China Power Index

During its annual civil defence exercises, Taiwan for the first time practised operating through a deliberate internet cutoff, testing how society would cope if China severed the undersea cables that serve as the island's digital lifeline.

South Korean police detained two former Chinese military servicemembers on espionage charges, a case that sharpens concerns in Seoul and Washington about Chinese intelligence-gathering aimed at military targets in the region.

Taiwan's Han Kuang exercises this year stressed flexibility and societal resilience rather than showcasing advanced weaponry, an approach analysts read as evidence of closer defense coordination with the United States as Chinese military pressure grows.