Far East Watch

Iran war could disrupt supply of semiconductor materials, South Korea warns – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser March 5, 2026 0

Blurb:

The U.S.-Israel war with Iran could disrupt supplies of key semiconductor manufacturing materials, a South Korean ruling party lawmaker said on Thursday, as the conflict in the Middle East entered its sixth day.

South Korea’s chip industry, which supplies around two-thirds of global memory chips, is also concerned that a prolonged conflict in Iran will lead to higher energy costs and prices, Kim Young-bae said after meeting with executives from companies such as Samsung Electronics 005930.KS and trade groups.

South Korea defense stocks soar with heavyweight Hanwha Aerospace surging 25%– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser March 3, 2026 0

Blurb:

 

A Cheongung missile launcher is displayed during the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX 2025) at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, on October 17, 2025.

South Korean defense stocks saw massive gains on Tuesday after the country’s markets returned from a public holiday, as the Iran war fuels interest in defense names globally.

Heavyweight Hanwha Aerospace, which is South Korea’s largest defense manufacturer, saw shares surge nearly 25%, before paring gains to about 13%, while Korea Aerospace Industries gained more than 12%, but cut those to 2.4%.

Shares in air defense systems maker LIG Nex1 soared 25%, while electronic warfare systems manufacturer Victek and anti-aircraft missile components’ maker Firstec saw shares rise more than 20% and 15%, respectively.

PLA in peril: Xi Jinping’s purge cripples China’s military, sparks fears of combat vulnerability– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

pgnewser February 26, 2026 0

Blurb:

China’s ongoing military corruption purges have created serious deficiencies in the command structure of its armed forces and are likely to have affected the readiness of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), according to a leading defence research centre.The purges, led by the Chinese president Xi Jinping, which have spanned the supreme central military commission, theatre commands, weapons procurement, development programmes, and defence academia, are expected to be incomplete, said London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) this week, according to Reuters.

China tests nuclear weapons in secret and is massively expanding its arsenal of doomsday warheads, US claims– www.thesun.co.uk

pgnewser February 24, 2026 0

Blurb:

CHINA has been accused of a massive nuclear expansion as well as carrying out secret tests by the US.

The latest accusations come as the United States bids to force Beijing to join a future arms control treaty.

The US has accused China of not disclosing their nuclear weapons capabilities and of carrying out secret weapons testing, as displayed in a Chinese propaganda videoCredit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
China has denied the claims by Christopher Yeaw – Trump’s assistant secretary of state for arms control and non-proliferationCredit: AFP
US intelligence agencies have claimed Chinese explosive test s were carried out in 2020, despite satellite imagery not showing evidence of any activity.

Xi’s Hold on China not so secure after all

pgnewser February 19, 2026 0

Signs within China point to instability continuing in the wake of Chairman Xi’s recent purge of an attempted coup that appears to have been led by the-then second most powerful man in China, Zhang Youxia. Zhang was well-respected by the military, and they appear willing to send public signals they continue to support him.

That signal came through their newspaper, the Liberation Army Daily, which featured an article signaling support for an historic figure like Zhang Youxia, Zhang Guotao, who broke with Mao Zedong in the 30s. This was the first of six similar articles released following the reported arrest of Zhang Youxia.

Blurb:

Xi Jinping Has Turned China’s Military Against Him, and the Party’s Own Newspaper Proves It  Vision Times
from news.google.com

On Feb. 11, the Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of China’s military, published yet another article invoking Zhang Guotao, a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party who broke with Mao Zedong in the 1930s and is remembered in Party mythology as the archetype of treachery and “splitting the Party and the army.” The article accused Zhang Guotao of “carrying out activities to split the Party and the Red Army,” language that transparently targets two recently purged military leaders: Zhang Youxia, the former vice chairman of China’s top military command body (the Central Military Commission), and Liu Zhenli, the former chief of the Joint Staff Department, China’s most senior operational military commander.

This was the sixth such article since Jan.16, the date that online sources say Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were physically detained, eight days before their purge was officially announced on Jan. 24. All six articles share a revealing pattern: every one of them invokes the historical villain Zhang Guotao, and every one of them avoids mentioning Zhang Youxia or Liu Zhenli by name. The gap between the fury of the rhetoric and the absence of the actual targets’ names speaks volumes about how politically explosive these purges remain.

The six articles, with their dates and titles, are:

Jan. 18: “Courage Is Measured by What You Fear and What You Don’t”

Feb. 2: “Political Army-Building Special: Strong Organizations Make a Strong Army”

Japan exports growth surges nearly 17% in January as shipments to China surge– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser February 18, 2026 0

Blurb:

Japanese exports climbed 16.8% year on year in January, sharply beating market expectations and growing at their fastest rate since November 2022 as shipments to Asia and Western Europe surged, government data on Wednesday showed.

Growth was higher than December’s 5.1%, and beat Reuters-polled economists’ estimates of 12%.

Value of exports to China, Japan’s largest trading partner, jumped 32%, after rising 5.6% in December at a time when the two countries are locked in a diplomatic standoff over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments over Taiwan.

US moves to counter China in Bangladesh, plans to pitch defence alternatives– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser February 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

DHAKA: The United States is concerned about China’s expanding presence in South Asia and is planning to offer Bangladesh’s next government US and allied defence systems as alternatives to Chinese hardware, Washington’s ambassador to Dhaka told Reuters.

Bangladesh votes in a general election on Thursday (Feb 12) after a Gen Z-led uprising toppled India-allied premier Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. She has since taken refuge in New Delhi, allowing China to deepen its influence in Bangladesh as India’s presence wanes.

China recently signed a defence agreement with Bangladesh to build a drone factory near the India border, worrying foreign diplomats. Bangladesh is also in talks with Pakistan to buy JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, a multi-role combat aircraft jointly developed with China.

Taiwan pushes back against Washington’s 40% chip supply relocation goal– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser February 10, 2026 0

Blurb:

Taiwan has told Washington that its proposal to move 40% of the island’s semiconductor supply chain to the U.S. was “impossible,” the country’s top tariff trade negotiator said in an interview.

Speaking on a local television broadcast Sunday, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said she had made it clear to Washington that the country’s semiconductor ecosystem, built over decades, could not simply be relocated.

Taiwan’s international expansion, including its investments in the U.S., is predicated on the notion that the industry remains’ rooted in Taiwan and continues to expand domestic investments, she said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC.