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New Chinese Military Capabilities

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According to an article published on April 20th by the South China Morning Post, Chinese scientists detonated a Hydrogen-based explosive device during a controlled field test. The bomb caused devastating chemical chain reactions despite the fact that it did not use any nuclear materials and contained Magnesium hydride.

The 2kg bomb created a 1000 degrees Celsius fireball that lasted for more than 2 seconds. Notably, its duration exceeded the duration of a TNT bomb explosion 15 times.

Hydrogen gas explosions ignite with minimal ignition energy, have a broad explosion range, and unleash flames that race outward rapidly.

According to the researchers, the Hydrogen bomb is a big step forward in Chinese military capabilities, since it can project heat, as well as cause precision-target destruction.

It is also important that the production of Magnesium Hybrid was limited to laboratories for a long time. However, with the opening of a high-capacity plant in Shaanxi province the capability rose to producing 150 tons annually.

Apart from the Hydrogen bomb, the Chinese cabinet approved of a nuclear plant project in eastern Zhejiang. According to the experts, new Chinese projects are aimed at causing shock and fear in Taiwan, which is also supported by the fact that on April 22nd, 11 Chinese aircraft, six Chinese naval vessels and four official ships were detected near Taiwan. This military equipment crossed the northern, southwestern and eastern Air Defense Identification Zones of Taiwan.

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China, Russia expressed support for Iran’s nuclear program during a joint meeting

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China, Russia, and Iran held a joint meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, according to a report from Chinese state news agency Xinhua on Friday.

The meeting, which took place on Thursday, included IAEA representatives and the agency’s director general. It followed a visit to Beijing earlier this week by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

According to Xinhua, the discussions focused on the IAEA’s role in advancing a political and diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue. China also voiced its support for Iran’s engagement in dialogue with all relevant parties, including the United States.

In a previous trilateral meeting held in Beijing on 14th April, China and Russia reaffirmed their support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear ambitions, following a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the talks. According to the Tehran Times, the two nations praised Iran’s continued commitment to ensuring its nuclear program remains exclusively for peaceful purposes and welcomed Tehran’s ongoing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The statement also emphasized the importance of respecting Iran’s right to develop and utilize nuclear energy for civilian use, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The three countries underscored that all nations must avoid actions that could undermine the IAEA’s technical, objective, and impartial work.

China, in particular, has continuously expressed its support for dialogue between Iran and the United States. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a conversation with his Iranian counterpart, reiterated Beijing’s opposition to the use of force and what it called “illegal” unilateral sanctions. U.S. has recently sanctioned certain Chinese refiners for purchasing Iranian oil.

Earlier this week, on the podcast Secretary of State Marco Rubio has outlined a potential compromise. Speaking on a podcast earlier this week, Rubio indicated that the U.S. is open to Iran maintaining a civilian nuclear program—on the condition that it relies solely on imported nuclear fuel. This would allow Iran to operate nuclear reactors for power generation and other civilian uses, while denying it the capability to enrich uranium domestically—effectively blocking a potential path to nuclear weapons.

“This is similar to what many other countries do,” Rubio said. “If Iran wants a civil nuclear program, they can have one. But they must import enriched material.”

Rubio’s position marks a step back from earlier demands by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who had insisted on the complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

The USA and Iran will resume nuclear talks on Saturday.

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Chinese drones in Russia

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that Moscow has stolen drone technology from China, something he says China may not have known about. Zelensky has also said that Chinese citizens are working at drone manufacturing facilities in Russia.

Zelensky made the statement at a press conference in Kyiv on April 23. Days before that, he had directly accused Beijing of providing Moscow with military aid and weapons and ammunition.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister told reporters that he had summoned Chinese Ambassador Ma Shengkun and expressed serious concerns about China’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Zelensky said he had already instructed officials to provide the Chinese government with the results of the investigation through official channels. He separately asked Ukraine’s security service to provide Beijing with information about Chinese workers at a drone factory.

“We believe that Russia may have stolen or made an agreement with these Chinese citizens to transfer technology without the Chinese government knowing about it,” the Ukrainian president said.

Earlier this month, Zelensky said that Russia was using social media to force Chinese citizens to join the armed conflict, and that Beijing officials had information about it. Zelensky also said that Ukraine was trying to investigate whether China was giving recruitment instructions.

China’s foreign minister rejected Ukraine’s “baseless accusations and political manipulations,” reaffirmed its support for peace efforts in Ukraine, and called on the parties to refrain from “irresponsible remarks.”

