Welcome back to The Restricted Handling Podcast, where global power plays meet straight talk. In today’s episode — “RH 11.12.25 | China: Purges, Power Grids & the Fantasy Dragon” — we’re diving deep into another explosive 24 hours inside and around China’s orbit. Xi Jinping’s latest round of military purges is shaking the core of Beijing’s nuclear command, while cyber warfare, trade drama, and stealth drones are redefining what “competition” really means in the 21st century.

We kick off with Xi’s purge of the Rocket Force, the elite branch managing China’s nuclear arsenal. Think of it as China’s version of “cleaning house” — except the house is armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles. Generals are vanishing, corruption probes are spreading, and the world is watching to see if Xi can actually keep his finger on a nuclear button controlled by people he doesn’t trust. It’s a fascinating, unnerving glimpse into how fragile power can look at the top of an authoritarian system.

Meanwhile, the Trump–Xi truce saga continues to unfold. The two leaders’ “soybeans for sanctions” deal has left Beijing looking smug and Washington looking stalled. As Trump pauses port fees and tariffs, China’s shipyards continue to dominate global production, pumping out nearly two-thirds of the world’s major vessels while U.S. shipyards fight for relevance. Add to that General Motors’ new order for thousands of suppliers to ditch China by 2027, and we’ve got a full-blown industrial divorce in motion — messy, expensive, and geopolitically charged.

But the real battleground right now? Technology and cyber power. China’s chip shortage has reached critical mass, with the government rationing semiconductors like wartime rations. Engineers are smuggling Nvidia parts, hacking together Frankenstein data centers, and burning through enough power to light half of Shanghai. On the other side of the digital fence, Australian intelligence says Chinese hackers — specifically the Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon groups — are mapping critical infrastructure for potential sabotage. The espionage era has officially gone kinetic.

We also bring updates on Japan’s tense standoff with China over Taiwan, Beijing’s expanding diplomatic courtship of Spain, Germany, and Thailand, and a jaw-dropping new reveal: China’s GJ-11 “Fantasy Dragon” stealth combat drone flying alongside the J-20 stealth fighter — a message to the world that even amid internal chaos, Beijing’s military tech ambitions aren’t slowing down.

From cyber leaks to carrier fleets, this episode connects the dots between power, paranoia, and projection in China’s latest global moves. If you want to understand where the next flashpoint might spark — this is the one you don’t skip.

Tune in, stay sharp, and never underestimate how fast Beijing’s story can change overnight.