In Beijing, Who’s the Real Big Boss 大佬 ? (Hint: Not Putin)

China’s parade flaunted strength — but the Salt Typhoon hack, spanning 80 countries, showed the real power play: Beijing, not Moscow, calls the shots.

🔒 Subscriber Note

The parade and the unprecedented Salt Typhoon cyberattack reveal how China is flexing both hard and hidden power — scroll down for my full analysis, available exclusively to World Briefing Plus readers…..

China has hacked into American power grids and companies for decades, stealing sensitive files and intellectual property such as chip designs as it seeks to gain an edge over the United States. But a sweeping cyberattack by a group known as Salt Typhoon is China’s most ambitious yet, experts and officials have concluded after a year of investigating it. It targeted more than 80 countries and may have stolen information from nearly every American, officials said. They see it as evidence that China’s capabilities rival those of the United States and its allies. The Salt Typhoon attack was a years-long, coordinated assault that infiltrated major telecommunications companies and others, investigators said in a highly unusual joint statement last week. The range of the attack was far greater than originally understood, and security officials warned that the stolen data could allow Chinese intelligence services to exploit global communication networks to track targets including politicians, spies and activists. Hackers sponsored by the Chinese government “are targeting networks globally, including, but not limited to, telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and military infrastructure networks,” the statement said. British and American officials have described the attack as “unrestrained” and “indiscriminate.” Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain were also signatories to the statement, which was part of a name-and-shame effort directed at the Chinese government. “I can’t imagine any American was spared given the breadth of the campaign,” said Cynthia Kaiser, a former top official in the F.B.I.’s cyber division, who oversaw investigations into the hacking. It was unclear whether the Salt Typhoon hack was intended to store ordinary people’s data or if that data was incidentally swept up in the attack. But its scope was broader than previous hacks, in which China more narrowly targeted Westerners working on security or other sensitive government issues, Ms. Kaiser said. The Salt Typhoon hack could signal a new era of Chinese cyber capabilities that will test its strategic rivals, including the United States, security experts said. It highlights China’s ambitions for global influence, which were on display on Wednesday at an elaborate military parade in Beijing that featured fighter jets, tanks and thousands of troops marching across Tiananmen Square - NYT

“In many ways, Salt Typhoon marks a new chapter… Today, we see patient, state-backed campaigns burrowed deep into the infrastructure of more than 80 countries, characterized by a high level of technical sophistication, patience and persistence” - Jennifer Ewbank, the former C.I.A. deputy director for digital innovation

Live from Odesa — My France 24 Interview
Today I joined France 24 to provide perspective from the ground here in Odesa on the hybrid gathering of leaders in the so-called “Coalition of the Willing,” chaired by President Emmanuel Macron - even as he faces a political crisis at home that could topple his government and cast doubt on Paris’ future support for Ukraine. We also explored whether Donald Trump can be trusted to backstop coalition efforts in a post-war Ukraine, the implications of India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, and more. I’ve included the full France 24 package, with reporting from their excellent correspondents, for added context.

Twenty-six countries have signed up to contribute to Ukraine's security after any ceasefire or peace deal with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday. "We have today 26 countries who have formally committed – some others have not yet taken a position – to deploy as a 'reassurance force' troops in Ukraine, or be present on the ground, in the sea, or in the air," Macron told reporters after a meeting of Kyiv allies in Paris on Thursday. He added that "this force does not seek to wage any war on Russia". European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gathered in a new effort to pile pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin after he vowed Russia will fight on in Ukraine if no peace deal is reached. The summit, co-chaired by the leaders of France and the UK, aimed to firm up plans on security guarantees for Ukraine if or when there is a ceasefire, and get a clearer picture of US involvement. However, Russia has heaped scorn on such assurances, and Putin himself has said Moscow is willing to "resolve all our tasks militarily" in the absence of an agreement. Macron said the details of the guarantees were extremely confidential" but the "preparation was completed" at an earlier meeting of defence ministers. European leaders have been tight-lipped about the nature of the guarantees, which are expected to include the deployment of European troops to Ukraine, training and "backstop" support from the United States.

France's prime minister is likely to be ousted — again — and political turmoil risks delaying the country's pledge to boost defense spending, amid increasing worry about the Russia threat and Donald Trump's commitment to European security. If French lawmakers topple François Bayrou on Monday as expected, the overall direction of higher military spending will be slowed, but it's not likely to be scrapped. However, the country's focus on its domestic troubles comes in sharp contrast with French President Emmanuel Macron's push for leadership on the global stage. On Thursday, he co-chairs alongside U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer a meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of countries working on security guarantees for Ukraine in case of a ceasefire with Russia. "There is a huge gap between the international context, which is still very bad with the war in Ukraine, and the internal French situation which seems disconnected from these issues," said Guillaume Lagane, an expert on defense policy and a teacher at the Sciences Po public research university. "There is a strategic signaling problem; we are not conveying the right message to our adversaries and allies," he stressed, adding: "Our allies are moving forward [with their military buildup], and we're not." If Bayrou is voted out next week, it'll be the second time in less than a year that a French prime minister is toppled by the National Assembly, after Michel Barnier's fall in December. "Once again, there is uncertainty," conceded French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu last week when asked about the impact of Monday's vote on the country's military ramp-up. Lecornu is one of the front-runners to replace Bayrou should he be ousted - Politico

---

At least 16 people have been killed after a funicular tram derailed in the Portuguese capital Lisbon derailed on Wednesday. Portuguese officials say the electric streetcar, which violently crashed into a building, also injured several others, including five in critical condition. Four Portuguese nationals, two Germans and one Korean citizen are among the fatalities, authorities said on Thursday. Local media reported a German family-of-three were on board, with the father dying at the scene. The mother is in critical condition in hospital and a three-year-old boy suffered minor injuries. 17 people were initially reported dead, but that was later revised down to 16 as officials had duplicated the case of one person who died in hospital. The yellow-and-white streetcar, which travels up and down a steep city hill, was lying on its side on the narrow road that it travels along, Portuguese television showed. Its sides and top were partially crumpled. Several dozen emergency workers were at the scene responding to the tragic accident on Wednesday. The cause of the accident was not immediately known, but officials suspect it was probably due to a broken cable. The crash reportedly occurred at the start of the evening rush hour, at around 6 pm local time - Euronews

Scientists are hailing promising breakthroughs in the fight against cancer, with one new therapy appearing to kill tumors without damaging healthy flesh. Novartis’s radioligand therapy targets mutations in tumors, delivering radiation only where it is needed, unlike ordinary radiotherapy which kills non-cancerous cells as well as cancerous ones. In a trial, the Novartis treatment removed all disease from 21% of patients whose cancers had spread around the body, which an oncologist told The New York Times was “never seen before.” In other progress in the fight against cancer, The Economist reported that scientists are attempting to prevent the disease by boosting the metabolism of non-cancerous cells so they grow faster, “levelling the arms race between unhealthy and healthy cells.” - Semafor

---

Exclusive Hot Take for Paid Subscribers
Straight off the back of my taped interview with Times Radio London this morning, I sat down to record a candid hot-take analysis of today’s gathering in Paris of the so-called Coalition of the Willing. I also dive into Beijing’s latest show of military muscle — where the CCP paraded its cutting-edge hardware and Xi Jinping made clear to autocrats and adversaries alike who the real 大老板 (Big Boss) is. This is the kind of fast, insider commentary you won’t find anywhere else — only here for World Briefing Plus subscribers……