July 17, 2026

Far East Watch

China’s Own Numbers Show Birth Rate Collapse and Death Rate Explosion

pgnewser February 3, 2026 0

According to China’s own numbers, the country’s birth rate hit 5.63 births per 1,000 people, a rate not seen since 1949. On the opposite side of the scale, China’s death rate hit 8.04 per people, which is up from 2024’s 7.76 deaths per 1000.

The death rate in 2025 exceeds the WORTS death rates during the pandemic years, with 2024 ALSO exceeding those numbers. One major factor pushing the death rate up is simply China’s aging population. Over 23% of Chinese citizens are over the age of 60. Remember, these are China’s own reported numbers. There is growing skepticism about the population size of China, as well as to the extent of the unexplained deaths that have been happening in China (none which can be fully substantiated).

Blurb:

China is facing a deepening demographic crisis as birth rates collapse and deaths continue to climb, pushing the country into its fourth straight year of population decline.

Just 7.9 million babies were born in China in 2025, the lowest number recorded in more than 70 years.

The figure represents a 17 percent drop from the previous year, when births totaled 9.5 million.

According to data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the country’s birth rate fell to 5.63 births per 1,000 people in 2025.

The rate is the lowest level since 1949, the year the Chinese Communist Party seized power.

UK, China rush to forge business deals– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser February 2, 2026 0

Blurb:

Chinese businesses have pledged hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of investment in the U.K. and struck new partnerships with British peers as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to China spurred a flurry of bilateral business activity and investment flows.

During his four-day visit in China last week, Starmer met Chinese President Xi Jinping and secured deals that would see hundreds of millions worth of new investments from Chinese businesses, in addition to £2.2 billion ($3 billion) worth of exports and £2.3 billion in market access, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

Following the high-profile visit, the two leaders hailed the benefits of cooperation, with Xi describing the bilateral ties as “mutually beneficial.” Starmer, who brought a large delegation of executives from banking, pharmaceutical, and automobile companies to China, also described the country as vital to Britain’s interests.

Xi Purges Top Generals, Narrowly Escapes Assassination?

pgnewser January 28, 2026 0

There appears to be a power struggle going on China, with many conflicting reports, some confirmed, some not, all of which suggest Chairman X has narrowly escaped a coup, but that the threat of attack is still pressing. This news comes as Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has just arrived in Beijing. We can affirm the purge of most of the top Generals, including his two top Generals, and military lockdowns in Beijing.

One unsubstantiated story claims there was a shootout between his chief rival Zhang Youxia’s men and his men that narrowly missed assassinating Xi. Nine of Xi’s men were killed with scores of Youxia’s men were said to have been killed. So far, we still can’t confirm the story, though the mere fact it is circulating suggests the coup is still going on.

Blurb:

  1. China’s top general under investigation for alleged violations amid corruption crackdown  The Guardian
  2. Xi Jinping’s ‘Sacred Games’: Why China’s leader keeps purging PLA generals  Times of India
  3. Analysis: Xi has absolute control over China’s military. Now he wants more  CNN
  4. Xi’s Purge of Top General Spurs Questions on Taiwan, Succession  Bloomberg
  5. Xi’s Purge of China’s Military Brings Its Top General Down  The New York Times
  6. The Purge of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli: Why and What’s Next for China’s Military  The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine
  7. China’s military says top general undermined Xi Jinping’s authority  Financial Times
  8. China fires top general in shocking purge of senior military command  The Washington Post
  9. Why China’s swift ousting of Zhang Youxia is a warning from Xi on party purity  South China Morning Post

from news.google.com

As US Pulls Away from South Korea, Fake News Law Passes in Seoul

pgnewser January 28, 2026 1

The U.S. Defense Department has revealed in a National Defense Strategy release that it is shifting its policy in South Korea, now calling on the state to protect itself from conventional threats to the North. As this was revealed, the CCP-captured government amended their law to prohibit “fake news” publishing. They did so over numerous protestations, including the U.S., who may recognize South Korea is now becoming a liability, a problem, perhaps, for Japan.

