China News Roundup: September 6–9, 2026

Beijing Tightens Exit Controls on Its Own Citizens

Starting September 15, China is introducing stricter controls at all border checkpoints: officials, state company employees, university faculty, doctors, top executives of public companies, and students will now be required to obtain approval before traveling abroad. The system is built on a "whoever approves is responsible" principle — if a person fails to return or overstays their permitted period, the official who signed off on the approval will bear responsibility. Looking at this, it's a direct continuation of the course toward restricting brain drain that I wrote about earlier, only now formalized into a concrete bureaucratic mechanism that shifts the risk onto officials themselves and thereby creates a powerful incentive to deny approval in any borderline case.

Beijing Assists Russia with Drones While Sparring with Washington Over AI

Media reports indicate that China has been secretly supplying Russia with components for kamikaze drones, with Western sources claiming that the number of "Geran" drones supplied in September alone runs into the thousands. In parallel, the United States accused China of illegally distilling American AI models, and the Department of Transportation demanded that Ford sever technological ties with its Chinese partners. I see two fronts of the same confrontation here: a military-technical one operating through third countries, and a purely technological one directly involving American companies. Both point to the fact that the showdown between Beijing and Washington is shifting from the trade sphere into the military-technological sphere, where compromises are far harder to reach.

Russia-Britain War: Why Britain Always Hated Russia

9 September, 2026

Yuan Strengthens, but Beijing Floods Financial Sector with Cash Amid Risks

The yuan's exchange rate on the Moscow Exchange rose to 12.76 rubles, while Chinese authorities simultaneously directed 360 billion yuan (54 billion dollars) toward shoring up banks and insurance companies in the face of an economic slowdown. To me, this looks like an attempt to simultaneously maintain a strong currency and safeguard the financial system against external shocks — in other words, Beijing is preparing for a more turbulent period in relations with the West by reinforcing its defenses in advance rather than reacting after the fact.

Draw your own conclusions!