VOA Today’s Focus (October 23, 2026) U.S. Investigation Finds: China-Russia Defense Cooperation Accelerating and Escalating

The main contents of this episode of VOA Focus include: U.S. President Trump accused Iran of fabricating the ship attack incident in the Strait of Hormuz with the intention of driving up oil prices; a C4ADS investigative report pointed out that China-Russia defense cooperation is accelerating and upgrading, and the Russian defense industry is gradually entering the Chinese supply chain; with the U.S. midterm elections approaching, the control of both houses of Congress has become the focus of a fierce battle between the two parties; Vice President Vance responded to the controversy over Ukraine's use of Starlink services, emphasizing U.S.-European policies and Europe's reliance on U.S. technology; at the same time, technology experts and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang also expressed their views on battlefield AI and the development of superintelligence.

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Welcome to VOA Focus for October 23. I am Fan Dongning, broadcasting live from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Every day, we bring you up to speed on the latest developments in the U.S. and around the world in 15 minutes. Here is today's headline news. Today marks the 100th day of the U.S. military's resumed maritime blockade against Iran. President Trump accused Iran of fabricating the ship attack incident in an attempt to drive up oil prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. Vice President Vance responded to the controversy triggered by Ukraine's use of Starlink services, emphasizing that U.S. political efforts are restarting Russia-Ukraine negotiations. U.S. technology experts warned that the Starlink controversy highlights Europe's technological dependence on the United States and the challenges facing the future application of superintelligence on the battlefield.

On Thursday, President Trump accused Iran of fabricating the attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, intending to drive up oil prices before the U.S. midterm elections. A day earlier, the Iranian side claimed that seven oil tankers in the region had been attacked by Iran. Meanwhile, today, Thursday, also marks the 100th day of the U.S. military's reimposed maritime blockade on Iran. U.S. Central Command stated that the U.S. blockade has prevented Iran from exporting at least 25 billion dollars worth of crude oil. Below is a report from Voice of America reporter Huang Yaoyi from the White House.

On Thursday, October 22, President Trump posted on Truth Social that ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, Iran is doing everything it can to drive up oil prices. Trump wrote in the post that they even fabricated fake attacks, sea mines, and various other incidents. You must know that the current volume of oil transportation through the Strait of Hormuz is even higher than before the outbreak of the conflict. Iranian state media claimed on Thursday that the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps took action against four oil tankers the previous day, while three other tankers hit sea mines. A report by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations on Wednesday stated that within the past 24 hours, two oil tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. It remains unclear whether the two oil tankers mentioned in the report belong to the ships claimed by Tehran to have been attacked. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that under the blockade imposed by the U.S. Navy against Iran, Iran's main oil loading terminal located on Kharg Island has ceased operations. Meanwhile, Brent crude oil prices rose to over 113 dollars per barrel on Thursday.

A newly released investigation by the US non-profit organization C4ADS has found that enterprises related to the Russian defense industry are gradually entering China's supply chains. China is acquiring Russia's design, scientific, and research expertise, and defense cooperation between the two countries is accelerating. This trend has intensified since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022. Below, we invite Voice of America reporter Wei Zhi to introduce the details to us. Wei Zhi, please first brief us on some of the latest developments in China-Russia defense industry cooperation mentioned in this report.

Thank you, Dongning. Today's investigative report focuses on the cooperation between China and Russia in the field of advanced conventional weapons, including submarines, drones, air defense systems, and electronic warfare platforms, among others. The report finds that defense industry cooperation between the two countries has accelerated starting in 2022, with increasing upstream cooperation—the foundational links needed before producing a finished weapon, including semiconductors, machine tools, technological design, testing services, and scientific research. The report cites examples of Russian defense-related enterprises setting up companies in China or acquiring Chinese enterprises. We interviewed the author of this report, Magad, and let's listen to what he has to say together.

What is changing is the nature of this support. This is no longer just China shipping dual-use technology to Russia; Beijing is also allowing Russian defense industry contractors to set up production facilities within Chinese territory. For Russia, facing Western sanctions and unable to obtain Western technology, cooperation with China is tantamount to providing it with a much-needed industrial lifeline.

Let's listen to Magad again.

From the perspective of short-term gains, Russia has reaped huge benefits. It has not only obtained Chinese equipment but also Western equipment transshipped through China. Russia is thus able to acquire these production inputs, which it cannot procure from other places at a low cost. For example, since 2022, the cost of procuring European machine tools has risen due to sanctions and export controls. In this process, China has acquired Russian designs, defense production experience, testing facilities, and scientific and research expertise, which may help China develop its own weapons faster.

Magad specifically mentioned that the actual combat experience accumulated by Russia in Ukraine, especially battlefield data generated from the use of drones, is of high value to a potential future conflict in the Taiwan Strait involving China. However, there is also evidence showing that the cooperation between China and Russia is not without friction. For instance, China once restricted Russia from acquiring certain high-end chips and high-precision machinery out of concern that a transaction with Russia might subject enterprises of strategic importance to China to Western sanctions. The Russian side also has its own concerns; Russian authorities once prosecuted scientists accused of sharing sensitive information with China, and Russia further expanded its reporting requirements for foreign-related scientific research cooperation in March 2026.

So, Wei Zhi, what do this investigation and experts suggest that Western countries, especially the United States, should do in response?

Experts say that for more than 20 years, China and Russia have built a network of government, commercial, and academic institutions that supports this cooperative relationship. If the US and its allies do not take action to make this cooperation more costly for China and Russia, the Russian defense industry will move more production links to China, and this relationship may not necessarily disintegrate even if the war in Ukraine ends. They suggest that the US and its allies should increase investment in technological innovation, coordinate sanctions and export controls, strengthen enforcement, engage separately with Beijing and Moscow, and reduce their own vulnerability to China's economic pressure tactics.

