World
Thousands of Chinese Fishing Boats Quietly Form Vast Sea Barriers
China quietly mobilized thousands of fishing boats twice in recent weeks to form massive floating barriers of at least 200 miles long, showing a new level of coordination that could give Beijing more ways to impose control in contested seas.
The two recent operations unfolded largely unnoticed. An analysis of ship-tracking data by The New York Times reveals the scale and complexity of the maneuvers for the first time.
Last week, about 1,400 Chinese vessels abruptly dropped their usual fishing activities or sailed out of their home ports and congregated in the East China Sea. By Jan. 11, they had assembled into a rectangle stretching more than 200 miles. The formation was so dense that some approaching cargo ships appeared to skirt around them or had to zigzag through, ship-tracking data showed.
Ship formation on Jan. 11
Maritime and military experts said the maneuvers suggested that China was strengthening its maritime militia, which is made up of civilian fishing boats trained to join in military operations. They said the maneuvers show that Beijing can rapidly muster large numbers of the boats in disputed seas.
The Jan. 11 maneuver followed a similar operation last month, when about 2,000 Chinese fishing boats assembled in two long, parallel formations on Christmas Day in the East China Sea. Each stretched 290 miles long, about the distance from New York City to Buffalo, forming a reverse L shape, ship-position data indicates. The two gatherings, weeks apart in the same waters, suggested a coordinated effort, analysts said.
Ship formation on Dec. 25
The unusual formations were spotted by Jason Wang, the chief operating officer of ingeniSPACE, a company that analyzes data, and were independently confirmed by The Times using ship-location data provided by Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
“I was thinking to myself, ‘This is not right’,” he said, describing his response when he spotted the fishing boats on Christmas Day. “I mean I’ve seen like a couple hundred — let’s say high hundreds,” he said, referring to Chinese boats he has previously tracked, “but nothing of this scale or of this distinctive formation.”
In a conflict or crisis, for instance over Taiwan, China could mobilize tens of thousands of civilian ships, including fishing boats, to clog sea lanes and complicate military and supply operations of its opponents.
Chinese fishing boats would be too small to effectively enforce a blockade. But they could possibly obstruct movement by American warships, said Lonnie Henley, a former U.S. intelligence officer who has studied China’s maritime militia.
The masses of the smaller boats could also act “as missile and torpedo decoys, overwhelming radars or drone sensors with too many targets,” said Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. naval officer now at the Center for a New American Security.
Analysts tracking the ships were struck by the scale of the maneuvers, even given China’s record of mobilizing civilian boats, which has involved anchoring boats for weeks on contested reefs, for instance, to project Beijing’s claims in territorial disputes.
“The sight of that many vessels operating in concert is staggering,” said Mark Douglas, an analyst at Starboard, a company with offices in New Zealand and the United States. Mr. Douglas said that he and his colleagues had “never seen a formation of this size and discipline before.”
“The level of coordination to get that many vessels into a formation like this is significant,” he said.
The assembled boats held relatively steady positions, rather than sailing in patterns typical of fishing, such as paths that loop or go back and forth, analysts said. The ship-location data draws on navigation signals broadcast by the vessels.
The operations appeared to mark a bold step in China’s efforts to train fishing boats to gather en masse, in order to impede or monitor other countries’ ships, or to help Beijing assert its territorial claims by establishing a perimeter, said Mr. Wang of ingeniSPACE.
“They’re scaling up, and that scaling indicates their ability to do better command and control of civilian ships,” he said.
The Chinese government has not said anything publicly about the fishing boats’ activities. The ship-signals data appeared to be reliable and not “spoofed” — that is, manipulated to create false impressions of the boats’ locations — Mr. Wang and Mr. Douglas both said.
Researchers at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, when approached by The Times with these findings, confirmed that they had observed the same packs of boats with their own ship-location analysis.
“They are almost certainly not fishing, and I can’t think of any explanation that isn’t state-directed,” Gregory Poling, the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at C.S.I.S., wrote in emailed comments.
The fishing boats assembled in the East China Sea, near major shipping lanes that branch out from Shanghai, among the world’s busiest ports. Cargo ships crisscross the sea daily, including ones carrying Chinese exports to the United States.
These are maritime arteries that China would seek to control in a clash with the United States or its Asian allies, including in a possible crisis over Taiwan, the island-democracy that Beijing claims as its territory.
