China has shipped a batch of Type 59 130mm towed artillery systems to a foreign customer, with images confirming the weapons loaded aboard a cargo vessel and prepared for export, according to open-source visuals recorded during offloading operations. Footage circulating on social media shows multiple Type 59 artillery pieces secured on wheeled carriages and covered […]The TikTok deal is done, and Donald Trump is claiming a win, although it remains unclear if the joint venture he arranged with ByteDance and the Chinese government actually resolves Congress' national security concerns.
In a press release Thursday, TikTok announced the "TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC," an entity established to keep TikTok operating in the US.
Giving Americans majority ownership, ByteDance retains 19.9 percent of the joint venture, the release said, which has been valued at $14 billion. Three managing investors—Silver Lake, Oracle, and MGX—each hold 15 percent, while other investors, including Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell's investment firm, Dell Family Office, hold smaller, undisclosed stakes.
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A Taiwan security expert has called on Ukraine to apologize for past transfers of military equipment and advanced technologies to China, following recent remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that criticized the flow of Taiwanese electronic components into Russia’s military industry. Mei Fu-hsing, director of the Taiwan Strait Security Research Center and a U.S.-based analyst, […]
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Under the new rules, measures for 5G cybersecurity would become mandatory.
The post EU Plans Phase Out of High Risk Telecom Suppliers, in Proposals Seen as Targeting China appeared first on SecurityWeek.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense reported a sharp increase in Air Self-Defense Force emergency fighter scrambles in December 2025, with aircraft launched 79 times to intercept foreign military aircraft approaching Japanese airspace, according to data released by the Joint Staff Office on January 16, 2026. The total represented an increase of 46 scrambles compared with November […]Hong Kong’s plan to tighten oversight of digital asset firms has raised concerns that crypto managers could be forced to suspend operations.
The warning comes from the Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association (HKSFPA), which has flagged risks associated with the potential implementation of new licensing requirements without a transition period.
The government is currently consulting on extending the city’s regulatory reach across virtual asset dealing, advisory and fund management services.
These proposals aim to close gaps in oversight but could leave active firms in limbo if licences are required from day one.
The HKSFPA’s main concern is that a “hard start” would require all market players to hold a valid licence before the new framework officially begins.
Without any grace period, this could mean that businesses awaiting approval would have to stop offering regulated services, even if they’ve submitted their applications.
This would impact firms that are already operating legally under the current rules but have not yet received a licence under the new system.
The concern is that licensing reviews could take time, especially given the complexity involved, which could create regulatory bottlenecks and disrupt the sector.
In a formal submission, the HKSFPA has asked for a six to twelve-month deeming period for businesses that apply ahead of the new regime’s start date.
The group believes this would allow operations to continue while the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) processes applications.
Without such a buffer, even firms with strong compliance practices could face forced shutdowns due to administrative delays.
The application process itself is not quick, and the risk of backlogs is significant, especially as more companies prepare to enter a newly regulated environment.
The proposed rules are still in the consultation phase and do not yet have a confirmed start date.
If implemented, they would mark a shift in how virtual asset services are governed in Hong Kong, moving beyond trading platforms to include advisory and fund management services.
The industry body supports Hong Kong’s aim of strengthening regulatory standards for digital assets.
However, it warns that if timelines are too rigid, it could discourage institutional involvement and slow down the adoption of compliant crypto infrastructure.
In a separate consultation submission made this week, the HKSFPA also expressed concerns about the upcoming Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) being introduced in line with the OECD’s recommendations.
While the group supports the policy direction, it again warned that inflexible execution could lead to unintended exposure to operational and legal risks.
Taken together, the two submissions reflect a broader message from the industry: while regulation is welcomed, execution must avoid creating hurdles that push firms out of the market.
The post Crypto firms in Hong Kong face risks as new licensing rules advance appeared first on CoinJournal.
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Apple also did well as it led the fourth quarter with a 22% share, according to Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor Tracker.
The post Huawei Retains China’s Top Smartphone Market Spot in 2025 appeared first on TechRepublic.
A Russian pro-Kremlin media channel released new footage this week showing what it claims is the combat use of a laser weapon against Ukrainian drones in Russia’s Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine, marking another public appearance of a Chinese-made directed-energy system in Russian service. The video, published on January 2026, shows a stationary […]
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Apple also did well as it led the fourth quarter with a 22% share, according to Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor Tracker.
The post Huawei Retains China’s Top Smartphone Market Spot in 2025 appeared first on TechRepublic.
A Chinese-made VN22 6×6 wheeled armored vehicle was spotted at the Military Scientific and Technical Institute of Uzbekistan, confirming the presence of Chinese armored platforms at a key Uzbek defense research facility. Images show the VN22 positioned inside the institute alongside other military vehicles, indicating that the platform is undergoing technical evaluation. The VN22 is […]A new variant of China’s ZBD-04 infantry fighting vehicle has been spotted during transport at an undisclosed location, showing the platform fitted with an automated, unmanned weapon turret, indicating a possible shift in the Chinese Army’s approach to infantry vehicle design. Images circulating online show a modified ZBD-04 chassis equipped with a lighter, remotely operated […]OPINION -- China was very critical of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the U.S. action was “blatant interference” in Venezuela and a violation of international law.
