Executive Summary
Over the past 24 hours, PRC military activity has intensified in the maritime domain, highlighted by Japan scrambling fighter jets against suspected Chinese aircraft in the East China Sea and a rare naval standoff between China and the Philippines near Scarborough Shoal. Meanwhile, China's Liaoning aircraft carrier is undergoing new testing, and Beijing has reacted to the US expansion of its Chinese military companies list. In the technological and economic sphere, the Netherlands joined the US-led "Pax Silica" semiconductor alliance aimed at countering Chinese dominance. Across the strait, reports highlight ongoing PRC cognitive warfare and infiltration campaigns seeking to influence Taiwan's upcoming elections, while Taiwanese domestic politics remain focused on local races and cross-strait relations.
Key Events
- Japan scrambled fighter jets to intercept a suspected Chinese PLAAF aircraft intrusion in the East China Sea, amid Japan's firmer defense stance and support for Taiwan. → link
- A rare naval standoff occurred between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. → link
- The Netherlands officially joined the US-led "Pax Silica" strategic semiconductor alliance, marking a major step in Western efforts to counter Chinese dominance in AI and chip supply chains. → link
- Premier Li Qiang inspected Dalian as Beijing formulated its response to the US expansion of the list of Chinese military-linked companies. → link
- Reports detailed PRC infiltration efforts aimed at dividing Taiwan, including cyber armies based in Hong Kong and mainland China attempting to manipulate Taiwan's upcoming elections. → link
Analysis
Patterns: The PRC continues to employ a dual strategy of military coercion and cognitive warfare. Militarily, sustained gray-zone tactics in the East and South China Seas keep regional neighbors on edge, while carrier testing signals continued PLA modernization. Cognitively, PRC-linked information operations are actively targeting Taiwan's democratic processes. Economically, the tech war is institutionalizing, with US-led export controls expanding to include key allied nations like the Netherlands, directly targeting China's semiconductor and AI ambitions.
Escalation/De-escalation: The Scarborough Shoal standoff represents an escalation in the South China Sea, moving beyond typical water-cannon encounters to direct naval confrontations. The expansion of the US military entities list and the solidification of the "Pax Silica" alliance indicate a hardening of the economic and technological containment around China with no immediate de-escalation in sight.
What to Watch: Further developments regarding the Liaoning's carrier testing and any resultant PLA naval deployments. Escalations or diplomatic fallout from the Sino-Philippine naval standoff at Scarborough Shoal. The impact of the Netherlands joining "Pax Silica" on ASML exports to China. PRC influence operations targeting Taiwan's November local elections.
Tweet Feed
PRC Military & Maritime Activities
@sentdefender · [2026-06-23T02:09]
According to a release from the Japanese Joint Staff, the Japanese Air Self Defense Force’s Southwestern Air Defense Force scrambled fighter jets to deal with a suspected aircraft intrusion, likely Chinese PLAAF aircraft, in the East China Sea. In the past year, both Chinese and Russian aircraft and vessels have tested Japan’s airspace, ADIZ, and territorial waters, as Japan has taken a firmer stance on their regional and global defense commitments, support for Taiwan, and increased force readiness in response to Chinese coercive actions. → tweet link
@SCMPNews · [2026-06-23T12:24]
What is China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning testing – and why does it matter? https://t.co/oPbJGO0sIL → tweet link
@SCMPNews · [2026-06-23T12:06]
China’s new ‘super fuel’ could help Long March rockets increase payload by 10% https://t.co/OFKL6IWOXK → tweet link
@SCMPNews · [2026-06-23T09:19]
China and Philippines in a rare naval stand off near disputed Scarborough Shoal https://t.co/l1KM2Woay5 → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T06:37]
RT @AsiaMTI: A Philippine Coast Guard vessel conducting maritime patrols is deployed to repeatedly issue radio challenges to a Chinese Coas… → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T10:29]
RT @TakshashilaInst: China has become the world's fourth-largest arms exporter, supplying tanks, drones, missiles, and warships to over 50… → tweet link
