Strap in, because this episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast takes you straight into the heart of China’s latest power plays—and they’re coming fast and from every direction. From the shadows of cyberspace to the high seas of the Taiwan Strait, Beijing is flexing like never before, and we’re breaking it all down in a way that keeps you hooked.

We start with the jaw-dropping rise of China’s Ministry of State Security. Once a shadowy domestic watchdog, the MSS is now running some of the most sophisticated cyber campaigns on the planet. Remember “Salt Typhoon”? Yeah, that’s the operation that snuck into U.S. critical infrastructure and global telecom networks for years without getting caught. Think of it like Ocean’s Eleven, but with Beijing’s hackers quietly setting the stage for a potential lights-out moment if things ever go sideways over Taiwan. Oh, and while they’re at it, they’ve got another group—RedNovember—hammering away at U.S. defense contractors, European engine makers, and even semiconductors in Taiwan. This isn’t small ball; it’s cyber pre-positioning for the big game.

Then we shift to the diplomatic chessboard. Xi Jinping has his eyes on a prize that would rewrite decades of U.S. policy: he wants Washington to officially say it opposes Taiwan independence. That’s not just wordplay—it’s Beijing trying to tilt the balance of global politics in its favor. With Trump hungry for a trade deal, Xi thinks the timing is perfect. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s military is grinding through daily PLA incursions, scrambling jets, deploying ships, and now guarding undersea cables around the clock after multiple sabotage attempts. Beijing even built a cable-cutting ship capable of slicing through lines four kilometers down. Subtle? Not exactly.

Add to that Tokyo busting a Chinese “research” vessel inside its EEZ, and you’ve got a flashpoint brewing in Japanese waters. At the same time, Beijing is rolling out its new “K visa” program, dangling opportunities for global STEM talent just as the U.S. hikes fees for H-1Bs. The message: if America shuts the door, China will gladly open one.

And it doesn’t stop there. We’ve got Kim Jong Un cozying up to Xi in Beijing—second visit in a month by Pyongyang’s top diplomat—and pledging tighter ties ahead of the APEC summit. Plus, Beijing’s expanding its footprint in Africa, using counterterrorism partnerships, smart-city surveillance tech, and military training as its ticket to influence across the continent.

If you want to know how China is blending cyber, diplomacy, gray-zone tactics, talent recruitment, and African partnerships into one massive power projection strategy, this episode is for you. It’s sharp, it’s punchy, and it’s packed with the intel you need to understand where the world’s most consequential rivalry is heading.