Mr. Maduro was accused of working with Columbian guerrilla groups to traffic cocaine into the U.S. as part of a “narco-terrorism” conspiracy. Of all countries, China should appreciate the need to stop Mr. Maduro from smuggling these illicit drugs into the U.S., killing tens of thousands of Americans. China experienced this in the Opium War of 1839-1842, when Great Britain forced opium on China, despite government protestations, resulting in the humiliating Treaty of Nanjing, ceding Hong Kong to Great Britain. Mr. Maduro was violating U.S. laws, in a conspiracy to aid enemies and kill innocent Americans. Fortunately, the U.S. had the political will, and military might, to quickly and effectively put an end to this assault. China should understand this and withhold criticism, despite their close relationship with Mr. Maduro and Venezuela.
The scheduled April meeting of presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will hopefully ease tension related to the South China Sea and Taiwan. The meeting will also offer an opportunity of the two presidents to elaborate on those transnational issues that the U.S. and China can work together on, for the common good.
The National Security Strategy of 2025 states that deterring a conflict over Taiwan is a priority and does not support any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. It also states that one-third of global shipping passes annually through the South China Sea and its implications for the U.S. economy are obvious.
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The April meeting will permit Messrs. Trump and Xi to candidly discuss the South China Sea and Taiwan and ensure that there are guardrails to prevent conflict. Quiet and effective diplomacy is needed to address these issues, and the Trump – Xi meeting could establish the working groups and processes necessary to ensure the U.S. and China do not stumble into conflict.
Also important are the transnational issues that require the attention of the U.S. and China. This shouldn’t be too difficult, given the history of cooperation between the U.S. and China, primarily in the 1980s and 1990s.
Indeed, it was China’s Chairman Deng Xiaoping who approved cooperation with the U.S. on the collection and sharing of intelligence on the Soviet Union.
China opposed the December 1979 Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan and worked with the U.S. to provide weapons and supplies to the resistance forces in Afghanistan – who eventually prevailed, with the Soviet Union admitting defeat and pulling out of Afghanistan in 1989. The war in Afghanistan cost the Soviet Union immense resources, lives and prestige, weakening the Soviet Union and contributing to its later dissolution.
After the 1979 normalization of relations, the U.S. and China cooperated on a few transnational issues: nuclear nonproliferation; counternarcotics, focusing on Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle and the heroin from Burma going into China and the U.S.; counterterrorism and the sharing of intelligence on extremist networks.
In 2002, Secretary of State Colin Powell asked China to assist with the denuclearization of North Korea. The following year, China hosted the Six-Party Talks on North Korea’s nuclear program and actively assisted convincing North Korea, in the Joint Statement of September 19, 2005, to commit to complete and verifiable dismantlement of all nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons programs.
China also cooperated with the U.S. on public health issues, like SARS and the avian flu.
Cooperation on these transnational issues was issue-specific, pragmatic, and often insulated from political tensions. Indeed, even during periods of rivalry, functional cooperation persisted when interests overlapped.
Opportunities to Further Enhance Bilateral Cooperation for the Common Good
Although U.S. – China cooperation on counternarcotics is ongoing, specifically regarding the fentanyl crisis, trafficking in cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines also requires close attention. More can be done to enhance bilateral efforts on nuclear nonproliferation, starting with China agreeing to have a dialogue with the U.S. on China’s ambitious nuclear program. Extremist militant groups like ISIS continue to be active, thus requiring better cooperation on counterterrorism. Covid-19 was a wakeup call: there needs to be meaningful cooperation on pandemics. And ensuring that the space domain is used only for peaceful purposes must be a priority, while also ensuring that there are acceptable guidelines for the lawful and moral use of Artificial Intelligence.
U.S. – China cooperation today is more about preventing a catastrophe. The Belgrade Embassy bombing in 1999, when the U.S. accidentally bombed China’s embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese officials and the EP-3 incident of 2001, when a Chinese jet crashed into a U.S. reconnaissance plane, killing the Chinese pilot, and China detaining the U.S. crew in Hainan Island are two examples of incidents that could have spiraled out of control. Chinas initially refused to take the telephone calls from Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both hoping to deescalate these tense developments.
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Thus, crisis management and military de-confliction should be high on the list of subjects to be discussed, with a robust discussion of nuclear risk reduction. Stability in Northeast Asia and a nuclear North Korea, aligned with Russia and viewing the U.S. and South Korea as the enemies, should also be discussed, as well as nuclear nonproliferation.
The April summit between Messrs. Trump and Xi will be an opportunity to candidly discuss Taiwan and the South China Sea, to ensure we do not stumble into conflict.
The summit is also an opportunity to message to the world that the U.S. and China are working on a myriad of transnational issues for the common good of all countries.
The author is the former associate director of national intelligence. All statements of fact, opinion or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the U.S. government. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying U.S. government authentication or information or endorsement of the author’s views.
The Cipher Brief is committed to publishing a range of perspectives on national security issues submitted by deeply experienced national security professionals. Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of The Cipher Brief.
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In a report a week before its Davos conference, the World Economic Foundation said 64% world business leaders are most worried about cyber fraud, replacing ransomware at their top concern. AI vulnerabilities also ranked high, as did threats fueled by geopolitics. The group argued that a coordinated approach to cybersecurity is needed.
The post Cyber Fraud, Not Ransomware, is Now Businesses’ Top Security Concern appeared first on Security Boulevard.
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