James P Mitchell-Ryan

Keen to connect to fellow #OSINT enthusiasts and to learn more. My main regional focus is #China and wider #AsiaPacific. Open for collaboration.

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

China/Maritime Affairs 🚨How China's defence establishment view the latest 'provocation' (JPN+PHL maritime delimitation well east of Taiwan). The CCG sent vessels and Maritime Safety Administration vessels to the area...

[China Military Bugle @ChinaMilBugle]

"We urge Japan and the Philippines to immediately stop their illegal infringements and provocative acts. If they choose to persist in their wrong course, they will only reap what they sow," said a Chinese defense spokesperson on Tuesday.

Japan and the Philippines unilaterally announced the launch of maritime delimitation negotiations in the waters east of China's Taiwan Island. The China Coast Guard immediately conducted law enforcement patrols in the relevant waters, and China’s Ministry of Transport subsequently carried out a special law enforcement operation on maritime traffic.

When being asked to comment on that, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), pointed out that, regarding the unauthorized announcement by Japan and the Philippines to launch the so-called "maritime delimitation negotiations" in the waters east of China's Taiwan Island, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly stated China's solemn position of firm opposition.

"China will take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," added the spokesperson.

#MND #CCG
#China #TaiwanIsland #Taiwan
#Japan #Philippines #Tokyo #Manila
#ExclusiveEconomicZones
#ContinentalShelves
#DelimitationNegotiations
#ChinaMilitary #ChinaMilBugle

[Sari Arho Havrén @SariArhoHavren]

France shuts down clandestine Chinese 'police stations' operating on its territory:

Since early 2026, French counterintelligence services have dismantled nine clandestine structures operating in France under the direction of China's Ministry of Public Security. The sites were notably used to track down dissidents.

https://t.co/jCYnzXDNLQ

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

🇨🇳⚓️How PLA amphibious exercises are evolving, testing different approaches and trying to integrate more realistic conditions (like navigating around obstacles). One to watch!
https://t.co/O8g3V00SlT

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

@NetAskari Thanks for that insight!

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

All- a perspective on how China's propagandists are responding to recent tension in the geostrategically crucial Bashi Channel, and see how @StarboardIntel and @SeaLightFound and others provide assessment of vessel moves here:

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

China/Maritime Affairs 🚨How China's defence establishment view the latest 'provocation' (JPN+PHL maritime delimitation well east of Taiwan). The CCG sent vessels and Maritime Safety Administration vessels to the area...

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

OSINTers- perspective on how China's propagandists are responding to recent tension in the Bashi Channel, and see how @StarboardIntel and @SeaLightFound
and others provide assessment of vessel moves here:

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

China/Maritime Affairs 🚨How China's defence establishment view the latest 'provocation' (JPN+PHL maritime delimitation well east of Taiwan). The CCG sent vessels and Maritime Safety Administration vessels to the area...

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

@KosmosNous @SeaLightFound @StarboardIntel Thanks for commenting- it certainly is a crucially important sealane, and China are no strangers to sending military(PLAN and PLAAF) assets there- the @Diplomat_APAC has a good collection of articles about those incursions here- https://t.co/zaYWJw0NX7
@AndrewSErickson- thoughts?

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

China/Maritime Affairs 🚨How China's defence establishment view the latest 'provocation' (JPN+PHL maritime delimitation well east of Taiwan). The CCG sent vessels and Maritime Safety Administration vessels to the area...

[China Military Bugle @ChinaMilBugle]

"We urge Japan and the Philippines to immediately stop their illegal infringements and provocative acts. If they choose to persist in their wrong course, they will only reap what they sow," said a Chinese defense spokesperson on Tuesday.

Japan and the Philippines unilaterally announced the launch of maritime delimitation negotiations in the waters east of China's Taiwan Island. The China Coast Guard immediately conducted law enforcement patrols in the relevant waters, and China’s Ministry of Transport subsequently carried out a special law enforcement operation on maritime traffic.

When being asked to comment on that, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), pointed out that, regarding the unauthorized announcement by Japan and the Philippines to launch the so-called "maritime delimitation negotiations" in the waters east of China's Taiwan Island, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly stated China's solemn position of firm opposition.

"China will take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," added the spokesperson.

#MND #CCG
#China #TaiwanIsland #Taiwan
#Japan #Philippines #Tokyo #Manila
#ExclusiveEconomicZones
#ContinentalShelves
#DelimitationNegotiations
#ChinaMilitary #ChinaMilBugle

[SeaLight @SeaLightFound]

🚨SCARBOROUGH SHOAL UPDATE

🛰️A 2nd commercial satellite image further corroborates the previously reported object near Scarborough Shoal's entrance, and also shows a linear feature across the entrance consistent with a floating barrier.

In our 1 June post below, SeaLight was first to release satellite imagery of the small object at the mouth of Scarborough Shoal referenced by Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro. At the time, we noted that we had reviewed an earlier commercial image but were unable to share it due to licensing restrictions.

Those restrictions have been resolved, enabling us to release this image captured by @vantortech (via @SkyfiApp) on 27 May 2026 (corrected from 26 May in our original post).

What this image adds:

1) Corroboration across date and provider: a small, bright object visible at the same location. Together with the 28 May @Satellogic image we previously released, this confirms the object was present across at least 27–28 May 2026. (We do NOT yet know from available imagery whether the object remains in place today.)

2) Floating barrier at the lagoon entrance:
the 27 May image shows a curved linear feature spanning the lagoon entrance consistent with a floating barrier, similar to access-control measures previously documented at the shoal.