“My best guess is this was an exercise to see how the civilians would do if told to muster at scale in a future contingency, perhaps in support of quarantine, blockade, or other pressure tactics against Taiwan,” Mr. Poling wrote. A “quarantine” means a sea operation to seal off an area that is meant to fall short of an act of war.
The boat maneuvers in January took place shortly after Beijing held two days of military exercises around Taiwan, including practicing naval maneuvers to blockade the island. Beijing is also in a bitter dispute with Japan over its support for Taiwan.
The fishing boat operations could have been held to signal “opposition to Japan” or practice for possible confrontations with Japan or Taiwan, said Andrew S. Erickson, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College who studies China’s maritime activities. He noted that he spoke for himself, not for his college or the navy.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense and coast guard both declined to comment on the Chinese fishing boats, citing the need to protect their information-gathering capabilities.
Some of the fishing boats had taken part in previous maritime militia activities or belonged to fishing fleets known to be involved in militia activities, based on a scan of Chinese state media reports. China does not publish the names of most vessels in its maritime militia, making it difficult to identify the status of the boats involved.
But the tight coordination of the boats showed it was probably “an at-sea mobilization and exercise of maritime militia forces,” Professor Erickson said.
China has in recent years used maritime militia fishing boats in dozens or even hundreds to support its navy, sometimes by swarming, maneuvering dangerously close, and physically bumping other boats in disputes with other countries.
The recent massing of boats appeared to show that maritime militia units are becoming more organized and better equipped with navigation and communications technology.
“It does mark an improvement in their ability to marshal and control a large number of militia vessels,” said Mr. Henley, the former U.S. intelligence officer, who is now a non-resident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. “That’s one of the main challenges to making the maritime militia a useful tool for either combat support or sovereignty protection.”
Choe Sang-Hun contributed reporting from Seoul and Javier C. Hernández and Kiuko Notoya contributed reporting from Tokyo.
Data source: Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
About the data: We analyzed automatic identification systems (AIS) data of ships that broadcast positions near the formation in the 24-hour periods of Dec. 25, 2025 and Jan. 11, 2026 that either follow China’s fishing ship naming convention or are registered as China-flagged fishing vessels. Ships do not always transmit information and may transmit incorrect information. The positions shown in maps are last known positions at the specific times.
World
‘Brunello: The Gracious Visionary’ Trailer: Giuseppe Tornatore’s Documentary Shows the Rise of the King of Cashmere
“Brunello: The Gracious Visionary,” a documentary on fashion mogul Brunello Cucinelli from Oscar winner Giuseppe Tornatore, has released an official trailer ahead of its U.S. release.
The film, which combines interviews and archival footage with reenacted stories from Cucinelli’s life, documents the rise of the King of Cashmere. Starting out as the son of a farmer in Umbria, Italy, Cucinelli worked his way up in the fashion and business world to start a billion-dollar luxury clothing brand built on high-quality cashmere sweaters. Now beloved by celebrities and tech CEOs, Brunello Cucinelli has also come to represent something bigger: the philosophy of humanistic capitalism, which Cucinelli has embodied by placing the company’s headquarters in Solomeo, Italy and employing many of the town’s inhabitants.
“Blending documentary and fiction, ‘Brunello: The Gracious Visionary’ retraces the places and key moments of Brunello Cucinelli’s existential journey: from his childhood in the countryside to the village of Solomeo, which he transformed into a symbol of humanistic capitalism,” the film’s official synopsis reads. “Testimonies, archival footage and personal memories reveal a man who, from humble beginnings, built a world-renowned company while staying true to the values of dignity, beauty and social justice. The story concludes with the realization that dreams, when pursued with courage, are the true force guiding one’s destiny.”
In the reenactment portions of the documentary, Cucinelli is portrayed by “Love & Gelato” breakout Saul Nanni, who is also joined by Francesco Cannevale, Francesco Ferroni, Emma Fatone and Beatrice Carlani. Cucinelli produced the doc alongside Massimiliano Di Lodovico, and Blue Fox Entertainment will release the film in the U.S. and Canada on July 24.
Earlier this year, Variety took a trip to Solomeo to meet with Cucinelli and visit his headquarters, where employees are treated like family and overtime is forbidden. Much of his outlook on work came from his father’s experience working in factories after moving their family to Perugia.
