RH 5.26.26 | China: Japan-Korea, Rare Earths, Taiwan Pressure

Description: 👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast https://www.restrictedhandling.com/ Today's China brief is moving fast, and the Indo-Pacific is very much in "check the exits and count the lifeboats" mode. In this episode of The Restricted Handling Daily Intel Brief, Ryan and Glenn break down how Japan and South Korea are drawing closer as China pressures its neighbors, US alliance politics feel less predictable, and the Iran war continues to create energy and supply-chain stress across Asia. The lead story is the Japan-South Korea summit in Andong, where South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for a visit that mixed fireworks, diplomacy, and some surprisingly important strategic signaling. These two countries have plenty of historical baggage, but they also share a very modern problem: China is getting more aggressive, and the old assumption that Washington can always carry the whole regional load is looking less comfortable. We also dig into Japan's push to become a steadier Indo-Pacific organizer. Takaichi is expanding the Free and Open Indo-Pacific playbook with a focus on energy security, critical minerals, supply chains, and defense cooperation. That matters because Japan is not just talking about deterrence. Tokyo is building the practical plumbing behind it. Then we get into Beijing's response, and shocker, China is not sending a thank-you basket. Beijing is accusing Japan of "neo-militarism," tightening export controls on rare earths and dual-use goods, and keeping pressure on disputed waters around the Senkaku Islands, which China calls Diaoyu Dao. Rare earths are the big one here. These materials sit inside electric vehicles, wind turbines, fighter jets, and precision weapons. When China starts playing games with that supply chain, everyone in the defense industrial base should be paying attention. The Quad also enters the chat, with Australia, India, Japan, and the US meeting in New Delhi and agreeing to build a port in Fiji while signing critical minerals and energy security agreements. Beijing's reaction tells you everything. Ports, minerals, and energy are now strategic terrain. We also cover China and Pakistan's latest push around the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Gwadar port, the Karakoram Highway, and Beijing's concerns over protecting Chinese workers. Then it is on to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, who used Putin's Beijing visit to showcase a relationship that remains tight even as Beijing keeps talking to Washington. Russia still wants the big gas pipeline. China still likes being the senior partner with the better options. And yes, Taiwan remains the pressure point. This episode updates China's latest "joint combat readiness patrols," the Liaoning carrier activity, and the broader pattern of Beijing normalizing military pressure around Taiwan without letting the situation fully boil over. We close with China's domestic security messaging, including an aerospace espionage case and a crackdown on staged online rumors and AI-generated misinformation. Because in Beijing's world, the battlefield includes supply chains, ports, rare earths, coast guards, livestreams, and fake viral disaster videos. 👉 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.