In early August, an explosive-laden attack drone targeting Ukrainian transport planes suddenly appeared near Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany and was subsequently shot down by the German military. Following an investigation confirming that Russia was responsible, Germany announced the expulsion of dozens of diplomatic personnel from the Russian Consulate General in Bonn, triggering a diplomatic storm of mutual expulsions of diplomats between the two countries.
Russia launched airstrikes on Ukraine from the night of September 17 to the early morning of September 18, hitting Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa, resulting in three deaths, multiple injuries, and several fires. Meanwhile, voting began on Friday for the first State Duma parliamentary elections since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On September 18, while the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources government vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat was carrying out a mission in the waters off Palawan, it was rammed by China Coast Guard ship 21585, resulting in damage to the Philippine ship's starboard side. The Philippine side accused China of a deliberate collision, while the Chinese side claimed the Philippine vessel made an illegal diagonal cut causing a scrape, and insisted its own operation was lawful.
On the morning of September 18, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te visited Pingtung to inspect the joint precision missile live-fire exercise of the three armed forces. The three-day drill covers both domestically produced and U.S.-made missiles and rockets, and for the first time, includes attack drones. During this period, China dispatched military aircraft, drones, and naval vessels to operate around Taiwan.
An attack-type drone carrying explosives was found near Leipzig Airport in Germany, suspected to target a Ukrainian transport aircraft. The German military then intervened and launched an investigation, confirming the drone was dispatched by Russia. This incident has led to highly tense Germany-Russia relations.
On July 20, the Chinese and Philippine coast guards clashed near Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippine side accused Chinese personnel of using clubs in an attack that injured a Filipino service member; the China Coast Guard responded that Philippine personnel rammed Chinese vessels and used clubs and oars to attack Chinese personnel.
During the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), China took the rare step of launching a ballistic missile from a nuclear submarine, which landed directly in the Pacific Ocean.
After 14 years, the CCP has withdrawn its forces from Scarborough Shoal. Commentary analyzes that this indicates Xi Jinping has entered a period of panic under Trump's tough stance and international pressure, forcing him into a strategic retreat.
The program reveals that the total debt of governments at all levels in China and related liabilities have accumulated to 100 trillion RMB, pointing out that these massive debts will ultimately be shifted onto ordinary citizens to pay.
Severe economic crises have emerged in many parts of the country. Due to wage cuts, layoffs, and business losses, some residents in places like Chengdu are unable to repay bank loans even after selling their houses and cars, plunging them into a predicament of mortgage defaults.
The last time China conducted a missile test was in September 2024.
Two US aircraft carriers are returning from the Middle East theater to East Asia, one of which is the USS Abraham Lincoln, and the other is the USS Tripoli. The return route passes through the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Malacca, with plans to deploy in the South China Sea and near the First Island Chain close to Japan and South Korea, respectively. Previously, the US typically maintained a long-term deployment of one aircraft carrier in East Asia, while the Middle East remains a theater of war requiring protection in the Strait of Hormuz; therefore, the simultaneous return of two carriers is viewed as an unusual military movement.