Thanks to VOA reporter Wei Zhi for the detailed report. The US midterm elections will be held on November 3, and control of both houses of Congress has become the focus of contention between the two parties. Although hundreds of congressional seats are up for election, the final outcome may depend on only a handful of the most competitive districts. We now connect with VOA reporter Wang Yuhe to introduce the current balance of power between the two parties in Congress.

Thank you, Dongning. Currently, the Republican Party holds a majority in the Senate with 53 seats to 47, and also maintains a slim advantage in the House of Representatives. If the Democratic Party wants to win back control of the House, it needs to contest four seats, so both parties have concentrated their resources in fiercely contested districts, hoping to change the power structure of Congress through limited seat changes. In the Senate, races in states such as Alaska, Maine, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas are all worth watching. Some of these seats are open due to the retirement of incumbent lawmakers, while some incumbents are facing strong challenges.

So Yuhe, which Senate races are fierce, and the results in which states might have the most significant impact on the two parties' competition for the majority of seats?

In Maine, Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins is seeking re-election, and Democrats are hoping to defeat this long-serving incumbent. As for Michigan, Democratic Senator Gary Peters is retiring, leaving an open seat contested by Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed against former Republican U.S. Representative Mike Rogers. In North Carolina, Republican candidate Michael Whatley will compete against former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. Texas is another focal point of the battle, where Republican State Attorney General Ken Paxton will face off against Democratic State Representative James Talarico. Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate seat in Texas since 1988, so they are hoping to use this opportunity to break the long-standing Republican advantage. Additionally, a special Senate election will be held in Ohio, where Republican Jon Husted and former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, who is seeking a return to the Senate, will vie for the seat.

Well, we are very grateful for the report brought by VOA reporter Wang Yuhe. Next, let's look at this report regarding Vice President Vance. On Thursday, while answering reporters' questions, U.S. Vice President Vance addressed the recent controversy sparked by Ukraine's use of the Starlink satellite internet service, owned by the American company SpaceX. Vice President Vance stated that the crux of the issue lies not with SpaceX founder Musk, but with U.S. policy toward Russia and Ukraine. As for whether the U.S. should launch an investigation into who should be held responsible for Ukraine's use of Starlink, Vice President Vance said that Musk runs a private company and should not be expected to decide on his own how to intervene in the Russia-Ukraine war without clear instructions from the U.S. government. Vance emphasized that the U.S. is working to restart negotiations on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Furthermore, Vance also expressed his views on the attitude of European allies. European countries do not possess the technologies developed by Musk, including Starlink and the various internet service technologies he has developed in the space sector. European countries have launched regulatory and licensing crackdowns on SpaceX, yet now they expect this company to provide services according to their demands. I think this precisely highlights a point that President Trump has emphasized for many years: European countries rely on American technology, American companies, and the American military. Yet at the same time, European political leaders criticize this American ally upon which they rely to a large extent. The satellite services related to Starlink used by Ukraine have received a lot of attention recently, and have once again brought Europe's reliance on American technology into focus.

American software company Palantir has assured European countries that the military artificial intelligence systems it provides to NATO are equipped with remote kill switches, but the U.S. government cannot remotely cut them off. However, company executives also warned that artificial intelligence is moving toward the ability to autonomously decide on military strikes, and Europe, which lacks its own homegrown tech giants, may lose its voice in setting the rules for future battlefield AI. Let's listen to what the Executive Vice President of Palantir's UK and Europe business has to say.

Currently, this type of technology is mainly developed in the United States and China, so whether we like it or not, the places where these decisions are ultimately made are either Beijing or Washington. This also allows us to see once again the long-standing challenges facing Europe. Europe does not have a homegrown tech industry of its own to regulate, so when it comes to major issues with profound impacts, such as how to regulate artificial intelligence on the battlefield, we actually do not have a seat at the table for decision-making.

On the other hand, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang called on people at a conference in Berlin on Thursday to maintain responsible optimism regarding the development of superintelligence, or artificial intelligence. Huang criticized claims that artificial intelligence could end human civilization, emphasizing that adults should shape an optimistic future in a responsible manner. Huang also stated that achieving a sustainable future requires more energy, and pointed out that technology should enhance human well-being rather than just giving people more leisure time. Let's listen to what Jensen Huang has to say below.

We should all adopt responsible optimism as our code of conduct; this should be the goal for all adults. Of course, children can do as they please, but adults should maintain responsible optimism. Why would we want to create a future that is not optimistic? What are we here for? We don't need those kinds of people; what we need are those who strive to create an optimistic future, but we must achieve this goal in a responsible way.

The use of SpaceX's satellite communication service in military operations in Ukraine has recently attracted high attention from all walks of life, and has once again focused the outside world on the differences between the so-called Starlink and Starshell. At the end of our program today, we will also have a news mini-dictionary to briefly introduce the differences between the two to our audience. Both Starlink and Starshell are developed by SpaceX; the former mainly provides commercial services, while the latter mainly serves the U.S. government and the U.S. military, serving as a militarized version of the Starlink system. Although their missions and services differ, they share some satellite technology as well as their technologies and infrastructure. Some experts point out that this highlights how, as military operations increasingly rely on commercial satellite networks, service availability and supplier decisions may directly affect battlefield communications. This issue is also currently a major focus of attention, and upcoming challenges are being closely watched by all parties. The above is today's focus from VOA. For more reports, please visit the VOA Chinese website. I am Fan Dongning. Thank you for watching, and see you tomorrow.