by hosting and participating in major forums between the mainland and Taiwan.
Leading a delegation of Taiwan students, former Chinese Kuomintang Party leader Ma Ying-jeou visited the mainland for the second time in 2024. A mainland delegation featuring Olympics medalists visited Taiwan in November.
Zheng noted that in 2025, DPP authorities may organize more civil defense exercises and training at local levels. Yet it is, in essence, more of an "election-oriented political fraud." Given the huge gap of the military strength between the two sides of the Straits, once a military conflict begins, the DPP authorities will only have a dead end, Zhang said.
Some mainland analysts believe that behind the DPP authorities' confrontational posture with the mainland, even at the expense of Taiwan people's lives, was the secessionists' panic resulting from the mainland's continuous military pressure. Compared to the uncertainty of whether external forces will come to their aid when a military conflict starts, the huge gap in military power between the mainland and Taiwan is quite clear.
Taiwan secessionists are like patients who are terminally ill and dying, and no medicine can solve their problem, Zheng said. "The mainstream public opinion in Taiwan does not want war… Meanwhile, Taiwan's military forces are short of both strength and confidence to fight against the mainland."
Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djurić is scheduled to pay an official visit to China from December 19 to 21. The visit is at the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi. Chinese expert believed that the visit is expected to further solidify ties and explore new areas of common interest.
In his X post on Thursday, Djurić wrote that "At the start of my visit to the People's Republic of China, I was pleased to reconnect with Ms. Chen Bo, President of the China Institute of International Studies and former Chinese Ambassador to Serbia, whose invaluable contributions have greatly advanced our bilateral relations."
Speaking at a regular press conference on Monday on Djurić's visit to China, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian said that Serbia is China's ironclad friend.
In recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Aleksandar Vučić, bilateral relations have realized leapfrog growth and historic achievements. Cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, energy, cultural and people-to-people exchange, and education continues to expand, and bilateral relations have been deepened and upgraded, the spokesperson said.
Through this visit, China stands ready to work with Serbia to consolidate their ironclad friendship, strengthen strategic communication, deepen practical cooperation and advance the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era, Lin noted.
With the Serbian Foreign Minister's visit, it is anticipated that cooperation between the two countries in various fields will further deepen. Collaboration in emerging areas such as technology, environmental protection, and culture will also inject new momentum into the friendship between China and Serbia, said Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China.
Wang Yiwei told the Global Times that for Serbia, seeking China's assistance in security matters is crucial in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the struggle against a "color revolution."
Against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict altering the landscape in Europe, and with an upcoming new US administration, Serbia still aims to maintain its own balance in its diplomacy during this period. As a result, China has become a focal point of its foreign policy, leading to an increased need for coordination and communication with Beijing, Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday.
President Xi visited Serbia in May this year, and was warmly welcomed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and his wife, Tamara Vucic, at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, according to Xinhua News Agency.
During the visit, Xi and Vučić signed a joint statement on the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era, an upgrade of relations from the comprehensive strategic partnership established in 2016. The deal makes Serbia the first European country to build such a community with China, the Xinhua report said.
On October 17, 2023, President Xi met at the Great Hall of the People with Serbian President Vučić who was in China to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Vučić said he has led a large government delegation to China to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which has demonstrated Serbia's respect and friendship for China and the importance Serbia attaches to China. Vučić noted that the Serbia-China relationship has withstood various tests, Xinhua reported.
The Chinese side stands ready to follow the guidance of the consensus reached by top leaders of both parties and countries, deepen practical cooperation with the Vietnamese side in various areas including maritime security, enhance strategic mutual trust between both militaries, promote constant development of bilateral relations and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said when meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam in Hanoi on Thursday.
China also cherishes the traditional friendship between the two parties, the two countries and the two militaries, according to China's Ministry of National Defense on Friday.
Lam welcomed Dong's participation in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army, saying that Vietnam and China are socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Lam said Vietnam cherishes China's valuable support in the cause of national liberation, national independence and socialist construction in Vietnam, and takes developing friendly relations with China as a strategic choice and top priority in its foreign policy.
Lam expressed the hope that the two militaries will strengthen practical cooperation and inject new vitality to the development of bilateral relations, as reported by Xinhua.
Dong noted that China and Vietnam have entered a new era of building the China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.
On Friday, Dong and his delegation attended a grand gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army, according to the report.
