World
China seeks to ‘wear down Taiwan’s reliance’ with covert economic and cyber operations, US wargamers say
KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN – Over the next few years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will continue to target democratic, self-ruled Taiwan with “gray zone” tactics and an “anaconda” strategy—slow-strangulation efforts that seek to force Taipei to bow to Beijing without drastic measures such as an invasion.
Experts say China will escalate its efforts to disrupt the island’s economy by targeting critical industries and infrastructure and scale-up covert cyberwar operations that provide Beijing with just enough cover to maintain plausible deniability.
A recent U.S. wargame team from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a nonpartisan research institute, visited Taiwan in early August to hold the first-ever tabletop exercise focusing on economic and cybercoercion from China against Taiwan. The FDD team pointed out that the cost of launching a cyberattack, for example, is significantly lower than the cost of defending against it. This asymmetry allows China to exert considerable pressure on Taiwan without triggering a direct U.S. military response.
TAIWAN REACTS TO TRUMP’S THEY ‘SHOULD PAY US FOR DEFENSE’ COMMENTS
Black Hawk helicopters prepare to land at Taoyuan International Airport as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercise in Taoyuan, Taiwan, in July 2023. (Reuters/Ann Wang)
Local experts agree that Taiwan has its work cut out for it in defending against cyberwarfare and disinformation campaigns, especially at a time when artifical intelligence is making “truth” much harder to define.
A trailer for a soon-to-be-released Taiwanese television series that dramatizes a People’s Liberation Army attack on Taiwan has surprised some here with its portrayals of deep fake videos, as well as massive cyberattacks that take over electronic billboards across the island and display false info.
The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army performs a flag-raising ceremony at Bayi Square to celebrate the 97th anniversary on China’s Army Day on Aug. 1, 2024 in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province of China. (Ma Yue/VCG via Getty Images)
RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, the FDD’s senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, took part in the Taiwan wargames. In an online talk to the media shortly after returning to the United States, he noted Taiwan faces challenges with economic continuity. “How do you keep things going during a series of interlaced critical infrastructure failures? Where electrical power drives a problem with financial services, things like that.”
Dean Karalekas, author of “Civil-Military Relations in Taiwan: Identity and Transformation,” told Fox News Digital that “The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been something of a double-edged sword in terms of Taiwanese preparedness.” Karalekas pointed out that, on the one hand, it has opened many people’s eyes to the realistic likelihood that Chinese President Xi Jinping will follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s lead and make good on his promises to annex the island, and the Taiwanese have taken it upon themselves to train in preparation. Karalekas was not involved in the tabletop exercise.
Taiwanese soldiers are deployed during a war and disaster drill as part of the annual Wan-An Air Raid Drill, at a seaport in New Taipei, Taiwan, on July 23, 2024. The drill, which coincides with the annual Han Kuang Exercise, is a joint exercise by nearly 2,000 individuals from government agencies including the military, fire fighting and rescue services. (Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images)
On the other hand, Karalekas and other experts agree that many of the skills some in Taiwan are developing are designed to survive kinetic combat of the sort seen in Ukraine – combat, Karalekas and others think, is very unlikely. “It is far more likely that China will begin with a blockade, and soften up the Taiwanese citizenry by depriving them of food, electricity, and all the other imports upon which their economy, and their lives, depend,” Karalekas opined. “No one can read Xi’s mind, but this seems more likely—and more likely to succeed—than an all-out invasion of the sort Putin launched.”
FOR CHINA’S MILITARY PLANNERS, TAIWAN IS NOT AN EASY ISLAND TO INVADE
Tawianese soldiers on board an amphibious ferrying vehicle release oil drums onto Tamsui River during river defense exercise as part of the annual Han Kuang military drill in New Taipei, Taiwan, on July 22, 2024. (Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The U.S.-Taiwan Partnership: A Crucial Factor
In both Taipei and Washington, there is a consensus that both U.S. political parties are committed to supporting Taiwan’s defense, which poses the largest deterrent to China. However, suggestions for improvements include a more entrepreneurial approach to military hardware and software procurement.
Taiwan’s defense budget is constrained by the fact that it can – realistically – only purchase equipment from the U.S. However, the experts said, if smaller, innovative companies were added to the list of those supplying Taiwan’s military, the island could receive necessary tools for asymmetric defense faster and perhaps also cheaper.
Taiwan and US subject matter experts take briefing on Chinese economic coercion moves in initial stage of multi-move tabletop exercise in Taipei. ( TABF (Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance).)
A roughly 100-mile stretch of water separates China from Taiwan, and as Matt Pottinger suggested in a recent book, titled “The Boiling Moat,” Taiwan and its major ally, the United States, should look for more innovative ways to turn the Taiwan Strait into a death trap for any PRC invasion attempt.