Blurb:

US Defense Strategy Signals Shift in Korea Defense, Pushing Seoul to Lead  The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine
from news.google.com

On January 23, the U.S. Defense Department released the unclassified National Defense Strategy (NDS), which marks a definitive shift in the South Korea-U.S. alliance. It explicitly states that Seoul must now take primary responsibility for countering North Korean conventional threats.

The document outlines a strategic pivot where the United States intends to focus its regional resources on deterring China, effectively limiting its role on the Korean Peninsula to “extended deterrence” – the nuclear umbrella meant to prevent an atomic strike. According to the NDS, while Washington has historically provided a wide safety net for South Korea’s defense, future support will move toward a more limited scope. The Pentagon’s assessment justifies this drawdown by asserting that South Korea possesses the capability to lead the deterrence of North Korean aggression, a move that pushes Seoul toward military self-reliance for its own conventional defense.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach includes a broader effort to husband American military assets for high-end conflicts with near-peer competitors like China and Russia, rather than maintaining the decades-old status quo of the armistice. For a sovereign nation like South Korea, which currently lacks wartime operational control (OPCON) and its own nuclear arsenal, this transition carries profound implications.

South Korea’s ‘fake news’ law tests press autonomy  Yahoo News UK
from news.google.com

China Rewards UK With Trip For Mega-Embassy– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser January 28, 2026 0

Blurb:

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has arrived in Beijing, the first British leader to make an official trip to China since 2018, after he said he believes he can unlock business opportunities there despite security concerns.

A chartered British Airways jet carried the Prime Minister to Beijing overnight — allegedly to keep Chinese spies away from the Prime Minister’s own government plane — for the first of a three-day trip to China, which the Labour leader hopes will thaw relations after what he called an “ice age”.

The hurried trip was only officially announced by China on Tuesday and seems to be something of a reward for Starmer after the British government forced through permission for Beijing to build a new “mega-embassy” in London just last week. The new complex, which will be the largest embassy in Western Europe once completed, has been the subject of intense criticism over spying and national security fears, but was signed off on nevertheless by one of Starmer’s government ministers.

China’s Top General Accused Of Giving Nuclear Secrets To United States– wltreport.com

pgnewser January 28, 2026 0

Blurb:

China’s top general is in deep water.

In an exclusive report, the Wall Street Journal has reported that China’s top military general has been ousted from his position after allegedly giving nuclear secrets to the United States.

The General was known in Beijing and to U.S. intelligence as President Xi Jinping’s top military ally.

The New York Post reported more on the general leaking nuclear secrets to the United States:

China’s top general has been accused of leaking nuclear secrets to the US and accepting bribes as President Xi Jinping purges the country’s senior military leadership.

General Zhang Youxia, 75, once considered one of Xi’s most-trusted military allies, allegedly leaked core technical data on China’s nuclear weapons to the US, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Zhang, the first-ranked vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, was officially placed under investigation on Saturday.

He was detained by military corruption investigators earlier this week, according to reports from Chinese outlets.

President Xi has reportedly sent a special task force to Shenyang in northeast China, where Zhang was previously stationed.

China Spied on UK Gov’t Phones over Multiple Administrations: Report– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser January 28, 2026 0

Blurb:

China reportedly hacked and surveilled the mobile phones of top officials in Downing Street for years as a part of a global espionage dragnet.

A report from London’s Daily Telegraph has claimed that a Chinese spying operation saw the communications of senior officials in the administrations of prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak monitored between 2021 and 2024.

Although it is unclear if the phones of prime ministers were caught up in the surveillance scheme, a source is quoted by the broadsheet as saying that the Chinese infiltration reached “right into the heart of Downing Street”.

President Xi says India, China ‘friends, partners’ in Republic Day message | News– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser January 27, 2026 0

Blurb:

Xi wished Indian President Droupadi Murmu congratulations on the South Asian nation’s Republic Day on Monday, according to Chinese state media.

