Xi’s Water Missile

Hi Global Recap readers,

Reading the title, you were probably wondering…

“Water missile? Does that even work?”

Well, it’s not supposed to work. Apparently, corruption is so rampant in the Chinese military that numerous missiles were discovered to be filled with water rather than fuel.

Nice.

🌐 Around the world:

• 🥶 Russians freeze.

• 🕵🏻‍♂️ UK spying on China?

• 🇯🇵 90-year-old survives 124 hours.

• 🚀 Israel crushes Hamas & Hezbollah.

• 🇨🇳 Xi Jinping’s water missile.

Let’s get into today’s news.

🥶 Russians Freeze Amid Power Outage

Thousands of residents in the Moscow region have been left without heating and electricity for days due to a burst heating main and extremely cold weather.

The authorities have been slow to respond and the locals are furious.

• Outrage: Some residents staged a protest in Podolsk, demanding the power be restored and the officials be punished.

• Police: Law enforcement was quickly dispatched to break up the protest.

• Blame: The governor said that the private owners of the plant responsible for the outage had fled and he would file a complaint to Russia’s Investigative Committee. 🤦‍♂️

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🇬🇧 UK Caught Spying on China?

China has arrested a foreign national who they accuse of spying for the UK’s spy agency - MI6 - in China since 2015.

The Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) said the spy, surnamed Huang, was the head of an overseas consulting firm.

• Accusations: Huang allegedly provided 17 pieces of intelligence to MI6, including several "national secrets."

• Crackdown: China has been targeting international consulting firms for potential espionage activities.

• Response: The UK has not commented on the case yet.

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🇯🇵 Japanese Miracle

Remember when I told you about the Golden 72 Hours? Experts believe after 72 hours, the survival rate of a person in a disaster scenario is 5%-10% or less.

HOWEVER: Against the odds, a 90-year-old woman was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed house five days after a massive earthquake hit Japan.

That’s 124 hours!

• Location: The woman was trapped in a narrow space between the floors, but managed to survive thanks to the furniture that shielded her.

• Magnitude: The quake that struck on January 1 was 7.5 on the Richter scale and triggered tsunami alerts.

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🚀 Israel Crushes Hamas & Hezbollah

Israel has declared victory over Hamas in northern Gaza, after three months of intense fighting that killed thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of Israelis.

• Next Target: Israel plans to continue its campaign in central and southern Gaza, where Hamas still operates.

But that’s not all. Today, it conducted an airstrike in southern Lebanon which killed an elite Hezbollah commander.

• Identity: The slain commander was Wissam al-Tawil, a member of the elite Radwan Force that operates near the border.

• Why: The strike was a response to Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on a key Israeli air base on Saturday, which the group said was revenge for the killing of a top Hamas leader in Beirut last week.

China

Xi’s Water Missile

🚀 Xi’s Military Purge. For months now, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been expanding his anti-corruption campaign within the Chinese military. According to Bloomberg, citing US intelligence, the military purge was triggered by the discovery of widespread corruption that undermined his efforts to modernize the armed forces.

Here’s one example of corruption:

Filling missiles with water instead of fuel. 🤦‍♂️

💧 Water-filled Missiles. Yes, you read that right. Corruption runs so deep in China’s Rocket Force and defense industry that missiles are water-loaded, not fuel-loaded. Plus, countless missile silos in western China have defective lids, hampering their launch efficiency.

🚀 Combat Capabilities. That’s why US officials reckon Xi might hold off on major military moves for now. Perhaps it explains China’s preference for spy balloons over rockets in Taiwan’s airspace.

🔍 Corruption Probe. Corruption in the People’s Liberation Army is shaking confidence in its prowess, especially the Rocket Force, and hindering Xi’s modernization plans. I mean, it is even believed that its aircraft carrier is more of a “theatrical” prop, rather than a functioning military asset.

🎖️ Senior Officials. The anti-corruption campaign has caught numerous senior defense officials in its net over half a year, marking possibly China’s biggest military crackdown in recent times. You would think this would weaken Xi, but no.

👑 Xi’s Firm Grip. Rather, his move to oust senior figures, including those he promoted, underscores his unyielding grip on the Party. It signals his commitment to bolster discipline, root out corruption, and gear up China’s military for long-term combat readiness.

After all, his crusade against corruption marked the initial stage of his reign. He even declared war against corruption in his inaugural address in 2012.