China’s making moves again—and this time, it’s doing it with precision, patience, and a little bit of swagger. In today’s episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we dive into a whirlwind 24 hours that showcase Beijing at its most strategic and most unpredictable. From playing the “responsible global power” in Africa and Europe to quietly tightening the screws on trade, technology, and information, Xi Jinping’s China is operating like a high-speed train—sleek on the surface, unstoppable underneath. 

We start with Beijing’s diplomatic power plays in the wake of President Trump’s second-term isolationism. As Washington retreats behind tariffs and trade walls, China’s seizing the spotlight. It’s selling predictability, expanding tariff-free deals to 53 African nations, and courting India with “non-aligned” economic partnerships—all while keeping one eye on Japan’s new defense posture and the other on global supply chains. The message from Beijing: the U.S. may be chaotic, but China’s open for business (on its own terms, of course). 

Then we unpack the drama in the Taiwan Strait and Tokyo. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi isn’t backing down after her blunt warning that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger Japan’s military response. Beijing’s furious; its Osaka consul general just crossed a line with threats that sounded straight out of a gangster flick. Now, the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan are watching each other’s moves like it’s a geopolitical chessboard with live ammo. 

Next up: trade détente, Chinese style. The Xi–Trump Busan truce still holds, but barely. Beijing’s suspended tariffs and port fees on U.S. ships, while Washington hit pause on its Section 301 penalties. In return, China’s rolling out new export controls—this time on fentanyl precursors and rare earth minerals. Civilian buyers? Welcome. Military-linked U.S. companies? Blocked. It’s clever economic judo, and it’s reshaping who gets access to the world’s most valuable materials. 

But the real thriller? Cyber warfare. A massive leak from China’s Knownsec cybersecurity firm has exposed the country’s state-sponsored hacking playbook—12,000 files revealing everything from power bank spy devices to stolen telecom data. Add in renewed attacks by the “Space Pirates” APT group on U.S. think tanks, and you’ve got the digital side of Beijing’s empire-building in full swing. 

From Spain cozying up to Chinese investors to Canada cautiously rebuilding ties, this episode is a front-row seat to how China’s rewriting the rules of global power—through trade, tech, and total control. 

Listen now to get the full intel on Beijing’s latest maneuvers, rare-earth gambits, and cyber shadows.