Interestingly, the day after China’s response, Sinopec, a leading Asian company, resumed purchases of Russian oil after a 1-month pause. The pause was caused by fears of sanctions imposed by the United States on Russian products. Due to tariffs imposed on Russian products by the Biden administration, Russian oil exports have decreased to China and India, and Chinese state-owned oil companies Sinopec and Zhenhua Oil have stopped purchasing Russian oil. Sinopec has not yet answered the question of why the Chinese company resumed purchases of Russian oil.

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Azerbaijan and China Strengthen Strategic Partnership

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On April 23, 2025, in Beijing, during a state visit by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan and China signed a “Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.” This historic step highlights the two countries’ aspirations to deepen cooperation in the fields of economy, infrastructure, security, and culture. China supports Azerbaijan’s swift accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its peace agenda, positioning Azerbaijan as a strategic partner in the global trade system. This decision also responds to Western pressure regarding Azerbaijan’s hosting of COP29, clearly demonstrating that Azerbaijan increasingly relies on China as a trusted partner.

During the visit, Aliyev and Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed unwavering support for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Azerbaijan reaffirmed its support for the “One China” principle, while China endorsed Azerbaijan’s peaceful initiatives. Numerous agreements were signed, including those on visa exemptions, humanitarian demining cooperation, legal assistance in criminal matters, and economic cooperation, all aimed at strengthening political trust between the two nations.

Economic cooperation was a key focus of the visit. In 2024, bilateral trade grew by 20.7%, reaching $3.7 billion, making China Azerbaijan’s top export partner. China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” aligns with Azerbaijan’s “Silk Road Revival” strategy, particularly in the development of the Trans-Caspian trade route, where cargo volume increased by 86% to 378,000 tons in 2024. The two sides plan to negotiate a free trade agreement, which will further deepen economic cooperation.

During the visit, more than 20 agreements were signed, covering science, technology, culture, and tourism. For instance, a cultural cooperation protocol for 2025–2029, memoranda on digital economy and green development, and an agreement between the mayors of Nakhchivan and China’s Urumqi to establish sister city relations, which will promote local-level cooperation. These efforts show that both countries are striving to strengthen not only economic but also cultural and educational ties, for example, through student exchange programs and the development of Confucius Institutes in Azerbaijan, where Chinese language and culture are taught.

Aliyev’s visit and the signed agreements are part of Azerbaijan’s geopolitical strategy, which aims to balance Western influence through cooperation with China and the Global South. China’s support for the successful hosting of COP29 and Azerbaijan’s leadership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) underscores Beijing’s growing interest in viewing Azerbaijan not only as a logistical hub but also as a strategic partner. However, the success of this partnership will depend on the ability of both sides to balance their interests amid global tensions.

Author: Sandro Kapanadze

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China Set to Receive More Sanctioned Russian Oil in April

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Russia is ramping up its Arctic oil exports to China this month, offering significant discounts and utilizing tankers not targeted by U.S. sanctions to sidestep recent trade restrictions, according to data from analytics firm Vortexa and insights from two Russian oil traders. Russian producers Lukoil and Gazprom Neft did not immediately respond to Reuters’ inquiries regarding the shipments.

Roughly 10% of Russia’s seaborne crude exports stem from its Arctic oil trade, which faced disruption following the U.S. sanctions imposed in January. The sanctions targeted almost all vessels transporting key Arctic grades such as ARCO, Novy Port, and Varandey, along with state-run producer Gazprom Neft.

To navigate around these restrictions, traders have been using ship-to-ship (STS) transfers in international waters near Singapore and Malaysia. Once the oil is loaded onto Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) that aren’t subject to sanctions, the cargoes continue their journey to China, Vortexa senior analyst Emma Li and traders explained.

Li noted that at least 4 million barrels of Arctic crude were transferred via STS last week alone, and another 16 million barrels are expected to arrive or are already positioned in the South China Sea throughout April. While China’s appetite for Arctic oil appears to be on the rebound due to the available supply, the actual volume offloaded will depend on both the logistical flow and the purchasing decisions of Chinese refiners, Li added.

According to Vortexa, China imported around 25,000 barrels per day of Arctic crude in March. One trader highlighted that these ship-to-ship operations are essential, as many Chinese refiners prefer cargoes delivered on vessels free from sanctions to avoid complications or the risk of secondary sanctions, and some are even prepared to pay a premium for such cargoes.