Chinese and Vietnamese coast guards have made positive comments on the cooperation achievement in 2024, discussed and determined the future cooperation direction and specific projects, and fully exchanged views on topics of common interest during the eighth high-level work meeting between the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the Vietnam Coast Guard in Hanoi, Vietnam from December 16-21, according to China Military Online.
During the meeting, the two sides agreed to deepen bilateral maritime law enforcement cooperation, jointly crack down on illegal and criminal activities, properly handle emergencies, maintain security and stability, and work together to set a model for regional maritime law enforcement cooperation.
A source familiar with the matter told the Global Times on Sunday that the two sides also agreed to enhance information exchange in combating maritime drug trafficking, smuggling, illegal immigration, and other criminal activities, and regularly carry out synchronized law enforcement actions in the Beibu Gulf region.
In addition, both sides vowed to strengthen mutual support in multilateral circumstances, releasing the model effect of China-Vietnam maritime law enforcement cooperation in the South China Sea, according to the source.
Since the beginning of 2024, coast guards of the two countries have carried out exchanges at various levels and in different fields, maintained monthly updates on information about illegal fishing vessels, and exchanged letters at key points, effectively establishing China-Vietnam maritime law enforcement cooperation as a model for regional maritime law enforcement, the source revealed.
The two sides have agreed to make good use of the secondary contact window to enhance communication and coordination on issues such as the notification of illegal fishing vessels in the Beibu Gulf, drafting and implementing joint patrol plans, and initial response to maritime emergencies. They also plan to hold sea (sub)regional-level talks in 2025, the source told the Global Times.
Among the gifts exchanged by the Vietnamese side was a Vietnamese bronze drum, and among the gifts Chins gave in return was a Chinese knot, both representing traditional cultures, Global Times learned from the source.
Despite some differences between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea, both sides have managed to effectively control these differences in order to safeguard their shared interests. As a result, they have not allowed these conflicts to escalate. China-Vietnam exchanges and cooperation have become a model in this regard, Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times on Sunday.
In a notable contrast, the Philippines has chosen otherwise and not cooperated with China to jointly maintain maritime security in the South China Sea. Instead, Manila has sought to involve external forces, particularly the US, especially around Huangyan Dao, which has contributed to tensions in the region and to a setback in China-Philippines relations, Gu said.
According to China Military Online, after the work meeting, the CCG delegation visited the Fisheries Supervision Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam for talks. Both sides reviewed and evaluated the use of the emergency hotline, and had in-depth exchanges on issues such as establishing institutional cooperation and handling maritime fishery emergencies.
All participating delegations were invited to pay a courtesy call to the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam and visit the second Vietnam International Defense Exhibition. The CCG delegation also visited and paid tribute to Chinese martyrs of the Vietnam War at a cemetery in Gia Lam, Hanoi.
The delegation of the CCG also attended the second "Vietnam Coast Guard and Friends" exchange activity, and held talks with the Cambodian National Committee of Maritime Security, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the Indonesian Coast Guard, and the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center. They held in-depth discussions on addressing non-traditional security issues in the maritime domain, handling maritime emergencies, and exchanged views on such topics of concern as establishing a cooperation mechanism, managing differences, enhancing mutual trust and jointly promoting security and stability in the South China Sea.
China and most Southeast Asian countries hope to effectively manage differences on the South China Sea issue. They aim to prevent these differences from escalating and affecting the peace and stability of the South China Sea and the surrounding region. This reflects the consensus reached between China and ASEAN on this matter, Gu noted.
How does development promote progress in human rights? Over the past two weeks, commissioners and experts from the Global South and the United Nations sought answers through discussions, site visits and dialogue meetings in Beijing and East China's Zhejiang Province.
The Hernán Santa Cruz Dialogue on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) brought together ministerial and department-level officials from nearly 50 countries and regional organizations, including the Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania and Yemen, as well as UN experts and officials from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Participants from abroad engaged in discussions on economic, social and cultural rights in Beijing, before they toured several locations in Zhejiang.
The event was held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"It is important to adhere to a people-centered approach, step up efforts on the ESCR and focus on addressing uneven development. It is also important to strengthen solidarity and coordination, and increase the support to developing countries from developed countries to make sure that no one is left behind," Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, noted in a written address at the opening ceremony of the dialogue, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Comprehensive development
The three-and-a-half-day trip to Zhejiang left a profound impression on the visiting participants.
