RH 2.25.26 | China: Summit Prep, Submarines & South China Sea Pressure

👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast  https://www.restrictedhandling.com/  In this episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we break down one of the most strategically dense 24-hour periods in the US-China relationship this year and make it actually listenable.  President Trump's March 31 trip to Beijing is still on track, but the leverage equation heading into that summit is shifting in real time. A Supreme Court ruling altered the administration's tariff authority, a new global tariff rate just rolled out, and Beijing is carefully calibrating its public tone. No fireworks. No panic. Just deliberate positioning on both sides ahead of what could be one of the most consequential leader-level meetings of 2026.  At the same time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is in Beijing before heading straight to Washington. That sequencing matters. Europe is not decoupling from China, but it is trying to de-risk. We dig into what that actually means for trade, industrial policy, rare earths, and the broader transatlantic relationship. Germany's dependence on Chinese markets and Chinese supply chains is still real, and Beijing knows it.  Taiwan remains the quiet center of gravity. President William Lai has formed a task force to counter foreign interference ahead of the November 28 local elections. Disinformation, economic inducements, cyber pressure, gray zone tactics. It is all on the table. Meanwhile, Taiwan continues tracking sustained PLA naval activity around the island, reinforcing a pattern that has been building for years.  In the South China Sea, things are not cooling off. The Philippines is accusing Chinese forces of jamming Starlink near Scarborough Shoal. Satellite imagery shows continued maritime militia presence across key features. Land reclamation appears to be advancing at Antelope Reef in the Paracels. That is not symbolic sand. That is strategic footprint.  We also cover China's new Type 09V nuclear-powered attack submarine spotted at Bohai Shipyard, continued military modernization amid sweeping PLA corruption purges, export controls on Japanese defense-linked firms, semiconductor enforcement questions involving Nvidia's H200 chips, and Panama's decision to take control of two major canal ports previously operated by a Hong Kong-based company.  This episode connects the diplomatic, economic, military, cyber, and industrial threads shaping US-China competition right now. It is not just about ships and summits. It is about leverage, positioning, and how pressure is being applied across multiple domains at the same time.  If you follow geopolitics, China strategy, Indo-Pacific security, Taiwan defense, global supply chains, or semiconductor export controls, this one is for you.  👉 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.