For instance, data from Kpler shows that the non-sanctioned VLCC Atila took on approximately 2.07 million barrels of ARCO crude from two sanctioned ships in March near Singapore. The oil was later discharged at Dongying port in China’s Shandong province earlier this month. Notably, the Atila had previously conducted similar STS operations involving Iranian crude.

Arctic oil grades are extracted from Russia’s remote northern regions, where severe weather conditions and logistical challenges require massive investments for development. Light Varandey crude is produced by Lukoil, while Gazprom Neft handles light Novy Port and heavier ARCO grades.

Currently, the journey from Russia to China takes about two months, as the cargoes are routed via the Suez Canal. The added leg of STS transfers drives up transportation costs, traders said. The alternative — the shorter North Sea Route (NSR) — remains closed until July.

Arctic crude, once sold at a premium over Brent, is now being offered at a discount, traders reported.

India, once the leading buyer of Arctic crude, has scaled back imports due to the sanctions. Most of the Arctic oil destined for India, mainly Varandey, supplied by Litasco, has faced disruptions. Indian authorities also recently blocked a ship from transferring Russian oil to another vessel at sea.

Other destinations for Russian Arctic oil include Syria, which began receiving shipments earlier this year, and Myanmar.

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China’s New Trade Representative

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China, amid an escalating trade war with the United States, took a significant strategic step on Wednesday by appointing Li Chenggang as its new international trade representative. This change underscores Beijing’s ambition to strengthen its negotiating position to ease the pressure from tariffs that have posed significant challenges to global markets. China’s decision also reflects its efforts to maintain influence in the global trade system, particularly within the World Trade Organization (WTO), where it presents itself as a source of stability. Li Chenggang’s appointment is not only a tactical but also a symbolic move, reflecting China’s dual strategy: addressing U.S. economic pressure on the one hand while reinforcing its position as a leader in the global trade system on the other.

Li Chenggang, 58, replaces Wang Shouwen, 59, who had been China’s trade representative since 2018 and played a key role in negotiating the 2020 China-U.S. trade agreement. No official reason for the change has been disclosed, but analysts suggest it may be Beijing’s attempt to break through in negotiations stalled by heightened tensions. Li’s experience in Geneva, where he built ties with international partners, including U.S. representatives, makes him an ideal candidate for this goal.

Li Chenggang is a highly qualified diplomat who served as China’s WTO ambassador since February 2021, where he vocally criticized U.S. tariff policies, including at the WTO General Council meeting in February, stating that the U.S. “unilaterally and arbitrarily violates WTO rules.” His decades of experience in the Ministry of Commerce, including participation in China’s WTO accession negotiations and work at the UN office in Geneva, provide a strong foundation for managing complex trade disputes.

China’s economy grew by 5.4% in the first quarter of 2025, surpassing analysts’ expectations of 5.1%, driven by strong exports and retail sales. However, Sheng Laiyun, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, warned that U.S. tariffs exert “some pressure” on exports, a key driver of China’s economy. In response, Beijing is working to boost domestic consumption and expand cooperation with Europe and the Global South, though replacing U.S. consumers remains challenging amid declining domestic consumption and a real estate crisis. Li Chenggang’s support for free trade could be a double-edged sword: it bolsters China’s image as a defender of global trade but may complicate negotiations with the Trump administration, which pursues strict protectionist policies. Thus, Li’s success will depend on his ability to balance China’s firm stance with openness to negotiations to avoid further escalation of the trade war.

President Xi Jinping actively seeks to position China as a source of “stability and certainty” in global free trade, particularly in Southeast Asia, where countering U.S. influence is a key priority. His recent visits to Vietnam and Malaysia, where discussions focused on the China-ASEAN free trade agreement with its 10 member states, underscore China’s efforts to strengthen regional partnerships and bypass trade organizations dominated by the U.S. and the West. These moves also respond to the U.S. imposing 46% tariffs on Vietnam, which were later suspended for a 90-day negotiation period.

Author: Sandro Kapanadze

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Xi Jinping in Hanoi – China vie for regional leadership

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China continues to take strategic steps to assert its dominance in the region amid a trade war and tensions with the United States. This time, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, expressing a clear desire to maintain close economic and political partnerships with Southeast Asian nations.

Shortly after arriving in Hanoi on April 14, Xi Jinping said he hoped to use the meeting as an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with Vietnamese leaders on the current state of relations and strategic cooperation between the two countries and the two sides, as well as on common regional issues.