Located in East China's coastal region, Zhejiang is one of the most economically developed provinces in China, renowned for its advanced manufacturing and commodity trade. In 2023, the province's GDP totaled 8.26 trillion yuan ($1.13 trillion), with a per capita GDP of 125,043 yuan, according to a report released by Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Statistics in September 2024.
Zhejiang has also been a pioneer of China's reform and opening-up. The province has successfully transitioned from a traditional industrialized economy to a modern, service-oriented, innovation-driven, digital economy.
During their first stop in Zhejiang, the participants visited China's e-commerce giant Alibaba's headquarters in Hangzhou, where they witnessed the dynamism of China's e-commerce sector. They observed real-time orders from across the country and reviewed the outcomes of the recent Double 11 Shopping Festival.
The group also explored how the e-commerce model supports the sales of rural products and contributes to charity, fostering social welfare initiatives.
In Yucun, a village in Anji county where the concept "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" was first proposed, the participants learned how ecological improvements have benefited local residents, becoming a backbone of economic development. Once plagued by environmental degradation due to mining, the village is now picturesque and attracts a stream of tourists. In 2023, Yucun recorded a total village collective economic income of 22.47 million yuan and a per capita income of 71,000 yuan.
Amid the scenic mountains and rivers, participants eagerly pulled out their phones to capture memorable moments.
Aslan Abashidze, a member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, said that Zhejiang's success exemplifies "how a strong economic foundation contributes to people's happiness and well-being."
Abashidze highlighted China's ability to turn theoretical discussions at the international legal level into practical realities. "What I have seen here serves as an excellent example for other countries, especially those from the Global South, demonstrating how to implement ideas discussed at platforms like the United Nations," he told the Global Times.
He also praised China's Belt and Road Initiative, calling it a transformative action plan that promotes mutual benefits and development. "China's approach to fostering international cooperation sets a high standard," he said.
By the people, for the people
In addition to economic development, China's grassroots governance and the inheritance of traditional cultural values also gave participants much to ponder.
They visited the Fengqiao community in Shaoxing, the birthplace of the Fengqiao model.
Standing amid the beautiful Jiangnan traditional pavilions and bridges over flowing water, the exhibition hall in Fengqiao community provides a detailed introduction to the origins of the Fengqiao model and its development in the New Era.
Created by people in Fengqiao, a small town in Zhejiang, some 60 years ago, the "Fengqiao model" gained recognition for promoting the resolution of disputes by people at the community level. It has since been promoted across the country.
Emmanuel Nweke, Minister Counsellor on Drugs, Crime and Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, shared his observations with the Global Times. "In Nigeria, conflict resolution at the community level is less common these days, as modern systems often require turning to the police or courts, which sometimes fail to restore peace," he said. "When disputes are resolved within the community, the outcomes tend to be more lasting."
He emphasized the challenges faced by developing countries, where "the priority often shifts to development over civil and political rights, as poverty and underdevelopment leave many unable to meet basic needs."
Zineb Ouaaba, Studies Officer at the Interministerial Human Rights Department in Morocco, expressed interest in the Fengqiao model's development and its influence across other parts of China.
"The exhibition guided us through a social justice model grounded in community practices and the values of local people," she told the Global Times. "It ensures that everyone becomes an actor, not merely a participant. I am not just a recipient of services," she said.
The Global Times Annual Conference 2025, themed "Moving forward in Partnership: Resonance of Values between China and the World," is held in Beijing on Saturday. Experts and scholars engaged in discussions on the topic, "Exploring the path of great power relations: differences and consensus." Huang Jing, a distinguished professor at Shanghai International Studies University, said that among the current four major world powers - China, the US, India and Russia - China, India and Russia all belong to the Global South, and are also members of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, this marks the most fundamental structural change in international landscape since the Industrial Revolution.
Huang said in this irreversible shift in the international landscape, "a just cause attracts much support, an unjust one finds little." This "just cause" refers to peaceful and stable development, which is the shared goal of the vast majority of countries and a global trend. In international affairs and major power relations, China has made the maintenance of peace and the promotion of development its primary responsibility as a major power. As a result, China's responsibility and achievements will receive positive responses and support.
