Free Republic

US special forces raided a cargo ship travelling from China to Iran in November that was allegedly transporting "dual-use military technology," according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Friday.Citing unnamed US officials, the WSJ revealed that a special operations team boarded the ship several hundred miles from Sri Lanka and seized the cargo, which was described as “dual-use components that could be used either for civilian applications or to make conventional weapons."Image source: US Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class William FarmerieThe ship's name, its owner, and the flag under which it was sailing...

The United States would suffer a devasting defeat and lose its biggest aircraft carrier if it tried to stop China invading Taiwan, according to a top secret Pentagon report. War games showed the U.S. would be overwhelmed by China's arsenal of around 600 hypersonic weapons, along with missiles and nuclear submarines. The grim assessment, revealed by the New York Times, confirmed the conclusions of previous war games, but it also highlighted wider concerns about the future direction of the U.S. military and its continued reliance on outdated methods. *** Ships like the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford - the...

The greed and naiveté of our institutions could play into the hands of the Chinese surveillance state It goes by an innocuous name – “Integrated Joint Operations Platform” (IJOP) – but it’s one of the most sinister components of China’s surveillance state, managing what has been described as a genocide against the Uighurs. The IJOP combines multiple systems of repression – location, messages, contacts, social media and other data from phones, together with information from checkpoints, cameras and biometric records. It then flags “suspicious” individuals for detention and forced labor. Now leading US universities have been accused of extensive...

Ford CEO Jim Farley has proven himself to be a passionate car guy, but every now and again he pops up to remind everyone he’s running a multi-billion dollar company with one of the most recognisable brand names in the world. Earlier this week, Farley stood with US President Donald Trump as fuel economy targets were slashed, effectively allowing Ford – and other brands – to battle less red tape and sell vehicles for greater profits, while at the same time providing better up-front affordability for buyers. Now, Farley has turned his attention to Europe, amid reports that the continent’s...

President Donald Trump announced Monday that the U.S. will permit Nvidia to export its artificial-intelligence (AI) chips to China and other countries, partially reversing a Biden-era restriction on high-end chip exports. Trump said the U.S. will gain a 25% share from the H200 chip exports and that the trade will be closely monitored to safeguard national security. "I have informed President Xi, of China, that the United States will allow Nvidia to ship its H200 products to approved customers in China, and other Countries, under conditions that allow for continued strong National Security," Trump said in a post on Truth...

Beijing — A private Chinese space firm successfully sent its Zhuque-3 rocket to orbit but failed in its historic attempt to re-land the rocket booster Wednesday – the first such trial by a Chinese firm as the country’s growing commercial space sector races to catch up with American rivals like SpaceX. Beijing-based LandSpace, one of the sector’s leading firms, launched its Zhuque-3 rocket into space from a remote, desert launch site in northwestern China. The rocket entered orbit as planned, but its first stage – the portion of the vehicle that propels it at liftoff – did not successfully return...

It’s a pitiful thing to see a strong man cry. It’s a sickening thing to see a man body-slam himself, then twist his own arm behind his back and make himself tap out. Wrestler turned actor John Cena may look like the Rock, but when it comes to China he’s Pee-Wee Herman. Doing an interview for his upcoming film “F9” in Taiwan, he referred to that free and thriving democratic island, which has had a separate government since 1949, as a “country” instead of as a province of China. When this led to an “outcry,” meaning it displeased the Communist...

When I was told that actor John Cena “begged” for forgiveness from the “Chinese people” (though he was clearly begging the Chinese Communist Party, owners of Hollywood) for calling Taiwan a country, I assumed it was exaggerated. I figured he said he was sorry and moved on. Nope, he begged. In Chinese. In a public video. If he had fallen to his knees in front of Xi Jinping and wept while kissing the Chinese leader’s feet, it would not have been any more humiliating than the video he recorded. https://twitter.com/i/status/1396910262494457856 Translated: “Hi China, I’m John Cena. I’m in the middle...

​John Cena was on the receiving end of a piledriver Tuesday from American Twitter users after his “pathetic” apology to China for referring to Taiwan as a country during a promotional spot for his new movie “F9.” SNIP Cena, speaking Mandarin, went on Chinese social media site Weibo Tuesday to apologize for calling Taiwan a country during a promotional interview for “F9,” the latest installment for the “Fast and Furious” franchise, earlier this month. SNIP “I made one mistake. I have to say something very, very, very important now. I love and respect China and Chinese people. I’m very, very...

Gov. Kathy Hochul is getting ripped over a cringe Lunar New Year video she shot at the request of an alleged Chinese agent, with rival Rep. Elise Stefanik blasting the Democrat as “compromised.” Hochul shot the awkward clip for China’s New York consulate back in 2021 when she was still lieutenant governor as she wished viewers “xin nian kuai le” — or Happy New Year, the newly resurfaced footage shows. “Footage HERE of the video Kathy Hochul so ‘obediently’ filmed for the Chinese Communist Party after her Chinese Communist spy coaxed her into it,” Stefanik posted on X on Thursday...