Since our first post, @TeamAFP's Chief of Staff Gen. Brawner told @navalnewscom's @Frances_Mng that his analysts estimate the object at 6x6 meters, and are still determining whether it is floating or fixed.

Likewise, SeaLight still cannot confirm whether the object is fixed or floating, determine its function or conclusively attribute it to any actor. However, as China has exercised effective control over the shoal since 2012 and has increasingly restricted access to the lagoon entrance since 2024, attribution to any other actor is very unlikely.

SeaLight Director Ray Powell: “The 2002 Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea was meant to stop parties from increasing tensions by changing the status quo on contested, uninhabited features. Yet instead of addressing this object directly, China's SCS "think tank" @SCS_PI has dismissed Philippine concerns as ‘imagination and speculation’ and ‘random nonsense.’ But if China truly believes its signed agreements still matter, this is exactly the kind of development it should be willing to clarify openly: who placed this object at Scarborough’s entrance; when was it placed; what is its purpose; and when can we expect its removal?”

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

@babywhitemonkey @RnaudBertrand Macron, Hollande, Sarkozy, Le Pen? That's just in the political sphere? Gerard Depardieu? Audrey Tautou from Amelie? Thierry Henry?

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

[3/3] I think if these French pundits could include those who have passed, Mao and Deng would be up there? And then Bruce Lee, but again HK (and before 1997). Who would be the 3 on your list?

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

[1/3] Name 3 living Chinese people? Yes, this is a shocking indictment on the West's lack of China knowledge and understanding beyond the political leadership. It also shows how little soft power translates into China knowledge...

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

This is genuinely incredible and says SO SO MUCH about the perception of China in the West.

This is the #1 news show in France, and the host - David Pujadas - asks the pundits around the table (a sample of the top media figures in France) if they can name 3 living Chinese people.

That's it: they just need to say the names of 3 living Chinese people, anyone. This should be extremely easy.

Yet not of a single one of them can name a single Chinese beyond Xi Jinping. They do not know a single living Chinese person beyond the president.

That's the level of ignorance of China we're dealing with in the West today, in 2026.

This is the source for the video: https://t.co/9UnWyu63g8 Aired live yesterday 28th of May 2026.

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

[2/3] Many Westerners have Xiaomi or Huawei phones but don't know about Lei Jun or Ren Zhengfei, a few know Pony and Jack Ma, maybe Donnie Yen from Ip Man? Jackie Chan definitely though! A lot of Chinese cultural figures known in the West tend to be from HK or are diaspora...

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

Well done to the @AtlanticCouncil and @alvincamba for this piece. It brings together themes that have been going on for years: my investigation in 2024 into some of the inauthentic tactics of pro-China trolls in the Philippines can be found here! https://t.co/j2aWfwbkRq

[Ray Powell @GordianKnotRay]

🚨 "Beijing is not bypassing Philippine press freedom—it's exploiting it"

NEW from @alvincamba writing at the @AtlanticCouncil: "Uncovering 🇨🇳#China's attacks on investigative journalism in the 🇵🇭#Philippines"

- Chinese Embassy Deputy Spokesperson Guo Wei has issued repeated statements attacking the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism following @PCIJdotOrg contributor @RegineCabato's October 2025 reporting on pro-China influence operations in Philippine media.

- On March 9, @pressfreedom urged the embassy to stop; instead, Guo escalated, after which Cabato faced sustained, coordinated online harassment.

- Camba argues what's distinctive is the "architecture" of the assault: an official embassy statement activates a primed ecosystem of troll networks, influencers, and aligned accounts that scale the message within hours.

- @Chinaembmanila operates in a gray zone of the 1961 Vienna Convention, framing host-government pushback as itself a violation of diplomatic norms.

- Manila's options are constrained: expulsion risks asymmetric Chinese economic retaliation, formal @DFAPHL protests have been inverted by Beijing, and platform intervention is limited because the same open platforms underpin the Philippines' transparency campaign.

He recommends: passing Senate Bill 2951 (Counter Foreign Interference Act), systematically documenting each embassy-linked targeting incident; coordinating bilateral statements with the US, EU, and Australia; and considering a referral to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression.

Note: Check out @IndoPacPodcast for our interview with Regine Cabato on this very topic last week.

Camba's full interview link in the comments👇

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

[3/3].... Because they are provincial/city level, some foreign orgs do not know who they are really dealing with. @cnmediaproject reported on this and on the challenges the ICCs face here: https://t.co/sGtieDiCvg and https://t.co/NGH4irrnOq

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

[1/3] China/Propaganda: Today I've been reading up on Li Shulei (李书磊)，president of the Publicity Department of the CPC and Politburo member. He was deputy to Xi at the Central Party School from 2008 onwards, has served in Discipline Inspection roles...🧵

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

[2/3] As one of "one institution, two names", Li's department is also outwardly known as the (less ominous) State Council Information Office (SCIO). It has a domestic remit but also works through affiliates and provincial entities like International Communications Centres (ICCs)

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

A. Ones held by soldiers with actual combat experience in different theatres... 😉
#读万卷书不如行万里路 #chinamil

[China Military Bugle @ChinaMilBugle]

Break Time after Training:

What weapons would you pick for Close Quarters Battle (CQB) operation?

QLU-11 sniper grenade launcher,
QJB-201 light machine gun,
QBU-10 anti-materiel sniper rifle?

#CQB
#QLU11 #QJB201 #QBU10
#PLA #Army
#ChinaMilitary #ChinaMilBugle

[James P Mitchell-Ryan @JpmCopaOSINT]

China/US relations: Trump to discuss Taiwan arms sales, jailed HK tycoon Jimmy Lai with Xi https://t.co/5fSVkqYa3Z