RH 2.16.26 | China: Nukes, Purges, Taiwan & Russian Oil

👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast  https://www.restrictedhandling.com/  China is not easing into 2026 quietly. It is moving on multiple fronts and this episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast breaks it all down in one tight, high-energy brief.  In this RH 2.16.26 episode, we dig into satellite imagery showing major expansion at China's nuclear weapons facilities deep in Sichuan Province. New construction at suspected plutonium pit production sites. High-explosive testing infrastructure upgrades. A 360-foot ventilation stack. And all of it unfolding just as the last remaining US-Russia strategic nuclear treaty expires. No caps. No guardrails. Beijing is on track to move from roughly 600 warheads toward 1,000 by 2030. That is not background noise. That is a structural shift.  At the same time, Xi Jinping is purging the top ranks of the People's Liberation Army. Gen. Zhang Youxia, once considered a trusted insider, is out. Five of six top military leaders have been removed in just a few years. Nearly one million officials punished in the latest party discipline campaign. This is not routine reshuffling. It is consolidation of power at the highest level of the Chinese system.  Then we move to Taiwan. PLA aircraft crossing the median line. Naval vessels operating around the island. Millions of cyber intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan's infrastructure. Telecom networks under pressure. Political messaging dialed up at the Munich Security Conference. The pressure campaign is steady, layered, and intentional.  Japan is feeling the heat too. After Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi linked Taiwan's security to Japan's own defense posture, Chinese tourist arrivals dropped 45 percent year over year. Rare earth supply risks are back in the conversation. Diplomatic protests are flying. Economic coercion is not theoretical. It is measurable.  And let's not forget energy. China is set to import record volumes of discounted Russian crude oil while India cuts back. Moscow gets a lifeline. Beijing gets bargain barrels. Meanwhile Iranian flows dip slightly amid uncertainty over potential US action. Energy markets are quietly reflecting big geopolitical decisions.  If you care about China's nuclear buildup, Taiwan security, Japan-China tensions, Russian oil flows, South China Sea gray zone pressure, or the future of great power competition, this episode connects the dots.  This is the stuff that shapes the decade ahead. Not hype. Not clickbait. Just the hard realities of international security in 2026.  Listen in and stay ahead of the curve.  👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast  https://www.restrictedhandling.com/  Get the daily intelligence brief Ryan and Glenn read covering Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, the Middle East, geopolitics, sanctions, military and intel operations. Save a few hours of your time getting ahead of the news cycle at restrictedhandling.com.