Here’s Why Beijing Is Concerned About Losing the Islamic Republic Regime – RedState– redstate.com

pgnewser January 27, 2026 0

Blurb:

 

 

The world watches closely as the brave people of Iran protest against the Islamic Republic (IR) regime. Regime security forces have killed thousands of people as part of a crackdown on the protests, with an estimate placing the death toll for January 8 and 9 at more than 36,500. President Trump urged Iranians to “keep protesting,” telling them that “help is on the way.”

China removes top military general over suspected discipline violations – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser January 27, 2026 0

Blurb:

China made a major announcement over the weekend, saying it was investigating the army’s top general for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.

Gen. Zhang Youxia was the highest military member just below President Xi Jinping.

The Defence Ministry said Saturday that authorities were investigating Zhang, the senior of the two vice chairs of the powerful Central Military Commission, China’s top military body, and Gen. Liu Zhenli, a lower member of the commission who was in charge of the military’s Joint Staff Department.

Historic Trade Deal Strengthens Ties, Offers Security Benefits, but Faces a Hurdle – RedState– redstate.com

pgnewser January 23, 2026 0

Blurb:

 

 

The U.S. and Taiwan recently reached a historic trade deal. Taiwanese companies will invest at least $250 billion in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest chipmaker, pledged $100 billion in U.S. investment in 2025. Taipei will provide an additional $250 billion in credit guarantees to Taiwanese companies.

Starmer’s UK Invites China’s Mega Embassy to London While Delaying Local Elections

pgnewser January 21, 2026 0

The Chinese government was allowed to purchase the Royal Mint Court site to build a mega-embassy on it in the heat of London, the capital of Britain. The Chinese government purchased that site in 2018 under a “conservative” government’s watch, with Theresa May serving as the Prime Minister.

Now, the Labour government under Prime Minister Kier Starmer has officially approved the mega-embassy, making a definitive statement about the political direction the Soviet UK is headed towards. This follows Starmer’s ongoing efforts to delay May’s local elections, a move that can now be challenged after a recent High Court ruling.

Blurb:

British government approves relocation of Chinese embassy  nhk.or.jp
from news.google.com

Britain’s government has approved China’s plan to construct a new embassy in central London despite concerns about possible national security risks.

The Chinese government bought the Royal Mint Court site, which is close to London’s financial district, in 2018.

But the plan has been plagued by concerns and protests over national security. Some critics have pointed out the risk of wiretapping because communication cables for exchanging sensitive information are under the site.

Protesters have staged demonstrations in central London, with some saying that the new embassy could help China intensify monitoring of people who moved there from Hong Kong and other places.

Vice Premier and Xi Favorite Loses His Effective Authority

pgnewser January 20, 2026 0

Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, a favorite of Chairman Xi, is finding his whole area of authority, education, facing “rectification” (correction) in 2026. Ding himself is facing an investigation as well. What remains unclear is whether this effective removal is the work of Xi or the party finding a way to continue to box him in. After the fourth plenary, the purges in the military have continued, with generals just recently purged again, indicating the situation is still fluid behind the scenes.

Blurb:

Ding Xuexiang’s Power Base Hit By Sweeping Purge as Senior Officials Fall  Vision Times
from news.google.com

A communiqué issued at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Chinese Communist Party’s top anti-corruption and internal disciplinary body, has revealed that China’s entire education system, overseen by Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, has been placed on the list of “key rectification targets” for 2026.

The campaign marks a significant escalation, expanding beyond universities to encompass all levels of education, and coincides with a growing wave of investigations into senior education officials nationwide….

According to state mouthpiece Xinhua News, the CCDI communiqué released on Jan. 14 removed earlier special campaigns targeting the pharmaceutical industry and higher education from the 2026 agenda. In their place, two new focus areas were added: “education” and “academic societies and associations.”