Guo Jiakun

Force in Play

Condemned U.S. tariff threats against countries supporting Cuba

The United States has imposed economic pressure on Cuba for 64 years. Now, for the first time, Washington is threatening to punish any country that sells oil to the island. President Trump's January 29 executive order creates a tariff mechanism targeting third countries that supply Cuban fuel—a significant escalation that goes beyond traditional bilateral sanctions to coerce allies and trading partners into joining an energy blockade. The strategy has proven devastatingly effective: Cuba's national power grid collapsed entirely on March 17, 2026, leaving approximately 10 million people without electricity and triggering street protests across the island, the most visible civil unrest in years. Partial restoration occurred on March 18 after 29 hours, but the blackout deepened shortages of food, medicine, and water, including the vandalization of a Cuban Communist Party provincial office in Morón. On March 21, Cuba blocked a US Embassy request to import diesel for generators, escalating diplomatic tensions amid ongoing rolling blackouts.

Updated 5 days ago

Rule Changes

Rejected the Pentagon's Confucius Institutes designation on October 26, 2026

The Pentagon designated Chinese-funded Confucius Institutes a national security threat on October 23, 2026, after saying it had dismantled 80 programs that re-formed under new names at 30 US universities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called them "propaganda cells" with "the same mission: to steal intellectual property and to infiltrate the minds of American students."

Updated Oct 29

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Active

Chinese-made vehicles are being systematically excluded from Western military installations. Poland became the latest NATO member to ban them from all military bases on February 19, 2026, joining Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States in treating modern cars as potential intelligence collection platforms. The bans target the cameras, microphones, sensors, and connectivity features standard in contemporary vehicles—systems that can capture and transmit photos, audio, video, and geolocation data.

Updated May 29

Money Moves

As of May 2026: Voicing Beijing's opposition

The United States produced 37% of the world's semiconductors in 1990, but by 2024 that share had fallen below 10%, with Taiwan manufacturing over 90% of the most advanced chips. A $500 billion US-Taiwan trade framework was initiated with a January 16, 2026 memorandum and formally signed February 12.

Updated May 21

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Escalated Beijing’s messaging in an official MFA transcript, explicitly labeling Taiwan the ‘first red line’ and signaling unspecified retaliatory measures.

The record Taiwan arms tranche (about $11.1B across eight DSCA notifications) is now in the congressional review lane. Taiwan's Defense Ministry and presidential office emphasized the buys are contingent on legislative funding. Local reporting shows five of eight cases sit in a pending NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget — meaning the political fight in Taipei throttles how fast the package moves from 'possible sale' to signed LOAs.

Updated May 15