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ROGUE DEVICES FOUND IN CHINESE SOLAR POWER INVERTERS
Over the past nine months, unexplained communication equipment has been found inside Chinese power inverters used to connect solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids. The undocumented components were also found in heat pumps, electric vehicle chargers, cellular radios, and in batteries from multiple Chinese suppliers. They provide additional, undocumented communication channels that skirt firewalls and allow devices to be switched off remotely or change their settings. They could be used to destabilize power grids, damage energy infrastructure, and trigger widespread blackouts. In November, an unknown number of solar power inverters in the U.S. and elsewhere were disabled from China. Some utility companies, including the Florida Power & Light Company, the state's largest power supplier, have begun sourcing equipment from elsewhere. (MSN, May 14, 2025)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Roughly 200 GW of European solar power capacity is linked to inverters made in China. In November, Lithuania passed a law blocking remote access to solar, wind and battery installations above 100 KW. Estonia's Director General of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Kaupo Rosin, said the country was at risk of blackmail if it did not ban Chinese technology in crucial parts of the economy, such as solar inverters.]
U.S. TO REVOKE VISAS OF STUDENTS WITH CCP CONNECTIONS
The U.S. Department of State has announced that it will begin "aggressively" revoking visas held by Chinese students. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that students "with connections to the CCP or studying in critical fields," will be targeted, adding that "we will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the PRC and Hong Kong." State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce added: "We will not tolerate the CCP's exploitation of U.S. universities or theft of U.S. research." The Trump administration argues that Chinese students are a security risk because they return to China with know-how, could be used in espionage campaigns, and pose security risks to universities that receive federal funding. There are nearly 280,000 Chinese students currently in the U.S. The announcement drew widespread condemnation from U.S. universities and attracted a lot of attention on Chinese social media. (NPR, May 29, 2025)
PRC INSITUTIONS LURE CHINESE RESEARCHERS FROM U.S. UNIVERSITIES
Amid funding cuts, attacks on academic freedom, and discouraging foreign students under the Trump administration, China has launched a recruitment program to lure Chinese researchers away from U.S. universities. PRC institutions are now offering large salary packages to entice scientists at all levels. One such program offers "very attractive" postdoctoral positions approaching $100,000 per year – double the typical salary of a postdoctoral researcher. (South China Morning Post, May 15, 2025)
CHINA ISSUES NEW POLICIES TO CHANNEL CAPITAL INTO TECH INNOVATION
China has initiated new policies to channel more investment into technological innovation; what officials call "new quality productive forces." A joint notice issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology and six other government agencies outlined several measures to direct long-term capital into strategic tech sectors via national laboratories, leading tech firms, and high-tech startups. To lure foreign investment into domestic tech enterprises, Beijing is easing rules around equity and venture capital access and expanding international financing channels like the Qualified Foreign Limited Partner scheme. China will also provide support for tech companies seeking overseas listings. A new national entrepreneurship investment guidance fund will be created with a focus on the commercialization of scientific discoveries. To improve access to credit, a dedicated mechanism will be created within the banking system to support tech firms. Banks are being encouraged to establish specialized branches for tech finance in regions with concentrated innovation activity. (CGTN, May 14, 2025)
PAKISTAN USES PRC HYPERSONIC MISSILES TO HIT INDIA’S AIR DEFENSES
Beijing is hailing the first combat use of Chinese hypersonic missiles, which Pakistan used to destroy an India's Russian-built S-400 air defense system in Adampur, Punjab. According to a statement from Pakistan's military, Islamabad carried out the strike "using hypersonic missiles launched from the JF-17," a Chinese fighter jet. "Precision-guided munitions were used to neutralise the advanced air defence asset." Footage released by Pakistan shows two CM-400AKG missiles, made by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. (CASIC), being used to carry out the attack. (South China Morning Post, May 14, 2025)
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