A leading scientist’s warning about intensifying technological competition has been interpreted by the market as a starting gun. Shares of U.S. quantum computing companies soared after John Martinis, a 2024 Nobel Prize laureate in physics, stated in a recent Bloomberg interview that China is catching up rapidly, with the U.S. lead potentially narrowed to “nanoseconds.” The episode highlighted how geopolitical anxiety can fuel a market frenzy. “China has caught up quickly… I’m worried that maybe we’re nanoseconds ahead of them,” Martinis said. While intended as a serious warning about eroding U.S. technological supremacy, the financial market drew a different implication:...

When Xpeng unveiled its Next Gen Iron humanoid recently, the robot glided across the stage with movement so fluid that the crowd froze. Many viewers thought they saw an actor in a suit. Clips spread online within hours, and people everywhere claimed the same thing: it looked too human to be a machine. The reaction spread fast, so Xpeng's CEO He Xiaopeng returned to the stage one day later with a plan to settle the argument. He cut into Iron's leg to show its internal machinery. It felt theatrical but also necessary to end the rumor that a human controlled...

The ‘cement-coated’ YKJ-1000 could prove ‘formidably competitive’ internationally if sold at the relatively cheap price of US$99,000Chinese aerospace firm Lingkong Tianxing unveiled a hypersonic glide missile last week that has a range of up to 1,300 km (800 miles) and a top speed of Mach 7. The YKJ-1000 has been nicknamed the “cement-coated” missile for its use of civilian-grade materials such as foamed concrete in its heat-resistant coating. According to slides widely circulated online, the unit production cost of this missile, already in mass production after successful combat trials, may be as low as 700,000 yuan (around US$99,000). A single...

The University of Michigan is supposed to be the pride of the Midwest. A 200-year-old college that has been dubbed a 'Public Ivy,' the school is steeped in tradition, pride and academic excellence. It is also the home of the Wolverines and the Big House, the largest stadium in America. Now, the beloved school is increasingly seen as a back door for Beijing - a soft target for Chinese operatives, covert networks and alleged plots involving genetically modified parasites and crop-killing fungi. And recent arrests show just how deep the rot may run. On November 5, federal agents charged three...

Americans were already feeling uneasy about purchasing an electric vehicle. Then the generous tax subsidies ended. Sales of EVs plummeted by nearly one-third in October after President Trump and Republicans killed the $7,500 federal tax credit. The end of EV subsidies follows a trio of regulatory changes that eliminate mandates on automakers to produce electric vehicles and are poised to push the decline in EV sales even further. “The policy reversal on EVs that has occurred this year is a remarkable return to sanity after decades of government actions to force EV production,” said Brent Bennett, a policy director at...

New satellite imagery shows China testing its landing barges, which analysts say appear tailor-made for an invasion of Taiwan. Among these new vessels are landing docks, more advanced amphibious assault ships, and specialized landing barges analysts have dubbed Shui Qiao, or "water bridges," that appear purpose-built for a potential beach landing in an attack on Taiwan. Satellite imagery shared by open-source analyst Brady Africk on X showed three of China’s so-called Shui Qiang landing barges off the coast of Ningbo in Zhejiang province on November 20. A separate photo captured by European Space Agency satellites and reviewed by Newsweek shows...

Those who worry about how to cope with China’s leadership in technology—and there are plenty of them—think hard about electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels and open-source artificial intelligence. For such people, we have some bad news. This week we report how China is rapidly pressing ahead in two other frontier technologies, autonomous vehicles and new drugs. As these industries spread around the world, they will exemplify the power of Chinese innovation. China’s progress in each of these important areas has been staggering. A robotaxi revolution is gathering pace, which could reshape transport, logistics and everyday urban life. The country’s autonomous...

For nearly a century, America’s military strength has come largely through self-reliance. We not only made the ships, airplanes and tanks, our country supplied the parts and materials for these complex systems. But a lot has changed in recent times.Unfortunately, our military has increasingly relied on sourcing parts globally -- including from possibly unreliable places like China. It’s a disastrous side effect of globalization.For example, while modern jet engines may typically include between 30,000 and 50,000 parts, ensuring they are “China-free” has proven to be incredibly difficult. We’ve already seen deliveries of F-35s delayed over this issue, revealing that supply...

Pray for search and rescue authorities in Hong Kong today. At least 36 people have died and 279 people are unaccounted for, officials say. Residents remain trapped on higher floors of the buildings. https://t.co/iclSJYO8p1 pic.twitter.com/FtoFH3FyZ5— CNN (@CNN) November 26, 2025Officials said 279 people are 'uncontactable.' Meanwhile, 29 people remain hospitalized, with 7 in critical conditions, officials said. The fire, which tore through bamboo scaffolding ubiquitous in the city, appears to be the most deadly blaze in Hong Kong in nearly three decades. 900 other residents have managed to flee to shelters. Clips of the fire look apocalyptic: BREAKING: At least...

The future of cars could be up in the air... A #flyingcar may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But in China, it's on the cusp of going into mass production. In a huge leap toward the age of personal air travel, #XPeng has opened the world's first flying car factory. CGTN Jen Copestake reports.