Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Questions continue to swirl over China’s latest nuclear-capable missile test, after conflicting navigation warnings appeared to point to two different flight paths — one over Japan and another across the Philippines towards the South Pacific. While Beijing insists the launch was a routine exercise conducted with advance notice, the confusion itself has fueled concern across the region. Critics argue the issue is not that China tested a missile, but whether it provided enough transparency to reduce the risk of miscalculation during a nuclear-capable launch. At the same time, the episode highlighted growing intelligence cooperation among the United States, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and the Philippines as they tracked the missile’s trajectory. Why did China appear to prepare two possible launch routes — and what message was Beijing trying to send? In this episode, we examine what happened, why the launch sparked such a strong reaction and what it reveals about deterrence and security in the Indo-Pacific.
*Recorded on July 14, 2026 at 11am Taiwan Standard Time
Host/Senior Producer: Yin Khvat
Producer: Miguel Yang
Research Assistant: April Lin
Our guests:
Grant Newsham
- Retired US Marine Corps Colonel
K. Tristan Tang
- Taiwan Defense Studies Initiative Co-Founder
Ryan Claffey
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Indo-Pacific Security Program Research Assistant
Chapters:
00:00:00 – Questions Linger After China’s Test
00:01:33 – China Announces Contradictory Missile Paths
00:15:07 – Beijing Eschews Global Norms
#ChinaMissileTest #BeijingArmsTesting #ChinaDefense #BallisticMissile #MissileTest #ArmsTesting #GlobalSecurity #IndoPacific #SouthChinaSea #PacificOcean #Geopolitics #DefenseNews #InternationalRelations #NuclearDeterrence #NuclearTriad #SLBM #SubmarineLaunch #PLA #PLANavy #PacificSecurity #SouthPacific #USChinaRelations #ArmsRace #GlobalNorms #StrategicDefense #NationalSecurity #SecurityNews #DefensePolicy #MissileTrajectory #WeaponsTesting #ArmsControl #RegionalStability #NuclearProliferation #HCOC #StrategicCompetition #GeopoliticalTension #AsiaPacific #ForeignPolicy #WorldNews #BreakingDefense #DefenseIndustry #SubmarineForce #JL3 #JL2 #DefenseStrategy #GeopoliticalRisk #MilitaryTech #WarfareTechnology #ChinaMilitary #MissileLaunch #PacificTension #DefenseTechnology #StrategicRisk #TaiwanPlus #TaiwanTalks
Questions continue to swirl over China’s latest nuclear-capable missile test, after conflicting navigation warnings appeared to point to two different flight paths — one over Japan and another across the Philippines towards the South Pacific. While Beijing insists the launch was a routine exercise conducted with advance notice, the confusion itself has fueled concern across the region. Critics argue the issue is not that China tested a missile, but whether it provided enough transparency to reduce the risk of miscalculation during a nuclear-capable launch. At the same time, the episode highlighted growing intelligence cooperation among the United States, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and the Philippines as they tracked the missile’s trajectory. Why did China appear to prepare two possible launch routes — and what message was Beijing trying to send? In this episode, we examine what happened, why the launch sparked such a strong reaction and what it reveals about deterrence and security in the Indo-Pacific.
*Recorded on July 14, 2026 at 11am Taiwan Standard Time
Host/Senior Producer: Yin Khvat
Producer: Miguel Yang
Research Assistant: April Lin
Our guests:
Grant Newsham
- Retired US Marine Corps Colonel
K. Tristan Tang
- Taiwan Defense Studies Initiative Co-Founder
Ryan Claffey
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Indo-Pacific Security Program Research Assistant
Chapters:
00:00:00 – Questions Linger After China’s Test
00:01:33 – China Announces Contradictory Missile Paths
00:15:07 – Beijing Eschews Global Norms
#ChinaMissileTest #BeijingArmsTesting #ChinaDefense #BallisticMissile #MissileTest #ArmsTesting #GlobalSecurity #IndoPacific #SouthChinaSea #PacificOcean #Geopolitics #DefenseNews #InternationalRelations #NuclearDeterrence #NuclearTriad #SLBM #SubmarineLaunch #PLA #PLANavy #PacificSecurity #SouthPacific #USChinaRelations #ArmsRace #GlobalNorms #StrategicDefense #NationalSecurity #SecurityNews #DefensePolicy #MissileTrajectory #WeaponsTesting #ArmsControl #RegionalStability #NuclearProliferation #HCOC #StrategicCompetition #GeopoliticalTension #AsiaPacific #ForeignPolicy #WorldNews #BreakingDefense #DefenseIndustry #SubmarineForce #JL3 #JL2 #DefenseStrategy #GeopoliticalRisk #MilitaryTech #WarfareTechnology #ChinaMilitary #MissileLaunch #PacificTension #DefenseTechnology #StrategicRisk #TaiwanPlus #TaiwanTalks