Put simply, it is easy to neutralize a few submarines, but much harder to kill thousands of small, “kamikaze” drone subs that could swarm Chinese ships and vessels, sending them to the bottom of the shallow Taiwan Strait long before they reach the shores of Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Internal Challenges: Reserves and Energy
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command launches large-scale joint military exercises around Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft in China on May 24, 2024. (Photo by Feng Hao / PLA / China Military/Anadolu via Getty Images)
U.S. and Taiwanese experts agree that reforming Taiwan’s military reserves is essential. At present, they are insufficiently trained and sorely ill-equipped. Building a robust reserve force is no easy feat, however, and will require a multi-year plan backed by significant financial resources and political will.
INSPIRED BY UKRAINE, TAIWAN SEEKS TO BOLSTER MILITARY PREPAREDNESS AS CHINA THREAT CONTINUES
Taiwan’s reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) was also singled out by the FDD team as a potential weakness. Around 40% of Taiwan’s power generation is fueled by LNG, and the country has only a reported 10-plus-day inventory. The fact that Taiwan’s LNG must be transported by sea, means that no matter if it comes from Australia, a U.S. ally, or Qatar, generally seen as more pro-China, LNG shipments are vulnerable to a maritime blockade or “quarantine.”
Complicating matters, the Democratic Progressive Party, which has ruled Taiwan since 2016, refused to extend the life of Taiwan’s existing nuclear energy reactors (the last of which will go offline in 2025) and has instead pledged resources toward wind and solar. However, green power sources may not provide meaningful or resilient power, as FDD China Program Director Craig Singelton pointed out in the same previously-mentioned media briefing, “I think it’s quite clear in every war game I’ve ever participated in … that Chinese pilots use the wind turbines for target practice.”
The November 2024 Election’s Impact: A Looming Question
The FDD team noted that some Taiwanese officials are concerned about the potential impact of the upcoming U.S. presidential election and worry about the possibility of a more transactional approach from a second Trump administration. Former President Donald Trump made headlines not long ago for saying that Taiwan should “pay us” for defense and that Taiwan “doesn’t give us anything.”
Trump is known to use hyperbolic statements to help convey his insistence that allies – from Taiwan to NATO – contribute more financially to defense. Members of the U.S. wargame team suggested that Taiwan should proactively address the concerns raised by the former president about its defense budget, essentially “showing the receipts” in a public manner to showcase its previous spending while continuing to commit to increased spending, all while gently reminding the U.S. public and Washington of the benefits of a strong U.S.-Taiwan partnership.
MADRID (AP) — A large wildfire in the south of France prompted Tour de France organizers to ban fans on Monday from attending the finale of the third stage of the cycling showpiece race.
After a couple of days in Spain, the race entered France with a stage to the Pyrenees town of Les Angles, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from a fire that has burned almost 1,821 hectares (4,500 acres) of land.
Tour de France organizers said the large wildfire currently in the Pyrénées-Orientales required a large mobilization of wildfire-fighting resources, internal security forces, and other government agencies.
“The top priority remains the protection of people, property, and natural areas, as well as bringing the fire under control,” authorities said.
As a result, organizers decided that once the peloton reaches France for the last 40 kilometers (25 miles), the publicity caravan — a 10-kilometer (6-mile) procession of sponsor vehicles that precedes the race — would not be able to operate.
Only riders and vehicles essential to the race would be allowed on the route, and spectators were asked not to gather on the roadside or at the finish area.
Stage 3 started from the Spanish town of Granollers, where temperatures reached around 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), race organizers said, quoting the Spanish Meteorological Agency.
Nearly 700 firefighters were battling the blaze, which led authorities on Sunday night to order the evacuation of more than two dozen villages.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing severe heatwaves across Europe.
Scores of wildfires break out in Greece
In Greece, 96 wildfires had broken out over the past 48 hours, the country’s government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said Monday. The vast majority were quickly brought under control before they could spread, he said.
Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, especially in southeastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to health impacts and wildfires.
The most significant fire broke out Sunday afternoon in the Mandra area west of the capital, Athens. Authorities deployed 29 aircraft and more than 200 firefighters in a race to tame the blaze before nightfall, when firefighting planes can no longer operate. By Monday, the fire had abated, although it had not been fully extinguished.
Several parts of the country were listed as being at a high or very high risk of wildfires on Monday due to strong winds. One wildfire that broke out in the southern island of Crete triggered evacuation orders for a village near the town of Ierapetra. The blaze, which was burning through mainly agricultural land, was being fanned by strong winds, the fire department said.
Another heatwave in Spain and Portugal
In the Iberian Peninsula, another surge in heat spread across Spain and Portugal, where hundreds of firefighters were also working to contain wildfires.
Spain’s weather agency AEMET warned that a heatwave that began Sunday would endure at least until Thursday, bringing elevated daytime and nighttime temperatures. Across much of Spain, including the capital Madrid, daytime highs were expected to range between 37 C and 42 C (99 F and 108 F) on Monday and Tuesday.
