Welcome back to The Restricted Handling Podcast — your daily, high-energy brief on the world’s biggest geopolitical moves. In today’s episode, we’re taking you straight into orbit (literally) as China’s Shenzhou-20 mission runs into serious trouble after a hit from space debris. Beijing’s astronauts are stuck waiting while mission control scrambles to assess the damage, turning China’s dream of flawless space dominance into a high-stakes waiting game. From space junk to political junk — the hits just keep coming.

We’ve also got new twists in Xi Jinping’s sweeping military purge. Yesterday we told you about the cleanup inside the People’s Liberation Army — today, the crackdown’s going deeper. The military’s top anti-corruption boss, Zhang Shengmin, is now the new vice chair of the Central Military Commission, putting the disciplinarians in charge of the generals. Meanwhile, General Zhang Youxia is out there warning about “fake loyalty” and “two-faced men.” In plain English? Xi’s running out of people he trusts. The PLA’s now as much about internal control as external readiness — and that paranoia shows.

But it’s not all politics — the tech show goes on. China just rolled out its first combat test using “wolf robots” — yes, four-legged robot dogs leading a simulated beach assault on Taiwan. It looks like something out of Black Mirror meets Call of Duty, but with the added charm of being state-funded. Add in a new shape-shifting hypersonic missile prototype, and you’ve got a country flexing its high-tech muscles even as it stumbles over its own space hardware.

Trade tensions are simmering, too. Trump’s much-hyped tariff truce with Xi is starting to look shaky — U.S. firms like Matson are still paying millions in port fees while China keeps its 13% tariff on soybeans. “Win-win” cooperation? Not exactly.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s accusing China of breaking its APEC promises, Japan’s shadowing a Chinese spy ship circling its islands, and the Philippines is pushing forward with plans to buy South Korean submarines to keep up with the region’s arms race. Even Australia’s spy chief is warning that foreign interference — read: China — is at record highs.

From robot dogs to spy ships, space debris to diplomatic drama, today’s episode captures the full spectrum of China’s power plays — bold on the surface, brittle underneath. Tune in for the full breakdown, sharp analysis, and just the right amount of swagger.

The Restricted Handling Podcast — where geopolitics meets adrenaline.