Beijing has been strengthening economic partnerships with Vietnam for the past decade, and China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner. Vietnam is an important trade destination for China, given that Chinese products enter the United States through Vietnamese territory. Last week, the US imposed 46% tariffs on Vietnam, but Trump gave Vietnam, like all other countries except China, 90 days to negotiate.

While President Donald Trump is pressuring Washington’s allies, mainland China is focused on building a high-tech “global navy,” according to Zhou Bo, a former officer in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The Taiwan issue could be a potential flashpoint, but it is not the only issue driving Beijing’s military buildup — especially its navy. In addition to Taiwan, there are tensions in the South China Sea, where Chinese defenses and Philippine ships have clashed. Tensions with the Philippines are over its U.S. alliance, resource wealth, and disputed islands.

On April 1, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China began joint exercises without warning, sending 76 aircraft and more than 20 naval and coast guard vessels, including the Shandong carrier group, to positions around the main island of Taiwan. The exercises continued the next day, in the central and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait, where they practiced damaging key ports and energy infrastructure. In response, the following day, the United States expressed its full support for Taiwan and other partners “in the face of China’s intimidation tactics and destabilizing behaviors.”

As Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said, given that Trump last commented on the Taiwan issue in February, China continues to simply watch the United States and wonder how far it can go.

Experts say China is bolstering its naval forces in the Indo-Pacific to send a clear message of primacy to its regional neighbors, but also to test the thinking of its larger rival, Donald Trump.

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„Tariff war” between the US and China

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The president of the United States, Donald Trump, after promises in the election campaign to impose tariffs on a number of countries, started to actually implement said policies. The main target of the sanctions is China, on which the Trump administration, at first, imposed 54% tariffs and later – 145%.

The rise in American tariffs followed retaliatory tariffs from China – the country responded to US tariffs with 34% on April 10th. After a rise in the US tariffs, China increased the rate to 84% and on Saturday, April 12th – to 125%. According to the Chinese Commerce Ministry, China will “fight to the end” if the US “insists on provoking a tariff war or trade war”.

Notably, on April 12th, Donald Trump talked about the tariff exemptions on smartphones, computers, and other electronic devices, which would provide a break for companies like Apple, since such firms are importantly reliant on imported products. On the same day, the Chinese side responded to said step taken by the US president – per the Chinese Commerce Ministry, this decision is „a small step by the US towards rectifying the misguided approach of unilateral ‘reciprocal tariffs’.“ Apart from this, the Ministry stated that Washington is severely harming the international economic and trade order and called on the country to „completely abandon the erroneous ‘reciprocal tariffs’, and return to the right path of mutual respect and resolving differences through equal dialogue”. Despite this, later, on April 13th, Donald Trump corrected his statement on exemptions and said, that nothing would be free from tariffs, and the electronic devices would simply be in a different „bucket“ of tariffs, therefore, 20% tariffs are still imposed on them. However, according to Trump’s statement, the terms will be „flexible“ for certain companies.

It is also important, that in line with such US policies, China is attempting to get close to the EU – the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on April 11th, during a meeting with the Spanish prime minister, stated that Beijing and the EU should go against the „intimidation“ by the US with a united force and fulfill their „international responsibility“, which is connected to economic globalization and creating a fair international trade environment.

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How Does the Georgian Dream Respond to Messages from the US Regarding Anaklia?

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Contrary to the expectations of representatives of the Georgian Dream, recent statements by American politicians confirm that the Trump administration is not indifferent to the decision to transfer the Anaklia Port project to a Chinese company. Furthermore, both Republican and Democratic party representatives view the potential involvement of a Chinese firm in the Anaklia project as an attempt by China—a strategic rival of the United States—to expand its influence in the Black Sea region.

Representatives of the Georgian Dream party have offered differing narratives in response to Washington’s recent statements concerning the Anaklia port project. The illegitimate Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, attributed the remarks by American officials to the influence of the so-called “Deep State.” Meanwhile, the Vice Prime Minister, Levan Davitashvili, cast doubt on the potential transfer of the port to a Chinese company.

For a comprehensive overview of the Georgian Dream’s latest statements and positions regarding the Anaklia port, please refer to the full report.

Full report

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Tinatin Khidasheli Featured in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Article

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The Chairwoman of Civic IDEA, Tinatin Khidasheli, is featured in a recent article by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which examines China’s growing presence in the Black Sea region and its strategic interests in Georgia.

In the article, Ms. Khidasheli comments on the implications of Chinese involvement in infrastructure projects like the Anaklia deep-water port and highlights the potential risks to regional security and Georgia’s international partnerships.

Read the Full Article

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