Regarding the current international order, Huang outlined three fundamental pillars: The first is the international political order centered around the United Nations; The second is the global economic and trade order framed by the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; The third is the international financial order supported by institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. The common feature of these three pillars is their foundation in multilateral mechanisms, created collectively by all, rather than dominated by any single major power. For this reason, China firmly upholds multilateralism in international affairs, and advocates for global governance based on multilateral mechanisms.
"Cognitive Warfare" has become a new form of confrontation between states, and a new security threat. With new technological means, it sets agendas and spreads disinformation, to change people's perceptions and thus alter their self-identity. Launching cognitive warfare against China is an important means for Western anti-China forces to attack and discredit the country.
Some politicians and media outlets have publicly smeared China's image by propagating false narratives in an attempt to incite and provoke dissatisfaction with China among people in certain countries. These means all serve the US strategy to contain China's rise and maintain its hegemony. The Global Times is publishing a series of articles to reveal the intrigues of the US and its allies' China-targeted cognitive warfare and expose its lies and vicious intentions.
In the 17th installment of the series, the Global Times revealed how the US military-industrial complex orchestrates cognitive warfare campaigns against China to incite the Philippines to confront China, how the US government has transitioned from the forefront to the background to exert influence on the Philippines, and what tactics have been used in these cognitive wars.
From manipulating public opinion through hyping the South China Sea issue to launching smear campaign against Chinese vaccines in the Philippines, the US military-industrial complex has been exposed for persistently instigating the Philippines behind the scenes to fabricate biased or false narratives and foment public misunderstanding regarding China.
Experts warned that this strategy risks pushing the Philippines toward greater conflict and jeopardizes its own interests.
What lobbying groups are behind these cognitive warfare efforts against China? What ties do they have to the US Department of Defense, the US government, and the Philippine military? And ultimately, what tactics do they employ in their coordinated cognitive warfare assault? This investigative report aims to unravel these dirty tricks.
Military forces disguised as think tanks
In the process of supporting the Philippines in provoking disputes with China over the South China Sea, there is a non-negligible American think tank behind the scenes, known as Project Myoushu at Stanford University, which focuses on South China Sea security issues.
The project became well-known to the public due to a notorious smear campaign against the China Coast Guard (CCG) in February 2023. Project Myoushu claimed that China had harassed the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) vessel by citing a so-called source. Subsequently, the PCG asserted that a Chinese ship had directed a laser at the PCG, while then US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, further fanned the flames by stating that the US stands with its ally in the face of alleged laser incidents. The Chinese Foreign Ministry later clarified the facts, saying that the CCG's on-site operations are professional and res trained, and the claim made by the Philippines has no basis in fact.
Taking its name from an "inspired move" in the ancient Chinese game Go, Project Myoushu was established in 2022. Ray Powell, who served in the US Air Force and currently leads Project Myoushu at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, is an active figure in the narrative campaign against China on the South China Sea issue.
Reports show that Powell had served 35 years in the US Air Force, including a posting in the Philippines. After retiring in November 2021, Powell joined Stanford University as a research fellow.
In July 2023, Ray Powell visited with then Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos of Western Command to discuss "how to leverage emerging technologies to help improve maritime domain awareness and illuminate gray-zone activities in the West Philippine Sea," according to SeaLight's website, an organization at Stanford University that Powell led.
The term "gray zone activity" has been used by some officials and scholars in the US to discredit China's policies and legal actions in the South China Sea. They use this term to accuse China of employing non-military means to "change the status quo" or "create tension."
"This is a blatant inversion of reality. In fact, labeling China with various cognitive tags regarding the South China Sea issue is itself a manifestation of the US' use of the 'gray zone' strategy," said Ding Duo, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Law and Policy at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies.
Powell has also given interviews to US-funded media sources to support the Philippines or levy groundless accusations against China over the South China Sea issue.
In addition to Powell and Project Myoushu, another think tank with military ties has been found to openly intervene in the South China Sea issue.
According to an article in the US Naval Institute's magazine Proceedings, the US Naval Institute initiated the Maritime Counterinsurgency (COIN) Project in July 2022, with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The project is specifically aimed at China's activities in the South China Sea, as it has claimed that "China is working below the threshold of armed conflict to subjugate the large civilian maritime population of Southeast Asia […] who depend on access to the South China Sea for their daily livelihoods."