“He would never complain about his wages or the fact that it was cold in the factory; what he did complain about was that he was being belittled,” Cucinelli said. “That really killed me … You see, human beings need dignity even more than they need bread.”
Watch the trailer below.
World
Bystanders hailed as ‘heroic’ after intervening in brutal knife attack by Sudanese migrant in UK
Bus torched as protest erupts after stabbing
Disorder flared in east Belfast after a stabbing attack sparked an anti-immigration demonstration. Police said a 30-year-old suspect has been charged with attempted murder and is due in court Wednesday. (PA Media via Reuters.)
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A man in his 40s was hospitalized with serious injuries after a brutal knife attack in Northern Ireland, as police arrested a Sudanese migrant on suspicion of attempted murder.
The attack happened shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday in north Belfast, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The victim suffered serious injuries to his face, neck, back and eyes, while police said they recovered what they believe was a kitchen knife at the scene.
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Video circulating online appeared to show members of the public confronting the attacker, including one person wielding a hurling stick. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson praised the bystanders as “heroic,” saying their intervention helped save the victim’s life, according to the BBC.
A Glider bus, set fire by protesters, on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast, as disorder flared during an anti-immigration demonstration organised in response to Monday night’s stabbing attack in the city. (PA via Reuters)
Police initially said the suspect was Somali but later corrected that he is believed to be Sudanese, describing the change as part of a “fast-time investigation.” Henderson said police understand the suspect came into Northern Ireland from Dublin, Ireland and had been granted leave to remain, though he said the Home Office would provide further clarity on his status.
On Monday evening, protesters burned down a bus as tensions rose in Belfast following the gruesome stabbing, despite earlier calls from authorities for calm.
BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND – JUNE 09: Police attend the scene following a stabbing attack in North Belfast on June 09, 2026 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A knifeman has been arrested after a man was taken to hospital with serious injuries following a stabbing in north Belfast leaving the local community fearful. The incident has been condemned across the political parties offering praise to locals who intervened to stop the attack. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
“At this stage, we have no information to suggest that this was a terrorist-related incident,” Henderson said, while stressing that the investigation remains in its early stages. “However, I must stress, we are still at the early stages of our investigation,” he said, according to The Sun.
Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that the attack exposed what he described as failures in Britain’s immigration system.
“Britain’s broken border and migration system has been put into stark relief once more with this tragic — and entirely avoidable — case,” Mendoza said. “This man should never ever have been in the U.K., let alone been granted ‘leave to remain.’ The Irish border is the soft underbelly for a process the British public has long since lost confidence in, as well as in those administering it politically. Nothing short of a revolution in who we allow into the U.K. and how will satisfy a people fed up with false promises about immigration change.”
ILLEGAL ALIEN MURDER SUSPECT AVOIDED SYSTEM AS ICE PUSHES DEM GOVERNOR TO KEEP HIM LOCKED UP
Police work at the scene of a stabbing on Kinnaird Avenue in north Belfast, Northern Ireland, on June 9, 2026. Northern Ireland police said Tuesday they had arrested a man following a “stabbing incident” in Belfast, with graphic online video prompting widespread condemnation and protest calls from UK far-right figures. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the arrested man was in his 30s, believed to be Somali, and had been detained on suspicion of attempted murder following the “serious assault involving a knife”. (Photo by Paul Faith / AFP via Getty Images)
The swift response from Prime Minister Keir Starmer marked a notable contrast with the case of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old who was stabbed and then handcuffed by police after his attacker accused him of making racist remarks. Starmer faced criticism from some conservatives over his response to that case.
Keir Starmer, UK prime minister, during a news conference providing an update on the situation in the Middle East, at Downing Street in London, UK, on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Tolga Akmen/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Starmer quickly posted on X that the attack was “sickening,” adding: “I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.” He said his thoughts were with the victim and thanked first responders, including members of the public who intervened.
The attack prompted political reaction across the U.K. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called on authorities to reveal the suspect’s identity and immigration status.
“What happened in Belfast last night is horrific. The authorities must reveal the identity and status of the attacker immediately. The public are entitled to the truth,” Farage wrote on X.