US-China & Economic Tensions
@FaytuksNetwork · [2026-06-23T10:10]
Netherlands has officially joined "Pax Silica," the U.S. led strategic alliance dedicated to securing global supply chains for artificial intelligence and semiconductors. As the home of ASML, the Dutch government's entry marks a major victory for Washington’s effort to build a resilient, "trusted-partner" tech ecosystem to counter Chinese dominance - Reuters → tweet link
@niubi · [2026-06-23T12:50]
Li Qiang inspects Dalian; Response to US expansion of China military companies list; Contaminated diapers; No "Plaza Accord" to help the EU; Invest in China, by @niubi https://t.co/1d7bOuBCYr → tweet link
@niubi · [2026-06-23T09:54]
Do these spending figures include all the money the PRC firms are spending on accessing nvidia chips through the cloud outside of china? → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T06:38]
Once again recommending this 2022 American Affairs Journal piece on the dual "China shock" that derailed industrialization in the developing world. https://t.co/BcPGk92VEA → tweet link
@niubi · [2026-06-23T15:36]
US Supreme Court ends suit alleging Cisco helped China pursue Falun Gong https://t.co/njlHP68eZE → tweet link
@SCMPNews · [2026-06-23T15:36]
“If he were to tackle social, economic and political problems at home well … he would be in a better position to tap into opportunities from China.” Read more: https://t.co/Ovq9p1ceSX
uk #burnham #britain #china https://t.co/IO6EnhWnNk
Taiwan Politics & Security
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T10:19]
RT @japantimes: Commentary: A Taiwan opposition leader's poorly received U.S. trip underscored deep concerns about her China-friendly posit… → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T09:46]
RT @danzwku: PRC 🇨🇳 Infiltration Efforts Aim to Divide Taiwan 🇹🇼 @taiwanplusnews https://t.co/wm3irHBuPN → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T06:21]
RT @whyyoutouzhele: 6月20日，民视新闻网 和《自由时报》报道： 大量网军洗版养号，管理员所在地多指向香港、马来西亚和中国内地，甚至涉及中共操纵认知战的体系，恐影响台湾大选。
资安专家指出，近期社群出现一则接着一则的耸动快讯。6月15日下午，脸书上出现大量… → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T10:22]
RT @JanJekielek: 🚨 I just sat down with Taiwan's VP @bikhim to discuss Taiwan’s struggle for freedom in the face the Chinese Communist Part… → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T12:00]
RT @TaiwanNewsEN: KMT picks Chen Wen-pin for Changhua City mayor race https://t.co/uVwwC8mSRy → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T10:19]
RT @TaiwanNewsEN: TPP candidate alleges pressure to quit council race https://t.co/gHHL6GkZ0F → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T10:26]
RT @taiwanplusnews: A new survey shows Taiwanese are growing more confident about wages, big-ticket spending and stock investment, buoyed b… → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T06:27]
RT @TSniedziewski: Taiwan's locals are borrowing so much to invest in the TSMC-fueled AI stock frenzy it's raising fears of a bubble https:… → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T10:22]
RT @RossFeingold: Here in #Taiwan, prosecutors have indicted an army captain who used racist insults while screaming at a conscript who is… → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T10:46]
RT @TaiwanNewsEN: Taiwan reports first local cholera case in 3 years https://t.co/ZREhviQIit → tweet link
Chinese Domestic Politics & Hong Kong
@niubi · [2026-06-23T10:08]
RT @ZhouFengSuo: 强烈推荐柴静六四访谈天安门广场中弹的台湾记者徐宗懋。这是柴静首次谈到六四，感谢她突破了这个中共的禁区，发布六小时，已经有7万观看，预计会有百万以上的观看，很多人会因此第一次了解到八九六四的史实，特别是天安门广场开枪杀人这个重要事实，和徐宗懋一起… → tweet link
@SCMPNews · [2026-06-23T12:00]
Professor John Mearsheimer gets candid with SCMP managing editor Yonden Lhatoo on the latest global situation. This interview was recorded on June 17, 2026 in Hong Kong. https://t.co/CYnUyjm9x8 → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T10:40]
RT @Unveiled_ChinaX: 700,000 human livelihoods are about to be erased by a corporate algorithm, exposing a massive economic fault line the… → tweet link
@michaelturton · [2026-06-23T10:38]
RT @SeaLightFound: "Rather than rebut specific evidence with credible counter-data, the Chinese Embassy in Manila and aligned state media h… → tweet link
@niubi · [2026-06-23T14:39]
If Tim Geithner and/or Charles Koch are funding your work on China policy, can you still be considered "progressive"? → tweet link