Overnight conditions were also forecast to be uncomfortably hot, with temperatures easily exceeding 20 C (68 F) — which scientists refer to as ‘tropical nights’. This means people might not be recovering properly from daytime heat in the overnight hours.
In Portugal, inland locations saw temperatures soar Monday, while coastal Lisbon also baked under temperatures reaching 33 C (91 F). Temperatures were expected to drop later in the week.
___
Associated Press writers John Leicester in Paris and Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report
World
Zelenskyy pressures US and Europe for more ‘air defense’ assistance amid ongoing war with Russia
Former NATO ambassador credits Trump for historic NATO defense spending
Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker discusses the upcoming NATO Summit in Turkey, which President Donald Trump will attend. Volker highlights Trump’s focus on increased defense spending from allies and the challenges of promoting unity within the alliance, especially following the Iran operation. He emphasizes NATO’s historical role in deterring aggression and its support for the U.S. after 9/11.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pressuring the U.S. and Europe to provide more missiles to help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks.
“Last night, Kyiv came under a massive Russian attack. Russia launched 68 missiles and 351 attack drones,” Zelenskyy noted in part of a Monday post on X.
President Donald Trump is slated to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, Turkey, this week.
Zelenskyy is calling for the U.S. and European allies to emerge from the meeting “with strong decisions in support of” Ukraine’s “air defense.”
TRUMP CALLS OUT NATO AHEAD OF SUMMIT, CALLING IT ‘RIDICULOUS’ FOR US TO PERSIST ON ‘ONE SIDED PATH’
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference after meetings with the heads of the EU and Ireland, in Dublin on July 1, 2026. (Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our warriors performed well today in intercepting drones and cruise missiles, but unfortunately not Russian ballistic missiles. And the reason lies in the insufficient supply of interceptor missiles. It is critically important that the world – first and foremost the United States and our European partners – come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense, and thus the protection of ordinary people’s lives,” he noted in the post.
WORLD LEADERS, DIGNITARIES PAY TRIBUTE TO AMERICA ON HISTORIC 250TH BIRTHDAY
President Donald Trump walks to Air Force One as he departs Bismarck Municipal Airport on July 1, 2026, in North Dakota. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror,” he asserted.
Zelenskyy’s comments come amid the years-long war between Russia and Ukraine.
RUSSIAN GENERALS’ ASSASSINATIONS EXPOSE GROWING RIFT INSIDE PUTIN’S SECURITY APPARATUS
Large banners on an office complex near the Presidential Palace, the venue for the NATO summit, in Ankara, Turkey, on Monday, July 6, 2026. (Kerem Uzel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Reuters reported that Zelenskyy, new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to have dinner with NATO leaders on Tuesday.
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Hungary’s opposition Fidesz party has called for a demonstration on Thursday after Prime Minister Péter Magyar submitted a constitutional amendment to remove the country’s president, Tamás Sulyok.
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Magyar, who won a landslide victory in April’s election, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power, has repeatedly called for the removal of the official appointed by his predecessor, whom he calls “Orbán’s puppet”.
Magyar’s amendment, filed on Saturday, states that “the mandate of the incumbent President of the Republic shall terminate on the day following the entry into force of the amendment to the Fundamental Law”.
The governing Tisza Party holds a supermajority in parliament, meaning the amendment is expected to pass. According to sources in the Hungarian parliament, the vote could take place as early as next week, but this has not been officially confirmed.
The constitutional changes would also remove four constitutional judges by setting their retirement age at 70, and limit parliamentary deputies to a 12-year mandate.
President Sulyok has said he has no intention of resigning, describing Magyar’s move as a threat to democracy.
“The question is whether this force will sweep away internationally recognised and required principles of the rule of law, as well as genuine representative democracy,” Sulyok said in a statement on Sunday.
Magyar pledged repeatedly during his election campaign to remove the president from office. He argues that Sulyok failed to fulfil his constitutional duties and did not stand up for opposition supporters during Orbán’s time in power.
“Viktor Orbán failed the Hungarian people, and Tamás Sulyok, whom he appointed, failed the Hungarian Republic,” Magyar said in June.
Fidesz has said the president’s removal would pave the way for tyranny, and has called for a demonstration on Thursday in support of Sulyok.
“The Tisza Party crosses all boundaries – human, moral and legal,” said Orbán. “Hungarian voters did not authorise this.”
The opposition argues that Sulyok was elected in accordance with the constitution, and that his removal would amount to personalised legislation.
A delegation from the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, an advisory body specialising in constitutional affairs, visited Hungary last week and met both the president and government officials. Its findings have not yet been made public.
The European Commission has said it is monitoring the constitutional amendment process in Hungary.
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