The initial concept of Maritime COIN has sparked intense discussion in the US and its partners since 2019. Several high-ranking US military officers, including Admiral John Aquilino, Vice Admiral William Merz, and Rear Admiral Fred Kacher, have been influenced by this concept.
According to the US Naval Institute, the Maritime COIN has published 19 articles from July 2022 to April 2024, and many of the authors have US military backgrounds. A retired Philippine rear admiral is also among them.
US arms firms also have stakes in the South China Sea issue. According to the arms transfers database of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US has transferred many pieces of military equipment including aircrafts, ships, missiles, armored vehicles, and engines to the Philippines over the last 10 years.
Manila is also planning to procure a US-made Typhon mid-range capability missile system, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jr, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on August 29.
Observers said that US weapon makers are eager to see tensions in the South China Sea rise, so that they can sell more of their products to make profits. Sophisticated network built on cognitive warfare players
The influence of the US military-industrial complex extends beyond the South China Sea issue, bleeding into other areas as well.
In June, Reuters published an investigative report revealing that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US military secretly launched a campaign to counter what it saw as China's growing influence in the Philippines. At the time, the Philippines had one of the worst inoculation rates in Southeast Asia.
Citing three former US military officials, a Reuters report referenced the operation as having been pushed by then US Special Operations Command Pacific General Jonathan Braga, who was reportedly a longtime advocate of increasing the use of propaganda operations as a tool in the global geopolitical competition.
The Pentagon's audit concluded that the military's primary contractor handling the campaign, General Dynamics IT, a US-based global aerospace and defense company, had employed sloppy tradecraft, taking inadequate steps to hide the origin of the fake accounts, according to a person with direct knowledge of the review, Reuters reported.
Why did the US launch such a cognitive war against Chinese vaccines? Reuters provides an answer: To counter what it perceived as China's growing influence in the Philippines. At the time, the Philippines had received vaccine aid from China, while US-produced vaccines had not yet been introduced in the Philippines.
These highly similar tactics lead to a suspicion of a connection between the narrative campaigns over the South China Sea and Chinese vaccines. Following the clues, the Global Times discovered that the key figures behind both operations are intricately linked.
The Global Times found that Braga, one of the initiators of the vaccine campaign, once visited the Hoover Institution in February 2020, engaging fellows in a roundtable discussion about the threats his command faced in the region. One of the fellows he met with is research fellow Joseph Felter.
The ties between the two individuals go far beyond this. Felter once served in the US Army Special Forces, while Braga was quickly reassigned to command the US Army Special Operations Command in mid-2021 after the launch of the vaccine campaign against China.
Joe Felter, as the former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, is familiar with the situation in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. He served as the principal advisor to senior US Department of Defense leadership for all policy matters pertaining to the development and implementation of defense strategies and plans for the region. Felter's resume shows that he has also been a military attaché in the Philippines.
Moreover, he also co-founded the defense company BMNT, which has close ties to the Pentagon and US military giants like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, according to the company's official website. Felter's role as a bridge between the US military and the Philippines has since become clear.
Felter is the director of Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. This indicates that Powell, while working on Project Myoushu, is required to report to Felter as the head of the center.
The intricate connections between Powell, Braga, and Felter, along with their profound military backgrounds, make the player network picture behind two typical cognitive wars against China much clearer. A significant shift in strategy
The connections also highlighted a significant shift in the US' strategy: The military-industrial complex has begun to play an active role in the cognitive war against China.
"The US military-industrial complex is often involved in many global conflicts. Driven by its own interests, it benefits from escalating regional tensions," Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times.
By creating instability in the region, the complex aims to stimulate demand from countries around the South China Sea, thereby fulfilling its economic interests, he noted.
The military-industrial complex seeks to leverage these initiatives to encourage the US Congress to approve larger budgets and to push the US Department of Defense to procure more weapons, Chen said.
The interests of the military-industrial complex are clearly driving the US strategy of cognitive warfare against China, Chen noted.
The expert further stated it is clear to see that the US government has shifted from a front-stage role to a behind-the-scenes one. This can help avoid direct involvement in controversies that may provoke public resentment or skepticism, as well as prevent "factual conflicts" with China.
Meanwhile, by packaging think tanks as neutral and objective "academic authorities," the US can better exert global public opinion pressure, according to Chen.
"This strategy may push the Philippines to escalate tensions in the region, ultimately jeopardizing its own interests. The Philippines is by no means the winner of the cognitive war," he stressed.
