China
Reporting on China between 22 May and 25 August 2026 covers its naval expansion in the South China Sea and its carrier programme, its use of law to counter foreign economic measures, detained Americans, and its foreign relations amid the global economic strains of the Iran war [1][4].
In the South China Sea, satellite imagery provided to the outlet The War Zone by the spatial-intelligence company Vantor showed on 11 August 2026 that Antelope Reef, mostly submerged a year earlier, has become a nearly 1,500-acre artificial island after ten months of dredging, with a deep-water port, a quay over 2,000 feet long able to berth warships, and the beginnings of a 10,000-foot military-grade runway; Reuters reported that the "first phase" of construction is complete following the departure of the dredger fleet [4]. China's next aircraft carrier, commonly referred to as the Type 004, is taking shape at Dalian Shipyard in Liaoning province, with satellite imagery from 21 August 2026 showing a more complete bow; it is set to be China's fourth carrier and, by strong evidence, its first nuclear-powered type, and it is being built in the same dry dock where the carriers Liaoning and Shandong were completed [3]. The War Zone also reported in August that the new four-turboprop transport, previously called the "Y-30," now appears to be designated the Y-15, developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation as a replacement for older Y-8-series transports [11].
China has used its new legal framework to counter foreign measures. On 19 August 2026, China's Ministry of Justice invoked the newly enacted Regulations on Countering Improper Extraterritorial Jurisdiction by Foreign States against an EU investigation into the Chinese e-commerce company JD.com, determining the cross-border probe constituted improper extraterritorial jurisdiction and prohibiting organizations and individuals from implementing or assisting the measures; this marked the application in practice of what Chinese policy discourse calls the "three-anti" legal framework, a set of foreign-related laws introduced over the past six years to counter foreign sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction [10]. On the diplomatic front, the U.S. State Department designated Myanmar scholar and U.S. citizen Min Zin as "wrongfully detained" two months after his 3 June arrest in China on espionage charges, announced by Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, who said Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the designation after an extensive review; the State Department called Min Zin the second American wrongfully detained in China after Youlin Chen, a seismologist arrested in November 2024 and designated by Rubio in March [5].
China's economic position has been a theme of outside commentary during the period. Former Pentagon official James Russell said on the Egyptian outlet Al-Qahera News on 22 May 2026 that U.S. dollar deposits are currently unstable because economic power is shifting gradually to China, particularly given strong global interest in artificial intelligence, and that the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz keeps the global economic crisis acute, raising fuel and consumer-goods prices [1]. Earlier, on 14 May 2026, NBC News reported that China and the United States agreed the Strait of Hormuz should not be "militarized," according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio [2]. China and the EU are also moving in opposite directions on plastic waste: while the EU in November 2026 will prohibit exports of potentially recyclable plastic to non-OECD countries, labeling the flows "environmental exploitation," China has reversed its decade-long ban and committed to expanding imports of recyclable plastic across its border [9].
Sources
- [1] Former Pentagon official: Economic power is gradually shifting to China — dostor.org, 2026-05-22 https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787693124.228837/www.dostor.org/5567301.html
- [2] China and U.S. agree Hormuz shouldn’t be ‘militarized,’ Marco Rubio says, 2026-05-14 https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787693552.309325/
- [3] China’s Next Aircraft Carrier Is Taking Shape — The War Zone, 2026-08-22 https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787695790.18543/www.twz.com/sea/chinas-next-aircraft-carrier-is-taking-shape.html
- [4] China’s Massive New Artificial Island In The South China Sea Emerges, Primed For Militarization — The War Zone, 2026-08-21 https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787688480.619058/www.twz.com/news-features/chinas-massive-new-artificial-island-in-the-south-china-sea-emerges-primed-for-militarization.html
- [5] Ahead of Xi Visit, US Designates American Held in China as ‘Wrongfully Detained’ — The Diplomat, 2026-08-21 https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787688480.619991/thediplomat.com/2026/08/ahead-of-xi-visit-us-designates-american-held-in-china-as-wrongfully-detained/index.html
- [9] After 9 Years, China Is Reopening Its Borders To Recycled Plastic — The Diplomat, 2026-08-21 https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787689305.502553/thediplomat.com/2026/08/after-9-years-china-is-reopening-its-borders-to-recycled-plastic/index.html
- [10] China’s ‘Three-Anti’ Legal Framework in Action — The Diplomat, 2026-08-25 https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787728680.832153/thediplomat.com/2026/08/chinas-three-anti-legal-framework-in-action/index.html
- [11] Our Best Look At China’s New Y-15 Turboprop Airlifter — The War Zone, 2026-08-20 https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787695790.185217/www.twz.com/air/our-best-look-at-chinas-new-y-15-turboprop-airlifter.html