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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks during a press conference in Westminster, United Kingdom on June 10, 2025. ( Thomas Krych/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Robert Jenrick also wrote on X: “We’ve woken up to truly barbaric footage on a street in Belfast. Of a kind you’d think you’d never see in this country. For years now I’ve urged the police to spell out the basic, sober facts, as they have them, when there are horrors like this.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said people would ask whether there had been “failings around our borders,” according to GB News.
Northern Ireland’s main political parties issued a joint statement condemning the violence and urging the public not to share graphic footage of the attack.
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“There is no place in our society for this kind of brutality. Our immediate thoughts are with the victim and his family, and we hope he makes a full and complete recovery,” the parties said, according to GB News.
Police said they had declared a critical incident and would increase their presence across Northern Ireland amid calls for protests. Officials urged calm and asked the public to allow the investigation to proceed.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has confirmed that the Gordie Howe International Bridge — a new six-lane thoroughfare that will connect Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario — will open by the end of the week.
The announcement comes despite threats to the contrary from United States President Donald Trump, who promised earlier this year that the bridge would not open without concessions from Canada.
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Speaking briefly to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Carney dodged questions about any behind-the-scenes negotiations with Trump. Instead, he focused on praising the bridge as a feat of cross-border collaboration.
“It’s positive news. Obviously, the bridge will be open at the end of the week,” Carney said, calling the bridge a “symbol but also a fact of cooperation between” the US and Canada.
“It’s great for Canadians going across the border, Americans coming across the border, and for commerce. And I just want to salute those who constructed it on both sides, and looking forward to getting it done.”
But the bridge’s fate was thrown into doubt in February, after Trump published a social media message framing the construction as a means of exploiting the US.
His remarks echoed criticisms raised by the Moroun family, who own the nearby Ambassador Bridge, another artery connecting the US and Canada.
The family has denounced the Gordie Howe Bridge as unfair competition, and it has sued to stop the project.
It also led an advertising campaign during Trump’s first term to kill the bridge, framing the structure as un-American.
Unlike the Ambassador Bridge, which is privately held, the Gordie Howe Bridge is slated to be co-owned by the governments of Canada and Michigan.
In February’s social media post, however, Trump falsely depicted the construction project as a Canadian-only enterprise.
“Imagine, Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They own both the Canada and the United States side,” Trump wrote.
“Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’ What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING!”
Trump proceeded to threaten to block the completion of the bridge, which was in its final stages. He added that Canada should give the US government “at least one half of this asset”.
“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” Trump said.
The threat caused yet another spike in US-Canada tensions. Since taking office for a second term, Trump has repeatedly berated Canada for what he calls unfair trade practices, and he has pressured the country to cede its sovereignty to the US.
That pressure continued into this month, with Trump reiterating his call for Canada to become the US’s “51st state” in a June 1 post on Truth Social.
Traditionally, Canada and the US have had close relations, and their two economies are bound tightly together.
As of 2024, Canada was the largest destination for US exports. Trade between the two countries that year was estimated to top $909.1bn, according to the US government. And nearly half of Canada’s goods reportedly came from its southern neighbour.
But shortly after his second inauguration, Trump ignited a trade war by imposing steep tariffs on Canada, which he criticised for allegedly having a lax border policy. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs, some of which have since been repealed — but others remain.
Trump’s far-reaching global tariff campaign has hit multiple setbacks in US courts, but his administration has continued to forge ahead, looking for different legal arguments to justify the import taxes.
Most recently, the Trump administration has proposed using the Trade Act of 1974 to impose tariffs on 60 countries it accuses of relying on forced labour. Canada is among that number.
Carney has responded to the fraying relations between the US and Canada by calling for a coalition of “middle powers” to stand up to the “great powers” of the world.
Canada, Mexico and the US are currently in the middle of renegotiating a free trade agreement struck during Trump’s first term in 2020.
Before it became a political football, the Gordie Howe Bridge had been held up as a symbol of cross-border partnership.
The agreement to start the project was reached in 2012, and in 2017, Trump issued a joint statement with then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying he looked forward to its “expeditious completion”.
The project has cost roughly $6.4bn, and the construction, which began in 2018, took roughly seven years.
Named for a celebrated Canadian hockey player who spent many years playing for the professional team in Detroit, the Gordie Howe Bridge is designed to ease supply chains, reduce traffic and increase trade between the US and Canada.
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